JP2006025137A - Image forming apparatus and job managing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which is an image forming apparatus equipped with a reserved job function, saves a trouble to cancel registration of an unnecessary job and prevents unnecessary printed matter from being outputted, and also to provide a job managing method thereof. <P>SOLUTION: It is judged whether there is a job being executed. When it is judged that there is no job being executed, it is judged whether there is a standby job. When it is judged that there is a standby job, the job begins to be executed. When it is judged that there is no standby job, on the other hand, it is judged whether there is a job whose term has expired. When it is judged that there is a job whose term has expired, the records corresponding to the reserved job are deleted from a reserved job management table. When it is judged that there is no reserved job whose term has expired, on the other hand, a reserved job with top priority is registered in an execution job management table. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image according to information on a job transmitted via a network or a job input from an operation unit, and a job management method thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided with a reserved job function for executing a job when the operation rate of the image forming apparatus is low, and a job management method thereof.

  In recent years, many multifunctional image forming apparatuses in which functions such as a copying machine, a FAX, and a printer are integrated have been commercialized. Such an image forming apparatus is connected to many information terminal devices via a network, and can instruct a print job not only from an operation unit provided in the apparatus but also from an external device. . As a result, job management becomes more complicated and the operation rate of the image forming apparatus itself is increased. For this reason, if jobs are concentrated at one time, a situation occurs in which input jobs are not easily executed.

As means for solving this problem, for example, an image forming apparatus having a reserved job function capable of setting a job to be executed when the operation rate of the image forming apparatus is low is provided (for example, Patent Document 1). In an image forming apparatus having a reserved job function, when a large number of print jobs are sent, the job can be avoided by making the job a reserved job.
JP-A-6-268781

  However, the conventional image forming apparatus with a reserved job function has the following problems. For example, suppose that a print job for printing image data is set as a reserved job for the purpose of distributing a large number of documents at a meeting. In this case, depending on the job reception status of the image forming apparatus, the reservation job may not be executed even immediately before the scheduled meeting, and the reservation job may be executed only after the meeting ends. In such a situation, a large amount of unnecessary printed material is produced.

  In order to avoid the above situation, the job reception status of the image forming apparatus must be frequently monitored. If it is unlikely that the meeting will be in time, the reservation job must be unregistered. Such work is extremely troublesome.

  The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional image forming apparatus described above. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a reserved job function, which eliminates the trouble of canceling registration of unnecessary jobs and prevents the output of unnecessary printed matter, and a job management method therefor Is to provide.

  An image forming apparatus for solving this problem is an image forming apparatus that forms an image in accordance with job information. An executable job is registered, and the processing status of the registered job is monitored and the job is If the first job management unit instructing the execution of a job and a job with an expiration date registered are registered, and there are no jobs waiting in the jobs registered in the first job management unit, A second job management unit for registering the highest priority job in the first job management unit, and the second job management unit is based on the expiration date assigned to the job and the time when the job is executed. In this case, an expired job is extracted and the registration of the extracted job is canceled.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, an executable job is registered in the first job management unit, and the registered jobs are sequentially executed in accordance with an instruction from the first job management unit. The first job management unit monitors the processing status of each registered job. That is, for each job, it is always recognized whether it is being executed (processing), after being executed (completed), or before being executed (waiting). A job is also registered in the second job management unit. A job registered in the second job management unit is registered in the first job management unit and executed by the first job management unit if there is no waiting job in the job managed in the first job management unit. . That is, the job registered in the second job management unit is a job (reserved job) executed when the operation rate of the image forming apparatus is low. That is, the image forming apparatus of the present invention has a reserved job function. Whether the job is a normal job, that is, a job registered in the first job management unit from the beginning or a reserved job, that is, a job registered in the second job management unit, is determined by the user's selection. Or it is decided by the specification of various functions.

  Furthermore, expiration date information is attached to the job registered in the second job management unit. Then, the second job management unit extracts a job whose expiration date has passed, that is, an expired job, based on the expiration date and the time when the job is executed. Furthermore, the registration of the extracted expired job is cancelled. As a result, execution of an expired job can be avoided. That is, it is possible to avoid a situation in which printed matter that is no longer needed is output. The expiration date can be automatically deregistered by determining the expiration date periodically or when transferring a job registered in the second job management unit to the first job management unit. it can. Therefore, it is possible to avoid monitoring the job by the user and to save the trouble of canceling the expired job.

  The job registered in the second job management unit is given the required time for the job, and the second job management unit executes the job at the time obtained by subtracting the required time from the job expiration date. It is better to compare the job time and determine whether the job has expired based on the comparison result. Further, the job registered in the first job management unit is given the required time information of the job, and the second job management unit performs the job registered in the first job management unit at the current time. Of these, the time when the job is executed may be set to a time obtained by adding the time required for the waiting job. This makes it possible to make a more accurate determination regarding the expiration of a reserved job. Note that the required time for a job is predicted from the number of pages and the number of copies of the output image, and registered in advance as additional information for the job.

  A job management method for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is a job management method for an image forming apparatus that forms an image according to job information, the step of registering job information in a first job management unit, A step of executing jobs registered in the job management unit in descending order of priority, a step of registering information on jobs with expiration dates in the second job management unit, and a step registered in the first job management unit If there is a waiting job, the waiting job is executed. If there is no waiting job, the highest priority among the jobs managed by the second job management unit To extract expired jobs based on the step of registering the job in the first job management unit, the expiration date of the job managed in the second job management unit, and the time when the job is executed It is characterized by comprising the step of releasing the registration of job.

  According to the present invention, an expiration date is attached to a reserved job, and registration of an expired job is automatically canceled. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where a printed matter that is no longer needed after the expiration date has passed is output. In addition, it is possible to save the trouble of canceling registration of expired jobs. Therefore, there is provided an image forming apparatus having a reserved job function, which saves the trouble of canceling an unnecessary job and prevents output of an unnecessary printed matter, and a job management method therefor.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a multifunction machine having a function as a copying machine and a function as a printer.

  The image forming system according to the embodiment is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the image forming system includes a multifunction device 1, a personal computer (PC) 2, a digital camera 3, a digital video camera 4, a personal digital assistant device (PDA) 5, and a facsimile machine (FAX) 6. They are connected via a network (LAN) 7. Each component device can transmit and receive data to and from each other.

  The multi-function device 1 receives a print instruction from an image of an original document set at a predetermined location in the apparatus and prints it on a recording sheet (copy function), or a print instruction from an external terminal device connected to the LAN 7 according to the instruction. It has a function to print on recording paper (print function). In addition to these, it has a plurality of functions such as a function for storing image data sent from an external terminal device and a function for printing stored image data on a recording sheet.

  The PC 2 includes a main body including a CPU, a memory, a hard disk drive (HDD) and the like, a monitor device, and input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse. The PC 2 incorporates application software capable of creating documents, drawings, and the like, and can instruct the multifunction device 1 to print or save the created documents.

  The digital camera 3, the digital video camera 4, the portable terminal device 5, and the facsimile device 6 are known devices, respectively, and can instruct the multifunction device 1 to print or save a photographed image.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing a cross section of the main body of the multifunction machine 1. The multifunction device 1 is an electrophotographic digital multifunction device, and includes an automatic document feeder 10 that automatically feeds documents in a separated state one by one, an image reading unit 30 that reads and captures an image of a document, and a recording. An image forming unit 50 that forms an image on paper and a paper feed unit 70 that supplies recording paper are provided.

  The automatic document feeder 10 includes a document feed tray 11, a paper discharge tray 12, and a platen glass 20. In the automatic document feeder 10, the documents set on the document feed tray 11 are automatically conveyed one by one to a predetermined position on the platen glass 20. Then, after the document reading unit 30 reads and captures the image of the document, the document is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 12.

  The image reading unit 30 includes a first slider unit 31 that travels in the direction of arrow A in FIG. The first slider unit 31 has a movement start position (scanning start position, a position directly below the shading correction plate 22) as a left end, and a predetermined distance corresponding to the size of the original conveyed to the original reading position by an arrow. By moving in the direction indicated by A, the image of the original can be read and taken. The image reading unit 30 changes the optical path of the reflected light of the document obtained by irradiation of the exposure lamp 311 by the first mirror 312, the second mirror 321, and the third mirror 322, and couples it to the CCD sensor 33 through the lens 34. Let me image. In the CCD sensor 33, incident light is converted into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is sent to the control unit 100 as document data.

  The control unit 100 performs image processing such as shading correction, positional deviation correction, lightness / color space conversion, gamma correction, frame erasing, color / moving editing, and the like on the sent document data. Are stored in the print data storage as image data. At the time of image formation, the image data is read from the print data storage unit, and the image data is converted into gradation data. Based on the gradation data, the laser diode 58 is driven in synchronization with the conveyance of the recording paper. Details of the control unit 100 will be described later.

  The image forming unit 50 includes a photosensitive drum 51, a laser diode 58, a polygon mirror 59, a charging charger 53, a developing device 54, a transfer charger 55, a separation charger 56, a cleaner 52, and the like. Then, laser light is emitted from the laser diode 58 based on the drive signal output from the control unit 100. The emitted laser light is deflected and scanned by a polygon mirror 59 that is rotationally driven at a constant speed, and is irradiated onto a photosensitive drum 51 that is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow B in FIG.

  The surface of the photosensitive drum 51 is uniformly charged by a charging charger 53 after residual toner is removed by a cleaner 52. Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 is exposed and scanned by irradiating laser light to form an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 54 to become a toner image, and is transferred onto the recording paper conveyed from the paper feeding unit 70 by the transfer charger 55.

  The recording sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 51 by the separation charger 56 and conveyed to the fixing unit 60 by the conveyance belt 57. Then, the toner image is fixed on the recording paper by the heat pressing operation in the fixing unit 60. The fixed recording paper is discharged onto a paper discharge tray 63 by a paper discharge roller 62.

  The paper feeding unit 70 includes paper feeding cassettes 71 and 72 for storing recording paper, and pickup rollers 711 and 721 for feeding out the recording paper, and supplies the recording paper of the size specified to the image forming unit 50.

  An operation panel 90 is installed on the front surface of the multifunction machine 1. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the operation panel 90. The operation panel 90 includes a start key 91 for instructing to start copying, a numeric key 92 for inputting a value such as the number of copies, and a clear key 93 for returning the input value of the number of copies to zero. , A stop key 94 for instructing to interrupt the copying operation, and a liquid crystal display unit 95 for setting various functions and displaying messages.

  The liquid crystal display unit 95 has a touch panel laminated on the surface thereof, and accepts input of settings such as copy density, copy magnification, paper selection, copy mode, reserved copy, and the like. Furthermore, a message indicating the number of copies and the status of the multifunction device 1 is displayed. FIG. 3 shows an example in which “can be copied” as a message, “1.000” times as a copy magnification, “A4” size as a paper size, “1” as the number of copies, and the like are displayed. .

  Next, the control unit 100 of the multifunction machine 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 100 includes a CPU 101, a communication interface (I / F) unit 102, a ROM 103, a RAM 104, a print data storage unit 105, an execution job management table 106, and a reserved job management table 107. A clock unit 108 and a message data storage unit 109.

  The communication I / F unit 102 is for connecting to a LAN 7 such as a LAN card or a LAN board. The print data storage unit 105 is a data storage device including an HDD, a semiconductor memory, and the like, and stores image data sent from the PC 2 and image data read by the image reading unit 30. The clock unit 108 holds current time information, and the information can always be read from the CPU 101. The message data storage unit 109 has a database for storing various message data.

  The execution job management table 106 is a data table for managing the execution order of received jobs. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the execution job management table 106 includes columns for job number, ID number, reception date / time, print information, and processing information. The execution job management table 106 also functions as a job execution history. Every time a job is received, the job information is added to the end of the table as one record. Normally, jobs are executed in the order of acceptance.

  Each time a job is received, a number for identifying the job is written in the job number column in the execution job management table 106. In the present embodiment, serial numbers are given in the order of acceptance. The date and time when the job is received is written in the reception date column. Data read from the clock unit 108 is used for the date and time. In the ID number column, the identification number of the user who issued the job is written. This identification number is assigned in advance as a number for identifying the user for each user. In the print information column, information necessary for printing, such as the paper size, the number of pages, the number of copies, and the estimated print time (hereinafter referred to as “print information”) is written for each job. In the processing information column, a job processing status, for example, “processing”, “standby”, or the like is written. For completed jobs, the date and time of completion is written.

  Job information is registered in the execution job management table 106 as follows. Hereinafter, the print job sent from the PC 2 is registered. First, the user instructs printing on the PC 2. At that time, the user inputs his own identification number. Next, the PC 2 gives print information and a user identification number to the print data before sending a print instruction to the multifunction device 1. Then, these pieces of information are transmitted to the multi function device 1 as job information. In the multifunction device 1, the control unit 100 receives these job information sent from the PC 2, and assigns a new job number to the job. Further, the predicted printing time is calculated based on the print data and the number of copies. Then, the control unit 100 registers the print information and identification number sent from the PC 2 and the job number and reception date and time assigned by the multifunction device 1 as one record and registers the record in the execution job management table 106. . The print data is temporarily stored in the print data storage unit 105.

  Further, job information of a copy job for copying a document set on the document feed tray 11 or a print job for printing print data stored in the print data storage unit 105 is executed job management as follows. It is registered in the table 106. First, the user instructs printing using the operation panel 90. Specifically, the document is set on the document feed tray 11 and the start key 91 is pressed. Alternatively, print data to be printed is selected on the liquid crystal display unit 95 and the start key 91 is pressed. At that time, the user inputs his / her identification number before pressing the start key 91. A job number is assigned when the start key 91 is pressed, and a record of the job is registered in the execution job management table 106.

  The reserved job management unit 107 is a data table for managing the execution order of received reservation jobs. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the reserved job management table 107 includes columns for job number, ID number, reception date / time, print information, and expiration date. The reserved job management table 107 also functions as a job accumulation status. Each time a job is received, the job information is added to the end of the table as one record. Further, the execution job management table 106 is monitored, and when there is no job being processed or waiting in the execution job management table 106, the highest priority reserved job is written to the execution job management table 106 and the record is deleted. It has become. Note that the priority order of reserved jobs in this embodiment is determined by the job number.

  In the job number column in the reserved job management table 107, a number for identifying the reserved job is written every time a reserved job is received. In the present embodiment, serial numbers are given in the order of acceptance. In the reception date column, the date and time when the reserved job is received are written. Data read from the clock unit 108 is used for the date and time. In the ID number column, the identification number of the user who issued the reserved job is written. In the print information column, print information of each reserved job is written. In the expiration date column, the existence of the expiration date of the reserved job is written. In the present embodiment, “indefinite” is written for a job that does not have an expiration date, and the specified “date and time” is written for a job that has a specified expiration date.

  Reserved job information is registered in the reserved job management table 107 as follows. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the print reservation job sent from the PC 2 is registered. First, the user instructs printing on the PC 2. At that time, the user inputs his / her identification number and makes a reservation setting. As the reservation setting, a setting that the print job is a reservation job and a setting of an expiration date of the reservation job are performed. Next, the PC 2 gives print information and a user identification number to the print data before sending a print instruction to the multifunction device 1. Then, these pieces of information are transmitted to the multi function device 1 as job information. In the multifunction device 1, the control unit 100 receives these job information sent from the PC 2, and assigns a new job number to the job. Further, the predicted printing time is calculated based on the print data and the number of copies. Then, the control unit 100 registers the print information and identification number sent from the PC 2 and the job number and reception date / time given by the multifunction device 1 as one record, and registers the record in the reserved job management table 107. . The print data is temporarily stored in the print data storage unit 105.

  The job information of a copy job for copying a document set on the document feed tray 11 or a print job for printing print data stored in the print data storage unit 105 is set as follows. Registered in the table 107. First, the user instructs printing using the operation panel 90. Specifically, the document is set on the document feed tray 11 and the start key 91 is pressed. Alternatively, print data to be printed is selected on the liquid crystal display unit 95 and the start key 91 is pressed. At that time, the user inputs his / her identification number and makes a reservation setting before pressing the start key 91. Specifically, as a reservation setting, a reservation setting button displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 95 is pressed to shift to a reservation job setting mode, and an expiration date and the like are set. A job number is assigned when the start key 91 is pressed, and the record of the job is registered in the reserved job management table 107.

  The CPU 101 reads a necessary program from the ROM 103, controls the operation timing of each unit uniformly, and realizes the operation of each job such as a smooth copy job and print job. When an error is detected, message data to be displayed is read from the message data storage unit 109 and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 95 of the operation panel 90.

  Further, the CPU 101 determines whether the sent job is a normal job or a reserved job. When a normal job is received, the reception date and time, print information, identification number, processing information, etc. for the job are written in the execution job management table 106. When a reserved job is received, the expiration date of the job is written in the reserved job management table 107 in addition to the reception date and time, print information about the job, and identification number. Further, when the reserved job in the reserved job management table 107 becomes executable, the contents of the reserved job are transferred to the execution job management table 106.

  In addition, the ROM 103 is a non-volatile memory, and stores various programs such as job processing. The RAM 104 is a volatile memory and serves as a work area when the CPU 101 executes the program.

  Next, the control operation of the control unit 100 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. First, when the power switch is turned on, initialization processing is performed (S1). In this initialization process, the RAM 104 is cleared and various registers are set. Next, mode initialization processing such as setting the number of copies to be “1” and the copy magnification to “same size” is performed (S2). Thereafter, the internal timer is started (S3).

  Next, an input receiving process for receiving input information input by the liquid crystal display unit 95 of the operation panel 90 or various keys is performed (S4). Further, an error detection process for detecting an error in the input information is performed (S5).

  Next, accepting processing of various jobs such as a copy job and a print job is performed without distinguishing an instruction from an external terminal device such as the PC 2 and an instruction from the operation panel 90 (S6). In the job reception process, print information, reception date / time, and the like related to the job are written in the execution job management table 106. In addition, a reservation job acceptance process is also performed. If the job is a reserved job, the print information and the reception date / time of the job are written in the reserved job management table 107.

  Next, a system control process for executing a job is executed (S7). This system control process will be described later. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not to end the count of the internal timer (S8). This determination is made based on whether or not the count value of the timer has reached a predetermined time as the processing time of one routine in the initialization process. If the time has been reached (S8: YES), it is determined that the internal timer has ended, and the process returns to the process of S3. If the time has not been reached (S8: NO), the process waits until the time is reached.

  Next, the contents of the system control process (S7) will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. First, it is determined whether or not there is a job currently being executed (S71). The processing of S71 is performed by referring to status information preset in the RAM 104. If it is determined that there is a job being executed (S71: YES), the system control process is terminated as it is. If it is determined that there is no job being executed (S71: NO), the current date and time (date and time) is acquired (S72).

  After the process of S72, it is determined whether or not there is a job that has been executed (finished job) (S73). The presence of the end job can be determined by referring to the contents written in the processing information column of the execution job management table 106. Specifically, a job whose processing information column is “processing” is an end job, and can be determined by the presence or absence of the job.

  When it is determined that there is an end job (S73: YES), the date and time acquired in the processing of S72 is written in the processing information column of the job (S74). On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no finished job (S73: NO), the process proceeds to S75 as it is.

  After the process of S73 or S74, it is determined whether or not there is a standby job (S75). The presence of the standby job can also be determined by referring to the contents written in the processing information column of the execution job management table 106. Specifically, a job whose processing information column is “waiting” is a waiting job, and it can be determined by the presence or absence of the job.

  If it is determined that there is a waiting job (S75: YES), the job having the smallest job number among the waiting jobs is determined as a job to be executed, and “processing” is written in the processing information column of the job ( S76). Then, the execution of the job is started (S77), and the system control process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no standby job (S75: NO), it is determined whether there is an expired reserved job (S78). The existence of an expired reserved job can be determined by referring to the contents written in the expiration date column of the reserved job management table 107. That is, if the date and time acquired in the process of S72 is ahead of the time in the expiration date column, it can be determined that the reserved job has already expired. Note that a job for which “indefinite” is written in the expiration date column does not expire because the expiration date is set to indefinite.

  Further, the date and time obtained by adding the required times of all standby jobs to the date and time acquired in the processing of S72 is set as the scheduled end date and time, and the required time from the time in the expiration date column of each reserved job in the reserved job management table 107 is obtained. If the subtracted time is used as the start expiration date and time, and the planned end date and time are compared with the start expiration date and time, it is possible to more accurately determine the expiration of the reserved job.

  If it is determined that there is an expired reserved job (S78: YES), the record corresponding to the expired reserved job is deleted from the reserved job management table 107 (S79). On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no expired reserved job (S78: NO), it is determined whether there is a reserved job (S80). The existence of a reserved job can be determined by confirming the existence of a record in the reserved job management table 107.

  If it is determined that there is a reserved job (S80: YES), the reserved job having the smallest job number is extracted, a new job number is assigned, and the contents of the reserved job are displayed in the execution job management table 106. (S81). Further, “waiting” is written in the processing information column of the newly registered job. Then, the record of the reserved job transferred to the execution job management table 106 is deleted from the reserved job management table 107 (S82). After the process of S82, the system control process is terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no reserved job (S80: NO), the system control process is also terminated.

  As described above in detail, the multi-function device 1 of this embodiment is configured to perform job execution instructions and job management using the execution job management table 106. Also, a reserved job function is provided, and reserved jobs are managed by the reserved job management table 107. Furthermore, the expiration date is attached to the reservation job managed by the reservation job management unit 107. If there is no waiting job among the jobs registered in the execution job management table 106, the job with the lowest job number among the jobs registered in the reserved job management table 107, that is, the job with the highest priority is selected. The job is registered in the execution job management table 106 and the job is deleted from the reserved job management table 107.

  In addition, the reserved job management unit 107 checks the expiration date and extracts an expired reserved job before transferring the reserved job to the execution job management table 106. Then, the extracted reserved job record is deleted from the reserved job management table 107. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which an unnecessary printed matter is output even though the expiration date has passed. In addition, since the record of the expired reserved job is automatically deleted from the reserved job management table 107, it is possible to save the trouble of releasing the expired reserved job. Therefore, an image forming apparatus having a reserved job function, which eliminates the trouble of canceling registration of unnecessary jobs, and realizes an image forming apparatus and its job management method that prevent the output of unnecessary printed matter.

  Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the embodiment, the present invention is applied to a color multifunction peripheral, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the present invention can be applied to a copying machine, a printer, a scanner, a FAX, or a word processor. In addition, it is not limited to monochrome and may be capable of forming a color image. In the case of a color multifunction peripheral, the tandem method or the four-cycle method may be used.

  Further, it is better that the contents of the execution job management table 106 can be displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 95 of the operation panel 90. By displaying the contents of the execution job management table 106, the user can check the job processing status. Further, the contents of the execution job management table 106 may be displayed on a display unit of an external terminal device such as the PC 2. Further, it is better that the contents of the reserved job management table 107 can be displayed on the operation panel 90 or the display unit of the external terminal device. Further, when displaying the processing status of a reserved job, it is better that the displayed reserved job can be deleted or the expiration date can be changed.

  In the embodiment, for an expired reserved job, the record corresponding to the reserved job is deleted from the reserved job management table 107, but “expired” is written in the expiration date column of the record. The written reservation job may not be transferred to the execution job management table 106. In this case, by displaying the contents of the reserved job management table 107 on the operation panel 90 or the display unit of the external terminal device, the user can recognize that the reserved job has expired.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming system according to an embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a color multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the operation panel of the color multifunctional device which concerns on embodiment. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the color multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of an execution job management table. It is a figure which shows an example of a reservation job management table. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure (main routine) in the control part which concerns on a color compound machine. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure (system control process) in a control unit according to a color multifunction peripheral.

Explanation of symbols

1 MFP 2 Personal computer 7 LAN
90 Operation panel 100 Control unit 101 CPU
106 Execution job management table 107 Reserved job management table

Claims (4)

In an image forming apparatus that forms an image according to job information,
A first job management section for registering executable jobs, monitoring the processing status of the registered jobs and instructing job execution;
If a job with an expiration date is registered and there is no waiting job among the jobs registered in the first job management unit, the highest priority job among the registered jobs is registered in the first job management. A second job management section registered in the section,
The second job management unit extracts an expired job based on an expiration date attached to the job and a time when the job is executed, and cancels the registration of the extracted job. apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The job registered in the second job management unit is attached with the required time information of the job,
The second job management unit compares the time obtained by subtracting the required time from the expiration date of the job and the time when the job is executed, and determines whether or not the job has expired based on the comparison result. An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The job registered in the first job management unit is attached with the required time information of the job,
The second job management unit sets a time obtained by adding a time required for a waiting job among jobs registered in the first job management unit to a time when the job is executed. An image forming apparatus. In a job management method of an image forming apparatus that forms an image according to job information,
Registering job information in the first job management section;
Executing jobs registered in the first job management unit in descending order of priority;
Registering information of a job with an expiration date in the second job management unit;
Monitors the job execution status registered in the first job management unit. If there is a waiting job, it executes the waiting job. If there is no waiting job, it manages it in the second job management unit. Registering the highest priority job among the registered jobs in the first job management unit;
Extracting the expired job based on the expiration date of the job managed by the second job management unit and the time when the job is executed, and deregistering the extracted job A job management method for an image forming apparatus.

Images