JP2005249819A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus in which security for the theft of prints can be improved by avoiding redundant printing when printing resumes after the removal of a jam. <P>SOLUTION: In case of a jam, the image forming apparatus 1 temporarily stops the printing operation. After the jam is removed, the image forming apparatus resumes the printing operation from the image forming process for the first one (P4) of sheets remaining without being delivered to a paper delivery part 17 when the jam is caused. In the image forming apparatus, before the printing operation resumes after the removal of the jam, the sheets (P4 and P5) remaining in the apparatus is recovered to the paper recovering part 18. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, and particularly relates to a security improvement technique thereof.

  In general, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or the like, even when a printing operation is temporarily stopped due to the occurrence of a jam (paper jam or the like), the printing operation is performed after a jam recovery operation by a user or the like Is provided with a function (so-called recovery function) for automatically restarting. In the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, in order to prevent the printing result from being lost, the printing operation after the jam is eliminated is not performed from the image forming process at the time of the jam occurrence, but is discharged to the outside at the time of the jam occurrence. Has been restarted from the image forming process to be performed on the earliest remaining paper in the machine that has not been completed.

In recent years, various image forming apparatuses that automatically discharge the remaining paper in the apparatus prior to resuming printing by the recovery function have been disclosed and proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). In the image forming apparatus configured as described above, the automatic discharge destination of the remaining paper in the apparatus is set to be the same as the normal discharge destination of the printed paper.
JP-A-6-135597 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-152246 JP-A-8-301482 JP-A-7-195798 JP 7-334049 A

  Certainly, with the image forming apparatus having the above configuration, it is possible to partially automate the jam recovery operation, so that the burden on the user can be reduced and the printing operation can be resumed promptly.

  However, in the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, as described above, the printing operation after clearing the jam is restarted from the image forming process to be performed on the first remaining sheet in the apparatus. The automatic discharge destination of the remaining paper in the apparatus prior to that is set to be the same as the normal discharge destination of the printed paper, and no consideration has been given to avoiding duplicate printing that may occur when printing is resumed.

  For this reason, in the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, paper that has not been ejected to the outside of the machine but has already been transferred and fixed (that is, the paper is printed out in a completely normal state if only the paper is viewed. However, there is a problem that the printed matter having the same contents is repeatedly output to the above normal discharge destination, and security against theft or the like becomes extremely weak. Therefore, the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration cannot be used in an environment where high security is required, for example, in a printing process of important documents (such as cash vouchers and checks) that require strict management of the number of copies to be printed.

  Conventionally, various image forming apparatuses that improve security by locking the discharge stacker and the casing have been disclosed and proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 4 and 5). However, these conventional techniques are merely techniques for preventing the confidential documents from being stolen from the paper discharge destination and the conveyance route, and fundamentally duplicate printing that may occur when printing is resumed after the jam is resolved. It could not be avoided.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of avoiding duplicate printing when resuming printing after a jam recovery operation and improving security against theft of printed matter.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, a sheet discharge unit that discharges a printed sheet obtained by the image forming unit, A jam monitoring unit that monitors the occurrence and elimination of a jam, and a paper discharge monitoring unit that monitors the completion of paper discharge. When the jam occurs, the printing operation is temporarily stopped, At the time of resolution, in the image forming apparatus that restarts the printing operation from the image forming process to be performed on the first remaining paper in the apparatus that has not been discharged to the paper discharge unit at the time of occurrence of the jam, Prior to resuming the printing operation when the jam is resolved, the remaining paper in the apparatus is collected.

  Note that the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration may be configured to include a paper collection unit for collecting the remaining paper in the apparatus separately from the paper discharge unit.

  In the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the sheet collecting unit includes a locking unit that prohibits removal of the collected remaining in-machine sheet.

  As described above, with the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to avoid duplicating printing when resuming printing after jam recovery work and to improve security against theft of printed matter.

  Hereinafter, a case where the present invention is applied to a copying machine will be described as an example. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main part of a copying machine according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of the main part of the copying machine according to the present invention. As shown in both figures, the copier 1 of this embodiment includes a central processing unit 10 (hereinafter referred to as a CPU [Central Processing Unit] 10) that controls the operation of the entire apparatus, and a document transport that automatically transports a document. Unit 11, a document take-in unit 12 that takes in a document transported from document transport unit 11 and generates image data, and an operation display unit 13 that includes operation means (such as a numeric keypad or touch panel) and display means (such as a liquid crystal display). And an image forming unit 14 that forms an image on a sheet based on image data (including a print unit including a printer head and a photosensitive drum, and a fixing unit that fixes a transfer image obtained by the print unit to the sheet) A paper storage unit 15 serving as a paper supply source to the image forming unit 14, a paper transport unit 16 serving as a transport path for paper taken out from the paper storage unit 15, and printed paper are discharged. A paper discharge unit 17, a paper collection unit 18 for collecting the remaining paper in the apparatus that has not been discharged to the paper discharge unit 17 when a jam occurs, and a ROM [Read Only Memory] in which various control programs are stored And a memory unit 19 composed of a RAM [Random Access Memory] used as a work area during various signal processing.

  Although not shown in this drawing, there are jam sensors for monitoring the occurrence and elimination of jams, and sheets for monitoring the completion of discharge of printed sheets obtained by the image forming unit 14 at various positions of the sheet transport unit 16. In addition to controlling the operation of the entire apparatus, the CPU 10 controls the operation of the entire apparatus, and based on the detection results of each sensor, print stop processing when a jam occurs, recovery processing of the remaining paper in the machine, and jam clearance Controls recovery processing.

  Next, the document copying operation of the copying machine 1 configured as described above will be described. In the document copying operation of the present embodiment, first, a document is transported from the document transport unit 11 to the document take-in unit 12, and the document is taken in (image data is generated). The generated image data is temporarily stored in the memory unit 19, read again, and sent to the image forming unit 14. On the other hand, the paper taken out from the paper storage unit 15 is supplied to the image forming unit 14 by the paper transport unit 16. The image forming unit 14 performs image forming processing on a sheet based on the input image data. The printed paper obtained by the image forming unit 14 is transported to the paper discharge unit 17 by the paper transport unit 16.

  Next, a case where a jam occurs during the above document copying operation and the document copying operation is temporarily stopped will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  As shown in the figure, in the copying machine 1 of the present embodiment, during the above document copying operation in step S1, it is determined whether or not a jam has occurred in step S2. If it is determined that a jam has not occurred, the flow returns to step S1, and the above-described document copying operation is continued. On the other hand, if it is determined that a jam has occurred, the flow proceeds to step S3, and the document copying operation is temporarily stopped.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the image forming process has already been completed for the paper P4 while the image forming process and the discharging process to the outside of the paper have been completed for the paper P1 to P3. In the state where the discharge process to the outside of the machine is not completed, but the paper P5 is in the state where both the image forming process and the discharge process to the outside of the machine are not completed, the document copying operation is temporarily stopped. The case will be described.

  After the document copying operation is temporarily stopped as described above, in step S4, it is determined whether or not the jam has been resolved by the recovery work of the user or the like. Here, when it is determined that the jam has not been eliminated, the jam elimination determination in step S4 is continued. On the other hand, if it is determined that the jam has been resolved, the flow continues to step S5.

  If it is determined in step S4 that the jam has been eliminated, in step S5, prior to returning to step S1 (that is, resuming the printing operation when the jam is eliminated), the paper discharge unit 17 is detected when the jam occurs. In-machine remaining sheets (sheets P4 and P5) that have not been completely discharged are collected. Note that the collection destination of the remaining paper in the apparatus is not the paper discharge unit 17 from which printed paper (papers P1 to P3) has already been discharged, but a dedicated paper collection unit 18 provided inside the apparatus.

  With such a configuration, even after the jam is resolved, in step S1, even when the printing operation is restarted from the image forming process to be performed on the first remaining sheet (sheet P4) in the apparatus, Since the printed matter having the same content is not repeatedly output to the paper discharge unit 17, security against theft of the print result can be maintained at a high level.

  In addition, the paper collection unit 18 may be configured to include a locking unit (such as a key, a keyword input device, and a personal information recognition device such as a fingerprint) that prohibits the collection of the collected remaining in-machine paper. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to construct a system in which the remaining paper in the apparatus cannot be taken out from the paper collecting unit 18 except for the owner of the unlocking means such as an administrator or a privileged person. It is possible to further improve security.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the paper collection unit 18 is provided in the apparatus has been described as an example. However, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a plurality of the paper discharge units 17 are provided. If a tray or stacker is provided, one of the trays may be used as the paper collection unit 18. However, when adopting this configuration, it is highly desirable to provide a locking means in the paper collection unit 18 as described above in order to maintain a high level of security against theft of printed results.

  The present invention is widely applicable to image forming apparatuses such as printers and facsimiles in addition to copying machines, and is a useful technique for improving the security of printed matter.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a copier according to the present invention. These are the longitudinal cross-sectional views which show typically the principal part structure of the copying machine which concerns on this invention. These are flowcharts showing the document copying operation of the copying machine 1.

Explanation of symbols

1 Copier 10 Central processing unit (CPU)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Document conveyance part 12 Document taking-in part 13 Operation display part 14 Image formation part 15 Paper storage part 16 Paper conveyance part 17 Paper discharge part 18 Paper collection part 19 Memory part P1-P5 Paper

Claims (3)

An image forming unit that forms an image on paper, a paper discharge unit that discharges printed paper obtained by the image forming unit, a jam monitoring unit that monitors the occurrence and elimination of a jam, and the completion of discharging the paper A paper discharge monitoring unit for monitoring the jam, and when the jam occurs, the printing operation is temporarily stopped, and when the jam is resolved, the discharge to the paper discharge unit is completed when the jam occurs. In the image forming apparatus that restarts the printing operation from the image forming process that should be performed on the first remaining paper in the machine that has not been performed,
An image forming apparatus that collects the remaining paper in the apparatus prior to resuming a printing operation when the jam is resolved.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a paper collecting unit for collecting the remaining paper in the apparatus separately from the paper discharging unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sheet collecting unit includes a locking unit that prohibits removal of the collected in-machine remaining sheets.

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