JP2008006691A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of recognizing visually and instantaneously whether a printing job is completed or not without confirming the content of a paper outputted. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 1 comprises an image forming means executing the printing job for forming an image on a sheet of paper from inputted image data, a paper discharging tray for outputting the paper which has the image, and an output history displaying means 13a20 for displaying the completed printing job, wherein the output history displaying means 13a20 displays a thumbnail image of the image formed by the completed printing job. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides an image forming unit that executes a print job for forming an image on a sheet based on input image data, a discharge tray that outputs the image-formed sheet, and an output history display that displays a completed print job The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, image forming apparatuses called so-called multi-function machines that are connected to a network or a public line and can be used not only as copying machines but also as printers and fax machines have become widespread.

  In the above-described image forming apparatus, particularly when operating as a printer, a large number of print jobs are received from many users via the network and processed, so that sheets output by the print job are collected on the discharge tray. It is difficult for the user to determine whether or not the paper from his / her print job has already been output, and even when the output has already been completed, the user can select from many of the output paper. It took a lot of time to find the paper from his print job.

  In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-260, the direction of the paper discharged first is stored so that the user can easily find the paper output by his / her print job, and the direction of the paper discharged by the next image formation is stored. An image forming apparatus that feeds a sheet rotated by 90 degrees from the sheet direction or changes the position in the sheet width direction of the sheet to be discharged when the direction is the same as the direction of the previously discharged sheet. Proposed.

  In Patent Document 2, if there is a recording instruction from an information processing apparatus connected to a communication network so that it is possible to identify a person who has issued an instruction to print output paper even in network printing, for example, the print instruction is displayed. There has been proposed a recording apparatus that records information specifying the information processing apparatus such as a computer name and a user name performed, an IP address of the computer, etc. on a sheet of paper or displays it on a display means.

JP 2000-221837 A JP 2002-323965 A

  However, in the technique proposed in Patent Document 1, since the output paper is prevented from being mixed, the user can easily find the paper for his print job. When checking whether or not it has already been output, or to remove the paper from your print job from among the multiple sheets that have been collected, you need to check the contents of the output paper. More time is required, and more time is required when the user only remembers the contents of the output paper in an ambiguous manner.

  Further, in the technique proposed in Patent Document 2, when information specifying the information processing apparatus is displayed on the display unit, a sheet by a print job ordered by itself is already output by checking the display unit. However, if the user needs to remember the information specifying the information processing apparatus and the information specifying the information processing apparatus is not displayed on the display means, Patent Document 1 As with the proposed technique, it is necessary to check the output paper and specify the paper for its own print job, which requires a lot of time for confirmation. Furthermore, it is not preferable to record information for specifying the information processing apparatus on a presentation sheet or the like submitted to a third party.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of visually recognizing whether or not a print job is completed without checking the content of the output paper. is there.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first characteristic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention forms an image on a sheet based on inputted image data as described in claim 1 of the document of the claims. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that executes a print job; a paper discharge tray that outputs paper on which an image has been formed; and an output history display unit that displays a completed print job, wherein the output history display unit includes: A thumbnail image of an image formed by the completed print job is displayed.

  According to the above-described configuration, the user can visually recognize instantaneously whether or not a sheet by his / her print job has been output by checking the displayed thumbnail image.

  In the second feature configuration, as described in claim 2, in addition to the first feature configuration described above, the output history display unit displays the thumbnail image so that the processing order of print jobs can be determined. The point is to display.

  According to the above-described configuration, the thumbnail images are displayed in the same order as the sheets output and collected on the paper discharge tray, so it is not necessary to check the contents of the paper output and collected on the paper discharge tray. However, based on the display order of the thumbnail images, it is possible to easily remove the paper output by its own print job.

  In the third feature configuration, in addition to the first or second feature configuration described above, the print job is configured by any one of a copy job, a print job, and a FAX job. The output history display means displays the thumbnail image in such a manner that the corresponding job type can be identified.

  According to the configuration described above, if only the thumbnail images in the mode corresponding to the job type of the own print job are confirmed among the displayed thumbnail images, the output of the paper output by the own print job is completed. Therefore, the time required for confirmation can be shortened.

  In the fourth feature configuration, as described in claim 4, in addition to any of the first to third feature configurations described above, the output history display means, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, The point is to delete the corresponding thumbnail image.

  According to the above configuration, for example, by setting the predetermined condition so as to delete a thumbnail image that does not need to be displayed, such as a thumbnail image from which the output paper has already been removed, thumbnail images to be displayed can be reduced. It is possible to reduce the time and labor that the user spends for checking the thumbnail image. Further, the capacity of resources such as a memory used for storing and displaying the thumbnail image can be reduced.

  As described in claim 5, the fifth feature configuration is that, in addition to the fourth feature configuration described above, when a thumbnail image is specifically input by the input means, the corresponding thumbnail image is deleted. is there.

  According to the above-described configuration, for example, the thumbnail image of the print job from which the output paper has been removed can be specified and the thumbnail image can be deleted. Can be identified and erased.

  In the sixth feature configuration, as described in the sixth aspect, in addition to the fourth feature configuration described above, the discharge tray is provided with the fact that the sheet output to the discharge tray has been removed. When the detected sheet detecting means detects, the corresponding thumbnail image is erased.

  According to the above-described configuration, for example, when all the sheets output to the paper discharge tray are removed, all the displayed thumbnail images are deleted. It can be erased without any operation.

  In the seventh feature configuration, as described in claim 7, in addition to the sixth feature configuration described above, the discharge tray is provided with the fact that the sheet output to the discharge tray has been removed. The corresponding thumbnail image is erased when the sheet detecting means continuously detects for a predetermined time.

  According to the above-described configuration, for example, in order to confirm the paper output by the user's own print job, the user picks up a plurality of papers stacked on the paper discharge tray or picks paper other than the target paper. If a paper other than the intended paper is returned to the paper output tray when it is accidentally picked up, the paper is not removed from the paper output tray, and the thumbnail image that needs to be displayed is deleted by mistake. Can be prevented.

  In the eighth feature configuration, in addition to the fourth feature configuration described above, the corresponding thumbnail image is erased when the image forming apparatus is powered off. is there.

  Since the power supply is interrupted when the image forming apparatus is turned off, it is generally impossible to display thumbnail images. Further, the image forming apparatus outputs to the paper discharge tray until the image forming apparatus is turned on again. It is highly likely that the removed paper has been removed, so it is considered very unlikely that the thumbnail image that was displayed when the power was turned off will be displayed again when the power is turned on again. When the thumbnail image is displayed, there is a risk of increasing the time and labor required to check whether or not the paper output after power-on has been output.

  According to the above-described configuration, when the power is turned off, the print job sheet after the power is turned on is output by erasing the thumbnail image that is not necessary to be displayed after the power is turned on the next time. It is possible to prevent an increase in time and labor required for checking whether or not.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of visually recognizing whether or not a print job is completed without checking the content of the output paper. I can do it now.

  Embodiments of an electrophotographic digital multi-function peripheral as an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below.

  The digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present invention has a copy mode for executing a copy operation, a printer mode for executing a print operation, and a FAX mode for executing FAX transmission / reception. As shown in FIG. And an image reading unit that sequentially reads a series of documents set on the document placing tray 11a, converts them into electronic data, and performs predetermined processing to generate image data for output. 12 and image forming means of the present invention, on the paper based on output image data generated by the image reading unit 12 or received and generated by the FAX modem unit 15 or the external interface unit 16 described later. An electrophotographic image output unit 13 for forming a toner image on the paper discharge tray 11b and outputting it to the paper discharge tray 11b; and a sheet as a recording material onto which the formed toner image is transferred. A received paper cassette 14, a FAX modem 15 for transmitting / receiving external FAX and FAX original data (not shown), and an external interface 16 for transmitting / receiving print data to / from an external terminal via a network LAN. And a system control unit 17 that performs overall control of the digital multi-function peripheral 1.

  For example, the operation unit 10 will be described by taking the copy mode as an example. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation unit 10 is a touch panel type that displays an operation screen in which a plurality of menu selection keys for specifying copy conditions are arranged in the form of software keys. Color display unit 10a, hardware key 10b such as a start key 10b10 for starting an image forming operation and a numerical input key 10b11 for inputting a numerical value, and the current operation mode of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 to the user. LED10c to notify is comprised.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the paper discharge tray 11b is paper detection means of the present invention, and includes an optical paper detection sensor 11c that detects the presence or absence of output paper, and further includes a solenoid or the like. The tray moving means 11d has a so-called shift tray function that can change the position in the width direction of each output paper by moving the paper discharge tray 11b in the width direction of the output paper. . The paper detection sensor 11c is not limited to an optical type, and may be a configuration using a mechanical sensor, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the image output unit 13 is an image forming unit of the present invention. The image output unit 13 forms a toner image on the photoconductor 13a1 based on the output image data. The toner image on the transferred paper is heated and melted by press-conveying the paper by a conveying portion 13b that conveys the paper accommodated from the cassette 14 and a pressure roller and a fixing roller heated to a predetermined temperature. And a fixing unit 13c for fixing to the paper.

  The conveyance unit 13b is configured to convey the sheet one by one from the sheet cassette 14 in which sheets of different sizes are accommodated, and to direct the sheet on which the toner image is transferred to the fixing unit 13c. A transfer conveyance unit 13b2 that conveys the paper, and a paper discharge conveyance unit 13b3 that discharges the paper that has passed through the fixing unit 13c to the paper discharge tray 11b in a face-up manner. Is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit of the digital copying machine 1 described above includes an operation control unit 10A that controls the operation unit 10, a tray control unit 11A that controls the tray moving unit 11d, and the image reading unit 12. An image reading control unit 12A for controlling the image output unit 13, an image output control unit 13A for controlling the image output unit 13, a FAX modem control unit 15A for controlling the FAX modem 15, and an external interface control unit for controlling the external interface 16 16A and the system control unit 17 that controls the timing of each of the control units 10A, 11A, 12A, 13A, 15A, and 16A and manages the execution of a copying operation, and the like. Each of 12A, 13A, 15A, and 16A includes a CPU and a ROM that stores an operation program by the CPU. To have.

  The operation control unit 10A expands the operation screen of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 to a volatile RAM (not shown), and then displays display control means 10A1 for displaying on the color display unit 10a, and an LED for controlling turning on / off of the LED 10c The control unit 10A2 and the operation input detection unit 10A3 for detecting an operation performed on the color display unit 10a and the hardware key 10b are provided.

  The image reading control unit 12A receives a document reading command from the operation control unit 10A that has detected the operation of the operation unit 10, reads the document by the image reading unit 12, and generates image data for output. And output to the image generation control unit 13A.

  The FAX modem control unit 15A includes a FAX transmission / reception unit 15A1 that controls transmission / reception of FAX document data with an external FAX, and a FAX document image processing unit 15A2 that performs predetermined image processing on the FAX document data. That is, the FAX original image processing means 15A2 performs image processing on the received FAX original data, thereby generating output image data. The FAX modem control means 15A outputs the generated output image data to the image generation control unit 13A.

  The external interface control unit 16A includes a print data receiving unit 16A1 that controls reception of print data from an external terminal, and an analysis unit 16A2 that analyzes the print data in a print description language. In other words, the analysis unit 16A2 analyzes the received print data and generates output image data. The external interface control means 16A outputs the generated output image data to the image generation control unit 13A.

  The tray control unit 11A includes a tray movement control unit 11A1 for controlling the tray movement unit 11d, and a print job is executed by an image formation control unit 13A1 described later and receives an output from a conveyance control unit 13A2 described later. The tray movement control unit 11A1 moves the paper discharge tray 11b in the width direction of the paper for each paper bundle of the completed print job output from the paper discharge conveyance unit 13b3. The sheet bundle of the completed print job is divided by changing the position.

  The image output control unit 13A is configured to output the image data on a sheet to be conveyed based on output image data output from the image reading control unit 12A, the FAX modem control unit 15A, or the external interface control unit 16A. Image forming control means 13A1 for controlling the image forming section 13a so as to execute a print job for forming an image, transport control means 13A2 for controlling the transport section 13b, and fixing control section 13A3 for controlling the fixing section 13c. With. As described above, the print job includes a copy job, a FAX job, and a print job.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image formation control unit 13A1 generates a thumbnail image of the output image of the completed print job, and uses the completed print job as a thumbnail image of the output image of the print job. The output history storage unit 13a10 that stores in the volatile RAM in the processing order of the print job together with the type, and the thumbnail image stored in the volatile RAM by the output history storage unit 13a10 correspond to the processing order of the print job. The job type is displayed on the color display unit 10a in an identifiable manner, and the thumbnail image displayed on the color display unit 10a and the output history storage unit 13a10 stored when a predetermined condition described later is satisfied. Output history display means 13a20 for erasing the thumbnail image. Note that when there are a plurality of sheets of paper output by the completed print job, the thumbnail image is the output image of the first sheet as the thumbnail image.

  The output history display means 13a20 outputs the thumbnail images stored in the volatile RAM in the print job processing order by the output history storage means 13a10 to the display control means 10A1 in association with the corresponding job type, and displays the display. As shown in FIG. 6A, the control means 10A1 color-codes the thumbnail images in the thumbnail image display area 10a2 of the “output history display screen 10a1” by color-coding the outer frame according to the job type. They are displayed on the color display unit 10a so as to be arranged in the processing order. When there are many thumbnail images to be displayed and cannot be displayed on the color display portion 10a at a time, the display control means 10A1 displays them at the bottom of the thumbnail image display area 10a2, as shown in FIG. 6B. A scroll bar 10a3 linked to position information occupied by the thumbnail image displayed on the color display portion 10a among all thumbnail images is displayed, and all thumbnail images are displayed by scrolling the scroll bar 10a2. It is configured to be able to.

  Here, when the user wants to call an operation screen for operating the digital multi-function peripheral 1, by pressing a portion other than the thumbnail image of the thumbnail image display area 10a2 of the output history display screen 10a1, The display controller 10A1 can display an operation screen of the digital multifunction device 1 in the current operation mode on the color display unit 10a. When the user presses a hard key for switching the operation mode provided in the operation unit 10, the display control means 10A1 is configured to display the operation mode operation screen on the color display unit 10a. .

  Hereinafter, the predetermined condition when the output history display unit 13a20 erases the thumbnail image displayed on the color display unit 10a will be described in detail.

  The first of the predetermined conditions is that a user specifies a thumbnail image to be erased from the thumbnail image displayed on the color display unit 10a by an input means such as the numeric key 10b11 or the color display unit 10a which is a touch panel. It is to be. For example, a user who has picked up the output paper selects a corresponding thumbnail image from the thumbnail images displayed on the color display unit 10a, and presses the start key 10b10 to select the corresponding thumbnail. When the image is specified, the operation input detection unit 10A4 detects this, and outputs specific information such as the display order of the specified thumbnail image to the output history display unit 13a20. The output history display unit 13a20 outputs the specific information to the display control unit 10A1 so as to delete the specified thumbnail image, and the display control unit 10A1 outputs the specified thumbnail image from the volatile RAM. And the specified thumbnail image is erased from the color display portion 10a. The output history display means 13a20 outputs the specific information to the output history storage means 13a10 so as to delete the specified thumbnail image, and the output history storage means 13a10 stores the information in the volatile RAM. The specified thumbnail image is deleted from the thumbnail image together with the job type.

  The second of the predetermined conditions is that the paper detection sensor 11c continuously detects that the paper output to the paper discharge tray 11b has been removed for a predetermined time. For example, if all of the paper output to the paper discharge tray 11b is removed and is not returned again within a predetermined time, the paper detection sensor 11c has no paper output to the paper discharge tray 11b. Is output to the output history display means 13a20. The output history display means 13a20 outputs to the display control means 10A1 so as to erase all thumbnail images from the color display section 10a, and the display control means 10A1 erases all thumbnail images from the volatile RAM. Then, all thumbnail images are erased from the color display portion 10a. Further, the output history display means 13a20 outputs to the output history storage means 13a10 so as to delete all the stored thumbnail images, and the output history storage means 13a10 deletes all the stored thumbnail images together with the job type. To do.

  The third of the predetermined conditions is that the power of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is turned off. When a user presses the power switch to turn off the power of the digital copying machine 1, the power supplied to the display control means 10A1 and the output history storage means 13a10 is cut off. The thumbnail image expanded or stored in the image is deleted, and when the user next presses the power switch to turn on the power to the digital multi-function peripheral 1, the thumbnail image is displayed on the color display unit 10a. There is nothing.

  Hereinafter, display and deletion of thumbnail images displayed on the color display unit 10a will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the digital MFP 1 is turned on after the power is turned on (S1), the thumbnail image is displayed on the color display unit 10a until the print job received by the image output unit 13 is completed (S3). No (S2), when the print job accepted by the image output unit 13 is completed (S3), the sheet by the print job is output to the paper discharge tray 11b (S4), and the thumbnail image of the print job The thumbnail image stored by the output history storage unit 13a10 (S5) and stored by the output history display unit 13a20 is color-coded for each corresponding job type and displayed on the color display unit 10a in the order of processing of the print job. (S6).

  When the thumbnail image is displayed on the color display unit 10a (S6) and the digital multifunction device 1 is powered off (S7), all the thumbnail images stored in the output history storage unit 13a10, All thumbnail images displayed on the color display unit 10a are erased (S10), and until the image output unit 13 completes a newly accepted print job (S3), the thumbnail images are displayed on the color display unit 10a. There is no (S2).

  With the thumbnail image displayed on the color display unit 10a (S6), the digital multifunction device 1 is not turned off (S7), and the paper detection sensor 11c causes the paper to be discharged to the paper discharge tray 11b. If it is detected that there is no image (S8), and if a predetermined time elapses while the detection continues (S8), all thumbnail images stored in the output history storage means 13a10 and all thumbnail images displayed on the color display unit 10a are erased. (S10) Until the print job newly received by the image output unit 13 is completed (S3), no thumbnail image is displayed on the color display unit 10a (S2).

  With the thumbnail image displayed on the color display unit 10a (S6), the digital multifunction device 1 is not turned off (S7), and the paper detection sensor 11c causes the paper to be discharged to the paper discharge tray 11b. When it is detected that there is a sheet (S8), or when the sheet detection sensor 11c detects that there is no sheet in the sheet discharge tray 11b (S8), and when a predetermined time has not passed yet (S8) S9) If there is no specified thumbnail image among the thumbnail images displayed on the color display unit 10a (S11), the thumbnail image stored in the output history storage unit 13a10 and the color display unit 10a There is no change in the displayed thumbnail image (S6).

  With the thumbnail image displayed on the color display unit 10a (S6), the digital multifunction device 1 is not turned off (S7), and the paper detection sensor 11c causes the paper to be discharged to the paper discharge tray 11b. When it is detected that there is a sheet (S8), or when the sheet detection sensor 11c detects that there is no sheet in the sheet discharge tray 11b (S8), and when a predetermined time has not passed yet (S8) S9) If there is a specified thumbnail image among the thumbnail images displayed on the color display unit 10a (S11), the specified thumbnail image is stored in the output history storage unit 13a10 and the color display unit. It is erased from 10a (S12).

  After the specified thumbnail image is erased from the output history storage unit 13a10 and the color display unit 10a (S12), if there is no thumbnail image stored in the output history storage unit 13a10 (S13), Until the image output unit 13 completes the newly accepted print job (S3), there is no display of thumbnail images on the color display unit 10a (S2), and the thumbnail images stored in the output history storage unit 13a10 are not displayed. If there is (S13), the thumbnail image stored in the output history storage means 13a10 is displayed on the color display unit 10a (S6).

  Hereinafter, another embodiment will be described. In the above-described embodiment, the display control unit 10A1 is configured to display the outer frame of the thumbnail image displayed on the color display unit 10a in different colors for each job type. However, as shown in FIG. Then, by pressing a tab for each history or job type arranged in the output history display screen 10a1, the display screen is prepared for each job type, and the thumbnail image for each job type is displayed for each display screen. It is good also as a structure to display. In this case, since the user only needs to confirm the display screen prepared for the job type of his / her print job, the user can easily confirm whether or not the sheet for the print job is being output.

  In the above-described embodiment, the display control unit 10A1 is configured to display the outer frame of the thumbnail image displayed on the color display unit 10a with different colors for each job type, but as shown in FIG. 8B. The corresponding job type may be displayed as characters, symbols, or the like on the lower or upper side or the left and right sides of the thumbnail image displayed on the color display unit 10a. In addition, a configuration may be adopted in which characters and symbols for displaying the corresponding job types are made translucent and displayed superimposed on thumbnail images.

  In the above embodiment, the paper discharge tray 11b has a shift tray function. However, the paper discharge tray 11b may have a structure without the shift tray function. In this case, the cost required for having the shift tray function can be reduced. Further, the paper discharge tray 11b does not need to be single, and may be constituted by a plurality.

  In the above-described embodiment, the output history display unit 13a20 is configured to display thumbnail images on the color display unit 10a in the print job processing order. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, priority is given to job types. The thumbnail image may be displayed according to the priority order.

  In the above-described embodiment, the output history display unit 13a20 is configured to display the thumbnail image on the color display unit 10a in such a manner that the corresponding job type can be identified, such as by color-coding the outer frame. A configuration may be adopted in which thumbnail images are displayed on the color display unit 10a without identifying them. In this case, it is possible to reduce the labor for creating the program for displaying the thumbnail image and to reduce the program size.

  In the above embodiment, the thumbnail image is erased when the paper detection sensor 11c provided in the paper discharge tray 11b continuously detects that the paper output to the paper discharge tray 11b has been removed. However, the thumbnail image may be deleted immediately after the paper detection sensor 11c provided in the paper discharge tray 11b detects that the paper output to the paper discharge tray 11b has been removed. good. In this case, the timer for counting the predetermined time can be reduced, and the labor for creating a program for executing the function can be reduced.

  The plurality of embodiments described above are not limited to being configured alone, but may be combined as appropriate within the scope of the effects of the present invention.

  The above-described embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the specific configuration of each part can be changed as appropriate within the scope of the effects of the present invention.

Explanatory drawing of image formation control unit External view of digital copier Illustration of the operation unit Explanatory drawing of the paper output tray and image output unit Block diagram of the control unit of the digital multifunction device (A) Explanatory diagram of output history display screen, (b) Explanatory diagram of output history display screen Flow chart used to explain display and deletion of thumbnail images (A) An explanatory diagram of an output history display screen in another embodiment, (b) An explanatory diagram of an output history display screen in another embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10a: Color display unit 10A1: Display control unit 10A4: Operation input detection unit 11c: Paper detection sensor 13a10: Output history storage unit 13a20: Output history display unit 13A: Image output control unit 13A1: Image formation control unit

Claims (8)

An image including an image forming unit that executes a print job for forming an image on a sheet based on input image data, a paper discharge tray that outputs the image-formed sheet, and an output history display unit that displays a completed print job A forming device,
The output history display means is an image forming apparatus for displaying a thumbnail image of an image formed by a completed print job.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output history display unit displays the thumbnail images so that a processing order of print jobs can be determined.   3. The print job is configured by any one of a copy job, a print job, and a FAX job, and the output history display unit displays the thumbnail image in a manner that allows the corresponding job type to be identified. Image forming apparatus.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output history display unit deletes a corresponding thumbnail image when a predetermined condition is satisfied.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when a thumbnail image is specifically input by the input means, the corresponding thumbnail image is deleted.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when a paper detection unit provided in the paper discharge tray detects that the paper output to the paper discharge tray has been removed, the corresponding thumbnail image is erased.   7. The corresponding thumbnail image is erased when a paper detection unit provided in the paper discharge tray continuously detects that the paper output to the paper discharge tray has been removed for a predetermined time. Image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the image forming apparatus is powered off, the corresponding thumbnail image is deleted.