JP2000296921A - Recording medium information providing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent printing errors by inputting a sheet type when the sheet type can not be specified just by attaching an external cassette to an internal cassette. SOLUTION: A type of recording sheets loaded in an internal cassette is discriminated by a recording medium discriminating means. If the type of the recording sheets discriminated by the recording medium discriminating means is judged to be not of a preset type by a judging means 10, a sheet type inputting means 13 for inputting the sheet type is displayed on a display 7 by a printer driver 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording medium information providing apparatus which selects a type of a recording medium loaded on a recording medium loading means to form an image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional printing apparatus as an image forming apparatus, a cassette as stacking means is detachably mounted on an apparatus main body. The cassette is provided with a recording medium selecting means for selecting the type of recording sheet as a recording medium such as plain paper, coated paper, OHP, cloth, postcard, thick paper, and photographic paper. Further, the printing apparatus notifies the recording sheet information selected by the recording medium selecting unit to, for example, a printer driver installed in a computer, and in the recording execution stage, the recording sheet information selected by the recording medium selecting unit and the user When the recording sheet information selected on the printer driver is different, the fact that the information is different between the recording medium selecting means and the printer driver is notified, and the confirmation or the input of the recording sheet type is prompted again. There is a recording medium information providing device provided.

[0003]

However, in the conventional example described above, the user using the printing apparatus must specify the recording sheet, and a cassette loaded with a plurality of types of recording sheets is mounted on the printing apparatus. In some cases, confusion may occur when selecting a recording sheet.

If a recording sheet selected by the printing apparatus is different from a recording sheet for creating recording data, for example, a recording sheet selected on a printer driver, the user must operate the printer driver to match both pieces of information. For this reason, confusion sometimes occurs when the recording sheet cannot be set.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and eliminates the need to specify a recording medium and specifies the type when a loading means on which a specific type of recording medium is loaded is mounted. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording medium information providing apparatus capable of preventing a printing error by inputting a type of a recording medium when a loading unit on which an unrecordable recording medium is loaded is mounted.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a recording medium information providing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention identifies a recording medium for each loading means in accordance with the type of recording medium. Recording medium identifying means, recording medium information notifying means for notifying a printer driver of the recording medium identified by the recording medium identifying means as recording medium information, and recording medium information notified by the recording medium information notifying means are preset. Determining means for determining whether the recording medium information is included in the specified type of information, and setting the recording medium information to a printer driver when the recording medium information determined by the determining means is included in the specific type of information. Recording medium type input means for inputting the type of the recording medium, and the determination means Therefore when the determined the recording medium information is not included in the specific type of information, characterized by comprising a control means for prompting said recording medium type input means so as to activate.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the loading means has an inner cassette on which a recording medium is loaded, and an outer cassette on which the inner cassette is mounted, and the recording medium discriminating means comprises the outer cassette. Switch means for outputting a signal corresponding to the type of recording medium loaded on the inner cassette by mounting the inner cassette on the inner cassette.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the switch means outputs a signal when the inner cassette on which the specific type of recording medium is loaded is mounted on the outer cassette.

[Operation] Based on the above configuration, the type of the recording medium is identified by the recording medium identifying means, and the recording medium information notifying means notifies the printer driver of the recording medium information. Then, when the recording medium information notified by the recording medium information notifying unit is a specific type of information, the recording medium information is reflected by the setting of the printer driver by the recording medium information adopting unit. Further, when the recording medium information notified by the recording medium information notifying unit is not information of a specific type, control is performed by the control unit to activate the recording medium type input unit for inputting the type of the recording medium. .

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a recording medium stacking device having a recording medium identifying unit according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the recording medium identifying unit, and FIG. FIG. 3B is a side sectional view showing a state in which the apparatus main body and a computer are connected, and FIG. 4 is a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a recording medium type input unit.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an inner cassette for supplying a recording sheet as a recording medium to an image forming section (not shown) of a printing apparatus, and 2 denotes an outer cassette on which an inner cassette 1 is mounted. The recording medium identification means 3 is constituted by the cassette 2 and the inner cassette 1, and any one of the recording sheets S, which is a specific recording medium such as plain paper, coated paper, OHP sheet, cloth, postcard, cardboard, or photo paper, is the inner cassette 1. Is set to The inner cassette 1 and the outer cassette 2 constitute loading means.

That is, when the recording sheet S is a specific sheet, the recording medium identifying means 3
A concave portion 1a which is set in advance at a different position on the bottom of the inner cassette 1 according to the type of the inner cassette 1; Recess 1a
And a plurality of switch means 4 which are inserted into the inner cassette 1 to maintain or operate in an off state.
At least one is formed at the bottom. A plurality of switch means 4 are arranged in, for example, one row in the outer cassette 2, and a movable element 4 a that slides by inserting and removing the inner cassette 1, and a stator 4 to which the movable element 4 a comes and goes are separated.
b, and turns on and off when the mover 4a comes into contact with and separates from the stator 4b. By turning on and off the plurality of switch means 4, the type of the recording medium is identified by means described later.

With such a configuration, the movable member 4a of one or a plurality of switch means 4 comes into contact with the stator 4b by inserting the inner cassette 1 into the outer cassette 2. If the type of the recording sheet S is set in advance by the switch unit 4 at the position where the switch unit 4 is turned on at which position the switch unit 4 is turned on, it is possible to identify the type of the recording sheet S in a data output device described later. The type of the recording sheet S can be specified by the switch means 4 described above. That is, the type of the recording sheet S loaded on the inner cassette 1 is identified by identifying the sheet type identification signal corresponding to the turned on switch means 4 in the data output device of the printing apparatus as the image forming apparatus. .

Next, a data output device for identifying the type of the recording sheet S will be described.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 5 denotes a printing device on which the outer cassette 2 is mounted, 6 denotes a CPU as a control means having a role of a data output device, and 7 denotes a recording sheet S of plain paper, postcard, coated paper, A display 8 for selecting any sheet such as an OHP sheet, cardboard, cloth, or photographic paper, and a cable 8 required for transmitting and receiving data between the printing apparatus 5 and the CPU 6.

The printing apparatus 5 is provided with a sheet type information notifying unit 9 as a recording medium information notifying unit for notifying the CPU 6 of the sheet type information obtained from the recording medium identifying unit 3. Further, the printing apparatus 5 or the CPU 6 is provided with a judging means 10 for judging whether or not the sheet type information notified by the sheet type information notifying means 9 is included in a predetermined type of recording sheet S (this book). In the embodiment, the CPU 6 is provided with the judgment means 10). Further, when the type of sheet determined by the determining unit 10 is a specific recording sheet S set in advance, the CPU 6 uses a recording medium information adopting unit for automatically reflecting the sheet type on the printer driver 11. A certain sheet information adopting means 12 is provided.

If the type of sheet determined by the determination means 10 is not included in the information of the specific recording sheet S set in advance, the CPU 6 inputs a sheet type as shown in FIG. A function is provided to prompt the user to display the sheet type input unit 13 as the medium type input unit on the display 7. Then, the user inputs the sheet type input means 13 displayed on the display 7.
Of the recording sheets S loaded on the inner cassette 1 from within
Select the type.

The data output device thus configured is
The sheet type information from the sheet type information notifying means 9 is notified to the CPU 6 serving as a data output device. And
The determination means 10 of the CPU 6 determines whether or not the sheet type information is included in the specific recording sheet S. If the specific recording sheet S is determined, the sheet information pre-installed in the CPU 6 is determined. The sheet type shown in FIG. 4 for reflecting the sheet type in the printer driver 11 using the adoption unit 12 and prompting the user to select a sheet on the printer driver 11 when it is determined that the sheet is not a specific sheet. The input means 13 is displayed on the display 7.

Therefore, the user only needs to input the type of recording medium when a recording medium other than a specific recording medium is set in the cassette, so that printing errors can be prevented as much as possible.

In this embodiment, the switching means 4
Is turned on or off, and a current is applied to the recording sheet S.
However, the recording sheet S can also be specified by using, for example, a barcode sensor.

In the above-described embodiment, data is exchanged between the printing apparatus 5 and the CPU 6 through the cable 9. However, in addition to wired communication, infrared (IrDA)
It goes without saying that data may be exchanged by wireless communication such as.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, the type of the recording medium loaded on the loading means is identified by the recording medium identification means, and the recording medium information is transmitted to the printer driver by the recording medium information notifying means. At the time of notification, if the recording medium information is preset specific information, the recording medium information is applied to the setting of the printer driver by the recording medium information adopting means. By simply performing the above, an image can be formed on a specific type of recording medium.

Further, when the recording medium information is not the specific information, the recording medium type input means for inputting the type of the recording medium by the control means is activated.
Accurate image formation can be performed while preventing printing errors.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording medium type identification unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention in a separated state.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a recording medium type identification unit according to the first embodiment;
(A) is a side cross-sectional view showing a state where the recording medium type identification means is separated, and (b) is a side cross-sectional view showing a state where the recording medium type identification means is loosely inserted.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram illustrating an example in which a printing apparatus main body and a computer are connected.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a type input unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 loading means (inner cassette) 2 loading means (outer cassette) 3 recording medium identification means 4 switch means 5 image forming apparatus (printing apparatus) 6 control means (CPU) 9 recording medium information notifying means (sheet type information notifying means) 10 Judging means 11 Printer driver 12 Recording medium information adopting means (sheet information adopting means) 13 Recording medium type inputting means (sheet type inputting means)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A recording medium identifying means for identifying a recording medium for each loading means in correspondence with a type of recording medium, and a recording medium identified by the recording medium identifying means is notified to a printer driver as recording medium information. Recording medium information notifying means, determining means for determining whether or not the recording medium information notified by the recording medium information notifying means is included in predetermined type of information, and the recording medium determined by the determining means A recording medium information providing device including, when information is included in the specific type of information, a recording medium information adopting unit configured to reflect the recording medium information in a setting of a printer driver; A recording medium type input unit for inputting, if the recording medium information determined by the determining unit is not included in the specific type of information, And control means for urging the recording medium type input means so as to activate the recording medium information providing apparatus characterized by. 2. The loading means has an inner cassette on which a recording medium is loaded, and an outer cassette on which the inner cassette is mounted. The recording medium identification means mounts the inner cassette on the outer cassette. 2. The recording medium information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the switching means outputs a signal corresponding to the type of the recording medium loaded on the inner cassette. 3. The recording medium information according to claim 2, wherein the switch outputs a signal when the inner cassette on which a specific type of recording medium is loaded is mounted on the outer cassette. Providing device.