JP2006062279A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which enables a user to choose which of calibration and a printing order is prioritized, when the printing order is issued during the calibration. <P>SOLUTION: When printing instructions are received during the calibration, this image forming apparatus notifies the user that it is to be determined which of the calibration and the printing order is prioritized, and determines the priority in the calibration and the printing order according to the user's instructions. When a higher priority is given to the printing order than to the calibration, the printing order is carried out by interrupting the calibration. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a multifunction machine, or a printer.

  In recent years, image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, multifunction machines, and printers are rapidly spreading in offices and homes. These image forming apparatuses may be used alone, or may be used by connecting to an information communication terminal such as a personal computer or a mobile phone via a wired or wireless network.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a general image forming apparatus 40, and this image forming apparatus is provided with a touch panel 11 for a user to input a print command.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a general image forming system. A user can execute a desired print by sending a print command to the image forming apparatus 40 from the personal computer 42 or the mobile phone 43. I can do it.

  By the way, in such an image forming apparatus 40, an image to be formed may be disturbed due to an environmental change such as temperature and humidity and a change in voltage at the time of printing. In order to solve this problem, the image forming apparatus normally performs various calibrations (automatic correction) periodically at a rate of once every 100 printings or once every 5 hours. A specific example of such calibration is described in Patent Document 1 below, for example.

  According to this, as a typical calibration, a reference pattern is formed outside the image forming area of the photosensitive member, and a decrease in toner density is detected by optically reading the reference pattern. It has been.

  Various other calibrations are performed, but these operations usually take 1 to several minutes, and if a print command is input during this time, the print command enters a waiting state. For this reason, a technique for notifying the user that a print command is in a waiting state is disclosed in Patent Document 2 below.

Patent Document 3 below discloses a technique for notifying the user of the time required until the waiting state is canceled and printing actually ends.
JP-A-10-173842 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-196900 JP-A-10-157251

  However, these technologies have the following problems.

  In actual use of the image forming apparatus, there is a case where calibration is not so important. For example, when printing a document image consisting only of characters instead of an image such as a photograph or a picture, there may be some image disturbance.

  In the technique of the above-mentioned patent document, there is only a method for the user to wait until the calibration is completed. However, when printing an urgent document or the like, it may be assumed that calibration is temporarily stopped and priority is given to the printing of the document.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that allows a user to select the priority of calibration and print commands when there is a print command during calibration. Objective.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means.

  When a print command is received during calibration, the present invention includes a determination unit that determines the priority order of the calibration and the print command, and a control unit that controls execution of the calibration and the print command according to the determined priority order. Adopted. The priority order is determined based on a user instruction, the progress of calibration, and the urgent level of calibration.

  As described above, when there is a print command during calibration, the user can select the priority order between the calibration and the print command.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. A schematic diagram of the image forming apparatus 100 is as shown in FIG. The control unit 106 controls the operations of the printing unit 104 and the correction unit 105. The correcting unit 105 performs various calibrations (automatic correction). The control unit 106 stops the operation of the printing unit 104 during the calibration, and stops the calibration of the correction unit 105 when the printing unit 104 is printing.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes a communication unit 101 that communicates with an information communication terminal 190 such as a personal computer connected to a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). Therefore, the user of the information communication terminal 190 can transmit a print command from the information communication terminal 190 to the image forming apparatus 100.

  The print command transmitted from the information communication terminal 190 is once received by the communication unit 101 and input to the reception unit 102. When the print command is input, the accepting unit 102 notifies the notifying unit 103 that the print command has been accepted. When notified that the print command has been received, the notification unit 103 determines whether calibration is currently being performed by the correction unit 105.

  When determining that the calibration is being performed, the notification unit 103 inquires of the progress status detection unit 108 about the progress status of the calibration. When there is an inquiry, the progress detection means 108 notifies the notification means 103 of, for example, the time taken to complete the calibration and what percentage of the entire calibration is completed. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the progress detection means 108 notifies the notification means 103 of the time taken for completion of calibration.

  When the time required for completion is notified, the notification unit 103 informs the information communication terminal 190 via the communication unit 101 and the network that the request for determination of the priority of the notified time, calibration, and print command is requested. Inform.

  When notified that the time required for the completion of calibration and the determination of the priority order are requested, the information communication terminal 190 displays them on the monitor 191 as shown in FIG.

  When the monitor 191 of the information communication terminal 190 displays that the time required for the calibration to be completed and a request to determine the priority order are displayed, the user performs calibration with reference to the time until the calibration is completed. It is determined whether to execute the print command first. When the user determines which is to be performed first, the user inputs the priority order of the calibration and the print command to the information communication terminal 190 and transmits it to the image forming apparatus 100 via the network. In this embodiment, when it is determined that the print command is to be performed first, the user selects “Yes” in FIG. 2. When it is determined that the calibration is to be performed first, the user selects “No” in FIG. 2. Shall be selected.

  When the priority order is transmitted, the communication unit 101 inputs the received priority order to the determination unit 107. When the priority order is input, the determination unit 107 determines the input priority order as the priority order of the calibration and print command, and inputs the determined priority order to the control unit 106.

  When the input priority order indicates that the calibration order is higher than the print command, the control unit 106 causes the correction unit 105 to execute the calibration until the calibration being executed is completed, and the calibration is performed. When completed, the print command is acquired from the accepting unit 101, and the print unit 104 is caused to execute the acquired print command.

  On the other hand, when the input priority order indicates that the order of the print command is higher than that of the calibration, the control unit 106 interrupts the calibration being executed by the correction unit 105 and acquires the print command from the reception unit 101. Then, the printing unit 104 is caused to execute the acquired printing command. When the print command is completed, the control unit 106 causes the execution unit 105 to execute the interrupted calibration.

  As described above, since the user can select which of the calibration and the print command is to be executed first, when printing an urgent document or the like, by executing the print command first, the document Can be printed immediately.

  Further, when it is determined that calibration has not been performed when a print command is input from the information communication terminal 190 to the reception unit 102, the notification unit 103 notifies the reception unit 102 that calibration has not been performed. Notice. When notified that the calibration is not performed, the accepting unit 102 inputs the accepted print command to the control unit 106.

  When a printing command is input from the receiving unit 102, the control unit 106 causes the printing unit 104 to execute the received printing command.

  Therefore, if there is a print command when calibration is not executed, the print command is immediately executed.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, when a print command is received during calibration, the notification unit 103 inquires the user of the priority order of the calibration and the print command. However, when the progress of calibration is considerably advanced, The notification unit 103 may determine the order of calibration higher than the order of the print command without inquiring the priority order to the user.

  For example, when the calibration is almost completed or a progress status that is to be finished in a few seconds is notified from the progress status detection means 108, the notification means 103 sends the progress status to the determination means 107 without inquiring the priority order from the user. To be notified. When the progress state is notified from the notification unit 103, the determination unit 107 determines the order of calibration higher than that of the print command, and inputs this to the control unit 106.

(Embodiment 3)
In the image forming apparatuses according to the first and second embodiments, the urgent level of calibration may be used instead of the progress of calibration. The degree of urgency is, for example, how far the value to be determined whether or not to execute calibration is far from the normal value. When the urgency level is used, as shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 100 is provided with an urgency level detection unit 301 that detects the urgency level of the calibration instead of the progress status detection unit 108. For example, the urgency level detection unit 301 periodically detects the urgency level of calibration.

  When the urgency level is high, that is, when the value to be calibrated is far from the normal value, the notification unit 103 notifies the determination unit 107 of the urgency level without inquiring of the priority order to the user. To do. When the urgent level is notified from the notification unit 103, the determination unit 107 determines the priority order of calibration to be higher than the print command, and inputs this to the control unit 106.

1 is a block configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. Example message shown to the user. 1 is a block configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of a general image forming apparatus. 1 is a schematic diagram of a general image forming system.

Explanation of symbols

100 Image forming device
102 Acceptance means selection means
103 Notification means
104 Printing means
105 Correction method
106 Control means
107 means of determination
108 Progress detection means
301 Urgency detection means

Claims (3)

A receiving means for receiving a print command;
Informing means for notifying the user that calibration is being performed when a print command is received during calibration;
A determination means for determining a priority order of the calibration and the print command based on an instruction from the user;
An image forming apparatus comprising: control means for controlling execution of the calibration and the print command in accordance with the determined priority order. A progress detection means for detecting the progress of the calibration;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a priority order of the calibration and the print command based on a detected progress state. Urgent level detecting means for detecting the urgent level of the calibration;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a priority order of the calibration and the print command based on the detected urgency level.

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