JP2009109724A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily form a program for performing a process in response to the turning on of an icon, and to prevent execution of a process that is not permitted. <P>SOLUTION: If a printing order is given (S81), a satisfactory flag FG is '1' and a button display is not shown (S83) when a button is pushed down, the button is displayed on an operation panel (S84). If the print order is given (S81) and the satisfactory flag FG is '0' (S82) when the button is pushed down, the button is not displayed but an inhibition release button is displayed (S85). If the inhibition release button is pushed down, a warning and permission buttons are displayed. If the permission button is pushed down, buttons that have not been shown are displayed normally and can be pushed down. If this button is pushed down, a process corresponding to this action is performed. After the process is finished, this button is not displayed again. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having an image input / output function, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus having an interpreter for interpreting and executing a macro program.

  In image forming apparatuses, particularly multifunction peripherals, multi-functionalization is progressing in order to meet the demands of various users.

  However, since the number of menu items increases due to the increase in functionality, the menu structure becomes complicated and the operability deteriorates. That is, the number of functions that are not used by the user increases, and the number of buttons that must be pressed on the operation panel in order to execute the functions that are desired to be used increases, resulting in poor operability. In particular, this problem becomes significant when a plurality of functions are continuously executed.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses that an instruction word combining a plurality of operations is described in an XML language and the processing is executed.

  However, since the processing is executed regardless of the operation panel, it is not convenient for a user who is not familiar with the program.

Accordingly, the applicant of the present application has applied for an invention that can easily create a user application having a GUI by combining a macro program including a set of icon attributes and processing instructions and an interpreter that interprets and executes the macro program.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-080019

  However, if processing by this processing instruction is prohibited or undesirable, processing such as warning, prohibition, and cancellation of prohibition must be described every time this processing command is described, and the user application becomes complicated. The same applies to a standard macro application created by a manufacturer as standard. In addition, when an existing macro program is used on another model, an icon is displayed on the operation panel even when the processing described therein is prohibited or impossible.

  In view of such a problem, the object of the present invention is to execute a process in response to an icon being turned on even when the process is prohibited and undesirable or impossible (when not permitted). It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of easily creating the image processing apparatus and recognizing that the processing is not preferable without performing such processing or without giving an excessive warning.

In a first aspect of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus comprising a processor, storage means storing a program and data, an operation panel, and a communication interface,
The program includes a macro program in which a set of icon attributes and processing instructions is described, and an interpreter for the macro program, and the data includes permission information indicating whether or not specific processing is permitted. ,
The interpreter causes the processor to interpret the macro program;
(A) Based on the permission information, it is determined whether processing by the processing instruction is permitted,
(B) When an affirmative determination is made, an icon corresponding to the attribute is displayed on the operation panel or the remote console via the communication interface,
(C) detecting that the icon is on, and executing the processing instruction in response to the detection of the on.

In a second aspect of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, in the second or fourth aspect, the interpreter transmits to the processor.
If a negative determination is further made in the process (b), a prohibition release icon is displayed on the operation panel or the remote console via the communication interface,
Further, in the process (c), the prohibition cancel icon is turned on, and in response to the detection of the on, a warning message is displayed on the remote console via the operation panel, and an OK icon is displayed.
further,
(D) Detecting that the OK icon is turned on, and responding to the detection of the turning on, the icon corresponding to the attribute is normally displayed on the operation panel or the remote console, and the process shifts to processing (c). .

According to a third aspect of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the image forming apparatus further includes a detecting unit that detects whether or not the consumable is a certified product.
The permission information is information indicating that processing using the consumable is permitted when the detection unit detects that the consumable is a certified product.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect, in the execution of the macro program in which the combination of the attribute of the icon and the processing instruction is described, it is determined based on the permission information whether the processing by the processing instruction is permitted. When an affirmative determination is made, an icon corresponding to the attribute is displayed, and the processing instruction is executed in response to the icon being turned on. Therefore, a program for executing processing in response to the icon being turned on can be easily created. In addition, it is possible to prevent the unauthorized processing from being performed.

In addition, since it is determined whether or not the icon is displayed on the interpreter side based on the permission information, the permission information is not taken into account in the macro program, and therefore, whether it is a user macro program or a standard macro program. This has the effect of making this decision automatically.
According to the configuration of the second aspect, when a negative determination is made, a prohibition release icon is displayed, a warning message and an OK icon are displayed in response to the on, and an icon corresponding to the attribute is displayed in response to the on. Since it is normally displayed, it can be recognized that the processing is not preferable without giving an excessive warning with a simple configuration. According to the configuration of the third aspect, the consumable is detected as an authorized product. In this case, processing using the consumable is permitted, so that it is possible to prevent image or device quality deterioration.

  Other objects, configurations and effects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

  FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the invention.

  In this image forming apparatus 10, the MPU 11 is connected to the PROM 13, DRAM 14, operation panel 15, printer 16, scanner 17, NIC 18, FAX modem 19, USB port 20, toner remaining amount detector 21, IC card reader / writer via the interface 12. It is coupled to the writer 22, the electronic tag reader / writer 23, and the timer TM. In FIG. 14, a plurality of interfaces are shown as one block for simplification.

  The PROM 13 is, for example, a flash memory, and stores an operating system (OS), various programs that operate on the upper layer of the OS, and various setting values. The various programs are for causing the image forming apparatus 10 to function as a multifunction peripheral. The functions include copying, scanning, printing, facsimile transmission / reception, electronic mail transmission / reception, and HTTP communication. The DRAM 14 is for a work area.

  The operation panel 15 includes a display unit and a key input unit, and is used for inputting setting information or instructions to display a selection screen, a setting screen, or the like.

  The printer 16 includes a print engine, a fixing device, a paper feed unit, a conveyance unit, and a paper discharge unit, and forms an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum of the print engine based on bitmap data supplied as print data. Then, this is developed with toner, transferred onto paper, fixed, and discharged. A toner cartridge 161 is detachably attached to the printer 16, and an electronic tag 162 is attached to the toner cartridge 161.

  The scanner 17 is for image input in copying and facsimile transmission. The NIC 18 is coupled to a host computer and a server on the network and used for ordering print jobs and consumables. The FAX modem 19 is for facsimile transmission / reception.

  The toner remaining amount detector 21 detects the remaining amount of toner stored in the toner cartridge for the printer 16 and outputs a signal thereof. This output is periodically read by the MPU 11 in accordance with a program and stored in the DRAM 14 as Toner.Level shown in FIG.

  The IC card reader / writer 22 reads and transmits user ID and password information by transmitting and receiving signals to and from an IC card existing within a predetermined range based on a command from the MPU 11 according to the program. Is output as authentication information for the image forming apparatus 10. This output is read by the MPU 11.

  The electronic tag reader / writer 23 reads out and outputs the ID and toner empty information from the electronic tag 162 based on a command from the MPU 11 according to the program when the toner cartridge is mounted. This ID includes the type and serial number of the toner cartridge. The output ID and toner empty information are read by the MPU 11 and stored in the DRAM 14 as Toner.RFID and Tonor.Empty, respectively, as shown in FIG.

  The USB memory 24A connected to the port 20 includes, for example, a flash memory chip.

  The host computer 25 has its NIC coupled to the NIC 18 via a hub and to the Internet 26 via a router (not shown). A Web server machine 27 is coupled to the Internet 26 via a router (not shown). On the other hand, the FAX modem 19 of the image forming apparatus 10 and the FAX modem of the Web server machine 27 are coupled via a public line network 28.

  The timer TM is for detecting the current time and for interrupting the timer to the MPU 11.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram showing a software hierarchical structure of the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The OS 30 includes a device driver 31 corresponding to each of various types of hardware in its kernel, for example, Linux.

  A basic service program 33 as middleware is provided in the upper layer of the OS 30 via an API 32 for using various functions in the OS 30. The basic service program 33 includes an operation panel control module 330, a scan module 331 as an image input module, a data processing module for processing input data, and a print module 332 as an image output module for outputting processed image data. And an input / output module.

  The operation panel control module 330 is for displaying an operation button on the operation panel 15 and detecting pressing thereof. The input / output modules include a FAX transmission / reception module 333, an electronic mail transmission / reception module 334, and an HTTP processing module 339. The data processing module includes an IC card control module 335, an RFID control module 336, a format conversion module 337 for converting the format of image data, an unillustrated aggregation processing module, a pagination module, and the like. The basic service program 33 further includes an address book module 338 used as a utility module for specifying facsimile and electronic mail destinations.

  An application 35 is provided in the upper layer of the basic service program 33 via an external API 34. The application 35 is a program created using the module of the basic service program 33 via the external API 34. The application 35 includes a copy module 350, a print module 351, a FAX module 352, an e-mail module 353, a job management module 354, and an operation panel module 355. For example, the copy module 350 is configured by combining a scan module 331 and a print module 332. The FAX module 352 is configured by combining a FAX transmission / reception module 333 and an address book module 338.

  The software of the image forming apparatus 10 further includes an interpreter 38 for the macro program 37. The interpreter 38 interprets a command statement of the macro program 37, and uses the functions included in the basic service program 33, the application 35, or the OS 30 via the external API 34, the external API 36, or the API 32, respectively, so that the macro program 37 Is to execute.

  The macro program 37 includes a standard macro program 371 and a user macro program 372. The standard macro program 371 is standardly created by the manufacturer and stored in the PROM 13 in advance. For example, the standard macro program 371 includes buttons 40 on the main menu screen on the operation panel 15 as shown in FIG. A program corresponding to each of .about.44 is included. The user macro program 372 is a program created by the user, and includes, for example, a program corresponding to the button slip transmission button 46 on the operation panel 15 as shown in FIG. The user macro program 372 is created, for example, by the host computer 25, subjected to grammar check, copied into the USB memory 24 A, and read into the DRAM 14 via the port 20.

  The macro program 37 assigns a line number to each line by preprocessing. 5A to 5C and FIGS. 6A to 6C show specific examples of the user macro program 372. FIG.

  When the user application button 44 shown in FIG. 3A is touched (pressed or turned on), display other than “USER APPLICATION” in FIG. 3B and processing related thereto are performed according to the flow shown in FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic flowchart showing the processing of the interpreter 38 for the macro program 37.

  This process is started, for example, every 20 msec by a timer interrupt. Hereinafter, the numbers in parentheses are step identification numbers in the figure.

  (S0) A counter LC indicating the next processing target line number of the macro program 37 is initialized to zero.

  (S1) The line indicated by the counter LC is read from the macro program 37, the value of LC is assigned to the current counter CLC, and the line number of the statement next to the statement indicated by the current counter CLC is assigned to the next line counter LC. . The statement delimiter is a semicolon ";" or a closing parenthesis "}" as in the C language. In the case of FIG. 5A, LC = 1 follows LC = 0, and then LC = 7 if the conditional statement is not satisfied, and LC = 2 in step S10 described later if the conditional statement is not satisfied.

  (S2) If there is no line to be read in step S1, the process is terminated, and if it exists, the process proceeds to step S3.

  (S3) If the statement is a ResetEnd statement, go to step S4, otherwise go to step S7.

  (S4) If the end flag EF indicating the end of consumable management is “0”, the process returns to step S1, and if it is “1”, the process proceeds to step S5.

  (S5) The success or failure of the conditional expression (REC) described in parentheses of the ResetEnd statement is determined. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S6, and if not, the process of FIG.

  (S6) The end flag EF is reset, an after-order display described later on the operation panel 15 is cleared, and the process returns to step S1.

  (S7) If the CLC line is a conditional phrase, the process proceeds to step S8; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S11.

  In the case of FIG. 5A, LC = 1 row “If Toner.Level <Level.Low1 {” and LC = 2 row “Button (120, 80, 60, 30, cartridge order & CrLf & remaining & Toner. Level.ToPages & sheets) {"is a conditional phrase.

  The latter is an abbreviation of the condition phrase (button phrase) “If Button (120, 80, 60, 30, Cartridge Order & CrLf & Remaining & Toner.Level.ToPages & Sheets) is pushed {”. This abbreviated description apparently hides the nested structure of conditional statements, so that the macro program 37 is easy to see and the macro program 37 is easy to create.

  (S8) If the line of the current number CLC is a button phrase, button display bitmap data is created based on the argument, and displayed on the operation panel 15 like the button 45 in FIG. 3B, for example. .

  In the case of the button phrase of LC = 2, among the arguments (120, 80, 60, 30, cartridge order & CrLf & remaining & Toner.Level.ToPages & sheets), (120, 80) are buttons on the operation panel 15 The XY coordinates of the upper left vertex of the button, (60, 30) are the width and height of the button, and “cartridge order & CrLf & remaining & Toner.Level.ToPages & sheets” is the text on the button. Here, & is a character concatenation operator, CrLf indicates a carriage return control code, and Toner.Level.ToPages indicates the above-described toner remaining amount detection value converted into an average number of printed sheets. Button display data creation processing and display processing are performed using functions included in the operation panel control module 330 and the operation panel module 355.

  After this display processing, the internal flag FB completion flag FC is set. If the flag completion flag FC is set in step S8, the button display bitmap data creation processing is omitted from the next time.

  (S9) The success or failure of the conditional expression in the conditional phrase is determined, and if satisfied, the process proceeds to step S10, and if not, the process returns to step S1.

  (S10) The content of the next line counter LC is changed to the line number when the condition is satisfied. That is, LC = CLC + 1. Next, the process returns to step S1.

  (S11) If the line of the current number CLC is an End statement, the process proceeds to step S13, and if not, the process proceeds to step S12.

  (S12) Process the contents of the line with the current number CLC, and return to step S1.

  (S13) The end sentence End is executed, and the process of FIG. That is, the button on the operation panel 15 displayed in step S8 is cleared, the completion flag FC is reset, and the end flag EF is set.

  Next, a specific example of the processing in FIG. 1 will be described in the case where 372 is shown in FIG. The end flag EF is initially set to “1”.

  (1) Due to the timer interrupt, LC = 0 is first set at step S0. In step S1, a line ResetEnd (Toner.Level> Level.High) with LC = 0 is read, and CLC = 0 and LC = 1. The conditional expression “Toner.Level> Level.High” of the ResetEnd statement is determined in step S5 through steps S2, S3, and S4. Immediately after cartridge replacement, this conditional expression “Toner.Level> Level.High” is satisfied, and EF = 0 in step S6. Here, the threshold Level.High is stored in advance in the PROM 13 as shown in FIG. 2 together with thresholds Level.Low1, Level.Low2,.

  Returning to step S1, the row “If Toner.Level <Level.Low1 {” of LC = 1 is read, and CLC = 1 and LC = 7. The conditional expression “Toner.Level <Level.Low1” is determined to be negative in step S9 through steps S2, S3, S7, and S8, and the process returns to step S1. In step S1, a line with LC = 7 is read out, and since this is Null, an affirmative determination is made in step S2 and the process ends.

  (2) At the next timer interrupt, first, LC = 0 in step S0. In step S1, a line “ResetEnd (Toner.Level> Level.High)” with LC = 0 is read, and CLC = 0 and LC = 1. An affirmative determination is made in step S4 through steps S2 and S3, and the process returns to step S1. In step S1, the row “If Toner.Level <Level.Low1 {” of LC = 1 is read, and CLC = 1 and LC = 7. The conditional expression “Toner.Level <Level.Low1” is determined to be negative in step S9 through steps S2, S3, S7, and S8, and the process returns to step S1. Since the LC = 7 row is read and this is Null, an affirmative determination is made in step S2 and the processing ends.

  Thereafter, if a negative determination is made in step S9, such processing (2) is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the toner remaining amount Toner.Level decreases with time and becomes less than a preset threshold Level.Low1, the condition “Toner.Level <Level.Low1” is satisfied.

(3) Due to the timer interrupt, LC = 0 is first set at step S0. In step S1, a line “ResetEnd (Toner.Level> Level.High)” with LC = 0 is read, and CLC = 0 and LC = 1. An affirmative determination is made in step S4 through steps S2 and S3, and the process returns to step S1. In step S1, the row “If Toner.Level <Level.Low1 {” of LC = 1 is read, and CLC = 1 and LC = 7. The conditional expression “Toner.Level <Level.Low1” is affirmed in step S9 through steps S2, S3, S7, and S8, and the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, LC = 2, and the process returns to step S1.
In step S1, LC = 2 row "Button (120, 80, 60, 30, cartridge order & CrLf & remaining & Toner.Level.ToPages & sheets) {"
, CLC = 2, LC = 7 (next line in case of sentence delimiters), and through step S2, S3 and S7, in step S8, the display bitmap of the button 45 as described above Data is created and displayed on the operation panel 15, and the completion flag FC is set. Since the display range (120, 80, 60, 30) of the button 45 has not yet been touched (pressed), a negative determination is made in step S9, and the process returns to step S1.

  In step S1, a row Null with LC = 7 is extracted, and the process ends through step S2.

  Thereafter, if the button 45 is not pressed, such processing (3) is performed.

  (4) When the button 45 is pressed, an affirmative determination is made in step S9, LC = 3 in step S10, and the process returns to step S1.

In step S1, a line “Order (Toner.RFID To DefaultDealer)” with LC = 3 is extracted, and CLC = 3 and LC = 4. Through steps S2, S3, S7 and S11, the row with CLC = 3 is processed in step S12. That is, an HTTP request message including the toner cartridge type included in Toner.RFID and the hidden user ID in Order is generated, and the destination DefaultDealer (for example, http: shown in FIG. 2) is transmitted via the NIC 18 and the Internet 26. //km.com:80) to the Web server machine 27. The request line for this message is, for example:
GET /cgi-bin/order.cgi?UserID=21035&Type=KM102 HTTP / 1.0
It is. Here, UserID = 21035 is stored in advance in the PROM 13 as shown in FIG. Type = KM102 is a toner cartridge type that is a part of the contents of Toner.RFID. Transmission / reception of HTTP messages is performed using the HTTP processing module 339 and the OS 30.

  In response to the HTTP request message, the Web server machine 27 starts the CGI program of the path name / cgi-bin / order.cgi included in the message with the query string UserID = 21035 & Type = KM102 included in the HTTP request message as an argument. . As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the received date and time is set as the order date and time, and the toner cartridge type, customer ID, and scheduled shipping date are entered in the table TBL1. The customer ID is the same as the above UserID. The scheduled shipping date is determined based on the inventory status obtained as a result of searching the inventory database 29 using the model as a key. The completion flag in the table TBL1 is reset at the time of ordering and is set at the time of shipment.

  This table TBL1 is linked to a customer information table TBL2 including fields such as customer ID, company name, address, person in charge, department name, department number, telephone number, facsimile number, etc., and a relational database is configured.

  The Web server machine 27 uses the order date and time as the order date and time, generates an HTTP response message including the type of toner cartridge and the scheduled shipping date based on the template file, and transmits it to the image forming apparatus 10.

  In response to this, the image forming apparatus 10 displays the content of the received message on the operation panel 15 as shown in FIG.

  When the processing of such a line of CLC = 3 is completed, the process returns to step S1, the line End of LC = 4 is extracted, and CLC = 4 and LC = 7. Through steps S2, S3, S7, and S11, the line End of CLC = 4 is processed in step S13. That is, the display of the button 45 on the operation panel 15 is cleared, the completion flag FC is reset, and the end flag EF is set.

  Thus, even if the process of FIG. 1 is started by the timer interruption until the toner cartridge is replaced, a negative determination is made in both steps S4 and S5, and as shown in FIG. It is not displayed on the operation panel 15 and the display of the ordered order is maintained.

  After such a process (4), when the toner cartridge is replaced as shown in FIG. 4, the condition of the ResetEnd statement is satisfied, the above process (1) is performed, the process proceeds from step S5 to step S6, and EF = 0, and the displayed order on the operation panel 15 is cleared.

  When there is no need to order a toner cartridge because the toner cartridge is in stock, when the toner cartridge is replaced, the output of the electronic tag reader / writer 23 is read by the MPU 11 according to a program different from that shown in FIG. It is stored in the DRAM 14 as Toner.RFID shown in FIG. At this time, the same process as step S13 in FIG. 1 is performed by the program. Thus, the toner cartridge order button 45 is not displayed on the operation panel 15 until Toner.Level <Level.Low1 is satisfied.

  According to the first embodiment, a conditional reset end instruction ResetEnd and a macro program in which a set of the attribute of the button 45 and an Order instruction is used, and the conditional success or failure of the conditional reset end instruction ResetEnd is determined according to the interpreter 38. In response to detecting the ON state of the response button 45 and executing the Order command in response to the detection of the ON state, even if the conditional statement is substantially nested, the structure of the macro program that changes the user interface according to the condition is There is an effect that it becomes easy.

  Even if the conditional statement is further nested by the If statement, there is an effect that the structure of the macro program that changes the user interface according to the condition becomes simple.

  Also, the attribute of the button 45 as an icon (120, 80, 60, 30, cartridge order & CrLf & remaining & Toner.Level.ToPages & sheets) and consumable ordering order Order (Toner.RFID To DefaultDealer) The button 45 is displayed on the operation panel 15 based on the attribute of the simple macro program described as follows, and in response to the detection of the ON, the consumable item ordering information is sent to the destination via the NIC 18 based on the consumable item ordering command. Therefore, it is possible to easily order a consumable item by describing a simple macro program, and to cope with this even if the consumable consumption rate suddenly increases or decreases unexpectedly.

  Further, the description of the consumption state “remaining & Toner.Level.ToPages & sheets” is included as an attribute of the button 45, and the detected consumption state is displayed on the operation panel 15 based on this description. The effect is that consumables can be ordered at the right time.

  Furthermore, since the consumption state is displayed in the display area (120, 80, 60, 30) of the button 45, the operability for the user is improved.

  Further, since step S4 is arranged before step S5, once the end flag EF is reset, the conditional expression of the reset end command ResetEnd is not determined, and the toner remaining amount detection value fluctuates due to mechanical vibration. In addition, there is an effect that the on detection of the button 45 can be continuously performed without complicating the macro program.

  In addition, since the fact that consumables have been ordered is displayed on the operation panel 15 after the consumables ordering information is transmitted, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent multiple consumables from being ordered by a plurality of users.

  Furthermore, since the display of the button 45 on the operation panel 15 is deleted after the consumables ordering information is transmitted, the operability is improved, and it is possible to prevent erroneous operations and repeated ordering of consumables by a plurality of users. .

  Further, since the deletion is performed based on the end instruction End included in the macro program, there is an effect that it is possible to select whether or not to perform the deletion with a simple description.

  In addition, the toner cartridge type is automatically read from the electronic tag and used as ordering information.

  FIGS. 5B and 5C show macro programs that differ from FIG. 5A only in the ordering form.

In the case of FIG. 5B, as the cartridge ordering process,
"Fax cartridgeOrderFile.pdf to address book (dealer1, fax)" is executed using the FAX module 352 in step S12 of FIG. This statement sends the contents of the file cartridgeOrderFile.pdf to the destination. This destination is a return value of the address book (dealer1, fax) which is a function. In the address book, a facsimile number and an e-mail address are entered for each destination, and the argument fax indicates that the facsimile number of the record indicated by the argument dealer1 is the return value of this function.

  In the case of FIG. 5C, “Email cartridgeOrderFile.pdf to address book (dealer1, email)” is executed using the electronic mail module 353 in step S12 of FIG. This statement sends the contents of the file cartridgeOrderFile.pdf to the destination. This destination is a return value of the address book (dealer1, email) which is a function. The argument email indicates that the email address of the record indicated by the argument dealer1 is the return value of this function.

  The process of FIG. 1 can also be applied to a macro program unrelated to consumable ordering, and specific examples thereof are shown in FIGS.

  Next, the processing of FIG. 1 for the macro program shown in FIG.

  (5) Due to the timer interrupt, LC = 0 is first set at step S0. In step S1, LC = 0 row “Button (20, 30, 60, 30, slip transmission) {” is read, and CLC = 0 and LC = 5. Through steps S2, S3, and S7, a button 46 as shown in FIG. 3B is displayed in step S8, and the completion flag FC is set. Since the display range (20, 30, 60, 30) of the button 46 has not been pressed yet, a negative determination is made in step S9, and the process returns to step S1. In step S1, a row Null with LC = 5 is extracted, and the process ends through step S2.

  Thereafter, if the button 46 is not pressed, such processing (5) is performed.

  (6) When the user places a document on the document table of the image forming apparatus 10 and presses the button 46, an affirmative determination is made in step S9, LC = 1 in step S10, and the process returns to step S1.

  In step S1, a line “file.pdf = Scan” with LC = 1 is extracted, and CLC = 1 and LC = 2. Through steps S2, S3, S7 and S11, the row with CLC = 1 is processed in step S12. That is, the scanner 17 operates to read a document image, and the data is converted into a pdf format and converted to file.pdf.

  Returning to step S1, the line “Fax file.pdf to address book (head office accounting department, fax)” with LC = 2 is read, and CLC = 2 and LC = 3. Through steps S2, S3, S7 and S11, the row with CLC = 2 is processed in step S12. That is, the contents of the file file.pdf are transmitted to the destination that is the return value of the address book (head office accounting department, fax).

  Returning to step S1, the line “Email file.pdf to address book (Taro Sasaki, email)” with LC = 3 is read, and CLC = 3 and LC = 5. Through steps S2, S3, S7 and S11, the row with CLC = 3 is processed in step S12. That is, the file file.pdf is e-mailed to the destination which is the return value of the address book (Taro Sasaki, email). For example, a copy of the facsimile transmission content is transmitted to the user.

  Returning to step S1, a null row with LC = 5 is read, and the process of FIG. 1 is terminated through step S2. The button 46 remains displayed on the operation panel 15.

  In the case of FIG. 6B, the same processing as described above is performed, and after sending the e-mail, the End statement is further processed, the display of the button 46 on the operation panel 15 is cleared in step S13, and the completion flag FC is reset. At the same time, the end flag EF is set.

  In the case of FIG. 6C, the line “ResetEnd (ICcardID = KM01)” with CLC = 1 is processed in step S12 before the process of FIG. 6B. That is, the encrypted user ID and password stored in the user's IC card 24B are read by the IC card reader / writer 22 via radio waves. Then, the user ID registered in the PROM 13 and the password encrypted twice, for example, are read, the latter is decrypted once, and both are verified. If both of them match and the user ID matches KM01 of “ICcardID = KM01”, that is, if the user authentication with the ID of KM01 succeeds, the condition of the ResetEnd statement is satisfied, and step S5 Is affirmative, and EF = 0 in step S6. Thereafter, the same processing as in FIG. 6B is performed.

  If the user authentication has failed, a negative determination is made in step S5, the processing of FIG. 1 ends, and the button 46 is not displayed on the operation panel 15.

  The above-described 371 is created in the same manner as 372 as described above.

  In the first embodiment, when the macro program 37 includes a button attribute and processing command set “Button (attribute) {processing command}”, the button is first displayed on the operation panel 15 based on the attribute. A configuration has been described in which a processing instruction is executed when a button is turned on.

  However, since the button is displayed even when this processing causes a problem, in such a case, there is a possibility that it is misunderstood that turning on the button does not cause the problem.

  Therefore, for example, in FIG. 14, when a copy or print related to printing is executed because a toner cartridge 161 other than a certified product is attached to the printer 16, the copy button may be used when the quality of the image or the apparatus may be deteriorated. A configuration in which the 40 and print buttons 41 are not displayed on the operation panel 15 will be described as a second embodiment of the present invention.

  Note that a print instruction on the operation panel 15 is performed by selecting a file stored in the USB memory 24A, for example.

  When the toner cartridge 161 is attached to the printer 16, this is detected by a switch (not shown), the MPU 11 is interrupted, a toner cartridge attachment event is generated, and execution of the toner cartridge attachment event handler shown in FIG. 7 is started. The

  (S20) The MPU 11 reads the ID and toner empty information as the stored contents from the electronic tag 162 via the electronic tag reader / writer 23.

  (S21) If this ID is a predetermined ID, it is determined that the toner cartridge 161 is a certified product, and the process proceeds to step S22. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S24. The determination of whether or not the ID is a predetermined ID is made, for example, by passing the ID to a certain function and determining whether or not the return value is a predetermined value.

  (S22) If the toner empty information indicates that the toner is empty, it is determined that the toner has been refilled by a non-authorized supplier and the quality cannot be guaranteed, and the process proceeds to step S24. Proceed to step S23.

  Here, when the toner remaining amount detector 21 detects that the toner cartridge 161 is empty, the MPU 11 notifies the electronic tag 162 via the electronic tag reader / writer 23 that the toner cartridge 161 is empty. The empty information information Tonor.Empty (see FIG. 2) is written in the PROM 13. Therefore, after the toner cartridge 161 becomes empty, the toner cartridge 161 is taken out from the printer 16 and discarded, and a non-certified supplier refills and sells the toner, and the user purchases it and attaches it to the printer 16. In this case, even if the ID stored in the electronic tag 162 indicates that it is a certified product, it can be determined that the toner is refilled by a non-certified supplier.

  (S23) In FIG. 2, "1" is set to the non-defective flag FG of the variable Permitted in the PROM 13, and the process returns from this event handler. FG = '1' indicates that the product is guaranteed to be non-defective, and FG = '0' indicates that this warranty is not performed.

  (S24) “0” is set in the non-defective product flag FG.

  (S25) A warning as shown in FIG. 7B is displayed on the operation panel 15, and an OK button 47 is displayed.

  (S26) When the OK button 47 is pressed, the process returns from this event handler.

  Through such processing, when the toner cartridge 161 is mounted on the printer 16, a warning can be issued to the user if it is not guaranteed that the product is good, and thereafter, the electronic tag 162 can be replaced until the toner cartridge 161 is replaced. The processing according to the value of the non-defective flag FG can be performed without reading the contents.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of step S8 in FIG.

  (S80) If the LC line is a button phrase, the process proceeds to step S81; otherwise, the process of step S8 is terminated.

  (S81) It is checked whether or not a print command exists in the process in {} that is paired with this button phrase, that is, the process when the button is pressed. If it exists, the process proceeds to step S82, and if not, the process proceeds to step S83. Note that the copy is represented by a combination of a scan command and a print command.

  (S82) If FG = '1', proceed to step S83, otherwise terminate the process of step S8.

  (S83) If the flag completion flag FC indicating whether or not the button bitmap data for the button phrase has been created is "1", the process of step S8 is terminated, otherwise the process proceeds to step S84.

  (S84) Based on the button attribute described in the button phrase as described above, bitmap data for displaying the button on the operation panel 15 is created and displayed on the operation panel 15, and the completion flag is displayed. “1” is set in FC, and the process of step S8 is terminated.

  By such processing, when FG = '1', for example, buttons 40 to 44 are displayed as shown in FIG. 3A, and when FG = '0', as shown in FIG. 8B. The copy button 40 and print button 41 in FIG. 3A are not displayed. Thereby, for example, there is an effect that the user can recognize the reason for non-display of the icon without giving an excessive warning to the user in comparison with the invention described in JP-A-2006-313226.

  If the completion flag FC = '0' in step S9 of FIG. 1, the button press is not detected, and the process returns to step S1. The completion flag FC is set to “0” in step S13 of FIG. 1 as described above.

  As a result, if FG = “0”, copying and printing related to the toner cartridge 161 cannot be performed from the operation panel 15, and the image or apparatus of the image or apparatus by using the toner cartridge 161 whose quality is not guaranteed. There is an effect that quality deterioration can be prevented in advance.

  In addition, since the user does not have these buttons on the operation panel 15 when attempting to copy or print, the toner cartridge 161 is a non-certified product or a toner refill product without excessive warning. There is an effect that can be known.

  Furthermore, since it is determined whether or not the icon is displayed based on the permission information on the interpreter 38 side, whether it is the user macro program 372 or the standard macro program 371 without considering the permission information in the macro program. Regardless of this, there is an effect that this determination is made automatically.

  FIG. 9A is a flowchart corresponding to FIG. 8A according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  In this flowchart, step S85 is added to that of FIG. 8, and if a negative determination is made in step S82, the process proceeds to step S85.

  (S85) The buttons are grayed out based on the button phrase attribute, and the process of step S8 is terminated.

  Thereby, when FG = '0', the copy button 40A and the print button 41A are grayed out as shown in FIG. 9B.

  Other points are the same as those of the third embodiment.

  According to the second embodiment, the same effects as those described in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In the second and third embodiments, when the toner cartridge 161 is a non-certified product or a certified product even if it is a toner refill product, the copy and print functions using the toner cartridge 161 cannot be used. .

  However, the user may wish to use a copy or print knowing that image or device quality degradation will occur.

  Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the prohibition of use of copying or printing can be canceled, and a warning is displayed on the operation panel 15 before the cancellation.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart corresponding to FIG. 8A according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  In this flowchart, step S86 and step S87 are added to that of FIG. 8, and if a negative determination is made in step S82, the process proceeds to step S86.

  (S86) If the release flag FR indicating that the prohibition of copying and printing has been released is “1”, the process proceeds to step S83; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S87. The release flag FR is included in the variable Permitted shown in FIG. 2, and the initial value is “0”.

  (S87) A prohibition release button 48 as shown in FIG. 12 (A) is displayed on the operation panel 15.

  FIG. 11A is a flowchart of an event handler whose processing is started in response to the occurrence of an event due to the depression of the prohibition release button 48.

  (S30) A warning as shown in FIG. 12B is displayed on the operation panel 15, and an OK button 47A and a “return” button 49 are displayed.

  (S31) When accepting this warning, the user presses the OK button 47, and if not, presses the “RETURN” button 49.

  (S32) If the OK button 47 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S33, and if the “return” button 49 is pressed, the process returns. This return returns to the display of FIG.

  (S33) The release flag FR is set to “1”, and the bitmap data for displaying the prohibition release button 48 shown in FIG.

  When the user presses the OK button 47 in step S31, FR = '1' in step S33. Therefore, in the process shown in FIG. 10, the process proceeds from step S86 to step S83 to step S84. Buttons are normally displayed.

  As a result, the copy button 40 and the print button 41 are displayed as shown in FIG.

  When the user presses the copy button 40 or the print button 41, the process shown in FIG. 11B is performed in step S12 of FIG.

  (S120) If the LC line is a print command, the process proceeds to step S121; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S123.

  (S121) A print command is executed.

  (S122) “0” is set to the release flag FR. In addition, the display bitmap data of the copy button 40 and the print button 41 related to the print command is deleted from the DRAM 14, and the process of step S12 is ended.

  (S123) Other processing corresponding to the LC row command is performed, and the processing in step S12 is terminated.

  By such processing, when the toner cartridge 161 is a non-certified product or a refilled product even if it is a certified product, it is possible to cancel the prohibition of copying or printing and execute copying or printing. Play. Further, since the copy button 40 and the print button 41 disappear from the operation panel 15 after this execution is completed, there is an effect that warning is performed only when necessary without excessive warning.

  The present invention includes various modifications in addition to the above.

  For example, in Example 4, since the copy button and the print button are not displayed without displaying a warning each time before the prohibition is canceled, the reason for the prohibition can be obtained, so step S30 in FIG. 11A is omitted. May be. In this case, a warning display and an OK button may be described by a macro program command so that they can be added.

  In addition, when the toner cartridge 161 is attached to the printer 16 using a nonvolatile memory or a one-chip microcomputer including the nonvolatile tag instead of the electronic tag 162, the memory 12 or the one-chip microcomputer connects the interface 12 with light or a connector. It may be configured to be coupled to the MPU 11.

  Furthermore, the user macro program 372 only needs to be stored in the image forming apparatus via an input interface, and may be configured via an input interface of another removable memory such as a flash memory card or a communication unit.

  Further, instead of using the macro program 37 and the interpreter 38, the function of this embodiment may be incorporated in the operation panel module 355 of FIG.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the use is prohibited or the prohibition is canceled when the consumable is not the certified product has been described. However, the present invention is not preferable or impossible (the superordinate concepts). As long as the button corresponding to the process is not displayed on the operation panel in “when not permitted”). For example, it is not necessary to permit facsimile transmission for a specific user or group, and the present invention can also be applied to cases where it is preferable to prohibit this transmission for security reasons. In this case, with reference to the ID of the currently logged-in user or group as a key, a table that associates the ID of the user or group with the prohibition process is referred to, and a button corresponding to the process prohibited by this user or the like is displayed. It may be configured not to display on the operation panel. In this way, since the number of icons displayed is reduced, it becomes easier to see and the operability is improved.

  The shape of the icon displayed on the operation panel 15 is not limited to the button, and icons having various shapes may be used.

  Further, the host computer 25 may be used as a remote console instead of the operation panel 15 of the image forming apparatus 10. In this case, the operation panel in the host computer 25 can be displayed by a GUI program incorporated in a driver such as a printer driver, and the icon on the operation panel is turned on (selected) by, for example, clicking the mouse. )

3 is a schematic flowchart illustrating interpreter processing for a macro program stored in the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a partial explanatory diagram of data stored in a PROM and a DRAM of the image forming apparatus. FIG. (A) is a diagram showing a main menu screen on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus, and (B) is a diagram showing a menu screen displayed when the “USER APPLICATION” button in (A) is selected. (C) is a figure which shows the screen after selecting the button 40 of (B). FIG. 2 is a process explanatory diagram of FIG. 1 showing a graph of the remaining amount of toner over time. FIGS. 9A to 9C are diagrams illustrating specific examples of macro programs related to toner cartridge ordering. FIGS. (A)-(C) is a figure which shows the specific example of the macro program regarding a scan of a slip, facsimile transmission, and electronic mail transmission. FIG. 9A is a flowchart of a toner cartridge mounting event handler according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram of step S25 of FIG. (A) is a flowchart which shows the detail of step S8 in FIG. 1, (B) is explanatory drawing of the process of (A). (A) is a flowchart corresponding to FIG. 8 (A) according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is an explanatory diagram of the processing of (A). 9 is a flowchart corresponding to FIG. 8A according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a flowchart of an event handler that starts processing in response to the occurrence of an event caused by pressing the prohibition release button, and (B) is a detailed flowchart of step S12 in FIG. (A)-(C) are process explanatory drawings of FIG.10 and FIG.11. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a software hierarchical structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

10, 101 to 10 m Image forming apparatus 11 MPU
12 Interface 13 PROM
14 DRAM
15 Operation Panel 16 Printer 161 Toner Cartridge 162 Electronic Tag 17 Scanner 18 NIC
19 FAX modem 20 Port 21 Toner level detector 22 IC card reader / writer 23 Electronic tag reader / writer 24A USB memory 24B IC card 25, 252-25n Host computer 251 File server 26 Internet 26L LAN
27 Web server machine 28 Public network 30 OS
31 Device driver 32 API
33 Basic service program 330 Operation panel control module 331 Scan module 332 Print module 333 FAX transmission / reception module 334 E-mail transmission / reception module 335 IC card control module 336 RFID control module 337 Format conversion module 338 Address book module 339 HTTP processing module 34, 36 External API
35 Application 350 Copy module 351 Print module 352 FAX module 353 E-mail module 354 Job management module 355 Operation panel module 37 Macro program 371 Standard macro program 372 User macro program 38 Interpreter 40, 40A Copy button 41, 41A Print button 42 Facsimile button 43 E-mail button 44 User application button 45 Cartridge order button 46 Voucher send button 47, 47A Accept button 48 Prohibition release button TBL1, TBL2 table

Claims (9)

In an image forming apparatus comprising a processor, storage means storing a program and data, and an operation panel,
The program includes a macro program in which a set of icon attributes and processing instructions is described, and an interpreter for the macro program, and the data includes permission information indicating whether or not specific processing is permitted. ,
The interpreter causes the processor to interpret the macro program;
(A) Based on the permission information, it is determined whether processing by the processing instruction is permitted,
(B) When an affirmative determination is made, an icon corresponding to the attribute is displayed on the operation panel or the remote console via the communication interface,
(C) detecting that the icon is on, and executing the processing instruction in response to the detection of the on.
An image forming apparatus. A communication interface;
The interpreter causes the processor to display the icon on the operation panel or a remote console via the communication interface in the process (b).
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interpreter does not display an icon corresponding to the attribute on the operation panel when the processor further determines to be negative in the process (b). 3. . If the interpreter further makes a negative determination in the process (b), the interpreter does not display an icon corresponding to the attribute on the operation panel or the remote console via the communication interface.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2. The interpreter gives the processor
If a negative determination is further made in the process (b), an icon corresponding to the attribute is grayed out on the operation panel,
In the process (c), the processing instruction is not executed even if the grayed-out icon is turned on.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The interpreter gives the processor
If a negative determination is further made in the process (b), a prohibition release icon is displayed on the operation panel or the remote console via the communication interface,
In the process (c), the on-state of the prohibition release icon is further detected,
further,
(D) In response to the detection of the prohibition release icon being turned on, the process (b) is displayed, and the process proceeds to the process (c).
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The interpreter gives the processor
If a negative determination is further made in the process (b), a prohibition release icon is displayed on the operation panel or the remote console via the communication interface,
In the process (c), the on-off of the prohibition release icon is further detected, and in response to the detection of the on-state, a warning message is displayed on the operation panel or the remote console, and an OK icon is displayed.
further,
(D) Detecting that the OK icon is turned on and responding to the detection of turning on, causing the display of process (b) to be performed, and shifting to process (c).
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. A detecting means for detecting whether or not the consumable is a certified product;
The permission information is information indicating that processing using the consumable is permitted when the consumable is detected by the detection unit as a certified product.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The consumable is a toner cartridge, and the process is a printing process.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

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