JP2006100960A - Multifunctional printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multifunctional printer to which facsimile function are added, whereby a user can easily identify paper sheets printed by the facsimile functions. <P>SOLUTION: The multifunctional printer provided with the facsimile functions in to includes a paper feed means with a paper inversion mechanism for applying printing to a rear side of the print paper sheet; and a print control means for changing a printed side between printing by the facsimile function and printing by a function other than the facsimile functions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a multifunction printing apparatus having a facsimile function and a printer function.

  In recent years, multi-function printing apparatuses in which facsimile functions, copy functions, and the like are added to printers, so-called multifunction machines, have been put into practical use.

  In such an apparatus, since the paper supply / discharge mechanism is used in common, when there is one paper discharge port, the paper printed by each function is discharged without being divided.

  As a technique for sorting print sheets output from a printing apparatus for each job, Patent Document 1 discloses printing identification information on the face-up surface of the first or last print sheet of a job.

JP-A-11-147349

  Among the printer function, facsimile function, and copy function provided in the multifunction machine, the printer function that executes printing from the host computer and the copy function that prints the image read from the document table are functions that the user mainly prints. The paper printed by these functions will not be left unattended even if other printing paper is collected in the paper discharge port unless the user forgets that it has been printed.

  However, since the paper printed by the facsimile function is based on the processing of the facsimile transmission source, there is a possibility that the receiving side is left unattended without being noticed by other printing paper.

  An object of the present invention is to make it easy to identify a sheet printed by a facsimile function in a multi-function printing apparatus having a facsimile function.

According to the present invention for solving the above problems,
A multi-function printing device with a facsimile function,
Paper feeding means having a paper reversing mechanism for printing on the back side of the printing paper;
There is provided a multi-function printing apparatus comprising a printing control means for changing a printing surface between printing by a facsimile function and printing by a function other than the facsimile function.

  When printing is performed on a predetermined surface of the discharged printing paper, it can be easily recognized that the printing is performed by the facsimile function.

More specifically,
A multi-function printing device with a facsimile function,
Paper feeding means having a paper reversing mechanism for printing on the back side of the printing paper;
A multi-function printing apparatus, or a multi-function printing apparatus having a facsimile function, comprising: a printing control unit that prints an identifier indicating that printing is performed by the facsimile function on the back side of printing paper to be printed by the facsimile function. Because
Paper feeding means having a paper reversing mechanism for printing on the back side of the printing paper;
It is possible to provide a multi-function printing apparatus including a printing control unit that performs printing by the facsimile function on the back side of the printing paper.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining an outline of the configuration of a multifunction machine to which the present invention is applicable. The multifunction machine 1 is a multi-function printing apparatus in which a facsimile function and a copy function are added to a printer.

  As shown in the figure, the multifunction device 1 includes a CPU 10, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, and controls each process of the multifunction device 1. The multifunction device 1 receives instructions from the user and displays the status of the multifunction device 1. A user interface unit 20 for printing, a printer unit 30 for printing, a fax unit 40 for transmitting and receiving facsimiles to and from other fax machines via a public telephone network and the like, and reflected light from a document placed on a document table And a scanner unit 50 that converts image data into image data. However, the configuration of the multifunction machine 1 is not limited to this.

  The printer unit 30 performs printing based on print data output from a host computer connected to the multifunction machine 1 locally or via a network, facsimile data received by the fax unit 40, image data acquired by the scanner unit 50, and the like. Can be done.

  The printer unit 30 can be configured by a color laser printer. A color laser printer includes toner cartridges containing toner in a housing for four colors, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, and performs color printing by transferring these toners to a printing medium such as printing paper. However, the printer unit 30 may be configured by an ink jet type color printer.

  A first embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the printer unit 30 in the first embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, the printer unit 30 includes a fax data receiving unit 310 that receives facsimile data from the fax unit 40, a print data receiving unit 320 that receives print data from the host computer and the scanner unit 50, and a reception. Print control unit 330 for controlling the printing process based on the facsimile data and the print data, a paper feed mechanism 340 for feeding the printing paper set in the printer unit 30, and a printing process for the fed printing paper. A printing mechanism 350 and a paper discharge mechanism 360 for discharging printed printing paper are configured.

  In the present embodiment, the paper feed mechanism 340 includes a paper reversing mechanism 341. The paper reversing mechanism 341 is a mechanism that reverses the printed printing paper and feeds it again so that it can be printed on the back surface. Since the paper reversing mechanism 341 is provided, the printer unit 30 can perform double-sided printing.

  The paper discharge mechanism 360 includes a single paper discharge port 361. That is, in this embodiment, there is one paper discharge port. In general, the paper discharge mechanism can be distinguished into a face-down method in which the print surface is discharged downward and a face-up method in which paper is discharged upward in single-sided printing.

  Although the present invention can be applied to any system, in the present embodiment, description will be made assuming that the face-down system is adopted.

  The processing of the printer unit 30 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When receiving the printing data (S101), the printer unit 30 determines whether the data is facsimile data (S102).

  As a result, if it is not facsimile data (S102: N), printing is executed as it is (S105). Then, the printed printing paper is discharged face down, that is, discharged to the paper discharge port 361 with the printing surface down.

  On the other hand, in the case of facsimile data (S102: Y), the print control unit 330 processes the received data (S103). Here, the received data is processed by inserting a page for printing an identification mark between each page of the facsimile data.

  In other words, if the received facsimile data is data for M pages, the N page is changed to (2N-1) pages, and the N page is changed from N = 1 to M.

  Here, the identification mark page can be, for example, a page in which characters “FAX” are arranged in a predetermined manner as an identification mark, for example, a large arrangement at the center and a plurality of arrangements on the entire surface. Further, the identification mark page may be made easier to identify by printing the identification mark in color. Further, the color of the identification mark may be changed for each facsimile reception job to facilitate management of facsimile printing.

  Then, duplex printing is set (S104), and printing is executed (S105). Then, the printing surface by the facsimile data is turned downward, and the surface on which the identification mark is printed (identification surface) is discharged upward.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state after paper discharge. This figure shows the discharge results of three printers printed with print data from the host computer, one fax printed with facsimile data, and one copy printed with image data from the scanner unit 50. The image seen from the side is shown.

  As shown in the figure, although all the paper discharge results are overlapped with the printing surface facing downward, Fax printing has the surface on which the identification mark is printed facing upward. Therefore, fax printing can be identified at a glance.

  Note that when the paper discharge mechanism 360 adopts the face-up method, all the paper discharge results are in a state in which the printing surface faces upward, but in Fax printing, an identification mark is printed further downward. Yes. In this case, Fax printing can be easily identified by turning over the discharged paper.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Also in the second embodiment, the printer unit 30 can be configured as shown in FIG.

  The processing of the printer unit 30 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Upon receiving the printing data (S201), the printer unit 30 determines whether the data is facsimile data (S202).

  As a result, if it is not facsimile data (S202: N), printing is executed as it is (S205). The printed printing paper is discharged face-down, that is, discharged to the paper discharge port 361 with the printing surface facing down.

  On the other hand, in the case of facsimile data (S202: Y), the print control unit 330 processes the received data (S203). Here, in the processing of the received data, blank page data is added to the first page, and thereafter, the page data of the facsimile data and the blank page are alternately arranged.

  That is, assuming that the received facsimile data is data for M pages, the process of changing N pages to 2N pages and (2N-1) pages to blank pages is performed from N = 1 to M. At this time, the identification mark may be superimposed and printed on the page data of the facsimile data as in the first embodiment. In this case, it is desirable that the identification mark be printed in color, particularly light color, or printed at the end of the print area so as not to interfere with the facsimile data.

  Then, duplex printing is set (S204), and printing is executed (S205). Then, printing of facsimile data is discharged with the printing surface facing upward.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state after paper discharge. This figure shows the discharge results of three printers printed with print data from the host computer, one fax printed with facsimile data, and one copy printed with image data from the scanner unit 50. The image seen from the side is shown.

  As shown in this figure, printing other than fax printing is overlapped with the printing surface facing downward, but in fax printing, the printing surface is upward. Therefore, fax printing can be identified at a glance. Further, when the facsimile data and the identification mark are superimposed and printed, even if double-sided printing is included in other printing, the identification mark can be used to easily identify the fax printing. Can do.

  When the paper discharge mechanism 360 adopts the face-up method, printing other than fax printing is overlapped with the printing surface facing up, but in fax printing, the printing surface is facing down. . Therefore, fax printing can be identified at a glance.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printer unit 30 in the third embodiment.

  The configuration of the printer unit 30 of the third embodiment is different from the configuration of the printer unit 30 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Therefore, the paper feed mechanism 340 will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the paper feeding mechanism 340 includes two paper feeding devices, that is, a first paper feeding device 342 and a second paper feeding device 343. However, the paper feeding mechanism 340 may include three or more paper feeding devices.

  In the present embodiment, the user sets different print sheets for the first paper feed device 342 and the second paper feed device 343. For example, plain paper is set in the first paper feeding device 342, and colored paper is set in the second paper feeding device 343. Alternatively, plain paper with an identification mark may be set in the second paper feeding device 343.

  The processing of the printer unit 30 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When receiving the printing data (S301), the printer unit 30 determines whether the data is facsimile data (S302).

  As a result, when the data is not facsimile data (S302: N), the first paper feeding device 342 is designated as the paper feeding device (S303). Then, printing is executed (S305). As a result, the paper set on the first paper feeder 342, for example, plain paper is printed and discharged to the paper discharge port 361.

  On the other hand, in the case of facsimile data (S302: Y), the second paper feeding device 343 is designated as the paper feeding device (S304). Then, printing is executed (S305). As a result, printing is performed on a sheet set on the second sheet feeding device 343, for example, a colored sheet, and the sheet is discharged to the discharge port 361.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state after paper discharge. This figure shows the discharge results of three printers printed with print data from the host computer, one fax printed with facsimile data, and one copy printed with image data from the scanner unit 50. The image seen from above is shown.

  As shown in the figure, printing other than fax printing is performed on plain paper, but fax printing is performed on colored paper. Therefore, fax printing can be identified at a glance.

  When the paper feeding mechanism 340 includes three or more paper feeding devices, one of the paper feeding devices is dedicated to fax printing, and a sheet that can be distinguished from paper feeding from another paper feeding device is set. Like that.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the printer unit 30 in the third embodiment.

  The configuration of the printer unit 30 in the fourth embodiment is different from the configuration of the printer unit 30 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. Therefore, the paper feed mechanism 340 will be described.

  In this embodiment, the paper feed mechanism 340 includes two paper feeders, that is, a vertical paper feeder 344 and a horizontal paper feeder 345. Here, the vertical paper feeder 344 is a paper feeder in which printing paper is set in the vertical direction, and the horizontal paper feeder 345 is set in the horizontal direction. The user sets printing paper in each of these paper feeding devices. The same type of printing paper, for example, plain paper, can be set in the two paper feeding devices.

  The processing of the printer unit 30 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When receiving the printing data (S401), the printer unit 30 determines whether the data is facsimile data (S402).

  As a result, when the data is not facsimile data (S402: N), the vertical paper feeder 344 is designated as the paper feeder (S403). Then, printing is executed (S405). As a result, the paper set in the vertical paper feeder 344 is fed in the vertical direction, printed, and discharged to the paper discharge port 361.

  On the other hand, in the case of facsimile data (S402: Y), the horizontal paper feeder 345 is designated as the paper feeder (S404). Then, printing is executed (S405). As a result, the paper set in the horizontal paper feeding device 345 is fed in the horizontal direction, printed, and discharged to the paper discharge port 361. At this time, the print control unit 330 performs vertical / horizontal conversion (90-degree rotated image processing) of the image data as necessary.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state after paper discharge. This figure shows the discharge results of three printers printed with print data from the host computer, one fax printed with facsimile data, and one copy printed with image data from the scanner unit 50. The image seen from above is shown.

  As shown in the figure, printing other than fax printing is ejected in the portrait orientation, but fax printing is ejected in landscape orientation. Therefore, fax printing can be identified at a glance.

  Note that Fax printing may be the vertical paper feeder 344, and other than Fax printing may be the horizontal paper feeder 345. Furthermore, the user may be allowed to specify which paper feeder is dedicated to fax printing. Also, three or more sheet feeding devices may be used. Also in this case, the paper feeding device in one direction is dedicated for fax printing, and the other direction is for other printing.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction machine. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer unit according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the process of the printer part of 1st Example. It is a flowchart explaining the process of the printer part of 2nd Example. It is a figure which shows the mode after the paper discharge of 1st Example. It is a figure which shows the mode after discharge of 2nd Example. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the printer part of 3rd Example. It is a flowchart explaining the process of the printer part of 3rd Example. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the printer part of 4th Example. It is a flowchart explaining the process of the printer part of 4th Example. It is a figure which shows the mode after discharge of 3rd Example. It is a figure which shows the mode after the paper discharge of 4th Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... MFP, 10 ... Control part, 20 ... User interface part, 30 ... Printer part, 40 ... FAX part, 50 ... Scanner part, 310 ... Data receiving part, 320 ... Print data receiving part, 330 ... Print control part, 340: sheet feeding mechanism, 341: sheet reversing mechanism, 342: first sheet feeding device, 343: second sheet feeding device, 344: vertical sheet feeding device, 345: landscape sheet feeding device, 350: printing mechanism, 360 ... Discharge mechanism, 361 ... Single discharge port

Claims (8)

A multi-function printing device with a facsimile function,
Paper feeding means having a paper reversing mechanism for printing on the back side of the printing paper;
A multi-function printing apparatus comprising: a printing control unit that prints an identifier indicating that printing is performed by a facsimile function on a back surface of a printing sheet to be printed by a facsimile function. A multi-function printing device with a facsimile function,
Paper feeding means having a paper reversing mechanism for printing on the back side of the printing paper;
A multi-function printing apparatus comprising: a printing control unit that performs printing by a facsimile function on a back surface of printing paper. The multi-function printing apparatus according to claim 2,
The multi-function printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing control means uses a blank sheet on the surface of printing paper to be printed by a facsimile function. The multi-function printing apparatus according to claim 2,
The multi-function printing apparatus, wherein the print control unit performs printing by superimposing an identifier indicating printing by a facsimile function on a back surface of a printing sheet to be printed by a facsimile function. The multi-function printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 4,
A color printing means;
The multi-function printing apparatus, wherein the print control unit prints the identifier in color. The multi-function printing apparatus according to claim 5,
The multifunction printing apparatus, wherein the print control unit prints the identifier by changing a color for each received job of a facsimile. The multi-function printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A multi-function printing apparatus employing a face-down method in which the surface is discharged downward. A multi-function printing device with a facsimile function,
Paper feeding means having a paper reversing mechanism for printing on the back side of the printing paper;
A multi-function printing apparatus comprising: a printing control unit that changes a printing surface between printing by a facsimile function and printing by a function other than the facsimile function.

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