JP2004223967A - System and method for forming image and program for making computer execute the method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming system which can print efficiently an image of a size, color, etc. desired by a user, by a simple operation and without an error. <P>SOLUTION: In this image forming system, image forming devices 101, 102 and 103 enabling execution of color printing and image forming devices 104 and 105 enabling execution of only monochrome printing are provided mixedly and connected to each other. Besides, hard disks 101a-105a are connected respectively to the image forming devices 101-105. Moreover, a personal computer 106 and a workstation 107 for controlling each image forming device are connected to the image forming device 101 through a hub 108. Each image forming device is operable individually, too. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses having different performances are connected, an image forming method, and a program for causing a computer to execute the method.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in order to enable high-speed printing processing, image forming apparatuses equipped with storage means such as a memory or a hard disk for storing image data read therein have become widespread (see Patent Documents 1 to 3 below).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-7-123218 [Patent Document 2]
JP-A-7-170352 [Patent Document 3]
JP-A-7-203097
If a plurality of such image forming apparatuses are connected, it is possible to construct an image forming system that enables print processing in any of the other connected image forming apparatuses once the image data once taken in and stored from the outside. By using this system, the print processing speed per unit time can be increased.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the technology disclosed in each of the above patent documents, when a color and monochrome image forming apparatus are connected and operated, image data input by one image forming apparatus is transferred to another image forming apparatus connected thereto. When transferring and printing, if the apparatus that performs the printing process does not support the printing of the color or the paper size desired by the user, there is a problem that an image not desired by the user is printed.
[0006]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the related art, and has as its object to provide an image which can be efficiently printed without errors by a simple operation of an image of a size, color, etc. desired by a user. An object of the present invention is to provide a forming system, an image forming method, and a program for causing a computer to execute the method.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an image forming system according to claim 1 of the present invention is configured such that a plurality of image forming apparatuses having different performances are connected via a communication medium, and transmission / reception of print data is performed between the plurality of image forming apparatuses. An image forming apparatus capable of performing a printing process that satisfies a predetermined printing condition set in advance is selected, and a printing process based on the print data is executed by the selected image forming device. .
[0008]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a printing error by selecting an image forming apparatus that satisfies the predetermined printing condition and performing a printing process using the image forming apparatus.
[0009]
In the image forming system according to a second aspect, in the first aspect, the predetermined printing condition includes a printing color, a size of a printing sheet, and the number of image forming apparatuses to be connected. Features.
[0010]
According to the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a printing error such as a difference in printing color or a difference in printing paper size. Further, since the printing process can be performed simultaneously by a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the processing time can be reduced, and the printing process can be performed efficiently.
[0011]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming system according to the first or second aspect, the communication medium is a communication interface, and the communication interface connects an engine unit and a controller unit of the image forming apparatus. It is characterized by being provided on a bus.
[0012]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, even when the image forming apparatus is provided with a function other than a printing function, for example, a function such as a facsimile, the function of data printing can be performed at high speed without being affected by functions other than the printing function. Transfer can be performed.
[0013]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming method of the image forming system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses having different performances are connected, a first step of setting a printing condition; A second step of selecting an image forming apparatus capable of performing a printing process that satisfies the printing conditions set in the step, and a third step of performing a printing process in the image forming apparatus selected in the second step. And after the third step, a fourth step of terminating the connection of each image forming apparatus and enabling each of the image forming apparatuses to operate alone.
[0014]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a printing error can be prevented by selecting an image forming apparatus that satisfies the printing conditions and performing a printing process using the image forming apparatus.
[0015]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming method according to the fourth aspect, the printing conditions include a printing color, a size of a printing sheet, and the number of image forming apparatuses to be connected. I do.
[0016]
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent a printing error such as a difference in printing color or a difference in printing paper size. Further, since the printing process can be performed simultaneously by a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the processing time can be reduced, and the printing process can be performed efficiently.
[0017]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming method according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the image forming apparatus that is not selected in the second step can operate alone.
[0018]
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to execute the printing process of other data in parallel with the image forming apparatus that is performing the connection operation in the image forming apparatus that is not selected. Print processing can be performed.
[0019]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for realizing the image forming method according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects by a computer.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments.
[0021]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to the present invention. In this image forming system, image forming apparatuses 101, 102, and 103 capable of performing color printing and image forming apparatuses 104 and 105 capable of performing only monochrome printing are mixed and connected. Hard disks 101a to 105a are connected to the image forming apparatuses 101 to 105, respectively. Further, a personal computer (personal computer) 106 and a workstation 107 for controlling each image forming apparatus are connected to the image forming apparatus 101 via a hub 108. Each image forming apparatus can operate alone.
[0022]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of each image forming apparatus used in the image forming system of the present invention. The image forming apparatus includes an engine 201, a controller 202, an NB (North Bridge) 203, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 204, an SB (South Bridge) 205, a hard disk 206, memories 207 and 208, and a communication I / F (interface). 209 and various I / Fs (interfaces) 210. The engine 201 and the controller 202 are connected via a first PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. Further, a communication I / F 209 is connected to the first PCI bus. A hard disk 206 and a memory 207 are connected to the controller 202. The controller 202 and the NB 203 are connected via an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus. The CPU 204 and the memory 208 are connected to the NB 203. The NB 203 and the SB 205 are connected via a second PCI bus. Various I / Fs 210 are connected to the second PCI bus.
[0023]
In the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2, by connecting a dedicated communication I / F 209 to a bus connecting the engine 201 and the controller 202, the image forming apparatus has a function other than a printing function, such as a facsimile. Even if there is, it is possible to transfer data at high speed without being affected by functions other than the printing function.
[0024]
Next, an image forming method using the image forming system shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an execution procedure of the image forming method.
[0025]
1) First, the user inputs print information necessary for printing from the personal computer 106 or the workstation 107 (step S301). By inputting the print information in this step, the necessity of color printing, the printing paper size, the number of image forming apparatuses to be connected, the image forming apparatus to be used as the master unit, and the like are set. The setting of the print paper size may be automatically performed by each image forming apparatus.
[0026]
2) The master unit checks whether or not the connection operation has been set in step S301 (step S302). If the linking operation has not been set (step S302: No), the master unit performs normal printing alone (step S303). If the connection operation has been set (step S302: Yes), the master unit checks the status of the other image forming apparatus (slave unit) connected via the communication I / F 209. (Step S304). This status information acquisition command includes the necessity of color printing set in step S301, the condition of paper size, and the like.
[0027]
3) When the slave unit receives the status information acquisition command (step S305), based on the conditions transmitted from the master unit, "whether color printing can be performed", "whether specified paper can be printed", or "current printing". (Step S306), and transmits the status information of the own device to the parent device (Step S307). The status information of the own device transmitted by the slave device indicates whether or not the printing process according to the instruction of the master device is possible. When the slave unit is in a printable state, the slave unit transmits its own state information to the master unit, and then enters the link operation mode and does not operate alone.
[0028]
4) When the master unit acquires the status information of the slave unit (step S308), for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the printing process of the condition set in step S301 can be performed on the screen 400 of the user I / F ( The (usable) image forming apparatuses 401 to 405 are displayed (step S309). The image forming apparatuses 401 to 405 are displayed together with the parent device and the child device. The user selects and determines the image forming apparatuses 401 to 405 to be used for connection from the displayed list (step S310). The image forming apparatus to be used may be automatically selected by a program. When the device to be connected is determined, the parent device transmits the connection execution device setting information to the child device (step S311).
[0029]
5) Upon receiving the connection execution device setting information, the child device determines whether or not the own device has been selected as the connection execution device (step S312). If the own device has not been selected as the connection execution device (step S312: No), the connection operation mode is canceled (step S313), and the operation returns to the normal operation (a state in which it can operate alone) (step S314). If the own device is selected as the connection execution device (step S312: Yes), the process proceeds to step S316, and the connection operation is started.
[0030]
6) The master unit acquires the image data (the image data may be acquired from the image reading device provided in the master unit via the engine 201, or from the various I / Fs 210 via the second PCI bus and the AGP bus). May be done). Next, the master unit temporarily stores the acquired image data in the hard disk 206. Then, the master unit develops, in the memory 207, the portion of the image data stored in the hard disk 206 to be printed by the slave unit, and transmits this to the slave unit as print data via the communication I / F 209 ( Step S315). The print data transmitted in this step includes information on the number of prints to be printed by the slave unit. The end of the data to be transmitted is terminated by a disconnection command in the data. This is because, when a failure occurs in one of the connected image forming apparatuses, unprocessed data in the failed apparatus is redistributed to another apparatus. When transmitting print data to the child device, the parent device acquires status information of the child device every time a certain amount of data is transmitted in order to detect the occurrence of a failure in the child device.
[0031]
7) Upon receiving the print data from the master unit (step S316), the slave unit starts the printing process based on the necessity of color printing set in step S301, conditions of the paper size, and the like (step S317). In step S316, the slave unit temporarily stores the print data acquired from the master unit in the hard disk 206. Then, in step S317, the slave unit sequentially reads out the print data for one page from the hard disk 206, expands it in the memory 207, sends it to the engine 201, and starts the printing process. On the other hand, the master unit starts the printing process for the processing performed by the own unit (step S318).
[0032]
8) When the printing process is completed (step S319), the slave device notifies the master device that the printing process has been completed, and determines whether all the printing processes including the master device have been completed (step S319). Step S320). When all the printing processes have been completed (step S320: Yes), the linked operation mode is canceled (step S313), and the process returns to the normal operation (a state in which the operation can be performed alone) (step S314). If all the printing processes have not been completed (step S320: No), it is determined again whether all the printing processes have been completed.
[0033]
9) On the other hand, when the master unit also acquires the print processing end information of the slave unit, it determines whether or not all print processing has been completed (step S321). Here, when all the printing processes have been completed (step S321: Yes), the parent device ends the operation of its own device (step S322), and notifies the child device that the operation has been completed. If all the printing processes have not been completed (step S321: No), it is determined again whether all the printing processes have been completed.
[0034]
In the present invention, by performing the above-described procedure, the characteristics (for example, whether or not color printing can be performed and the printable paper size) of each connected image forming apparatus are determined, and only the usable apparatuses are determined. By operating, it is possible to improve the operability, shorten the print processing time, and reduce printing errors. In addition, the image forming apparatuses that are not selected in step S310 can perform other data printing processing in parallel with other linked image forming apparatuses, so that efficient printing processing can be performed.
[0035]
The image forming method described in the present embodiment can be realized by executing a prepared program on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. Further, the program may be a transmission medium that can be distributed via a network such as the Internet.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the operability is improved by reducing the characteristics of each connected image forming apparatus and operating only available apparatuses, thereby shortening the print processing time and reducing the printing time. This has the effect that errors can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus used in the image forming system of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an execution procedure of the image forming method of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example in a user I / F of the image forming apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 to 105 Image forming apparatuses 101a to 105a, 206 Hard disk 106 Personal computer 107 Workstation 108 Hub 201 Engine 202 Controller 203 NB
204 CPU
205 SB
207, 208 Memory 209 Communication I / F
210 Various I / F

Claims (7)

A plurality of image forming apparatuses having different performances are connected via a communication medium, transmission / reception of print data is performed between the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and an image capable of performing a printing process satisfying a predetermined printing condition set in advance. An image forming system, wherein a forming apparatus is selected, and a printing process based on the print data is executed in the selected image forming apparatus. 2. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined printing condition includes a printing color, a size of a printing sheet, and the number of image forming apparatuses to be connected. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication medium is a communication interface, and the communication interface is provided on a bus that connects an engine unit and a controller unit of the image forming apparatus. system. In an image forming method of an image forming system configured by connecting a plurality of image forming apparatuses having different performances,
A first step of setting printing conditions;
A second step of selecting an image forming apparatus capable of performing a printing process that satisfies the printing conditions set in the first step;
A third step of performing print processing with the image forming apparatus selected in the second step;
A fourth step of terminating the connection of each image forming apparatus after the end of the third step, and enabling each of the image forming apparatuses to operate independently;
An image forming method comprising: The image forming method according to claim 4, wherein the printing conditions include a printing color, a size of a printing sheet, and the number of image forming apparatuses to be connected. The image forming method according to claim 4, wherein the image forming apparatus not selected in the second step is operable independently. A program for causing a computer to execute the image forming method according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

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