JP2002218135A - Image forming device and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device that allows another copying machine to print out image data stored in its own storage device. SOLUTION: The image forming device is provided with a bit map memory that deploys image data to be printed, a means that transfers the image data deployed in the bit map memory to a bit map memory of another image forming device, and a means that allows the other image forming device to print out the image data transferred to the bit map memory of the other image forming device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a copying machine, a printer,
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile and an image forming system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to each other via a dedicated cable, an intranet, the Internet, or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Tandem copying, in which a plurality of copying machines are connected by a dedicated cable, and image data read by one copying machine is distributed to the plurality of copying machines to perform copying processing, thereby improving productivity. Copiers with functions have already been developed.

FIG. 3 shows a conventional configuration of two copiers connected to each other to utilize a tandem copying function.

Each of the copying machines 10 and 20 includes a control unit 11 and 21, a scanner 12 and 22, a selector 13 and
3, bitmap memories 14, 24, hard disks (HDD) 15, 25, and printer engines 16, 2,
6 is provided.

In this example, in the tandem copy mode,
It is assumed that a document is set on the scanner 12 of the copying machine 10. That is, it is assumed that the copying machine 10 is a master machine and the copying machine 20 is a slave machine.

The control unit of the copying machine 10 and the control unit of the copying machine 20 are connected by a dedicated cable for communicating control signals. The output terminal of the selector 13 of the copying machine 10 and one input terminal of the selector 23 of the copying machine 20 are connected by a dedicated cable 17 for communicating image data.

In the tandem copying mode, images of a plurality of originals set on the scanner 12 are read by the scanner 12. The image data obtained by the scanner 12 is temporarily stored in the bitmap memory 14 via the selector 13 and
3. Temporarily stored in the bitmap memory 24 via the dedicated cable 17 and the selector 23.

[0008] The image data temporarily stored in the bitmap memory 14 is stored in the HDD 15. Similarly, the image data stored in the bitmap memory 24 is stored in the HDD 25. When the image data of all the originals is stored in the HDDs 15 and 25 in this manner, the image data is read from the HDDs 15 and 25,
The data is sent to the printer engines 16 and 26 via the bitmap memories 14 and 25 and printing is performed.

As described above, conventionally, in the tandem copying mode, it is possible to distribute the image data read by one copying machine to a plurality of copying machines to perform the copying process.

By the way, as a copy mode of the copying machine,
A re-copy mode in which the same copy processing is performed again by using the image data stored in the HDD after the copy processing is performed, or image data designated by the user among the image data stored in the HDD is output. There is known a stored document output mode.

When the copying process is performed by the copying machine 10 not in the tandem copying mode but in the normal copying mode, the same copying process is performed again using the image data stored in the HDD 15 in the re-copy mode. In the prior art, it was not possible to distribute the image data to another copying machine 20 to perform the copying process.

Similarly, in the case where the image data designated by the user among the image data stored only in the HDD 15 of the copying machine 10 is output in the saved document output mode, conventionally, the other copying machine 20 is used. It was not possible to distribute the image data and perform the copying process.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an image forming apparatus and an image forming system capable of printing image data stored in its own storage device on another copying machine. The purpose is to do.

[0014]

According to a first image forming apparatus of the present invention, a bit map memory in which image data to be printed is expanded, and the image data expanded in the bit map memory, which are used in another image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus further comprises means for transferring the image data to the bitmap memory of the other image forming apparatus and means for causing the other image forming apparatus to print the image data transferred to the bitmap memory of the other image forming apparatus.

[0015] A second image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an image storage memory for storing read image data, a bitmap memory for expanding image data to be printed, and an image storage memory. Means for reading out the image data to be printed and developing the image data in the bitmap memory, transferring the image data expanded in the bitmap memory to the bitmap memory of another image forming apparatus, and The image forming apparatus further comprises means for causing the other image forming apparatus to print the image data transferred to the bitmap memory.

An image forming system according to the present invention includes a first image forming apparatus and a second image forming apparatus connected to each other, wherein the first image forming apparatus stores read image data. Image storage memory, bitmap memory for expanding image data to be printed, image data to be read from the image storage memory, means for expanding to bitmap memory, expanded to bitmap memory Means for transferring image data to a bitmap memory of the second image forming apparatus, wherein the second image forming apparatus is provided with a bitmap memory for developing image data to be printed and It is characterized by comprising means for printing the image data transferred to the map memory.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of two copiers connected to each other to utilize a tandem copying function.

Each of the copying machines 10 and 20 includes a control unit 11 and 21, a scanner 12 and 22, a selector 13 and
3, bitmap memories 14 and 24, hard disks (image storage devices; HDDs) 15 and 25, and printer engines 16 and 26.

In this example, in the tandem copying mode,
It is assumed that a document is set on the scanner 12 of the copying machine 10. That is, it is assumed that the copying machine 10 is a master machine and the copying machine 20 is a slave machine.

The control unit 11 of the copying machine 10 and the control unit 21 of the copying machine 20 are connected by a dedicated cable 30 for communicating control signals and image data. As shown in FIG. 2, the dedicated cable 30 is composed of a total of 24 video lines 31, eight for each color of RGB, three video control lines 32, and four communication lines 33. I have. Instead of the dedicated cable 30, both control units 11, via a network such as an intranet or the Internet,
21 may be connected.

The output terminal of the selector 13 of the copying machine 10 and one input terminal of the selector 23 of the copying machine 20 are connected by a dedicated cable 17 for communicating image data.

In this embodiment, the tandem copy mode includes a normal tandem copy mode, a recopy tandem copy mode, and a stored document output tandem copy mode.

The normal tandem copying mode is a copying mode in which image data read by the copying machine 10 is distributed to the copying machine 20 to perform a copying process, and is the same as the tandem copying mode described in the conventional description.

In the recopy tandem copy mode, the same copy process is performed again by using the image data stored in the HDD 15 in the normal copy mode after the copy process is performed by the copying machine 10. In this mode, image data to be copied is distributed to the copying machine 20, and a copying process is performed.

In the stored document output tandem copying mode, when the image data designated by the user among the image data stored only in the HDD 15 of the copying machine 10 is output, the image data is distributed to the copying machine 20. This is a mode for performing a copying process.

The operation in the recopy tandem copy mode and the operation in the stored document output tandem copy mode will be described below.

(1) Description of Operation in Recopy Tandem Copy Mode In the normal copy mode, for example, a copying process is performed on three originals by the copying machine 10, and three image data output by the copying process are output. Is HDD15
It is assumed that it is stored in That is, the image data read by the scanner 12 is expanded in the bitmap memory 14 via the selector 13. The image data developed in the bitmap memory 14 is stored in the printer engine 16.
Is printed by The image data expanded in the bitmap memory 14 is, for example, an MMR method, a JBI
After being compressed by the G method or the like, it is stored in the HDD 15.

In this state, when the start key is pressed after the recopy tandem copy mode is set in the copying machine 10, the image data of the first page out of the three image data stored in the HDD 15 is displayed. Is read from the HDD 15 and expanded in the bitmap memory 14. When the image data of the first page is developed in the bitmap memory 14, the image data of the first page developed in the bitmap memory 14 is transmitted through the dedicated cable 30 under the control of the control unit 11 of the copying machine 10. Is transferred to the bit map memory 24 of the copying machine 20.

Thereafter, the image data of the first page developed in the bitmap memory 14 is sent to the printer engine 16 and printed. Further, based on an instruction from the control unit 11 of the copying machine 10 to the control unit 21 of the copying machine 20, the image data of the first page transferred to the bitmap memory 24 is sent to the printer engine 26 and printed.

By the same operation, the image data of the first page and the image data of the third page are printed by the copying machines 10 and 20. That is, the copying machines 10, 20
Are connected by a dedicated cable 30 capable of communicating image data.
The image data read from the memory 15 and expanded in the bitmap memory 14 is transferred to the copying machine 20 via the dedicated cable 30.
To the bitmap memory 24, and the copier 20 can print.

(2) Description of Operation in Saved Document Output Tandem Copy Mode Assume that a plurality of image data are stored in the HDD 15 of the copying machine 10. When the stored document output tandem copy mode is set for the copying machine 10, a list screen of image data stored in the HDD 15 is displayed on the operation unit.

The user selects image data to be printed from this one-column screen, and then presses a start key. When the start key is pressed, the image data selected by the user is read from the HDD 15 and expanded in the bitmap memory 14. When the image data is expanded in the bitmap memory 14, the image data expanded in the bitmap memory 14 is controlled by the control unit 11 of the copying machine 10 via the dedicated cable 30 and stored in the bitmap memory of the copying machine 20. 24.

Thereafter, the image data developed in the bitmap memory 14 is sent to the printer engine 16 and printed. Further, the control unit 11 of the copying machine 10
0 to the control unit 21, the image data transferred to the bitmap memory 24 is stored in the printer engine 26.
To be printed.

[0035]

According to the present invention, it is possible to print image data stored in its own storage device on another copying machine.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of two copiers connected to each other to use a tandem copying function.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a dedicated cable for connecting control units of both copying machines.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 20 Copier 11, 21 Control unit 12, 22 Scanner 13, 23 Selector 14, 24 Bitmap memory 15, 25 Hard disk 16, 26 Printer engine 30 Dedicated cable

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tatsuo Noda 1-2-28 Tamazo, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka F-term in Kyocera Mita Corporation (reference) 2C087 AA03 AA09 BA02 BA03 BB10 BD41 DA01 2C187 AD03 5C062 AA05 AB17 AB22 AB38 AB42 AB53 AC22 AC43 BA04

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A bitmap memory in which image data to be printed is expanded, means for transferring the image data expanded in the bitmap memory to a bitmap memory of another image forming apparatus, and the other image forming apparatus Means for causing the other image forming apparatus to print the image data transferred to the bit map memory of the image forming apparatus. 2. An image storage device for storing read image data, a bitmap memory for expanding image data to be printed, and reading image data to be printed from the image storage device. Means for developing the image data in the bitmap memory, means for transferring the image data developed in the bitmap memory to the bitmap memory of another image forming apparatus, and image data transferred to the bitmap memory of the other image forming apparatus. And means for causing the other image forming apparatus to perform printing. 3. An image storage device comprising: a first image forming device and a second image forming device connected to each other, wherein the first image forming device is a storage device for storing read image data; A bitmap memory for expanding the image data to be printed, a means for reading the image data to be printed from the storage device for image storage, and expanding the image data in the bitmap memory; Means for transferring the image data to the bitmap memory of the image forming apparatus, wherein the second image forming apparatus is transferred from the first image forming apparatus to the bitmap memory for expanding the image data to be printed and to the bitmap memory. An image forming system comprising means for printing image data.