JP2005014245A - Image formation coupling system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stable and low-cost image formation coupling system whereby information on which of image formation devices has a smaller quantity of printing work is acquired by a coupled arbitrary image formation device, information of the state is given to the user by a display function of the image formation device, and the user carries out the printing work with the use of an image formation device of a smaller job number from the information. <P>SOLUTION: The image formation coupling system is constructed with, for example, five image formation devices A41-E45, a network 46, and a user PC 47 for instructing summing of job numbers. The number of the image formation devices may be larger or smaller than five although it is five in the example. Moreover, the image formation device A41 is made a master machine, and the other image formation devices B42-E45 are made slave machines for the sake of description. Image data read by an unillustrated scanner of the image formation device A41 is transmitted as it is to the image formation devices B42-E45, whereby joint copying is realized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming connection system, and more particularly, to a method for checking the name of an image forming apparatus having the smallest number of remaining jobs from among image forming apparatuses that are performing a connected printing operation.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, the number of documents handled in offices has been increasing, and there is a strong demand for efficient and efficient management of these documents. Further, when image data digitized by an image scanner is actually used, it is output to a plurality of output devices such as a display monitor, a printer, and a printing machine. What is required at this time is to manage information such as which image forming apparatus has a high operating rate between these output apparatuses, and to perform printing efficiently according to the situation. One factor that prevents efficient printing at that time is that there is no image forming apparatus that can provide means for performing efficient printing. Recently, there is a request from a user to connect a larger number of image forming apparatuses and output a large number of copies in a shorter time. However, even when a connection system is constructed by connecting a plurality of image forming apparatuses, there is a problem that printing cannot be performed efficiently between output apparatuses.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-69028 discloses an image forming system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected by a communication line and can perform efficient copying even in a linked copy mode. According to this, a control means for controlling a plurality of copying machines via a communication line is provided. When the operation of the operation panel of another copier among the plurality of copiers starts during the operation of the operation panel of one copier among the plurality of copiers connected, The other copying machine that has started the operation later is separated from one of the plurality of copying machines performing one job in the linked copy mode, and copying is performed by the other copying machine alone. It is what you want to do.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-69028
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 discloses that, among two copiers operating in the connected mode, a copier that has been operated later is cut off and another copier is used for copying alone. As a result, there is a problem that a large load is applied to the copying machine that performs copying alone, and the operating rate of the system is lowered.
In view of such problems, the present invention obtains information on which image forming apparatus has a small amount of printing work by using any connected image forming apparatus, and the status is obtained by the display function of the image forming apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide a stable and low-cost image forming connection system by providing information to the user and performing a printing operation using the image forming apparatus having a small number of jobs.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an image forming connection system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to a network to perform a printing operation, and the number of print jobs of the plurality of image forming apparatuses is counted. A user PC that issues an instruction; and a master image forming apparatus that counts the number of jobs of all the image forming apparatuses on the network based on the instruction of the user PC, wherein the user PC includes the plurality of image forming apparatuses. Issues an instruction for counting the number of print jobs to the master image forming apparatus during the linked printing operation, so that the master image forming apparatus counts the number of jobs of all the image forming apparatuses via the network, The result is displayed on the display unit of the master image forming apparatus.
When a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to a network perform a printing operation by a connecting operation, the number of remaining jobs at a certain time varies depending on the number of jobs assigned to each image forming apparatus. In other words, if the user can identify which image forming apparatus has a small number of remaining jobs during the linked printing operation, it can be determined which image forming apparatus should perform printing next to complete the job sooner. Accordingly, in the present invention, one of a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to the network is selected as a master image forming apparatus, and which image forming apparatus has a small number of remaining jobs during the linked printing operation is determined. In order to know, the result of counting the number of remaining jobs is displayed on the display unit of the master image forming apparatus by making an inquiry from the user PC to the master image forming apparatus.
According to this invention, in order to know which image forming apparatus has a small number of remaining jobs during the linked printing operation, the user PC inquires the master image forming apparatus to display the master image forming apparatus. Since the total result of the number of remaining jobs is displayed in the section, the user can immediately determine the image forming apparatus having the smallest number of remaining jobs by looking at the display content.
[0005]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming connection system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to a network to perform a printing operation, and a user PC that issues an instruction for counting the number of print jobs of the plurality of image forming apparatuses; A master image forming apparatus that counts the number of jobs of all image forming apparatuses on the network based on an instruction, and the user PC forms the master image while the plurality of image forming apparatuses are in a linked printing operation. By issuing an instruction to count the number of print jobs to the apparatus, the master image forming apparatus counts the number of jobs of all image forming apparatuses via the network, and displays the count result on the display unit of the user PC. It is characterized by doing.
According to the first aspect, since the result of the number of remaining jobs is displayed on the display unit of the master image forming apparatus, the user has to go to the master image forming apparatus to see the result. If the distance between the user PC and the master image forming apparatus is short, there is no problem as far as the left, but if the distance is large, the convenience is lacking. Therefore, in the present invention, the result of the number of remaining jobs is displayed on the display unit of the user PC, thereby further improving the convenience for the user.
According to this invention, since the total result of the number of remaining jobs is displayed on the display unit of the user PC, the convenience for the user can be further improved.
[0006]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the aggregation result displayed on the display unit of the master image forming apparatus and the user PC is an image forming apparatus name having the smallest number of remaining jobs among all the image forming apparatuses including the master image forming apparatus. It is characterized by that.
When a plurality of image forming apparatuses are performing a linked printing operation, the contents and number of jobs assigned by each image forming apparatus are different. Therefore, the most reliable method of knowing which image forming apparatus will first complete the printing operation is to add up the number of remaining jobs and display which of the smallest image forming apparatuses is. If an address, number, or name is assigned in advance to the image forming apparatus to be displayed, the user can designate the image forming apparatus that completes the job earliest without hesitation.
According to this invention, the total result displayed on the display unit of the master image forming apparatus and the user PC is the name of the image forming apparatus having the smallest number of remaining jobs among all the image forming apparatuses including the master image forming apparatus. Therefore, the user can designate the image forming apparatus that completes the job earliest without hesitation.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the components, types, combinations, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like described in this embodiment are merely illustrative examples and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only unless otherwise specified. .
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a digital copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. This configuration is a copying machine 100 as an image processing apparatus, and a contact glass 6 is provided on the upper surface of the copying machine 100. Further, an automatic document feeder (hereinafter simply referred to as ADF) 1 is provided at the upper part of the copying machine 100, and this ADF 1 is connected to the copying machine 100 via a hinge or the like (not shown) so as to open and close the contact glass 6. Has been. The ADF 1 separates documents one by one from a document tray 2 as a document placement table on which a document bundle composed of a plurality of documents can be placed, and the document bundle placed on the document tray 2 toward the contact glass 6. The separation / conveying means that conveys the original and the original conveyed toward the contact glass 6 by the separation / conveying means are conveyed / stopped to the reading position on the contact glass 6 and the copy disposed below the contact glass 6. The document that has been read by the reading means 50 (known exposure lamp 51, mirrors 52, 55, 56, lens 53, CCD 54, etc.) of the machine 100 is carried out from the contact glass 6. The paper feed motor is driven by an output signal from the controller, and when the paper feed start signal is input from the copying machine 100, the controller drives the paper feed motor forward / reversely. When the paper feed motor is driven to rotate forward, the feed roller 3 rotates in the clockwise direction so that the uppermost original is fed from the original bundle and conveyed toward the contact glass 6. When the leading edge of the document is detected by the document set detection sensor 7, the controller rotates the paper feed motor in reverse based on the output signal from the document set detection sensor 7. This prevents subsequent documents from entering and prevents separation.
[0008]
Further, when the document set detection sensor 7 detects the trailing edge of the document, the controller counts the rotation pulse of the conveyor belt motor from this detection point, and when the rotation pulse reaches a predetermined value, the controller By stopping the driving and the feeding belt 4, the document is stopped at the reading position of the contact glass 6. Further, when the trailing edge of the original is detected by the original set detection sensor 7, the controller drives the paper feed motor again, separates the subsequent original as described above, and conveys the original toward the contact glass 6. When the pulse of the paper feed motor from the time when the original is detected by the original set detection sensor 7 reaches a predetermined pulse, the paper feed motor is stopped and the next original is put on standby. When the original stops at the reading position on the contact glass 6, the copying machine 100 reads and exposes the original. When the reading and exposure are completed, a signal is input to the controller from the copying machine 100. When this signal is input to the controller, the controller drives the conveyor belt motor to rotate forward so that the document is transferred from the contact glass 6 by the conveyor belt 16. It is carried out to the discharge roller 5.
[0009]
As described above, the original bundle placed on the original tray 2 in the ADF 1 with the image side of the original facing upward is pressed when the print key 34 on the operation unit 30 shown in FIG. A document is fed to a predetermined position on the contact glass 6. The fed original is read by the reading unit 50 on the image data of the original on the contact glass 6 and then discharged to the discharge port A (discharge port at the time of reverse document discharge) by the feeding belt 4 and the reverse driving roller. Further, when it is detected that there is a next document on the document tray 2, it is fed onto the contact glass 6 in the same manner as the previous document.
The transfer sheets stacked on the first tray 8, the second tray 9, and the third tray 10 are fed by the first sheet feeding unit 11, the second sheet feeding unit 12, and the third sheet feeding unit 13, respectively, and are vertically conveyed. The unit 14 is transported to a position where it abuts on the photoreceptor 15. The image data read by the reading unit 50 is written on the photoconductor 15 by the laser from the writing unit 57 and passes through the developing unit 27 to form a toner image. Then, the toner image on the photoconductor 15 is transferred while the transfer paper is conveyed by the conveyance belt 16 at the same speed as the rotation of the photoconductor 15. Thereafter, the image is fixed by the fixing unit 17 and conveyed to the paper discharge unit 18. The transfer paper conveyed to the paper discharge unit 18 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 19 when the staple mode is not performed.
[0010]
FIG. 2 is a diagram of an operation unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the operation unit 30 includes a plurality of mode keys 37 for setting a copy mode, a numeric keypad 32 for setting the number of copies, a print key 34 for performing a copy operation, and a stop for interrupting the copy operation. A key 33, a mode clear key 35 for clearing the mode set by the mode key 37, and an initial setting key 38 are arranged. The mode key 37 includes a magnification key 37a for changing the magnification, a paper key 37b for changing the paper, a density key 37c for changing the density, a document direction key 37d for setting the document orientation, a staple key 37e for stapling setting, There are a sort key 37f for instructing sorting, a double-sided key 37g for instructing double-sided printing, an aggregation key 37h for grouping pages, a concatenating key 37j for instructing concatenated printing operation, and a format original key 37k.
FIG. 3 shows an example of a display unit for setting whether or not to transmit / receive information to / from an image forming apparatus connected to a network. By touching the “link” key 37j shown in the figure, the setting of the link operation using a plurality of connected image forming apparatuses is selected, and the following settings are selected as the master machine for the link operation. The image forming apparatus (slave machine) other than the own apparatus connected by the operation request is made.
[0011]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control device centered on the main controller 20. This control device is centered on a main controller 20 that controls the entire image forming apparatus, an operation unit 30 that performs display for an operator, function setting input control from the operator, control of a scanner, control for writing an original image in an image memory, Connected to an image processing unit (IPU) 49 for controlling image formation from an image memory, an automatic document feeder (ADF) 1, a main motor 25, various clutches 21 to 24, and a plurality of image forming apparatuses. Thus, a connection I / F 48 for transmitting and receiving information on the device configuration and function information and operation control is connected.
The main controller 20 acquires information on the image forming apparatuses connected via the connection I / F 48 and sets the operation to control the connection operation. Further, it acquires a request from another connected image forming apparatus and controls its own operation. Each distributed controller and the main controller 20 exchange machine status and operation commands as necessary.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an image forming and linking system connected by the network of the present invention. This image forming connection system is configured to include, for example, five image forming apparatuses A41 to E45, a network 46, and a user PC 47 that gives an instruction to count the number of jobs. In this example, there are five image forming apparatuses, but the number may be larger or smaller. For the sake of explanation, the image forming apparatus A41 is a master machine, and the other image forming apparatuses B42 to E45 are slave machines. The linked copy can be realized by transferring the image data read by a scanner (not shown) of the image forming apparatus A41 to the image forming apparatuses B42 to E45 as they are.
[0012]
The operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention. First, it is checked whether or not the user PC 47 is performing a linked printing operation (S1). If the linked printing operation is not being performed (NO route in S1), a vacant image forming apparatus is selected and a printing operation is performed (S8). ). If the linked printing operation is being performed in step S1 (YES route in S1), the user PC 47 instructs the master image forming apparatus A41 to count the number of jobs of all the image forming apparatuses including the master image forming apparatus A41. (S2). At that time, the master image forming apparatus A41 checks whether or not there is an instruction to count the number of jobs from the user PC 47 (S3), and if there is an instruction (YES route in S3), the image forming apparatuses B42 to 42 via the network 46. An inquiry is made to E45 about the number of each job (S4). When the acquisition of the number of jobs of the image forming apparatuses B42 to E45 is completed (YES in S5), the number of jobs of all the image forming apparatuses including the master image forming apparatus A41 is totaled (S6), and the number of remaining jobs is calculated from the total result. The image forming apparatus with the least number is displayed on the display unit (S7). The location of the display unit displayed in step S7 may be either the master image forming apparatus A41 or the user PC 47.
[0013]
In this way, when a plurality of image forming apparatuses A41 to E45 connected to the network perform a printing operation by a connecting operation, the remaining number of jobs (remaining jobs) at a certain point in time is determined according to the number of jobs assigned to each image forming apparatus. The number is mixed. Therefore, if the user can identify which image forming apparatus has a small number of remaining jobs during the linked printing operation, it can be determined which image forming apparatus should perform printing next to complete the job sooner. Therefore, in the present embodiment, one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to the network is selected as a master image forming apparatus (in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus A41), and the user performs a linked printing operation. In order to know which image forming apparatus has a small number of remaining jobs, an inquiry is made from the user PC 47 to the master image forming apparatus A41, and the total number of remaining jobs is displayed on the display unit of the master image forming apparatus A41. Or displayed on the display unit of the user PC 47. As a result, the user can immediately determine the image forming apparatus having the smallest number of remaining jobs by viewing the display content, and can perform printing using the image forming apparatus.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to know which image forming apparatus has a small number of remaining jobs during the linked printing operation, the user makes an inquiry from the user PC to the master image forming apparatus. Since the total result of the number of remaining jobs is displayed on the display unit of the master image forming apparatus, the user can immediately determine the image forming apparatus having the smallest number of remaining jobs by looking at the display content.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the total number of remaining jobs is displayed on the display unit of the user PC, the convenience for the user can be further improved.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the total result displayed on the display unit of the master image forming apparatus and the user PC is the name of the image forming apparatus having the smallest number of remaining jobs among all the image forming apparatuses including the master image forming apparatus. Therefore, the user can designate the image forming apparatus that completes the job earliest without hesitation.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a digital copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram of an operation unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display unit for setting whether to transmit / receive information to / from an image forming apparatus connected to a network according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control device centering on a main controller 20 of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an image forming connection system connected by a network according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
A41 to E45 Image forming apparatus, 46 network, 47 user PC

Claims (3)

In an image forming connection system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected on a network to perform a printing operation,
A user PC that issues an instruction for counting the number of print jobs of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and a master image forming apparatus that counts the number of jobs of all the image forming apparatuses on the network based on the instruction from the user PC. Prepared,
When the user PC issues an instruction to count the number of print jobs to the master image forming apparatus while the plurality of image forming apparatuses are in a linked printing operation, the master image forming apparatus forms all images via the network. An image forming connection system characterized in that the number of jobs of the apparatus is totaled and the totaled result is displayed on a display unit of the master image forming apparatus. In an image forming connection system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected on a network to perform a printing operation,
A user PC that issues an instruction for counting the number of print jobs of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and a master image forming apparatus that counts the number of jobs of all the image forming apparatuses on the network based on the instruction from the user PC. Prepared,
When the user PC issues an instruction to count the number of print jobs to the master image forming apparatus while the plurality of image forming apparatuses are performing a linked printing operation, the master image forming apparatus causes all images to be transmitted via the network. An image forming connection system characterized in that the number of jobs of the forming apparatus is totaled and the totaled result is displayed on the display unit of the user PC. The tabulation result displayed on the display unit of the master image forming apparatus and the user PC is an image forming apparatus name having the smallest number of remaining jobs among all the image forming apparatuses including the master image forming apparatus. The image forming connection system according to claim 1.

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