JP2005100156A - Data processor, print device, image processing system and processing method for print job - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing system for efficiently outputting an image even when a print device is under calibration processing. <P>SOLUTION: When a print device 103 which has received a print job from a data processor 101 through a network 107 is under calibration processing, the print device 103 transmits a calibration processing end time through a network 107 to the data processor 101, and the data processor displays the calibration processing end time. Thus, it is possible for a user to know the calibration processing end time in the print device under the calibration processing by viewing the display. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus, a printing device, an image processing system, and a print job processing method, and more particularly, to a data processing apparatus, a printing device, and an image characterized by print job processing when the printing device is in a calibration process. The present invention relates to a processing system and a print job processing method.

  In a printing device, the expected output image may not be obtained on printing paper, etc., as a printing medium due to the influence of the surroundings of the printing device, the internal environment of the printing device, or the change over time accompanying the progress of printing. is there. In order to solve this problem, calibration processing is performed on the printing device. For example, when the printing device is started up, when a predetermined number of sheets are printed, when the paper is changed, or when the ambient temperature or humidity changes, the printing device automatically performs calibration processing. I do. Such a calibration process is described in Patent Document 1, for example.

JP-A-10-006562

  In a conventional image processing system, when a print job is transmitted to a printing device, if the printing device is in a calibration process, the print job is not executed until the calibration process is completed. Therefore, the printed material does not reach the user until the calibration process is completed.

  Further, the user cannot know the end time of the calibration process being executed on the printing device. Therefore, the user must wait until the end of the calibration process, and it is difficult to estimate the end time of the print job.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. The object of the present invention is to provide convenience to the user and efficiently output an image even when the printing device is in the calibration process. A data processing apparatus, a printing device, an image processing system, and a print job processing method.

  In order to achieve such a problem, the present invention provides a data processing apparatus that connects to a network and exchanges data, the print job transmitting means for transmitting a print job to a printing device via the network, and the printing When a signal indicating that the calibration process is being performed is received from the printing device that has received the print job transmitted by the job transmission unit via the network, the printing device that has received the print job is performing the calibration process. It is characterized by comprising display means for displaying that.

  Furthermore, the present invention is a printing device that is connected to a network to send and receive data, the print job receiving means receiving a print job via the network, and the print job receiving means during the calibration process. When received, a reply signal transmitting means for transmitting a reply signal indicating that the calibration process is being performed to the transmission source of the print job via the network is provided.

  The present invention further comprises a network, the data processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 connected to the network, and the printing device according to claim 5 connected to the network. And

  Furthermore, the present invention is a data processing apparatus capable of communicating with each other via a network, and a method for processing a print job in an image processing system having at least one printing device, wherein the printing device during calibration processing is the above-described printing device When a print job transmitted from the data processing apparatus via a network is received, a signal indicating that calibration processing is being performed is transmitted from the printing device to the data processing apparatus via the network, and the data When the processing apparatus receives a signal indicating that calibration processing is being performed from the printing device via the network, the printing device that has received the print job in the data processing apparatus is performing calibration processing. Each step is displayed. The features.

  According to the present invention described above, even when the printing device that received the print job is in the calibration process, the user can estimate the calibration processing end time, or the proxy printing can be performed by another printing device. Can be performed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an image processing system according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 1, reference numerals 101 and 102 denote terminals as data processing apparatuses, and reference numerals 103 to 106 denote printing devices. These are connected by a network 107 and can communicate with each other using the network.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the terminal shown in FIG.
In FIG. 2, the terminal includes an MPU 201, a memory 202, a disk storage device 203, an input device 204, a display device 205, and a network communication device 206, all of which are connected to each other through a system bus 207.

  The MPU 201 loads the system bus 207 according to various programs including the program shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 6 loaded from the memory 202 or the disk storage device 203 or a storage medium (not shown) into the memory 202 or the disk storage device 203. General control of each device connected to the.

  The terminals 101 and 102 create a print job by the MPU 201 executing a print job creation program stored in the disk storage device 203 in accordance with data from the input device 204 such as a keyboard or a mouse. The print job is temporarily stored in the disk storage device 203.

  In addition to a keyboard or a mouse, the input device 204 is a means that can input data as a print job to the terminals 101 and 102, for example, a disk-shaped storage medium such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, MO, MD, or CD. A drive for reading data may be included.

The terminals 101 and 102 can transmit the print job to the printing devices 103 to 106 via the network 107 by the network communication device 206.
The data processing apparatus can also be configured by a computer system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printing device shown in FIG.
In FIG. 3, the printing device includes an MPU 301, a memory 302, a disk storage device 303, an input device 304, a display device 305, a printing device 306, and a network communication device 307, all of which are connected to each other via a system bus 308. Has been.

  The MPU 301 generally controls each device connected to the system bus 308 according to various programs loaded from the memory 302, the disk storage device 303, or a storage medium (not shown) into the memory 302 or the disk storage device 303.

  When the print devices 103 to 106 receive the print job via the network 107, the MPU 301 temporarily saves the print job in the disk storage device 303 and executes a print job processing program stored in the disk storage device 303. By executing this, printing can be performed by the printing apparatus 306.

  When the print job is a box storage job, the MPU 301 saves the box storage job as data according to the box storage job processing program stored in the disk storage device 303. The MPU 301 can perform printing related to the stored box job by the printing apparatus 306 by executing the box storage job processing program based on the stored job information.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, when a print job is transmitted from a terminal as a data processing apparatus to a printing device that is undergoing calibration processing, the calibration processing end time is notified to the terminal. For example, in a print device that has received a print job created by a terminal via the network 107, whether or not the MPU 301 is performing a calibration process according to a print job processing program stored in the disk storage device 303. If it is determined that the calibration process is in progress, the calibration process end time is transmitted to the terminal via the network 107. In the terminal that has received the calibration processing end time, the MPU 201 creates a GUI dialog 501 (to be described later) by a display program stored in the disk storage device 203 and notifies the user of the calibration processing end time.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a calibration process end time notification procedure in the terminal. In addition, S401-S403 in FIG. 4 shows each step.

  This procedure starts by starting the print job transmission process. First, in step S401, the print job on the terminal is transmitted to the print device designated in advance in the terminal via the network 107. The printing device receives the print job.

  In step S402, a calibration process end time notification from the printing device that has received the print job is waited for a predetermined time. If there is no calibration processing end time notification for a predetermined time, it is determined that the print job has been executed by the printing device, and if the calibration processing end time notification is received within the predetermined time, the print job received is received. If it is determined that the device is in the calibration process, the process proceeds to step S403, and the calibration process end time notified there is displayed on a GUI dialog 501 on the display device 205 as shown in FIG.

  The GUI dialog is ended by clicking the “OK” button 502 by operating the input device 104.

  Thus, by displaying the GUI dialog, the user can know that the printing device that received the print job is in the calibration process, and can estimate the calibration process end time.

  Further, in order to notify the user that the printing device that has received the print job is in the calibration process, a unit that operates in response to the notification of the end time of the calibration process, for example, light emission, regardless of the mode of FIG. Means and sounding means can be provided in the terminal.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, proxy printing is performed when the printing device is in the calibration process.

  In the proxy printing, for example, when the terminal receives a signal from the printing device indicating that the printing device designated at the beginning is being calibrated, the MPU 201 executes a display program stored in the disk storage device 203. A GUI dialog 701, which will be described later, is created, and the substitute printing device is displayed on the display device 205. When the user operates the input device 204 to open a GUI dialog on the display device 205 and designate a substitute printing device, the MPU 201 transmits a print job to the substitute printing device.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a print job processing procedure regarding proxy printing in the terminal. In addition, S601-S605 in FIG. 6 shows each step.

  This procedure starts by starting the print job transmission process. First, in step S601, the print job on the terminal is transmitted to the print device designated in advance in the terminal via the network 107. The printing device receives the print job.

  In step S602, a signal indicating that calibration processing is being performed from the printing device that has received the print job is waited for a predetermined time. If there is no signal indicating that the calibration process is in progress, it is determined that the print job has been processed by the printing device, and the process ends. If there is a signal indicating that the calibration process is being performed within a predetermined time, it is determined that the printing device that has received the print job is performing the calibration process, and the process proceeds to step S603.

  In step S603, printing devices other than the printing device being calibrated are displayed on the GUI dialog 701 on the display device 205 as shown in FIG. 7, for example.

  In FIG. 7, reference numeral 702 denotes a substitute print device display screen for displaying the substitute print device, and displays print devices that can be designated as substitute destinations.

  In step S <b> 604, when a substitute printing device is designated by the user on the substitute printing device display screen 702 displayed on the display device 205, an “OK” button 705 can be clicked. When the “OK” button 705 is clicked, the substitute printing device is designated, and the process proceeds to step S605.

  On the other hand, when the “cancel” button 704 on the GUI dialog 701 is clicked by the input device 204, the GUI dialog is closed and the process is terminated.

  In step S605, the print job is transmitted to the proxy printing destination printing device. At that time, the print job temporarily stored in the proxy printing device can be deleted. That is, a signal indicating that proxy printing is to be performed is transmitted from the terminal to the printing device that is performing the calibration process, and the printing device deletes the print job temporarily stored in the disk storage device.

  In this way, when performing proxy printing, by deleting the proxy-source print job, it is possible to avoid performing the printing process with the proxy-source and proxy-destination being duplicated.

  If the first printing device designated in step S602 is not being calibrated, or if no substitute printing device is designated in step S604, the print job is not moved. After the completion, the printing process is performed in the same manner as a normal print job on the first designated printing device.

  In this way, the proxy printing device is displayed on the GUI dialog, and the user selects the proxy printing device, so that the user can perform the proxy processing even if the printing device that received the print job is in the calibration process. Printing can be performed.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an image processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the data processing apparatus in the said image processing system. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the printing device in the said image processing system. It is a flowchart which shows the calibration process end time notification procedure concerning 1st Example of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the operation screen displayed on the display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the print job processing procedure in the proxy printing concerning 2nd Example of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the operation screen displayed on the display apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

201 MPU
202 Memory 203 Disk storage device 204 Input device 205 Display device 206 Network communication device 207 System bus 301 MPU
302 Memory 303 Disk storage device 304 Input device 305 Display device 306 Printing device 307 Network communication device 308 System bus

Claims (10)

A data processing device that connects to a network and transfers data,
Print job transmission means for transmitting a print job to the printing device via the network;
When a signal indicating that the calibration process is being performed is received from the printing device that has received the print job transmitted by the print job transmission unit via the network, the printing device that has received the print job is calibrated. A data processing apparatus comprising display means for displaying that processing is in progress. In claim 1,
The signal indicating that the calibration process is in progress includes a calibration process end time,
The display means displays a calibration processing end time based on the received signal indicating that calibration processing is being performed. In claim 1,
Data further comprising job moving means for transmitting the print job to a printing device different from the printing device via the network when a signal indicating that the calibration process is being performed is received. Processing equipment. In claim 3,
The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the job moving means further includes means for deleting the print job in a printing device that is a source of a signal indicating that the calibration process is being performed. A printing device that connects to a network and transfers data,
Print job receiving means for receiving a print job via the network;
A reply signal transmitting unit that transmits a reply signal indicating that the calibration process is being performed to the transmission source of the print job via the network when the print job is received by the print job receiving unit during the calibration process; A printing device characterized by comprising. A network, and the data processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 connected to the network;
An image processing system comprising: the printing device according to claim 5 connected to the network. A data processing apparatus capable of communicating with each other via a network, and a print job processing method in an image processing system having at least one printing device,
When the printing device being calibrated receives a print job transmitted from the data processing device via the network, the data processing device is undergoing calibration processing from the printing device via the network. Send a signal indicating that
When the data processing apparatus receives a signal indicating that calibration processing is being performed from the printing device via the network, the printing device that has received the print job in the data processing apparatus is performing calibration processing. A method of processing a print job, characterized by comprising each step for displaying a certain thing. In claim 7,
The signal indicating that the calibration process is in progress includes a calibration process end time,
The data processing apparatus further comprises a step of displaying a calibration process end time based on the received signal indicating that the calibration process is being performed. In claim 7,
And a step of transmitting the print job to a print device different from the print device via the network after receiving the signal indicating that the calibration process is being performed. Processing method. In claim 9,
The method further comprises the step of deleting the print job in the print device that is a notification source of the signal indicating that the calibration process is being performed after the print job is transmitted to a print device different from the print device. How to handle print jobs.

Images