JP2005324431A - Apparatus and method for processing image - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a medium from being left when a file stored in the medium is read to be printed out. <P>SOLUTION: This image processing apparatus 1 comprises an operation panel 15 as an interface to a user, a file system 11 for reading a file from a medium loaded to a media drive D, a printer 14 for printing out the file read from the medium by the file system 11 according to an instruction received through the operation panel 15, and a system control section 10 for controlling the operation panel 15, the file system 11 and the printer 14. The system control section 10 issues a notice of urging picking-up of the medium from the media drive D during the time period from when the file system 11 starts the reading of the file from the medium to when the printer 14 completes the printing operation by finishing the reading of the file necessary for the printing operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method for reading a file from a medium inserted in a media drive and printing it out.

  In recent years, images taken using a digital camera or a mobile phone camera are stored in various media, and when the image is printed out, the file is read from the media and printed on a sheet of paper. An image processing apparatus that easily obtains a print output without any intervention has been attracting attention. Such an image processing apparatus is installed in a store such as a convenience store, and a user inserts media into the drive of the apparatus and obtains a desired print output by sequentially instructing along the display contents of the operation panel. Can be done.

  In this way, in an image processing apparatus that prints out using a medium, there is a problem that the user forgets to remove the medium that the user has inserted after the print output is completed. Is disclosed. For example, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, a sensor for detecting an object is provided, and when the sensor detects that the object has moved away in a state where the medium is not detached, a notification is made. . Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 tries to prevent forgetting to remove the media by not discharging the change unless the media is removed after the printing process is completed.

JP 2003-154741 A JP 2001-331871 A

  However, in the configuration that detects an object using a sensor, it is necessary to provide a separate sensor, which causes a cost increase, and the sensor may erroneously detect in a place where many people enter and exit such as a convenience store. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately prevent forgetting to remove. Further, in the configuration in which change is discharged after the medium is taken out, it is impossible to prevent forgetting to remove the medium when the input amount is an amount in which no change is generated.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems. That is, the present invention provides an operation panel serving as an interface with a user, a file system for reading a file from a medium mounted on a media drive, and a file system read from the medium by a file system based on an instruction received by the operation panel. In an image processing apparatus including a printer that performs print output and an operation panel, a file system, and a system control unit that controls the printer, the file system starts reading a file from a medium, and a file necessary for print processing by the printer The system control unit notifies the user to take out the medium from the media drive after the reading is finished and before the printing process by the printer is finished.

  According to the present invention, in an image processing method for reading a file from a medium inserted in a media drive and executing a printing process, the reading of the file from the medium is started and the reading of the file necessary for the printing process is completed. This is an image processing method for notifying the user to take out the medium from the media drive before the printing process is completed.

  In the present invention as described above, since the notification for prompting the removal of the medium is performed after the reading of the file necessary for the printing process from the medium is completed until the printing output is completed, the printing process is in progress. The user can be notified of the removal of the medium, and the user can remove the medium while waiting for the print output.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, in order to promptly prompt the user to remove the media when the media is no longer needed, it is possible to appeal the user to remove the media for a relatively long time while waiting for print output. The probability of forgetting to remove media can be reduced. In addition, since a separate device such as a sensor is not required, it is possible to prevent the device cost from increasing to prevent forgetting to remove.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an image processing apparatus according to this embodiment. That is, the image processing apparatus 1 gives a media drive D that can handle various media, a file system 11 that accesses the media drive, and gives an instruction to the file system 11 to the media drive D. An application 20 that processes a file stored in a mounted medium, an image processing unit 12 that processes an image stored in the medium, a printer 14 that prints out a file processed by the application 20, and each unit are controlled. And a system control unit 10.

  In addition to the above configuration, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a printer control unit 13 that controls the printer 14, an operation panel 15 that serves as an interface with the user, and a hard disk device H that is an external storage unit as necessary. I have. Here, the operation panel 15 includes a display that displays various types of information and files to be processed on the screen, and key buttons and a touch panel that accept input operations from the user.

  In such an image processing apparatus 1, in order to prevent the user from forgetting to remove the media inserted into the media drive D, the file system 11 starts reading the file from the media and reads the file necessary for the printing process by the printer 14. This is characterized in that a notification that prompts the user to remove the medium from the media drive D is given after the printing is completed and before the printing process by the printer 14 is completed.

  That is, since the system control unit 10 notifies the user to remove the medium while the printer 14 performs the printing process after the file system 11 reads the necessary file from the medium, the user waits for the print output. It is possible to give time to take out the media while the media is being used, and to prevent forgetting to remove the media. Here, the notification performed by the system control unit 10 is lighting or blinking a lamp provided near the insertion slot of the media drive, displaying a message on the display of the operation panel 15, and outputting a predetermined sound from a speaker (not shown). It is conceivable that notification is performed in a form in which the user pays attention to a place where the user often pays attention, such as processing.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The image processing apparatus includes an operation panel 15, a media insertion unit 16, and a print discharge unit 17 in a housing 100, and each unit illustrated in FIG. 1 is accommodated in the housing 100. The user inserts a medium storing a file to be printed from the media insertion unit 16 and performs desired settings and instructions along the display on the operation panel 15 to output the print output of the file to the print discharge unit. 17 can be taken out.

  Next, the image processing method of this embodiment will be described. 3 to 7 are schematic diagrams sequentially showing screen transitions of the display of the operation panel. First, when a medium is inserted by the user and execution of a predetermined printing process is instructed, for example, a “printing” message is displayed (see FIG. 3). In this message, the total number of sheets to be printed and the number of sheets being processed are displayed in, for example, a fraction display so that the user can grasp the progress of the process.

  Next, when reading of necessary files from the media is completed during the printing process, a message prompting you to remove the media, such as “Please remove media”, is displayed along with the message “Printing”. Display (see FIG. 4). In other words, since the necessary files are already read from the media at this stage, the media can be ejected, and the display is often noticed by the user, so a message prompting the user to promptly eject is displayed on the display. By displaying, it becomes possible to prevent forgetting to remove the media accurately.

  Here, when the user removes the media, the previous notification disappears from the display, and only a message indicating the current processing content is displayed (see FIG. 5). On the other hand, when the printing process is completed without removing the medium, for example, the message “Please remove the medium” remains as it is (see FIG. 6). When the medium is removed, for example, a message “printing is finished” is displayed (see FIG. 7).

  In this way, the message prompting the user to remove the medium is displayed while the printing process is being executed, so that the medium can be removed while waiting for printing. It becomes possible to give. In addition to this message display, a lamp provided near the media insertion portion may be turned on or blinking to indicate that media can be removed, and a warning sound or voice guide may be output from the speaker.

  Next, the flow of processing in the image processing apparatus will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. This sequence diagram shows the flow of each job of UI (user interface) display, file copy, data processing, transfer, and print on the operation panel. First, when start is instructed in the UI display, the start of file copy is instructed, and copying of a necessary file from the medium is started. The file read from the medium is copied to, for example, the hard disk device H shown in FIG. While the file is being copied, a “printing” message, for example, is displayed as a UI display.

  In addition, the first file is subjected to data processing as data processing and transfer together with file copying, and is transferred to the printer to start print processing. Here, the first file is read from the medium and immediately processed. In the meantime, the data processing for the second and subsequent sheets, the transfer to the printer, and the print processing are sequentially performed in parallel with the copying of the second and subsequent files.

  When copying of a necessary file is completed during the printing process, both a message indicating that printing is in progress and a message for prompting removal of the medium are output as a UI display. This message continues until the media is removed. When the medium is removed, the message prompting to remove the medium disappears. If the printing process is still in progress, only the message “Printing” remains. Thereafter, when all the printing processes are completed, for example, a “printing complete” message is output as the UI display.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to the message display as described above, a cover (not shown) provided in advance in the print discharge unit 17 shown in FIG. You may control to open after taking out. That is, the cover of the print discharge unit 17 is closed while the print process is being performed, a message prompting the user to remove the medium is displayed during the print process, and the cover is opened when the medium is removed. To. If the media is not removed, the cover will remain closed, so the user will not be able to remove the printed material, and if the media is not removed, the cover will not open and the media will be removed reliably. Is possible.

  When a cover is provided in the print discharge section, the printed material can be discharged by making it a transparent cover so that the inside can be seen even when the cover is closed, providing a viewing window on the cover, or using a cover such as a mesh. The user can check the status that has been set.

It is a block diagram explaining the image processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the external appearance of the image processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is the schematic diagram which shows the screen transition of the display of an operation panel in order (the 1). FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram (part 2) illustrating screen transitions on the display of the operation panel in order. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram (part 3) illustrating screen transitions of the display of the operation panel in order. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram (part 4) illustrating screen transition of the display of the operation panel in order. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram (part 5) illustrating screen transition of the display of the operation panel in order. It is a sequence diagram explaining the flow of processing in an image processing device.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image processing apparatus, 10 ... System control part, 11 ... File system, 12 ... Image processing part, 13 ... Printer control part, 14 ... Printer, 15 ... Operation panel, 16 ... Media insertion part, 17 ... Print discharge part, 20 ... Application, D ... Media drive

Claims (10)

An operation panel to interface with the user,
A file system that reads files from the media loaded in the media drive;
A printer that prints out a file read from the medium by the file system based on an instruction received on the operation panel;
In an image processing apparatus comprising the operation panel, the file system, and a system control unit for controlling the printer,
The system control unit is configured such that the file system starts reading the file from the medium, reads the file necessary for the printing process by the printer, and finishes the printing process by the printer. An image processing apparatus that performs notification for prompting removal of the media from the media drive. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the system control unit prompts the notification by lighting or blinking a lamp provided near an insertion port of the media drive. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the system control unit prompts the notification by displaying a message on a display of the operation panel. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the system control unit prompts the notification by outputting a predetermined sound. The system control unit closes a cover provided at a discharge port of a sheet to be printed while the printer performs a printing process, and opens the cover when the medium is taken out from the media drive. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control is performed as follows. In an image processing method for reading a file from a medium inserted in a media drive and executing a printing process,
Starts reading of the file from the medium, and notifies the user to take out the medium from the media drive after the reading of the file necessary for the printing process is completed and before the printing process is completed. An image processing method. The image processing method according to claim 6, wherein the notification is performed by turning on or blinking a lamp provided near an insertion port of the media drive. The image processing method according to claim 6, wherein the notification is performed by displaying a message on a display of an operation panel. The image processing method according to claim 6, wherein the notification is performed by outputting a predetermined sound. During the printing process, a cover provided at a discharge port for paper to be printed is closed, and the cover is opened when the medium is removed from the media drive. The image processing method according to claim 6.

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