JP2006191335A - Image processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing apparatus whereby a user can obtain an output result intended by the user without being affected by interruption or surpassing or the like of job processes due to scheduling in the case of applying collective processing to a plurality of image data. <P>SOLUTION: In the image processing apparatus 10 including: a data storage means 11 for storing image data; an image processing means 12 for applying prescribed processing to the image data; a user interface means 13 for designating the image data to be processed; and a job processing means 14 for extracting the image data designated by the user interface means 13 from the data storage means 11 to allow the image processing means 12 to perform processing for the image data as a job, when the user interface means 13 collectively designates a plurality of image data, the job processing means 14 bundles jobs as to the image data collectively designated and processes the jobs as a virtual job. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having a processing function for image data, such as a multi-function apparatus that integrates a scan function, a copy function, a print function, a FAX function, a network communication function, and the like.

  For example, some image processing apparatuses such as multifunction peripherals include a large-capacity storage unit including a hard disk and the like, and have a function of storing and storing image data in the large-capacity storage unit. By providing such an image data storage and accumulation function, the image processing apparatus can be used as a file server, and print output by the print function is performed on the image data extracted from the large-capacity storage unit. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, in an image processing apparatus that can be used as a file server, it is possible to specify a plurality of image data and to specify the processing order, and print the specified plurality of image data in the specified order continuously. In some cases, output is performed (see, for example, Patent Document 2), and job processing scheduling such as job interruption or overtaking is performed when a resource supply waiting state such as a hardware failure occurs in order to improve productivity. (For example, refer to Patent Document 3).

JP-A-11-45031 JP-A-11-243463 JP 2003-131831 A

  However, in the conventional image processing apparatus, a plurality of image data stored and accumulated in the large-capacity storage unit can be continuously printed out in the designated processing order, but productivity is improved. Therefore, if job processing is scheduled, job interruption or overtaking may occur, and as a result, there is a possibility that the processing order of print output is different from the specified processing order. This is likely to occur particularly when a plurality of users share the image processing apparatus. For example, even if a certain user wants to print out a plurality of image data in a specified order, if there is a print output interruption by another user due to job processing scheduling, the desired output result cannot be obtained. End up.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, among the image data stored and accumulated in the large-capacity storage unit, the image data for which the user requests processing in a batch is not affected by interruption or overtaking by job processing scheduling. An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus that enables a user to obtain an intended output result by processing a job for the image data in a specified order.

  The present invention provides an image processing apparatus devised to achieve the above object, a data storage means for storing and storing image data, an image processing means for performing predetermined processing on the image data, and the image processing means. The user interface means for specifying the image data to be processed and the processing content thereof, and the image data specified by the user interface means are taken out from the data storage means and specified by the user interface means for the image data. Job processing means for causing the image processing means to execute processing of the contents as a job, and when the plurality of image data is collectively specified by the user interface means, the job processing means It is characterized by bundling data jobs and handling them as a single virtual job. It is an.

  According to the image processing apparatus having the above configuration, when a plurality of image data are collectively specified by the user interface unit, the job processing unit bundles the jobs for the specified image data and handles them as one virtual job. . Therefore, jobs for each image data are sequentially processed by the image processing means (for example, in the specified order), but since a bundle of these jobs is handled as a single virtual job, an interruption or overtaking by job processing scheduling is performed. Etc., there is no other job in the virtual one job, that is, between each job related to batch designation.

  As described above, according to the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the image data requested by the user to be batch processed is bundled with the jobs for the image data and handled as a single virtual job. Even if there is an interruption or overtaking due to scheduling, there is no other job in the virtual job, and the user belongs to each virtual job. When processing is requested, the processing is performed in the order as intended. Therefore, it is possible to improve the productivity by scheduling job processing, and the user can obtain the desired output result for the image data designated in batch by the user. It is very convenient for the user.

  Hereinafter, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of a system configuration including an image processing apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the system described here is configured by connecting the image processing apparatus 10 and the client apparatus 20 via a communication line 30 to a network.

  The image processing apparatus 10 has a function of processing a job for image data and a function of storing and storing the image data. Specifically, for example, there is a multifunction device that integrates a scan function, a copy function, a print function, a FAX function, a network communication function, a post-processing function, a file server function, and the like.

  The client device 20 functions as an external device of the image processing apparatus 10 through communication with the image processing apparatus 10. Specifically, for example, a personal computer that issues a job to the image processing apparatus 10 can be used.

  As long as the communication line 30 realizes a network connection between the image processing apparatus 10 and the client apparatus 20, a wide area network such as the Internet may be used regardless of whether it is a wireless or wired network or a local area network. May be included.

  Note that a plurality of image processing apparatuses 10 and client apparatuses 20 may exist on the communication line 30.

  Next, the image processing apparatus 10 in the above system will be described in more detail.

  The image processing apparatus 10 includes a data storage unit 11, an image processing unit 12, a user interface unit 13, a job processing unit 14, an abnormality detection unit 15, a cancellation determination unit 16, a log recording unit 17, and a log output. And means 18. Each of these means 11 to 18 is realized by an operation program installed in the image processing apparatus 10 operating hardware resources of the image processing apparatus 10.

  The data storage means 11 is for giving a file server function to the image processing apparatus 10 and for storing and accumulating image data using a large capacity storage device such as a hard disk. Image data is data for specifying the content of an electronic document, and the data format is not limited. However, the data storage means 11 is also configured to store and accumulate attribute information regarding the processing for the image data accompanying each image data. As attribute information, in addition to document name information and registration date / time information of image data, parameter instruction information (for example, monochrome / color instruction, double-side / single-side instruction) when outputting image data can be used. Document data for the electronic document is constructed from these image data and attribute information, and is stored and accumulated by the data storage means 11.

  The image processing means 12 performs predetermined processing on the image data. Examples of the predetermined processing include scan processing, copy processing, print processing, FAX processing, network communication processing, post-processing such as stapling and signature output. That is, the image processing unit 12 is for realizing the scan function, copy function, print function, FAX function, network communication function, post-processing function, and the like of the image processing apparatus 10.

  The user interface unit 13 receives information input from the user of the image processing apparatus 10 using a touch panel or the like, and performs information display output for the user using a liquid crystal panel or the like. Information input by the user interface means 13 includes designation of image data to be processed by the image processing means 12 and processing contents thereof (that is, designation of a job for processing the image data), and attributes regarding processing for the image data. Examples include specification of information (for example, output parameter instruction information), stop instruction for a job being processed, and the like. Examples of the information display output include display output of information regarding the job being processed, display output of information regarding the job that has been processed, and the like.

  The job processing means 14 takes out the image data designated by the user interface means 13 from the data storage means 11, and processes the contents designated by the user interface means 13 for the image data as a job to the image processing means 12. To be executed. However, the job processing unit 14 can also handle a job processing request issued from the client device 20. The job processing means 14 has a function of determining or changing the processing order of each job in the case where a plurality of jobs are generated. Note that a specific method for determining or changing the job processing order may be performed using a known technique, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  The abnormality detection means 15 is for detecting the occurrence of abnormality in the image processing means 12 and recognizing the type of abnormality occurrence. The detection of the occurrence of abnormality may be performed using, for example, a known sensor technology. Examples of the type of abnormality include paper trouble (out of paper, paper jam, etc.) in the print function, information communication trouble between hardware resources, and the like.

  When the abnormality detection unit 15 detects the occurrence of abnormality, the cancellation determination unit 16 determines whether or not to cancel the job and instructs the job processing unit 14 of the determination result.

  The log recording means 17 is for recording information relating to a job that has been processed as log information. In addition, the log output unit 18 displays the log information recorded by the log recording unit 17 on the user interface unit 13 or transmits the log information to the client device 20.

Next, a processing operation example in the image processing apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described. Here, the processing operation from the start to the end of the job will be described.
2 to 9 are diagrams for explaining an example of processing operation in the image processing apparatus according to the present invention, and are explanatory diagrams showing a specific example of display output in the image processing apparatus.

  In the image processing apparatus 10, when the data storage means 11 stores and accumulates image data for a plurality of electronic documents, and each electronic document is classified by file box for the storage and accumulation, as shown in FIG. The user interface means 13 displays a list of the file boxes 101. In this state, when the user of the image processing apparatus 10 selects the desired file box 101 and presses the “document confirmation / operation” button 102 on the display screen 100, the user interface means 13 is as shown in FIG. A list of document name information 111 for the electronic documents belonging to the selected file box 101 is displayed. At this time, the registration date information may be displayed together. The electronic document on which the document name information 111 is displayed can be specified together with the processing contents as image data to be processed by the image processing unit 12 with respect to the image data specifying the contents of the electronic document. Become. However, on the display screen 110 by the user interface means 13, a plurality of electronic documents displayed in a list can be selected as documents to be operated collectively. That is, when the document name information 111 of a plurality of electronic documents is selected on the display screen 110, the image data for each electronic document is collectively designated as image data to be processed.

  Here, when the “setting change / individual print” button 112 on the display screen 110 is pressed, the user interface means 13 inputs information for instructing output parameters of the batch-designated image data as shown in FIG. A screen 120 is displayed. On the information input screen 120, it is possible to set parameters to be changed in common for the image data designated in a batch. For example, even if the attribute information corresponding to each piece of image data designated in a batch is stored and accumulated in the data storage unit 11 with the parameter setting that some are in the double-sided mode and the others are in the single-sided mode, this information input screen 120 If the duplex mode is selected with, the duplex mode can be set for all the image data designated at once. That is, the parameter setting on the information input screen 120 is applied with priority over the parameter setting specified by the attribute information stored and accumulated in the data storage unit 11. However, the parameter setting specified by the attribute information is applied to items that are not set on the information input screen 120. When the “Resave” button 121 or the “Resave / print execution” button 122 is pressed on the information input screen, the information is stored and accumulated in the data storage unit 11 according to the setting contents on the information input screen 120. The attribute information is updated.

  Thereafter, when the “Resave / Print Execution” button 122 or the “Print Execution” button 123 on the information input screen 120 in FIG. 4 is pressed, the job processing unit 14 displays the images collectively designated on the display screen 110 in FIG. The image processing unit 12 is caused to execute a job for data. That is, the job processing unit 14 sequentially takes out the image data designated in a batch from the data storage unit 11 and causes the image processing unit 12 to execute the print processing which is the content designated by the user interface unit 13. The execution order of the print processing at this time may be determined by the job processing means 14, and for example, it is conceivable to use the specification order for batch specification. Further, if the processing priority order of each image data is predetermined as the attribute information, it can be considered to follow the processing priority order.

  However, when processing a job for batch-designated image data, the job processing unit 14 bundles jobs for the batch-designated image data (hereinafter referred to as “child jobs”) and virtually processes them. It is handled as one job (hereinafter referred to as “parent job”). Therefore, the job processing unit 14 also determines or changes the job processing order for each parent job that is a virtual one job.

  As a result, the job for the image data is sequentially printed by the image processing unit 12 in accordance with the instruction from the job processing unit 14, but the one designated as a batch is a parent job that is a virtual job. Therefore, even if there is an interruption or overtaking due to scheduling of job processing by the job processing means 14, other jobs may exist in the parent job, that is, between jobs related to batch designation. Absent.

  As described above, according to the image processing apparatus 10 described in the present embodiment, as described in the first aspect of the present invention, for image data for which a user requests processing in a batch, a child that is a job for the image data. Since jobs are bundled and handled as a parent job that is a virtual job, there is no other job in the parent job even if there is an interruption or overtaking due to job processing scheduling. The child jobs belonging to the parent job are processed in the order as intended when the user requests processing in a batch.

  In particular, in the image processing apparatus 10 described in this embodiment, the job processing unit 14 determines or changes the job processing order for each parent job as in the invention described in claim 2, and therefore schedules job processing. Even in this case, the user can obtain the desired output result for the image data designated collectively by the user. Therefore, it is very convenient for the user.

  In the image processing apparatus 10 described in the present embodiment, the attribute information for specifying the parameter setting of the processing is stored in the data storage for the batch-designated image data to be processed as the parent job. When the parameter setting (input of attribute information) is performed on the information input screen 120 displayed on the user interface unit 13 while being stored and stored in the unit 11, the job processing unit 14 is stored in the data storage unit 11. The parameter setting on the information input screen 120 is applied with priority over the parameter setting specified by the attribute information. Therefore, it is possible to set parameters to be changed in common for the image data designated in a batch, and this is also very convenient for the user.

  However, it is conceivable that the parameter settings specified by the attribute information in the data storage means 11 include those that cannot be changed. In this case, the job processing unit 14 does not necessarily prioritize parameter setting on the information input screen 120, and refers to, for example, a setting change impossibility flag attached to attribute information as in the invention described in claim 4. The parameter setting specified by the attribute information related to the setting change impossibility flag, that is, the parameter setting in the data storage unit 11 may be applied with priority. In this way, inappropriate parameter setting can be avoided, so that parameter setting for executing job processing is always appropriate.

  Further, when there is a parameter setting that cannot be changed, the job processing unit 14 does not preferentially apply the parameter setting in the data storage unit 11 but changes the setting as in the invention according to claim 5. It may be determined to prohibit the execution of the entire parent job including the child job for the image data to be processed with the impossible parameter setting. Even in this case, it is possible to avoid improper parameter setting, so that parameter setting at the time of executing job processing is always appropriate. When the execution of the entire parent job is prohibited, the user interface unit 13 outputs information to that effect so that the user can recognize that inappropriate parameter setting has been performed.

  By the way, during job processing, the user interface means 13 displays and outputs information related to the job being processed. At this time, if the parent job is being processed, the user interface unit 13 displays and outputs the status of the parent job as shown in FIG. In this case, the name of the file box and the name of the document currently being processed are displayed on the display screen 130, and the number of documents specified in a batch in the number of processed documents / document list (see FIG. 2) is displayed. Information is displayed. In the example shown in the figure, 6 documents are designated collectively in the document list, and up to 4 documents are currently processed.

  When the user wants to know the progress of each child job bundled as a parent job, when the “waiting job” button 131 on the display screen 130 for the status of the parent job is pressed, as shown in FIG. The user interface unit 13 displays a list of information about each child job. In the example shown in the figure, the sixth document (because the fifth document has already been completed) is in the printing process, and the subsequent documents are in a status of waiting for printing.

  Furthermore, when the user wants to know the status of the child job, on the information display screen 140 (same screen as the information display screen shown in FIG. 5B) 140 about the child job re-displayed in FIG. Select the desired child job. In response to this selection, the user interface means 13 displays and outputs the status of the selected child job, as shown in FIG. Also in that case, the name of the file box, the type of the selected document, the document name, and the like are displayed on the display screen 150.

  As described above, when the job processing unit 14 bundles a plurality of child jobs and handles them as a parent job, as described in the sixth aspect of the invention, the user interface unit 13 determines either the information about each child job or the information about the parent job. Are selectively displayed in response to a user operation. Therefore, even when the job processing unit 14 bundles child jobs designated in a batch and handles them as parent jobs, it is possible to perform appropriate information display output to the user regarding the progress of these job processes. In this respect as well, it is very convenient for the user. In addition, even if the size of the display screen is limited by the selective display output, the display output can be performed in a layout that is easy to visually recognize.

  When the user presses the “Close” button on the information input screen 120 shown in FIG. 4 or the parent job status display screen 130 shown in FIG. 5A, the user interface means 13 is shown in FIG. It is possible to display such a job management screen 160 and to respond to the start of another job. In order to display the status of the job being processed from that status, the “executing / waiting” tag 161 on the job management screen 160 is designated. In the “executing / waiting” tag 161, information regarding the parent job currently being executed is displayed. Then, when the displayed parent job is selected, the screen transitions to the display screen 130 in FIG.

  If the user wants to stop all the remaining child jobs during the processing of the parent job, the user presses the “stop” button 132 on the display screen for the status of the parent job shown in FIG. When the “stop” button 132 is pressed, the user interface unit 13 displays a screen (not shown) and causes the user to press a stop button on the screen for confirmation. When the cancel button is pressed, the job processing unit 14 determines that all of the child jobs being processed and the child jobs in the waiting state are processed in response to information input from the series of user interface units 13. Cancel processing at once.

  On the other hand, when the user wants to select not all of the child jobs but to stop them, the user presses the “stop” button 151 on the display screen 150 for the status of the child jobs shown in FIG. To do. When the “stop” button 151 is pressed, the user interface unit 13 displays a screen 170 indicating that the child job has a status of waiting for printing, as shown in FIG. When the “stop” button 171 is pressed on the screen 170, the job processing unit 14 stops the processing for only the selected child job. However, the processing continues for the child jobs arranged after the child job.

  As described above, when the job processing unit 14 bundles a plurality of child jobs and handles them as parent jobs as in the invention described in claim 7, the user interface unit 13 handles individual stop instructions for each child job or the parent job. It corresponds to any selective input of a stop instruction. Therefore, even when the job processing unit 14 bundles child jobs designated at once and handles them as a parent job, not only a batch stop instruction for the parent job but also an individual stop instruction for each child job. In this respect, it is very convenient for the user.

  However, the job processing can be stopped not only by the stop instruction as described above but also by the occurrence of an abnormality in the image processing means 12. Abnormalities can be easily recovered, for example, those that can be recovered easily, such as out of paper in the print function, and information communication troubles between hardware resources or when the hardware resources themselves fail. Rather, there are cases where subsequent jobs cannot be continued. Therefore, in the image processing apparatus 10, when an abnormality occurs in the image processing unit 12, the abnormality detection unit 15 recognizes the type of the abnormality occurrence, and whether or not the cancellation determination unit 16 cancels the job. Judgment is made, and the judgment result is instructed to the job processing means 14.

  At this time, when the job processing unit 14 bundles a plurality of child jobs and handles them as a parent job, the cancellation determination unit 16 processes the entire parent job according to the type of abnormality that has been recognized by the abnormality detection unit 15. Whether to cancel the process or to cancel the processing individually for each child job. Specifically, for example, if the type of occurrence of an abnormality can be easily recovered, processing is stopped only for child jobs that use hardware resources that are affected by the occurrence of the abnormality. If there is, the process for the entire parent job is stopped. It should be noted that the correspondence between the type of abnormality occurrence and whether recovery is easy or not is preset for all types of abnormality occurrences that can be detected by the abnormality detection means 15 and is accessed by the cancellation determination means 16 or the cancellation determination means 16. It shall be registered where possible.

  In other words, the image processing apparatus 10 described in the present embodiment includes the abnormality detection unit 15 and the cancellation determination unit 16 as in the invention described in claim 8, and the job for canceling the processing according to the type of occurrence of the abnormality. The unit is switched. Therefore, when the job processing unit 14 bundles child jobs designated at once and handles them as parent jobs, even if the abnormality detection unit 15 detects an abnormality occurrence in the image processing unit 12, it depends on the type of abnormality occurrence. Since the processing in an appropriate job unit is stopped, this point is also very convenient for the user.

  When the job processing is completed (in addition to normal termination, including a stop instruction or processing cancellation due to an abnormality), the user interface unit 13 displays a job management screen 160 shown in FIG. When the “execution complete” tag 162 is designated on the job management screen 160, the user interface means 13 displays and outputs information on the job for which processing has been completed, as shown in FIG. At this time, on the display screen 180, together with the end information about the parent job, the end information about each child job is also displayed and output. In the example, the number of finished jobs / the number of selected jobs (for example, 4/4) is displayed as the display of the parent job, and the normal end, forced end (cancel by stop instruction) or abnormal is displayed as the display of the child jobs. A list of statuses such as completion is displayed. When any of the child jobs displayed in the list is selected, the user interface unit 13 further displays information about the completion status of the child job as shown in FIG.

  As described above, when the job processing unit 14 bundles a plurality of child jobs and handles them as a parent job, as described in the ninth aspect of the invention, the user interface unit 13 In addition to information about jobs, information about each child job handled as a parent job is also displayed and output. Therefore, even when the job processing unit 14 bundles the child jobs designated in a batch and handles them as parent jobs, when the processing for the parent job is completed, not only the parent job but also each child job is processed. Since the information is displayed, the user can easily grasp the processing end status, and as a result, it is very convenient for the user.

  In the present embodiment, the various information display (information about the job being processed, etc.) has been described as an example when the user interface unit 13 uses the liquid crystal panel of the image processing apparatus 10 or the like. Since the client apparatus 20 is connected to the image processing apparatus 10 via the communication line 30, it may be considered that necessary information is transmitted to the client apparatus 20 and is performed on the client apparatus 20 side. . In this case, since the size of the display screen is generally less restrictive than that of the image processing apparatus 10, it is not always necessary to selectively display the information about the parent job and the information about the child job. You may make it display.

  Further, in the image processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, as in the invention described in claim 10, the log recording means 17 for recording information relating to the job for which processing has been completed as log information, and the log recording means 17 record it. Since the log output means 18 for outputting log information is provided, the user interface means 13 not only for the above-described various information display (information about jobs being processed, etc.) but also log information about jobs processed in the past. However, it is also conceivable that display is output using the liquid crystal panel or the like of the image processing apparatus 10 or transmission is output to the client apparatus 20. In this way, the user can grasp not only the job being processed and the job after the process but also the job processed in the past, so that it is more convenient for the user. Become. In this case, the log information is recorded for each of the parent job and the child job, and it is possible to selectively output one of them as in the case of the various information display described above.

  In this embodiment, when a plurality of pieces of image data are collectively specified on the display screen 110 displayed by the user interface unit 13, a case where child jobs for these image data are always bundled and handled as a parent job is taken as an example. As described above, for example, when it is possible to specify a combination process as a parameter setting for a plurality of image data, it is possible to exclude the image data for which the combination process has been specified from being bundled as a parent job. Here, the combining process is a process for outputting image data of a plurality of different documents as a single document, and is a process performed when a plurality of documents are to be stapled and output. Specifically, as in the invention described in claim 11, a plurality of pieces of image data are designated as image data to be processed by the user interface means 13, and a combination process of the plurality of pieces of image data is designated as the processing content. Then, the job processing means 14 does not bundle the child jobs for the batch-designated image data as a parent job, but performs a combining process for combining them into one image data, and then performs processing by the image processing means 12. Let On the other hand, when a plurality of pieces of image data are collectively specified as image data to be processed by the user interface unit 13, but the combination processing of the plurality of pieces of image data is not specified, the job processing unit 14 includes the above-described embodiment. As in the case of, child jobs for the batch-designated image data are bundled and handled as a parent job. In this way, even when child jobs for batch-designated image data are bundled and handled as a parent job, it is possible to flexibly cope with them, so that the versatility of processing execution in the image processing apparatus 10 is increased. As a result, the convenience for the user increases.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the image processing apparatus 10 is a multifunction peripheral has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the scope of the invention. That is, the concepts such as parent job and child job can be applied in the same manner to other devices as long as they can handle a plurality of jobs.

It is explanatory drawing which shows one specific example of the system configuration | structure containing the image processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing operation example in the image processing apparatus which concerns on this invention, and is explanatory drawing (the 1) which shows a specific example of the display output in the image processing apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing operation example in the image processing apparatus which concerns on this invention, and is explanatory drawing (the 2) which shows a specific example of the display output in the image processing apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing operation example in the image processing apparatus which concerns on this invention, and is explanatory drawing (the 3) which shows a specific example of the display output in the image processing apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing operation example in the image processing apparatus which concerns on this invention, and is explanatory drawing (the 4) which shows a specific example of the display output in the image processing apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing operation example in the image processing apparatus which concerns on this invention, and is explanatory drawing (the 5) which shows a specific example of the display output in the image processing apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing operation example in the image processing apparatus which concerns on this invention, and is explanatory drawing (the 6) which shows a specific example of the display output in the image processing apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing operation example in the image processing apparatus which concerns on this invention, and is explanatory drawing (the 7) which shows a specific example of the display output in the image processing apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing operation example in the image processing apparatus which concerns on this invention, and is explanatory drawing (the 8) which shows a specific example of the display output in the image processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Image processing apparatus, 11 ... Data storage means, 12 ... Image processing means, 13 ... User interface means, 14 ... Job processing means, 15 ... Abnormality detection means, 16 ... Cancel determination means, 17 ... Log recording means, 18 ... Log output means, 20 ... client device, 30 ... communication line

Claims (11)

Data storage means for storing and storing image data;
Image processing means for performing predetermined processing on the image data;
User interface means for designating image data to be processed by the image processing means and processing contents thereof;
Job processing means for taking out image data designated by the user interface means from the data storage means and causing the image processing means to execute processing of contents designated by the user interface means on the image data as a job; With
The job processing means, when a plurality of image data is collectively designated by the user interface means, bundles jobs for the collectively designated image data and treats them as a single virtual job. apparatus.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the job processing unit determines or changes a job processing order for each virtual one job. The data storage means accompanies the image data and stores and accumulates attribute information for specifying processing parameter settings for the image data.
The user interface means has a function for inputting the attribute information,
The job processing means is inputted by the user interface means when attribute information stored and accumulated in the data storage means for certain image data overlaps with attribute information inputted by the user interface means. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribute information is preferentially applied to execute a job for the certain image data.   When the attribute information stored and accumulated in the data storage means includes information whose setting cannot be changed, the job processing means is not the attribute information input by the user interface means but the setting change 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the inferior attribute information is preferentially applied. The job processing unit is stored and accumulated in the data storage unit when a plurality of pieces of image data are collectively specified by the user interface unit and attribute information about the batch-specified image data is input. If the attribute information for the plurality of image data includes a non-changeable attribute information, it is determined to prohibit the execution of the job for the batch designated image data,
4. The image processing according to claim 3, wherein the user interface means outputs information to that effect when the job processing means decides to prohibit execution of the job for the batch-designated image data. apparatus.   The user interface unit has a function of displaying and outputting information about a job being processed, and when the job processing unit bundles a plurality of jobs and handles them as the virtual one job, the user interface unit relates to each of the plurality of jobs. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein either the information or the information related to the virtual one job is selectively displayed and output.   The user interface means has a function for inputting a stop instruction for a job being processed, and when the job processing means bundles a plurality of jobs and handles them as the virtual one job, the user interface means The image according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the image corresponds to a selective input of either an individual stop instruction for each or a stop instruction for the virtual one job. Processing equipment. An abnormality detection means for detecting the occurrence of an abnormality in the image processing means and recognizing the type of the abnormality occurrence;
Depending on the type of anomaly recognized by the anomaly detection means, processing for the entire virtual one job is stopped, or for each of a plurality of jobs handled as the virtual one job The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a cancellation determination unit that determines whether to cancel the processing individually and instructs the job processing unit of the determination result.   The user interface means has a function of displaying and outputting information about jobs that have been processed, and when the job processing means bundles a plurality of jobs and handles them as the virtual one job, the user interface means When processing for one job is completed, information about each of a plurality of jobs handled as one virtual job is displayed and output together with information about the one virtual job. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1. Log recording means for recording information relating to jobs that have been processed as log information;
Log information recorded by the log recording means is displayed on the user interface means, or includes log output means for transmitting and outputting to an external device, and
When the job processing unit bundles a plurality of jobs and handles them as the virtual one job, the log output unit outputs individual log information for each of the plurality of jobs or the virtual one job. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus selectively corresponds to any one of the log information outputs. The job processing means includes:
When a plurality of pieces of image data are designated as image data to be processed by the user interface means and a combination process of the pieces of image data is designated as the processing content, the plurality of pieces of image data are converted into one piece of image data. To be processed by the image processing means,
When a plurality of pieces of image data are collectively designated as image data to be processed by the user interface means, but the combination processing of the plurality of image data is not designated, a job for the collectively designated image data is bundled. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus is handled as one virtual job.

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