JP2006295432A - Image forming apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of easily attaching a front cover image managed separately from the originals to the front cover of a booklet. <P>SOLUTION: A prescribed image can be registered in advance to the image memory 18 of a digital multifunction machine 1 disclosed herein as the front cover image 30. Then the digital composite machine 1 attaches the front cover image 30 registered in the image memory 18 to original images 41 to be capable of executing a booklet printing. Thus, the digital multifunction machine 1 can easily attach the front cover image 30 to the front cover of the booklet without the need for a user to insert the front cover image 30 to the head of the original images 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that records a document image on a sheet surface. For example, the present invention relates to a digital multifunction machine having functions such as printing, copying, and facsimile.

  As a conventional image forming apparatus, for example, a digital multifunction machine having functions such as printing, copying, and facsimile is known. In particular, some recent digital multifunction peripherals have a so-called “booklet print” function and “booklet copy” function. With these functions, a booklet can be obtained simply by recording each page of a document image on a sheet surface in a predetermined order and binding the output sheet.

  An image forming apparatus having such a function is disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example.

JP 2001-16425 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-191838

  However, in the conventional image forming apparatus, when an image managed separately from the original (such as a picture drawn by a child) is to be attached to the cover of the booklet, the image (hereinafter referred to as “cover image”) is the original. It was necessary to perform “booklet print” or “booklet copy” after inserting it at the top of the image.

  For example, in the case of “booklet print”, it is necessary to take a cover image into a PC (personal computer) and insert the imported cover image data at the beginning of the original image data. In the case of “booklet copy”, it is necessary to prepare a sheet on which a cover image is recorded and insert the sheet at the top of the document. For this reason, in a conventional image forming apparatus, attaching a cover image managed separately from a document to the cover of a booklet is a time-consuming operation.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of easily attaching a cover image managed separately from an original to a cover of a booklet.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is an image forming apparatus for recording a document image on a sheet surface, a registration unit for registering a cover image separately from the document image, and an output sheet And recording means for recording the cover image and each page of the document image on a sheet surface in a predetermined order so that a booklet can be obtained by binding.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the recording unit records a cover image on the first page of the booklet, and each page of the original image is one page at a time. It is characterized by moving backward and recording.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a determination unit that determines whether to record a cover image based on a predetermined instruction. When it is determined that the cover image is to be recorded, the recording unit records the cover image and each page of the document image on a sheet surface, and when the determination unit determines that the cover image is not recorded, The recording means records each page of the document image on a sheet surface.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the registration unit is capable of registering a plurality of cover images, and the registration unit registers the registration unit. The image processing apparatus further includes a specifying unit that specifies a cover image to be recorded by the recording unit from among a plurality of cover images.

  The invention according to claim 5 is a program that is installed and executed in a computer connected to the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and records the document image and the cover image. An instruction as to whether or not to do so can be transmitted from the computer to the image forming apparatus.

  According to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the registration unit can register the cover image in advance separately from the document image. Then, the recording unit can record the cover image and each page of the document image in a predetermined order. Therefore, there is no need for the user to insert a cover image at the beginning of the original image, and the cover image can be easily attached to the cover of the booklet.

  In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily obtain a booklet that can be read according to the page number and has a cover image at the head.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 3, it is possible to select whether or not to record a cover image. For this reason, a cover image can be attached only when necessary.

  In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, an arbitrary cover image can be selected from a plurality of cover images. For this reason, it is possible to attach an appropriate cover image according to the content of the document image.

  In particular, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, an instruction as to whether or not to record a cover image can be transmitted from the computer to the image forming apparatus as a part of the print job. Therefore, the user can easily operate from the computer without moving to the image forming apparatus and inputting an instruction.

<1. About device configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital multi-function peripheral 1 which is an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention and a PC (personal computer) 2 connected to the digital multi-function peripheral 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 includes a main control unit 11, a display unit 12, an operation unit 13, an image reading unit 14, an image recording unit 15, an NCU (Network Control Unit) 16, The modem 17, the image memory 18, the ROM 19, the RAM 20, and the LAN interface unit 21 are electrically connected via the bus line 22.

  The main controller 11 is composed of a CPU. The main control unit 11 controls each unit of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 based on a program stored in the ROM 19 to realize a facsimile function, a copy function, a PC print function, and the like. The display unit 12 is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays various types of information such as the operating state of the digital multi-function peripheral 1. The operation unit 13 includes various keys such as a character key, a numeric keypad, and a function key, and accepts user operations such as input of commands and data. The user operation received by the operation unit 13 is input to the main control unit 11 as a signal. And the main control part 11 controls operation | movement of each part based on user operation. Therefore, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 performs an operation according to the user operation. In addition, the structure which employ | adopts a touch panel for the display part 12, and the display part 12 bears a part or all of the function of the operation part 13 may be sufficient.

  The image reading unit 14 is a scanner that reads image information such as a document image and a cover image by a reading element such as a CCD line sensor. The image reading unit 14 may be a scanner of a type in which a reading element scans the surface of a document placed on a glass table and reads an image, and reads an image of a document conveyed by an ADF (auto document feeder). A scanner of a type that reads by a stationary reading element may be used.

  The image recording unit 15 is a printer device that records an image read by the image reading unit 14, an image received via the NCU 16 or the PC interface unit 21, and an image registered in the image memory 18 on the sheet surface of the recording paper. It is. The image recording unit 15 can reversely feed the recording paper and perform recording on both sides of the recording paper. As the recording method of the image recording unit 15, various methods such as an electrophotographic method and an ink jet method can be adopted.

  The NCU 16 and the modem 17 are processing units for realizing a facsimile function. The NCU 16 is a hardware circuit that performs operations of closing and opening an analog line, and connects the modem 17 and the analog line according to the control of the main control unit 11. The modem 17 modulates and demodulates image data for facsimile communication.

  The image memory 18 is a storage device for storing image data acquired by the image reading unit. The image memory 18 is configured by a memory such as a DRAM capable of reading and writing. The ROM 19 is a read-only memory in which programs and data necessary for controlling the digital multi-function peripheral 1 are stored in advance. The RAM 20 is a memory used as a work area for arithmetic processing by the main control unit 11.

  The LAN interface unit 21 is an interface circuit for connecting the digital multi-function peripheral 1 and a LAN (Local Area Network) 23. The LAN interface unit 21 performs processing such as protocol conversion necessary for Ethernet (registered trademark) communication. Thereby, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is connected to the PC 2 via the LAN 23 and can transmit and receive data to and from each other.

  A printer driver program 25 for the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is installed in the PC 2. Therefore, the document in the PC 2 can be transmitted as a print job to the digital multifunction device 1 and printed out by the digital multifunction device 1. The printer driver program 25 is installed in the PC 2 via a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

<2. About PC print processing>
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of PC print processing in the digital multi-function peripheral 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually showing the state of data handled in the digital multi-function peripheral 1 and the PC 2 during PC print processing. Hereinafter, the PC print processing of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

  First, a predetermined image can be registered (stored) as a cover image 30 in advance in the image memory 18 of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 (step S1). The cover image 30 may be read from the image reading unit 14 of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 or may be received from the PC 2 via the LAN interface unit 21. As described above, the cover image 30 is registered in the digital multi-function peripheral 1 separately from the document image held in the PC 2.

  When executing the print processing, first, the print job 40 is transmitted from the PC 2 to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 (step S2). As shown in FIG. 3, the print job 40 includes an original document image 41 to be printed, an instruction 42 for determining whether or not to execute a booklet print, and an instruction 43 for determining whether or not to add a cover image 30. It is. These instructions can be set on the printer driver setting window 24 in the PC 2.

  The digital multi-function peripheral 1 receives the print job 40 transmitted from the PC 2 (step S3). When the print job 40 is received by the digital multi-function peripheral 1, first, the main control unit 11 refers to the instruction 32 in the received print job 40 and determines whether or not to execute a booklet print (step S4). . If it is determined that the booklet print is not executed, normal print processing is executed (step S5).

  If the main control unit 11 determines that the booklet print is “executed” in step S4, the main control unit 11 next refers to the instruction 33 in the print job 40 to determine whether or not to add the cover image 30 (step S4). Step S6). If it is determined that the cover image 30 is not “added”, only the document image 41 is recorded on the sheet surface in a predetermined order (step S7).

  The booklet print executed in step S7 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4A shows a document image 41. In this example, the document image 41 has 8 pages. 4B and 4C show an example of the paper output in step S7. In step S7, as shown in FIG. 4B, the first and eighth pages are on the front surface of the first sheet, and the second and seventh pages are on the back surface of the first sheet. The third page and the sixth page are recorded on the second page, and the fourth page and the fifth page are recorded on the back side of the second sheet. Then, if the folds of the output paper are bound, a booklet that can be read according to the page number is obtained.

  Returning to FIG. 2, when it is determined in step S6 that the cover image is “added”, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 adds the cover image 30 registered in the image memory 18 and executes booklet printing (step S6). S8). That is, the cover image 30 registered in the image memory 18 and each page of the document image 41 included in the print job 40 are recorded on the sheet surface in a predetermined order.

  The booklet print executed in step S8 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5A shows a document image 41. In this example, the document image 41 has 8 pages. FIGS. 5B and 5C show examples of sheets output in step S8. In step S8, as shown in FIG. 5B, the cover image 30 is on the front surface of the first sheet, the first page is on the back surface of the first sheet, the second page is 2 on the front surface of the second sheet. The third and eighth pages are recorded on the back side of the first sheet, the fourth and seventh pages are recorded on the front side of the third sheet, and the fifth and sixth pages are recorded on the back side of the third sheet. The That is, the cover image 30 is recorded on the first page of the booklet, and each page of the manuscript image 41 is recorded by moving backward one page at a time. If the folds of the output paper are bound in this way, it can be read according to the page number, and a booklet with a cover image at the top can be obtained.

  As described above, in the digital multi-function peripheral 1, the cover image 30 can be registered in the image memory 18 in advance. Then, a booklet print can be executed by adding the cover image 30 registered in the image memory 18. For this reason, the cover image 30 can be easily attached to the cover of the booklet without requiring the user's operation to insert the cover image 30 at the head of the document image 41.

<3. Modification>
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said example. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, only the cover image 30 may be recorded on the first sheet, and each page of the document image 41 may be recorded on the second and subsequent sheets.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a form in which a plurality of cover images 30 a to 30 c can be registered in the image memory 18 may be employed. In this case, a desired cover image 30a, 30b, or 30c may be selected on the printer driver setting window 24 of the PC2. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, a print job 40 including information 44 for specifying the cover image 30a, 30b, or 30c may be transmitted to the digital multi-function peripheral 1. The digital multi-function peripheral 1 identifies the cover image 30a, 30b or 30c based on the received information 44 in the print job 40.

  Further, the cover image 30a, 30b, or 30c may be specified using other methods. For example, an arbitrary cover image 30a, 30b or 30c registered in the image memory 18 may be selected on the operation unit 13 of the digital multi-function peripheral 1. Alternatively, in the digital multi-function peripheral 1, each of the cover images 30 a to 30 c and the user identification information are registered in association with each other, and the cover images 30 a and 30 b, or based on the user identification information included in the print job 40 are registered. 30c may be specified.

  In the above example, the “booklet print” has been described. However, the cover image 30 can be similarly added to the “booklet copy”. In the case of “booklet copy”, the user sets a document that does not include the cover image 30 in the digital multifunction peripheral 1. Then, in the operation unit 13 of the digital multi-function peripheral 1, an instruction to copy a booklet and an instruction to add a cover image 30 are input. The digital multi-function peripheral 1 adds a cover image 30 registered in the image memory 18 and executes a booklet copy. That is, the cover image 30 registered in the image memory 18 and each page of the document image 41 read by the image reading unit 14 are recorded on the sheet surface in a predetermined order. As a result, a booklet as shown in FIG. 5C or FIG. 6C can be obtained.

  In the above example, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 has been described. However, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the digital multifunction peripheral. For example, a printer device or a copy device that does not have a facsimile function may be used.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital multi-function peripheral and a PC. It is the flowchart which showed the procedure of PC print processing. It is the figure which showed notionally the mode of the data handled in a digital multi-function peripheral and PC. It is a figure showing an example of a manuscript and output paper. It is a figure showing an example of a manuscript and output paper. It is a figure showing an example of a manuscript and output paper. It is the figure which showed notionally the mode of the data handled in a digital multi-function peripheral and PC.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital MFP 2 PC
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Main control part 12 Display part 13 Operation part 14 Image reading part 15 Image recording part 18 Image memory 21 PC interface part 25 Program 30 Cover image 40 Print job 41 Original image 43 Instruction of whether to add a cover image

Claims (5)

An image forming apparatus for recording a document image on a paper surface,
Registration means for registering a cover image separately from the document image;
Recording means for recording the cover image and each page of the document image on a sheet surface in a predetermined order so that a booklet is obtained by binding the output sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the recording unit records a cover image on the first page of the booklet, and records each page of the document image by moving backward one page at a time. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
A judgment unit for judging whether or not to record a cover image based on a predetermined instruction;
If the determination means determines that a cover image is to be recorded, the recording means records the cover image and each page of the document image on a sheet surface;
An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit determines not to record a cover image, the recording unit records each page of the document image on a sheet surface. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The registration means can register a plurality of cover images,
An image forming apparatus, further comprising: a specifying unit that specifies a cover image to be recorded in the recording unit from the plurality of cover images registered in the registration unit. A program installed and executed in a computer connected to the image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
A program that enables transmission of the original image and an instruction as to whether or not to record the cover image from the computer to the image forming apparatus.

Images