JP2009124256A - Image forming apparatus, method and program for controlling image formation - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image formation apparatus which can efficiently specify a processing object image or document, using a marking, when reprinting processing of a stored image or document, deletion, duplication or movement thereof to other apparatus, or subsequent erasure thereof is performed. <P>SOLUTION: An image processor specifies a processing object image or document and an apparatus storing it automatically, by printing a stored image with a marking, reading out a marking on an original printed by own apparatus or other apparatus and extracting an encoded image ID, sheet ID or document ID, and then referring to an ID management table. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention detects marking that encodes stored image data and printing paper ID (Identification), manages deletion of an image corresponding to the ID, and copies / moves the image to a storage location of another apparatus And an image forming apparatus capable of managing subsequent deletion, and a control method and program for the apparatus.

  In recent years, a scanner that reads a document image, a copier that prints a document image read by the scanner, a printer or facsimile machine that prints image data input from the outside, or a so-called MFP (Multi Function Printer) that combines these functions A multi-function machine called is used. In addition, a technique is known in which image data is stored in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and the image data stored by operating an operation panel or the like is printed.

  When many images are stored in the multifunction peripheral, it is necessary to search for images when it is desired to perform operations (print, delete, duplicate, move, etc.) on a specific image. 2. Description of the Related Art A technique for specifying a document to be subjected to document operations such as printing for a plurality (large amount) of stored documents is known. For example, a technique for providing a means for displaying a preview image or thumbnail of an accumulated document and actually checking and specifying the accumulated image is disclosed. In this document, a preview of an accumulated document is displayed and selected as an image reading apparatus capable of accumulating image data and an image data selection method in the apparatus.

  In addition, as another conventional technique, bibliographic information such as a document name associated with an image, an accumulation date and time, and an owner name is displayed and specified based on the information, or sorting is performed on the bibliographic information. Or performing a search with an arbitrary keyword.

  For example, Patent Document 2 proposes a technique for providing an image forming apparatus that can efficiently select and execute a document to be printed or deleted from a document stored in a storage device. Patent Document 3 proposes a technique for facilitating a document search by providing text information to a document using an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technique and performing a keyword search when the document is stored.

  In addition, as a technique related to the image forming apparatus, bibliographic information, a processing method, and the like are added as a two-dimensional barcode to a sheet as in Patent Document 4, and are added (embedded) to a document. A technique has been proposed in which a two-dimensional barcode is detected, command information encoded in the detected two-dimensional barcode is decoded, and printing processing for a document after reading is automatically controlled according to the decoded command information. ing.

  Further, Patent Document 5 is already known as a technique that enables text search by embedding text information in an accumulated document. This document describes that text information is added and stored using an OCR when reading an image, and a keyword search is performed on the text.

Further, in Patent Document 6, when the read image data includes two-dimensional code information, access information to the web server is decoded from the two-dimensional code information, and content data is acquired according to the decoded access information. And printing technology has been proposed.
JP-A-11-53520 JP 2003-228262 A JP 2006-209557 A JP 2006-80939 A JP 2006-209557 A JP 2006-1115020 A

  In addition to the technique described above, a technique for storing print information from an optical scanner or a PC in a storage device in the multifunction peripheral, and selecting and using the stored image after printing has been put into practical use. However, any of these existing techniques requires a procedure of searching for a desired image or document by an operation from the panel, and is complicated and unusable. In addition, when a plurality of documents similar to bibliographic information or preview images are registered, there is a problem that an error that selects a document different from the target image is likely to occur. In the case of adding text information using OCR at the time of accumulation, when a document having the same content is included in a plurality of documents, it cannot be determined which one is desired to be selected. This is because there is no unique information that can be distinguished for each stored image.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described actual situation, and an object thereof is to simplify an image designation procedure when processing an accumulated image or document to facilitate image management.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is based on an image information storage unit storing image information, an image information input unit for inputting image information, and the input image information. An input image specifying information extracting unit for extracting input image specifying information for specifying image information, and an association information storing unit storing information for associating the image information stored in the image information storing unit with the input image specifying information And an image information specifying unit for specifying image information associated with the extracted input image specifying information among the image information stored in the image information storage unit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the image processing apparatus further includes an image forming unit that performs image formation based on the specified image information.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the specified image information is deleted from the image information storage unit.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the association information storage unit includes the image information stored in the image information storage unit and the image information. Storing information that associates document specifying information that specifies document information composed of a plurality of image information including

  The image information specifying unit specifies image information included in document information to which the specified image information belongs.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the association information storage unit specifies image information stored in the image information storage unit. Stored image specifying information and the input image specifying information are stored in association with each other.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing unit according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the input image specifying information extracting unit is displayed on an image drawn by the input image information. The input image specifying information is extracted from the acquired information.

  The invention described in claim 7 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the input image specifying information extracting unit decodes encoded information displayed on an image drawn by the input image information. And the input image specifying information is extracted.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the image forming unit executes image formation based on the image information stored in the image information storage unit. And an output image specifying information adding unit that adds to the image information output image specifying information that specifies image information that is an execution target of the image formation when the image forming unit executes image formation. The storage unit stores the image information on which the image formation has been performed and the output image identification information in association with each other, and the input image identification information extraction unit has the image information on which the image formation has been performed as the image information input unit. The output image specifying information is extracted as the input image specifying information.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, an image forming unit that performs image formation based on the input image information, and the image forming An output image specifying information adding unit that adds output image specifying information that specifies image information that is an execution target of the image formation to the image information when the image forming is executed by the unit, and the image information storage unit The input image information is stored, the association information storage unit stores the stored image information and the assigned output image specification information in association with each other, and the input image specification information extraction unit stores the image formation When the image information that has been executed is input to the image information input unit, the output image specifying information is extracted as the input image specifying information.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the first functional block controlled by a first control unit and the first functional block And a second functional block connected via a network and controlled by a second control unit, wherein the first functional block has the image information input unit and the input image specifying information extraction unit. The second functional block includes the image information specifying unit, and the second control unit notifies the first functional block of a result of specifying the image information by the image information specifying unit. It is characterized by.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the image processing device according to the tenth aspect, the second functional block stores the image information specified by the image information storage unit and the image information specifying unit. The image processing apparatus further includes an image information duplicating unit that transmits to the first functional block, and a duplication history information storing unit that stores information relating to the duplication history by the image information duplicating unit.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing device according to the eleventh aspect, the second functional block includes an image information deleting unit that deletes the specified image information from the image information storage unit. A copy history recognition unit for recognizing that the deleted image is transmitted to the first functional block based on the information related to the copy history, and the image information transmitted to the first functional block. It is characterized by having a delete command transmission file for transmitting the delete command.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for an image processing apparatus having a storage medium storing image information, wherein the image information is input and the image information is specified from the input image information. Input image specifying information is extracted, and image information associated with the extracted input image specifying information is specified from among the image information stored in the image information storage unit.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control program for an image processing apparatus, which causes the image processing apparatus to execute the control method according to the thirteenth aspect.

  The invention according to claim 15 is a recording medium, wherein the control program according to claim 14 is recorded in a format readable by the image processing apparatus.

  When deleting or duplicating an image (page) or the entire document for the stored document, the target image or the entire document can be automatically specified immediately based on the information marked on the printed matter. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the trouble of searching for an image or document that is desired to be deleted or copied.

  Many pieces of information can be used as information that can be used to specify documents and images stored in an image forming apparatus. In the present invention, an ID is assigned to the stored documents and images, and printing is performed. The ID is marked and printed as usable information, and means for managing the ID is provided, and a document or image is specified from the ID assigned to the printed matter. Even when the same document or image is repeatedly printed, each time printing is performed, a unique ID is assigned for marking printing, and the same job is reproduced again from the printed matter. Identification of a document or the like by this marking printing can also be executed between a plurality of apparatuses connected by a communication line.

  Embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, a case where a different ID is assigned to each print page and a document and an image are specified based on the ID is described as an example.

  FIG. 1 shows a network in which an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image forming apparatus 100B having the same function (detailed later) are connected by a communication path 500 such as a network. Shows the system. Since the image forming apparatuses 100 and 100B are configured to include the same functional unit group, the image forming apparatus 100 will be described below.

  Here, the image forming apparatus 100 is an MFP (Multi Function Printer) having a plurality of image processing functions including at least a copy function and a printer function. The configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 includes image input means 2, marking printing means 3, image storage means 4, ID management means 5, marking printing means 6, marking means 7, and image transmission means as main function units. 8, a communication unit 9, a document operation unit 15, a marking detection unit 16, a print image specification unit 17, a print document specification unit 18, and an image reception unit 19. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the flow of the main functional units and the data signals, control signals, operations and the like therebetween. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the document operation means 15 in particular. As shown in FIG. 3, the document operation unit 15 includes an image deletion unit 10, a document deletion unit 11, a document movement unit 12, a document duplication unit 13, and a duplication history management unit 14, which will be described in detail later. .

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration including portions other than those described above. Focusing on the software configuration and the subdivision function, the image forming apparatus 100 includes an image storage unit 121, an ID storage unit 122, an operation panel 200, a printer engine 140, in addition to the configuration described above, as shown in FIG. Scanner engine 150, display input control unit 101, output control unit 102, scanner control unit 103, ID management unit 104, detection unit 105, ID acquisition unit 106, document management unit 107, and image management unit 108 is provided.

  Hereinafter, each part is demonstrated in order. The image input means 2 is for inputting image information to the apparatus, and includes an optical scanner, a network I / F, a scanner engine 150, a scanner control unit 103, and the like.

  The scanner engine 150 drives the scanner and executes document scanning processing. The marking printed by marking printing is also read. The scanner control unit 103 controls the scanner engine 150.

  The scanner control unit 103 optically reads a document placed on a reading unit (ADF or document glass) provided in the image forming apparatus 100 and converts it into an electrical signal. The obtained electrical signal is converted into a digital signal (A / D converter), the digital signal is subjected to image processing (shading correction, MTF correction, γ correction, etc.), and further through a scaling circuit that further enlarges / reduces, Acquired as image data.

  The image storage unit 4 includes an image storage unit 121 and an ID storage unit 122. The image storage unit 121 is a volatile or nonvolatile storage device, and stores the image and image information input from the image input unit 2. In addition, an image input by an external image forming apparatus or the like can be captured by the communication unit 9 (network I / F 160) and stored in the image storage unit 121. A non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk is desirable for reading the stored image information even after the device is turned off.

  The ID storage unit 122 also includes an ID (hereinafter referred to as EID) that uniquely identifies the image data stored in the image storage unit 121, and various types of identification information necessary for executing the document storage function and the marking printing function. Is stored in the ID information.

  Note that the image storage unit 121 and the ID storage unit 122 are configured by the HDD 120. In addition to the HDD 120, the image storage unit 121 and the ID storage unit 122 can be configured by any commonly used storage medium such as an optical disc, a memory card, and a RAM (Random Access Memory). In order to read out the stored image information even after the apparatus is turned off, a non-volatile storage medium such as an HDD is desirable.

  The ID management unit 5 includes an ID management unit 104, a detection unit 105, and an ID acquisition unit 106, which will be described later. The image stored in the image storage unit 4 and a document that is a set thereof, and the paper printed by the marking printing unit 6 IDs are assigned to the respective IDs, and the associated information is managed.

  That is, the ID management unit 5 manages various ID groups, and generates various IDs and associates the IDs whenever an image input or print output occurs. The ID management unit 104 constituting the ID management unit 5 generates and manages various IDs stored in the ID storage unit 122 in the marking printing function.

  In addition, a processing result accompanied by deletion by the document operation unit 15 as described in detail later is reflected.

  For example, for each image input / print output, the ID management unit 104 generates a print unit ID such as JID or BID and stores the ID in the ID storage unit 122. Further, EID of each image input for printing is generated and stored in the ID storage unit 122 in association with JID or the like.

  The detection unit 105 constituting the ID management means 15 detects the marking from the document image read by the scanner engine 150, and detects the PID of the document by decoding the detected marking.

  The ID acquisition unit 106 specifies an image to be reprinted by acquiring EIDs of all images included in the print unit (job unit or copy unit) to which the PID detected by the detection unit 105 belongs. is there. Further, the ID acquisition unit 106 acquires a print setting that is a print condition at the time of printing in the print unit to which the detected PID belongs.

  The marking printing control means 3 instructs the marking printing means 6 to perform printing with marking, accumulates images to be printed in the image accumulating means 4 and a document as a set thereof, and stores and prints images and documents. In some cases, ID numbers are assigned and management instructions are given. If the image to be printed has already been stored in the image storage unit 4, an ID management instruction for the stored image and document, an ID numbering for the current reprinting, and its management instruction are made at the time of printing.

  The output control unit 102 controls the printer engine 140. In the present embodiment, the output control unit 102 prints the saved image after temporarily saving the image input from the scanner engine 150 instructed to be printed in the image storage unit 121. Various controls associated with image output such as image storage processing for the image are performed.

  The marking printing unit 6 includes an output control unit 102, a marking unit 141 as the marking unit 7, and a printer engine 140 including an image acquisition unit 142. The marking printing unit 6 prints an image instructed by the marking printing control unit 3. Is to do. The marking printing means 6 performs printing by marking (combining) a desired image (or document) and the encoded ID on a sheet by image output means (printer engine, printing mechanism) such as an ink jet type or an electrophotographic type. Do. That is, at the time of printing, a paper ID is sent together with the print image information from the marking print control means 3, and this ID is encoded into a visible image by the marking means 7 and combined with the print image information for printing. For this code, a bar code or a QR code is used.

  The marking unit 141 generates a marking obtained by encoding the PID designated by the output control unit 102. The printer engine 140 combines the marking image (code image) generated by the marking unit 141 with the image data of the document and prints it.

  The ID for marking includes information for specifying the device, and it is possible to track which device has stored the image or which paper has been printed by which device. For example, the IP address of the device is used for this information.

  The marking detection means 16 reads the code (ID information) printed by the marking means 7 and decodes the ID from the code image (marking). An optical scanner is included, and a device for this purpose is also commonly used as the image input means 2.

  The print image specifying unit 17 and the print document specifying unit 18 are substantially realized by cooperation of some of the units described so far. These have a function of specifying an image to be printed or a document to be printed corresponding to the ID information from information stored in the ID management means 5 using the ID information sent from the marking detection means 16 as a key. In order to specify the ID management means 5 of which device, the device specifying information included in the ID information is used, and stored data other than the own device can also be used. The print image specifying unit 17 and the print document specifying unit 18 will be described in detail in the following description of related operations without touching the actual state.

  The image acquisition unit 142 is for acquiring an image corresponding to the EID acquired by the ID acquisition unit 106 from the image storage unit 121. The printer engine 140 prints the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 142.

  The marking unit 141 and the image acquisition unit 142 are provided outside the printer engine 140, and the code image generated by the marking unit 141 (hereinafter referred to as marking) is combined with the image data acquired by the image acquisition unit 142. The image may be sent to the printer engine 140 and printed.

  Next, the document operation unit 15 includes an image deletion unit 10, a document deletion unit 11, a document movement unit 12, a document copy unit 13, and a copy history management unit 14. The document operation unit 15 performs the requested operation on the document stored in the image storage unit 4 when a document operation request is received from the outside via the communication unit 9.

  When there is a document transmission request from the outside via the communication unit 9, the image transmission unit 8 transmits the image / document stored in the image storage unit 4 to the outside together with its ID information. In this case, the ID information includes information for specifying the device, and it is possible to trace which device the image is stored in. For example, the IP address of the device is used for this information.

  The image receiving unit 19 makes a document transmission request to the outside via the communication unit 9, receives the requested document, and stores the document in the image storage unit 4.

  The document operation means 15 performs the requested operation on the document stored in the image storage means 4 when a document operation request is received from the user of the own machine or from the outside via the communication means 9. . As shown in FIG. 3, the document operation unit 15 includes an image deletion unit 10, a document deletion unit 11, a document movement unit 12, a document copy unit 13, and a copy history management unit 14, which will be described in detail later.

  Further, other parts will be described with reference to FIG. Display input control unit 101 determines a corresponding process based on an operation input on operation panel 200, and gives an instruction to perform the process. Further, the display input control unit 101 has a function of determining whether or not to execute processing corresponding to the received operation from the status of the image forming apparatus 100. For example, immediately after the power of the apparatus is turned on, even if the start key 207 is pressed, the corresponding process is not instructed to be executed.

  The display input control unit 101 also performs display control processing for various screens on the liquid crystal touch panel 220. For example, a list display process of stored documents stored in the image forming apparatus 100 described above is performed.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing in detail mainly the hardware configuration when the above-described image forming apparatus 100 is actually embodied. As shown in FIG. 5, the image forming apparatus 100 generally has a configuration in which a controller unit 300 to which an operation unit 200 is connected and an engine unit (Engine) 400 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus 860. Yes. Various interfaces shown in the figure are connected to the PCI bus 860.

  The controller unit 300 is a controller unit that controls the entire image forming apparatus, drawing control, communication control, and input from the operation unit 200 as an operation unit. The engine unit 400 includes a printer engine 140 as image output means and a scanner engine 150 as image input means that can be connected to the PCI bus 860. The printer engine 140 forms image data on recording paper or the like by a method such as an ink jet method or an electrophotographic method. For example, a black and white plotter, a one-drum color plotter, a four-drum color plotter, a scanner or a fax unit, etc. It is. The engine unit 400 includes an image processing part such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine part such as a plotter.

  The printer engine 140 is an example of an image output unit, the scanner engine 150 is an example of an image input unit, and the operation unit 200 is an example of an operation unit.

  The controller unit 300 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 811, a North Bridge (NB) 813, a system memory (MEM-P) 812, a South Bridge (SB) 814, and a local memory (MEM). -C) 817, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 816, and an HDD 120, and the NB 813 and the ASIC 816 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 815. The MEM-P 812 further includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 812a and a RAM 812b.

  The CPU 811 performs overall control of the multifunction peripheral, and has a chip set including the NB 813, the MEM-P 812, and the SB 814, and is connected to other devices via the chip set.

  The NB 813 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 811 to the MEM-P 812, SB 814, and the AGP bus 815, and includes a memory controller unit that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 812, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

  The MEM-P 812 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a memory for drawing printers, and the like, and includes a ROM 812a and a RAM 812b. The ROM 812a is a read-only memory used as a program / data storage memory, and the RAM 812b is a writable / readable memory used as a program / data development memory, a printer drawing memory, or the like.

  The SB 814 is a bridge for connecting the NB 813 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The SB 814 is connected to the NB 813 via the PCI bus 860, and the network I / F 160 and the like are also connected to the PCI bus 860.

  The ASIC 816 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP bus 815, the PCI bus 860, the HDD 120, and the MEM-C 817. The ASIC 816 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 816, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 817, and a plurality of DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller) and a PCI unit that performs data transfer between the engine unit 400 via the PCI bus 860. An FCU (Fax Control Unit) 830, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 840, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface 850 are connected to the ASIC 816 via a PCI bus 860.

  The MEM-C 817 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and the HDD 120 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms.

  The AGP bus 815 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed for speeding up graphics processing. The AGP bus 815 speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P812 with high throughput. It is.

  The image forming program executed by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment is provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  <Software configuration / function>

  Subsequently, the function of the embodiment apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 together.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment has an image storage unit 121, an ID storage unit 122, an operation panel 200, a printer engine 140, and a scanner engine 150 in terms of software functions. A display input control unit 101, an output control unit 102, a scanner control unit 103, an ID management unit 104, a detection unit 105, an ID acquisition unit 106, a document management unit 107, and an image management unit 108. ing.

  An image storage unit 121 that constitutes the image storage unit 4 is an example of an image storage unit, and stores image data read by the scanner engine 150. The ID storage unit 122 also associates EID and the like that uniquely identify image data stored in the image storage unit 121 and various pieces of identification information necessary for executing the document storage function and the marking printing function. Is remembered.

  The stored document function is realized by manipulating the image management unit 107 and the image data stored in the image storage unit 121 by the image management unit 108 and various identification information stored in the ID storage unit 122.

  The marking printing function operates the image data stored in the image storage unit 121 by the ID management unit 104, the detection unit 105, the ID acquisition unit 106, and the various identification information information stored in the ID storage unit 122. It is realized by doing.

  Here, the ID group managed by the ID management means 15 will be described.

  [Description of EID]

  An image is stored in the device for each page of the input image, and a unique ID is generated in the device for the stored image. This ID is hereinafter referred to as EID. (ID for each electronic image)

  [Description of BID]

  A unique ID is generated in the device for a document that is a set of input images. This ID is hereinafter referred to as BID. (ID for each document)

  [Description of PID]

  A unique ID is assigned to the paper to be printed out by the printing means. This ID is hereinafter referred to as PID. (ID for each paper)

  The process of generating BID, EID, and PID will be described later in detail (sequence diagram of FIG. 10).

  FIG. 6A shows an example of a data structure in which the EID stored in the ID storage unit 122 and the storage location of the image data are managed in association with each other (hereinafter referred to as an image management table). In the figure, the file names of ten pieces of image data are stored in association with EID. The image management unit 108 manages the image management table, can store image data, acquire image data from EID, and change the state of the image data. For the “state” in the image management table, the output control unit 102 determines the state and the image management unit 108 changes this value. Detailed description is omitted.

  FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of ID information necessary for executing the document storage function stored in the ID storage unit 122 according to the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as a document management table and To tell). As shown in the figure, the FID, the document name, and the EID are managed in association with each other. Here, the FID is an ID assigned to each stored document, and is an ID common to one or a plurality of image data included in one stored document. The document name is a name given by a user or the like for each document. By displaying the document name on the operation panel, the user can identify the document. In the example in the figure, four sentences are accumulated. Incidentally, the operable item is information indicating whether or not to display the document name on the operation panel in the document storage function. The erase time is information indicating the remaining time until the stored document is not displayed by the stored document function.

  The document management unit 107 manages image data stored in the image forming apparatus 100 in document units in the document storage function. In addition, the document management unit 107 instructs processing such as printing of a managed document or image data.

  Specifically, when storing, the document management unit 107 assigns a common FID to each image data acquired as an acquired document, and further assigns an EID to each image data. The EID is a unique ID for each image data as described above. The association between the generated FID and EID is held in the document management table described above.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram (hereinafter referred to as an ID management table) illustrating an example of a data structure of ID information for executing the marking printing function stored in the ID storage unit 122 according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the ID management table stores a PID of a sheet, an EID of an image printed on the sheet, a parent PID, a BID, a JID, and a print setting in association with each other.

  Here, each ID included in the ID information will be described in detail. First, assuming that one job is a print job for a series of input document images, an ID uniquely assigned in the device for each job is called a JID.

  In addition, when a plurality of copies are printed out in the print output, an ID uniquely assigned in the device for each copy is set as a BID. Since a plurality of copies can be designated in one job, a plurality of BIDs can correspond to one JID.

  Since PID and EID have already been explained, explanation here is omitted.

  The parent PID is set in the case of reprinting processing, and represents the PID of the paper that is the source of reprinting. In the figure, PID = 1 to 4 papers that are reprinted in units of jobs to which the paper with PID = 1 to 4 belongs by scanning the paper with PID = 1, and corresponding PID = 1 to PID = 1 to 4 respectively. An example in which 4 is set is shown.

  By storing such information in association with each other in the ID storage unit 122, it is possible to reprint all corresponding images in units of copies or jobs only by detecting the PID of an arbitrary sheet. Yes.

  Next, main operations by the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment configured as described above will be described in order. First, a basic known document storage function and print processing operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

  <Document storage function>

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the operation panel 200 of the image forming apparatus. As shown in the figure, the operation panel 200 includes an initial setting key 201, a copy key 202, a scanner key 203, a document list key 204, a numeric keypad 205, a clear / stop key 206, a start key 207, a reset key 208, and a liquid crystal display. A touch panel 220 is included.

  The numeric keypad 205 is used for inputting the number of copies. A clear / stop key 206 is used to interrupt the copying operation. A start key 207 is used to start execution of a copy operation. An initial setting key 201 is used to move to a screen for setting an initial state of the device.

  When the initial setting key 201 is touched, a menu for initial setting is displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 220, and in this menu, a paper size to be stored can be set. If a copy key 202 is touched when a copy is desired, a copy menu is displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 220. In this menu, a document type, a tray, and the like can be selected, and a document storage key 221 is displayed.

  When the user wants to store image data in the image forming apparatus 100, the user presses the document storage key 221. By pressing the start key 207 after pressing the document storage key 221, the image data is read and stored as one document. The document will be described later. At this time, it is possible to select whether to perform printing in conjunction with document accumulation.

  As a method for selecting whether or not to perform printing in conjunction with document accumulation, when the user presses the scanner key 203 and image data is accumulated in the scanner mode in the image forming apparatus 100, printing is not performed and the copy key 202 is used. When the image data is accumulated in the copy mode by pressing, printing may be performed.

  Processing inside the apparatus related to document storage and print processing, and generation process of BID, EID, and PID will be described. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an overall flow when “printing is performed together with accumulation” using the accumulated document function in the embodiment.

  First, when the user presses down the document storage key 221 of the operation panel 200 as (device) operation means, the display input control unit 101 detects and notifies the output control unit 102 that the document storage function is used. At the same time, the document storage key 221 is reversed (S901). The operation on the operation panel 200 is performed through the display input control unit 101 as described above, but will be described as a function of the operation panel 200 by omitting in FIG. Note that the screen for allowing the user to recognize that the processing for storing the document has been selected may be a shape change other than the reverse display.

  Next, when the user presses the start key 207 and a job start instruction (input) is given to the image forming apparatus (step S <b> 902), the output control unit 102 sends a JID generation instruction to the ID management unit 5 ID management. The data is transmitted to the unit 104 (step S903). The ID management unit 104 newly generates a JID and stores it in the ID storage unit 122 (step S904).

  Subsequently, the output control unit 102 transmits an FID generation instruction to the document management unit 107 (step S905). The document management unit 107 newly generates a FID and stores it in the ID storage unit 122 (S906).

  Next, the output control unit 102 repeats the image accumulation process for taking a document image with a scanner and storing it in the image storage unit 121 for the number of input images (steps S907 to S915). Note that, when marking and printing a document stored by the document storage function, the image data is already stored in the image recording unit 121, and therefore the image storage process is not executed again.

  Specifically, first, the output control unit 102 as the marking print control unit 3 transmits an EID generation instruction to the image management unit 108 (step S907). At this time, the output control unit 102 determines the state of the image data according to the type of job, and transmits the state together with an EID generation instruction. The image management unit 108 newly generates EID, stores it in the image management table of the ID storage unit 122 together with the state of the image data, and at the same time newly registers the generated EID in the ID related table (see FIG. 13) (step S1). S908). At this time, the image storage unit 121 prepares to store image data for one page.

  Next, the output control unit 102 instructs the ID management unit 104 of the ID management unit 5 to register EID, and after obtaining the EID from the ID management management unit 5, the output control unit 102 and the document management unit 108 of the image storage unit 4 The unit 107 is instructed to start image storage (document storage start) (steps S909 and S910). At this time, the image storage means 4 prepares to store image data for one page in the HDD. Next, the output control unit 102 instructs the scanner control unit 103 of the image input unit 2 to start image input (step S911). Receiving the instruction, the image input unit scanner control unit 103 transfers the input image data read from the scanner engine 150 to the image management unit 108 of the image storage unit 4 (step S912). The image management unit 108 stores the image data in the image storage unit 121.

  When the transfer of the input image data is completed, the image management unit 108 notifies the scanner control unit 103 of the completion of the image transfer (step S913). Further, the scanner control unit 103 of the image input unit 2 notifies the output control unit 102 of the marking print control unit that the image input is completed (step S914). In response to this, the output control unit 102 of the marking print control means notifies the image storage means 4 that the input of image data for one page has been completed (step S915). The output control unit 102 notifies the document management unit 107 of the completion of image data storage. Steps 907 to 915 are repeated as many times as the number of input images. When all the images have been read and the accumulation of all the input images is completed, a request from the marking printing management means can handle the set of accumulated images as a document. The ID management means generates a BID (steps 916 and 917).

  Specifically, first, the output control unit 102 transmits a BID generation instruction to the ID management unit 104 according to the number of copies to be printed (step S916). The ID management unit 104 newly generates a BID and stores it in the ID storage unit 122. At the same time, the ID management unit 104 newly registers the generated BID and the location and page of the document in the ID related table (see FIG. 13) (step S917).

  Up to this point, the generation of the ID for the input image is completed, and the operation moves to printing the input image group. When the image accumulation process ends, the output control unit 102 repeats the accumulated image printing process for printing the stored image for the number of copies for which the output is designated and the image for which the output is designated (steps S918 to S926). Incidentally, as will be described later, in the case of marking and printing an accumulated image, the already accumulated data is used without performing the above-described processes.

  In the accumulated image printing process, before printing the input image EID, the print control unit obtains the PID from the ID management unit. At this time, the ID management unit uses the ID relation diagram to associate the PID with the BID and EID. carry out. In other words, the output control unit 102 transmits a PID generation instruction to the ID management unit 104 (step S918). The ID management unit 104 newly generates a PID and stores it in the ID storage unit 122. At the same time, the ID management unit 104 newly registers the generated PID in the ID related table (see FIG. 13) (step S919).

  Here, the data structure of the ID group managed by the ID management means 5 will be described using the data example shown in FIG.

  For example, when two originals are read and two copies are printed, EID1 and EID2 are assigned to each of the read originals, and BID1 is assigned to the two pieces as one document. Since different PIDs are assigned for each printing, PIDs 1 to 4 are assigned to the printed materials, respectively.

  Next, one copy of a four-sheet document is printed, 3 to 6 are assigned to EID, and BID2 is assigned to a document that is a collection of them. Further, PIDs 5 to 8 are given to the printed matter.

  Next, when three originals are read and only the documents are stored, EIDs 6 to 9 are assigned to each of the read originals, and BID3 is assigned to the three originals as one document. In this case, since only accumulation is performed, printing is not performed, and therefore no PID is assigned.

  Next, when one copy of the stored document with BID3 is printed, PIDs 9 to 11 are assigned to the printed materials, respectively. Since EID and BID are the same as the stored document, no new allocation is performed.

  Further, the location information of the accumulated document and the page are stored as information for specifying physical data of the accumulated document and page from the BID or EID. Here, the path of the file and the number of pages are stored as the location of the document, but any information that can specify the location of the document and the page (image) may be used. In this example, information for specifying the location is also managed in the ID related table, but it may be cut out in a separate table and managed.

  Note that the output control unit 102 determines the state of the image and notifies the image management unit 108 of the state change as necessary (S920, S921). Since the embodiment is the same as the state set in S908, it is not necessary to change the state. When marking and printing a document stored by the document storage function, the state of the corresponding image may be changed in this step (details are omitted).

  Subsequently, the output control unit 102 instructs the printer engine 140 to print an image (step S922). The print instruction includes the EID of the image to be printed and the PID to be encoded and combined on the paper to be printed. Is included.

  In the marking printing unit 6, the image acquisition unit 142 of the printer engine 140 starts a process of reading an image corresponding to the EID for which printing has been instructed from the image management unit 108 of the image storage unit 4 (step S923). The image management unit 108 reads out the corresponding image from the image storage unit 121 and transfers it to the printer engine 140 (step S924).

  Next, the marking unit 141 (in the marking printing unit 6) generates a marking obtained by encoding the PID. When the PID numbering is finished in this way, the output control unit 102 of the marking printing control unit 3 issues a printing instruction to the printer engine 140 of the marking printing unit 6 (step S922). The marking printing unit 6 specifies an image from the EID, reads the image from the stored image unit 4 (step S923, step S924), and then synthesizes the PID with the printed image at the marking unit 141 in the marking printing unit 6. Then, the marking generated by the printer engine 140 is combined with the print image, and the combined image is printed out (step S925). When printing is completed, the printer engine 140 notifies the output control unit 102 of the completion of printing (step S926). The above printing process is repeated according to the number of output images.

  When the specified number of stored image printing processes for all images (documents) are completed, the output control unit 102 displays job completion on the operation panel 200 via the display input control unit 101 (step S927). , (Image during storage) The printing process is terminated.

  The document according to the present embodiment is, in a narrow sense, one or a plurality of image data obtained by reading and processing a paper document composed of one or a plurality of sheets by the scanner engine 150 of the image forming apparatus 100. Say. However, the broadly defined document handled in this embodiment is not limited to a paper document, but may be printer data received from a PC via the network I / F 160 or facsimile data received from the FCU 30.

  A method of deleting the stored document based on the information marked on the printed matter will be described in detail later. In this case as well, by selecting the stored document and pressing the delete key 2212 in the above procedure, It is also possible to delete the selected accumulated document from the image forming apparatus 100.

  [Stored image print processing]

  The stored document (image) can be printed at any time. When the document list key 204 in FIG. 8 is pressed, the image forming apparatus 100 displays a list of stored documents (hereinafter referred to as stored documents) on the operation panel 200. What is displayed at this time is the document ID and the document name associated with the storage of the image data.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a selection reception screen for a stored document to be printed displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 220. When it is desired to select a stored document that is not displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 220, another stored document is displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 220 by pressing a “Previous” key and a “Back” key 2213. The user can cause the image forming apparatus 100 to print the selected stored document by selecting the stored document to be printed and pressing the print key 2211.

  At this time, the accumulated document can be printed under desired printing conditions by performing various printing conditions such as color / monochrome, double-sided printing, and aggregate printing on the liquid crystal touch panel 220. It is also possible to select a part of the image data included in the stored document and print only the selected image data (none is shown). These operations may be performed either before or after selecting the stored document. In this case as well, it is possible to mark the document ID and the document name associated when storing the image data by designation at the time of printing.

    <Marking printing function>

  Next, a reprinting process by marking provided in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. As described above, the reprinting process by marking is a process of scanning the paper (original) on which the marking is printed by the printing process, obtaining ID information, and printing the original or the document to which it belongs in units of copies or jobs. The process to reproduce.

  The image forming apparatus 100 has a function of reading a marking from a document by the scanner engine 150 and controlling a subsequent printing process based on the embedded information (hereinafter referred to as a marking printing function). That is, when the image forming apparatus 100 prints image data on a printing paper, an identifier for identifying the printed printing paper is created, and a code image (marking) obtained by encoding the identifier is printed on each printing paper (hereinafter referred to as “printing paper”). , Marking printing). At this time, the printed image data and the identifier are stored in a storage device such as the HDD 120 in association with each other.

  Therefore, when the user causes the scanner engine 150 to read the marking on the print paper, the image forming apparatus 100 reprints all the images included in the job when the image data related to the identifier (PID described later) is printed. (Hereinafter referred to as reprinting by marking).

  The operation of the marking printing function will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a sheet printed by the image forming apparatus corresponding to the original document when “marking printing” is performed by the marking printing function according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining an embodiment of paper printed in the reprinting process by marking by the marking printing function.

  When the document A composed of a plurality of sheets is printed (the same applies to copying) (step S926 in FIG. 10), identification information (hereinafter referred to as PID) for uniquely identifying the print sheet is encoded as shown in FIG. The converted marking is added to the upper right part of each sheet and printed out. For example, PID = A1 is marked on the upper right portion of the top sheet, and PID = A2 and A3 are marked on the second and third sheets, respectively.

  In the marking generation process, any conventional code generation method such as a QR code (registered trademark) obtained by encoding a PID or a method of generating another two-dimensional barcode can be used.

  The operation panel 200 (FIG. 8) is used for the accumulated document function as described above, and in the reprinting process by marking, which will be described in detail later, an image scanning and printing process instruction, a reprinting process instruction, It is also used to set printing conditions when printing. However, in re-printing by marking, in principle, as recorded in the “print setting” column in the ID management table of FIG. If no setting is made, printing is performed in accordance with the printing conditions when the marking is printed.

  [Flow from marking detection to image and document identification]

  In the case of “reprinting by marking” processing by the marking printing function in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 12, for example, it is one of the sheets printed in FIG. When reprinting is specified by scanning a sheet marked with PID = A1, not only the sheet with PID = A1, but also all the sheets included in the printing unit printed at the same time are newly printed. can do.

  That is, not only the scanned PID = A1 sheet but all images including sheets corresponding to PID = A2 and A3 in FIG. 1 are reprinted. In addition, on the paper at the time of reprinting, a marking in which a new PID (B1, B2, B3) is encoded is printed on the upper right portion of the paper.

  The operation target image and document specifying function using the ID information in the processing using the above marking will be described in detail below. PID information is marked on the transfer paper by the marking means 7. When the PID information is detected by the marking detection means 16 from this marking, the print image specifying means 17 uses the EID and bibliography based on the PID. Information and BID can be obtained from the ID-related table. In the example of the ID-related table shown in FIG. 13, if PID 6 is detected, the EID that specifies the original image of the page is 4 and the BID that specifies the document is 2. Can do.

  Regarding the specific operation of the print image specifying means 17 in this embodiment, the process of specifying a desired document will be described by taking the entire flow of reprinting processing by marking shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. 14 as an example. The print image specifying unit 17 is substantially described below in relation to the image specifying operation in the functional group of the operation panel 200, the image input unit 2, the marking print control unit 3 and the like of the operation unit already described. The print image specifying means 17 is embodied by the cooperation of these functions in a set of functions as described.

  First, when a reprint process is designated by the user via the operation panel 200 or the like, the output control unit 102 of the marking print control unit 3 starts the marking detection (detecting unit for PID) of the ID management unit 5 105 is instructed (step S1401). For this purpose, the user only needs to scan one of the printing papers constituting the job desired to be reprinted. In addition, a plurality of jobs can be processed at a time by simultaneously reading one sheet of print paper printed by a plurality of jobs.

  Upon receiving the instruction, the detection unit 105 detects all the markings from the read document image, and detects the PID by decoding the detected markings (step S1401B). The detecting unit 105 notifies the detected group of PIDs to the output control unit 102 (step S1402).

  In response to this, the output control unit 102 repeats the image specifying process for specifying the image to be reprinted by using the function of the ID management unit 5 for the number of detected PIDs (steps S1403 to S1408).

  Specifically, first, the output control unit 102 instructs the ID acquisition unit 106 of the ID management unit 5 to start the image specifying process (step S1403). This instruction includes the detected PID. The ID acquisition unit 106 acquires a print setting that is a print condition at the time of printing in the print unit to which the detected PID belongs. Specifically, the ID acquisition unit 106 first acquires the JID (BID) corresponding to the detected PID by querying the ID management unit 104. Next, all EIDs corresponding to the acquired JID (BID) are obtained by inquiring the ID management unit 104. Further, the print setting corresponding to the acquired JID (BID) is obtained by inquiring the ID management unit 104.

  Upon receiving the instruction, the ID acquisition unit 106 inquires of the ID management unit 104 about the JID corresponding to the PID (step S1404). In response to the inquiry, the ID management unit 104 acquires various IDs corresponding to the inquiry from the ID storage unit 122 and performs a process of responding. For example, when the ID management unit 104 receives an inquiry about a JID corresponding to the PID detected by the detection unit 105, the ID management unit 104 acquires the JID corresponding to the PID and the print setting from the ID storage unit 122 of the image storage unit 4. The ID acquisition unit 106 of the inquiry source is notified (step S1405).

  The ID acquisition unit 106 inquires of the ID management unit 104 about all EIDs belonging to the job identified by the JID (step S1406). The ID management unit 104 acquires all the EIDs associated with the JID from the ID storage unit 122, and notifies the ID acquisition unit 106 of the acquired list of EIDs (step S1407). Upon receiving the notification, the ID acquisition unit 106 notifies the output control unit 102 of the print settings acquired in step S1405 and the EID list notified in step S1407 (step S1408).

  In response to this, the output control unit 102 executes image reprint processing for the image corresponding to the acquired EID (steps S1409 to S1414). In the image reprinting process, as in the printing process, the PID for the paper to be reprinted and the JID of the job to be reprinted are generated. This process is the same as the case described above, and therefore, FIG. Is omitted.

  For reference, it is possible to change the print settings such as specifying the number of copies and changing the printing conditions on the operation panel 200 even during reprinting. In this case, the JID at the time of reprinting under the changed printing conditions can be used. Is generated. As a result, even when the printing conditions are different at the time of previous printing and at the time of reprinting, it is possible to specify the required number of copies and print. In this case, first, in conjunction with reprinting, the output control unit 102 notifies the state of the corresponding image data as necessary (step S1409), and the image management unit 107 changes the state of the image data (step S1409). S1410), but this point is not relevant to the present application, and the description is omitted.

  When the above processes are completed, printing is performed. In other words, the output control unit 102 instructs the printer engine 140 to perform reprinting (step S1411). This instruction includes the EID of the image to be printed and the generated PID.

  Next, the image acquisition unit 142 of the printer engine 140 starts a process of reading an image corresponding to the instructed EID from the image storage unit 121 (step S1412). When the reading of the image from the image storage unit 121 is completed (step S1413), the marking unit 141 generates a marking obtained by encoding the PID, and the printer engine 140 combines the generated marking with the print image and prints it (step S1413). S1414). When the reprinting is completed, the printer engine 140 notifies the output control unit 102 of the completion of the reprinting (step S1415).

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 stores the image data stored by the document storage function or the image data printed by the marking printing function in the image storage unit 121, and the image data stored in the image storage unit 121 at the time of reprinting. The printing process is performed based on Compared to the case where the printing process is performed based on the paper on which the image is printed (ie, the normal copying process), as already known, by performing the (re) printing process based on the stored image data. Thus, there is an advantage that image deterioration can be prevented. In particular, regarding reprint processing of an image or the like obtained by synthesizing a code image (marking), as described above, it is easy to specify the original image or the document by using the code image (marking).

  [Document Operation]

  Subsequently, deletion, movement, and the like of image data and the like executed in cooperation with the document specifying process described above under the control of the document operation unit 15 (see FIG. 3) characterizing the present embodiment. Various document operations such as duplication related to the duplication history management means will be sequentially described.

  For these processes, the document operation unit 15 includes an image deletion unit 10 that deletes an image, a document deletion unit 11 that deletes a document, a document, etc., as described above. Or a document moving unit 12 for deleting from the image storage unit 4 and a document duplicating unit 13 for transmitting a document or the like to the requesting source (external other device).

  With the above-described document operation means 15, it is possible to delete the image / document stored in the image storage means 4 by operating the apparatus itself. First, the flow of the process of specifying a desired image or document stored in the device itself and deleting the image from the specified EID (referred to as a first document operation for convenience) is shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. A specific description will be given with reference to FIG.

  A print image in which the PID marking is synthesized by the marking printing unit 6 is read by the image input unit 2 (not shown). This image data is sent from the scanner control unit 103 to the marking detection means 16 shown in FIG. 15, where the marking is detected and the PID is extracted.

  Thereafter, the processing target image and document are specified in substantially the same manner as in FIG. First, the user scans an original (printing paper) of an image or document desired to be deleted. The marking detection means 16 of the image input means 2 detects all the markings and outputs a PID group to the (for PID) detection unit 105 of the ID management management means 5.

  The detection unit 105 as the print image specifying unit 17 receives a PID group included in all the markings detected by the marking detection unit 16 (step S1501). The ID acquisition unit 106 as the print image specifying unit 17 first acquires the EID and BID to which each detected PID belongs by sequentially inquiring the ID management unit 104 (in the ID management unit 5). Next, all EIDs corresponding to the acquired BID are obtained by inquiring the ID management unit 104 (step S1502, step S1503, step S1504, step S1505). Through the above process, an image and a document to be operated are specified. This acquisition process is repeated for the designated number of PIDs.

  Note that the above-described sequence assumes that the marking detection unit 16, the ID management unit 5, and the image storage unit 4 are present in the same image forming apparatus. Even if the image management apparatus is distributed (usually the ID management means 5 and the image storage means 4 are placed in the same apparatus), the communication means 9 provided in both apparatuses and the communication line between them are used. Thus, it is possible to perform exactly the same image and document identification processing as described above. That is, it is possible to easily specify an image and a document to be operated using the markings attached to the transfer paper (original) even between the separated devices.

  Next, the flow of document operation processing will be specifically exemplified for each processing content. It is assumed that the operation target image and the document using the ID information are identified by the procedure described above, and the subsequent processing will be described. Deletion of the operation target image after the operation target image is specified and processing associated therewith will be described with reference to the same sequence diagram of FIG.

  The print image specifying unit 17 instructs the image image deleting unit 10 of the document operating unit 15 to delete the image using the EID specified from the PID, and deletes the image stored in the image storing unit 4 (step S1506). Step S1507).

  Thus, when the deletion of the image is completed, there is a contradiction in the ID related table. Therefore, the print image specifying unit 17 instructs the ID management unit 5 to update the ID related table to cope with the deletion of the image. The ID related table is updated (steps S1508 and S1509). The above steps S1506 to S1509 are repeated for the image to be deleted.

  Next, the update process of the ID related table described above will be described with a specific example. FIG. 16 shows the update of the ID related table when the original is marked with PID2 in the state of the ID related table of FIG. 13 and the image is deleted.

  Assume that the marking detection means 16 detects that the PID is 2. The print image specifying means 17 specifies that EID is 2 by the ID management means 5 from the detected PID (= 2). The print image specifying unit 17 notifies the image deletion unit 10 of the document operation unit 15 of this, and the document operation unit 15 instructs the image storage unit 4 to delete EID2 (step S1506).

  When the deletion is completed, the fact is notified to the ID acquisition unit 106 of the ID management means 5 (step S1507). The ID acquisition unit 106 requests the ID management unit 104 of the ID management unit 5 to update the table in order to resolve the inconsistency in the ID related table due to the deletion of the EID2 image (step S1508). The ID management unit 104 searches for two records (PID2 and 4) related to EID2, deletes these two records, and notifies the ID acquisition unit 106 of the update completion (step S1509).

  The flow of deleting “document” as a set of images from the identified BID will be described with reference to the same sequence diagram of FIG. As described above, the BID is specified from the PID through steps S1501 to S1504 in FIG.

  The print image specifying unit 17 (which functions as the print document specifying unit 18 here) instructs the document deleting unit 11 to delete a document using the BID specified from the PID, and is stored in the image storage unit 4. The document is deleted (steps S1510 and S1511).

  When the deletion of the document is completed, an inconsistency occurs in the ID related table. Therefore, the print image specifying unit 17 instructs the ID management unit 5 to update the ID related table in response to the document deletion, and the ID related table. Are updated (steps S1512 and S1513). The above steps S1510 to S1513 are repeated for the image to be deleted.

  Next, this update process will be described with a specific example. FIG. 17 shows the update of the ID related table when the original is marked with PID2 in the state of the ID related table of FIG. 13 and the document is deleted.

  Assume that the marking detection means 16 detects that the PID is 2. The print image specifying means 17 specifies that the BID is 1 by the ID management means 5 from the detected PID (= 2). The print image specifying unit 17 notifies the document deletion unit 11 of the document operation unit 15 of this, and the document operation unit 15 instructs the image storage unit 4 to delete BID1 (step S1510).

  When the deletion is completed, the fact is notified to the ID acquisition unit 106 of the ID management means 5 (step S1511). The ID acquisition unit 106 requests the ID management unit 104 of the ID management unit 5 to update the table in order to eliminate the inconsistency in the ID related table due to the deletion of the document of BID1 (step S1512). The ID management unit 104 searches for four records (PID1 to PID4) related to BID1, deletes these four records, and notifies the ID acquisition unit 106 of the update completion (step S1513).

  <Communication related functions>

  Each of the document operation examples described above is an example in which the marking detection unit 16 and the print image specifying unit 17 are arranged in the same image forming apparatus as the ID management unit 5, the image deletion unit 10, and the image image storage unit 4. However, even when the marking detection unit 16 and the print image specifying unit 17 are arranged in separate apparatuses, the PID detected by the marking detection unit 16 specifies information for identifying a device in which a document or the like is stored ( The stored document can be processed via both communication means 9 (see FIG. 1).

  Subsequently, a document operation process performed with another image forming apparatus by own apparatus operation will be described. The document operation unit 15 uses the communication function to perform a requested operation on the document stored in the image storage unit 4 when a document operation is requested from the outside via the communication unit 9. Can be done. For example, the stored image can be transmitted to another similar device for printing, or a copy can be created on the other device. On the other hand, it is also possible to request and store (replicate) an image by requesting it from another apparatus. By combining such duplication function and deletion processing, images can be moved between other devices.

  Here, the image transmission path will be described with reference to FIG. There is a transmission path for image information independently of the relationship between the means shown in the overall configuration of FIG. In FIG. 18, an apparatus for accumulating documents and performing marking printing is described as an image forming apparatus 100, and an apparatus for moving and copying a document is described as an image forming apparatus 100 </ b> B.

  In the image forming apparatus 100, the image input by the image input unit 2 is transmitted to the storage unit 4 in response to an instruction from the marking print control unit 3. Further, as described above, the image stored in the storage unit 4 is transmitted to the marking-equipped printing unit 6 in accordance with an instruction from the marking printing control unit 3 and is printed. Is transmitted to the external communication path 500 via the communication unit 9 under the control of the document operation unit 15 (in response to the above request) (in response to an instruction from the image transmission unit 8).

  The image data transmitted from the image forming apparatus 100 is received by the requesting image forming apparatus 100B via the communication path 500, and the image received from the outside communicates under the control of the image receiving means 8B (not shown). It is stored in the image storage means 4B via the means 9B.

  The document duplication unit 13 of the document operation unit 15 can duplicate the stored document and the image data. Further, according to the document moving means 12, it is possible to move image data by copying and deleting the stored document etc. of the own machine. In the embodiment apparatus, the image deletion unit 10 and the document deletion unit 11 can delete the document and the image data stored in the device (added ID) (described above). The duplicated document and image data can be easily deleted.

  The document operation means 15 further includes a copy history management means 14 for managing a copy history when the document is copied by the document copy means 13. Information managed by the duplication history management means 14 includes the ID of the duplicated document and information (IP address etc.) for specifying the duplication destination. As a result, for example, when a document is deleted by the document deletion unit 11, a copy history managed by the copy history management unit 14 is searched. A function for deleting a document is also provided. The same applies to image data. The operation result accompanied with the deletion is notified to the ID management means 5 and reflected in the management ID information. In addition, depending on operational needs, it may be possible to delete a remote document by managing a document that has been moved.

  Next, with regard to document duplication between apparatuses, the flow of duplicating “document” from the specified BID is shown in the sequence diagrams shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 and FIGS. 21 (a), 21 (b) and 21 (a). This will be described in detail with reference to the state explanatory diagram of the ID related table and (b) a data structure example of the history management table). In the sequence diagram, the image forming apparatus that detects marking is the image forming apparatus 100B in the block diagram of FIG. 2, and the apparatus in which the document that is the basis of the detected PID is stored is the image forming apparatus 100. Note that the detailed configuration of the image forming apparatus 100B is the same as that of the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and the like, and in the following description, each component is described by adding B to the corresponding reference numeral. To do.

  First, the flow of reading a document of PID5 by the image forming apparatus 100B and specifying the accumulated document of another apparatus (here, the image forming apparatus 100) will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.

  As described above, the marked ID includes information identifying the device, such as the IP address of the device, and tracks which image is stored in the device or the paper printed by which device. It is possible. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19 for identifying a document or the like, when a document marked with PID5 is read on the image forming apparatus 100B side, the marking detection unit 16B analyzes the marking read from the document and detects the marking PID5. To the print image specifying means 17B (step S1901). The print image specifying unit 17B inquires of the ID management unit 5 of the image forming apparatus 100 about the location of the BID corresponding to the obtained PID 5 via the communication unit 9B (step S1902). The ID management unit 5 makes an inquiry to the copy history management unit 14 as to whether or not the document of the target BID has been copied (step S1903). Here, since it can be seen that the copied document has been copied to the image forming apparatus as BID1, the response to the BID inquiry (step S1904) notifies the image forming apparatus 100B (local) that it has been copied with BID1. (Step S1905). As a result of this response, the print image specifying means 17 can use the locally stored document of BID1, and in addition to the following duplication processing, for example, deletion, movement, (re) printing by the already described marking, etc. You can do it freely.

  The sequence diagram of FIG. 20 explains the copying process of the specified document stored in the other device, and it is assumed that the document is specified by the process of specifying the stored document in FIG. Only the process is explained.

  In the following, as shown in FIG. 21A, as an initial state, the original image storage side image forming apparatus 100 includes a document (BID1) composed of two images corresponding to PID1 to PID4, and PID5 to PID8. A description will be made assuming that a document (BID2) composed of four corresponding images is accumulated, and nothing is accumulated in the image forming apparatus 100B on the side where the image is duplicated / accumulated.

  FIG. 21B shows an example of the data structure managed by the history management table. The copy source document is indicated by the BID managed by the ID management means 5 of the device in which the copy source document is stored. The duplication destination is information for specifying a device in which the image data is duplicated and stored, and an IP address is taken as an example as shown in FIG. The BID of the duplicated document is the BID assigned at the time of duplication by the ID management unit 5 of the duplication destination device.

  Briefly explaining document duplication between apparatuses along the sequence diagram of FIG. 20, the print image specifying means 17B on the image forming apparatus 100B side analyzes the marking read from the document as shown in FIG. The BID is specified from the PID obtained in this way.

  In FIG. 20, the print image specifying unit 17B instructs the document duplicating unit 13 of the document operating unit 15 to copy a document using the specified BID (request: step S2001). The document duplication unit 13 requests the image transmission unit 8 to transmit a document based on the BID (step S2002). The image transmission unit 8 reads out the documents stored in the image storage unit 4 (steps S2003 and S2004) and sends them to the image forming apparatus 100B. In the image forming apparatus 100B, the image receiving unit 19B stores the document in the image image storing unit 4B (step S2005). On the image forming apparatus 100 side, when the transmission of the document is completed (step S2006), the document duplication unit 13 requests the duplication history management unit 14 to update the history management table (step S2007), and a completion notification is issued after the history update. It is returned (step S2008).

  As described above, after the PID 5 is detected by the marking detection unit of the image forming apparatus 100B and the stored document is specified, the document of BID2 stored in the image forming apparatus 100 is copied to the image forming apparatus 100B according to the sequence of FIG. If it has been done, the ID-related table (FIG. 13) of the image forming apparatus 100 is not changed. On the other hand, in the replication history management table, BID 2 which is the document of the replication source, IP address 123.123.123.222 for specifying the destination image forming apparatus 100B, and the information accumulated in the image forming apparatus 100B by replication. 1 of the BID assigned to the document is stored. Information on documents newly accumulated by duplication is added to the ID-related table of the image forming apparatus 100B. Since this document has not been printed, the PID is empty.

  Next, with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 22 and FIG. 23, the flow of processing for deleting a copied document together with the original document copied to another apparatus as described above will be described. To do. This is useful when, for example, all documents are deleted at once when the documents are already duplicated and scattered and become unnecessary. This document deletion and deletion of a document copied from the document and stored in another apparatus will be described.

  The state before deletion is the state after replication described with reference to FIG. First, the print image specifying unit 17B specifies the BID from the PID obtained by analyzing the marking read from the document as shown in FIG. The document specifying process described above is the same as that shown in FIG. 19, and details thereof are omitted. In this way, the PID 6 is detected by the marking detection means, and the BID2 document stored in the image forming apparatus 100 is deleted according to the sequence of FIG. 22 and the information stored in the duplication history management table is sent to the image forming apparatus 100B. After the stored document of BID1 is deleted, all records of BID2 are deleted from the ID related table (FIG. 13) of the image forming apparatus 100. Similarly, the record related to BID2 of the copy source document is deleted from the copy history management table. Further, since the document copied to the image forming apparatus 100B is also deleted, the record of BID1 is deleted from the ID related table also on the image forming apparatus 100B side.

  The basic sequence of document deletion is the same as that already described. However, upon receiving a document deletion instruction from the image forming apparatus 100B side (step S2201), the image forming apparatus 100 side completes document deletion from the image storage apparatus 4. In response to the notification (step S2202), the document deleting unit 11 confirms the copied document with respect to the copy history managing unit 14, and if there is a copied document, returns the information for specifying the document (step S2202). S2203, step S2204). The document deletion unit 11 adds a list of information for specifying the acquired duplicate document to the deletion completion notification and transmits it (step S2205). The print image specifying unit 37 that has received the notification of the completion of document deletion instructs the BID corresponding to the list to delete. The update of the ID-related table necessary for deletion is the same as that already described (steps S2206 and S2207). If there are duplicated documents, they are also deleted (steps S2208 to S2211). In this example, the document is duplicated on the image forming apparatus 100 side of the marking detecting means 16, and if the other image forming apparatus is duplicated, the document is deleted via the communication means in the same manner. Do.

  The flow of changes in the ID-related table and the history management table due to document duplication and deletion will be described with reference to FIG. 23 using a specific example. Described on the left side of the figure are an ID-related table (see FIG. 13) of the image forming apparatus 100 (IP address is 123.123.123.111) in which documents are stored, and a replication history management table. It is. Also shown on the right is an ID related table of the image forming apparatus 100B (IP address is 123.123.123.222) that stores the copied document. In this example, since the duplicated documents are only stored, there is no need to manage the history, and therefore the replication history management table is not described for the image forming apparatus 100B.

  Next, the flow of moving a document from the specified BID will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG. First, the print image specifying unit 37 instructs the document moving unit 12 to move the document using the BID specified from the PID (request: step S2401). The document moving unit 12 requests the image transmission unit 8 to transmit a document based on the BID (step S2402). The image transmission unit 8 reads the document stored in the image storage unit 4 (steps S2403 and S2404), and stores the document in the image storage unit 24 (step S2405). When the transmission of the document is completed (step S2406), the document moving unit 12 deletes the document copied to the image image storage unit 44 (steps S2407 and S2408). When the deletion of the document is completed, the print image specifying unit 1737 is notified of the completion of document movement (step S2409). When the movement of the document is completed, an inconsistency occurs in the ID related table. Therefore, the print image specifying unit 37 instructs the ID management unit 5 to update the ID related table by moving the document, and updates the ID related table. It performs (step S2410, step S2411). In this document movement process, as in the case of the previous copy, if a document movement history is kept, it is possible to delete a document that has been moved from the source device to another device. become. Since it is similar to the case of duplication, detailed explanation is omitted.

  In the above description, both image forming apparatuses can be connected to each other by means of communication means between the image storage means and another apparatus having the marking detection means. Thus, it is possible to simplify the trouble of searching for a document to be copied or moved.

  In addition, if both image forming apparatuses can be connected to each other by means of communication between the image storage means and another apparatus equipped with marking detection means, the printed matter can be marked from other than the apparatus where the images are stored. On the basis of the information thus obtained, it is possible to simplify the labor for searching for a document to be copied between apparatuses as compared with the conventional technique.

  In addition, when the devices are connected to each other by communication means, and the specific document is deleted by the own device, if there is something that has been copied to another device, these copied documents can be erased together based on the copy history. In this case, when it is desired to delete all of the duplicated documents including the duplicated document, it is possible to simplify the trouble of searching for the duplicated document.

  In the above description, there are only two image forming apparatuses. However, when a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected by a communication function via a network, the stored images are mutually utilized in the same manner. it can.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.・ Change is possible. Moreover, the order of each process may be changed if it is the order which exhibits the same effect.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a network system including an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating main functional units of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment and a relationship therebetween. It is a block diagram which shows the subdivision structure of a document operation means. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction peripheral that is an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment; 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the data structure of (A) image management table and (B) document management table which were stored in ID storage part of embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the data structure of ID information (ID management table) of the marking printing function stored in the ID memory | storage part of embodiment. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation panel 200 of the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a figure showing an example of a display of a document storage function. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an overall flow of printing processing according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a sheet printed by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining reprint processing by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of an ID related table. It is a sequence diagram which shows the whole flow of the reprint process by marking. It is a sequence diagram showing a process of deleting the stored image of its own device from the specified EID. It is a figure explaining the update of ID related table. It is a figure explaining the state of ID related table. It is a typical explanatory view of an image transmission path in an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of specifying “document” from specified BID. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of copying “document” from an identified BID. (A) is an explanatory diagram of the state of the ID related table, and (b) is an example of the data structure of the history management table. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of processing for deleting a duplicated “document” from an identified BID. It is a figure explaining the change of an ID related table and a log | history management table by duplication / deletion of a document. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining a flow of moving a “document” from an identified BID.

Explanation of symbols

2, 2B image input means 3, 3B marking printing means 4, 4B image image storage means 5, 5B ID management means 6, 6B marking printing means 7, 7B marking means 8, 8B image transmission means 9, 9B communication means 10, 10B Image deleting means 11, 11B Document deleting means 12, 12B Document moving means 13, 13B Document duplicating means 14, 14B Duplication history managing means 15, 15B Document operating means 16, 16B Marking detecting means 17, 17B Print image specifying means 18, 18B Print document specifying means 19, 19B Image receiving means 100, 100B Image forming apparatus 120 HDD
200 Operation Panel 300 Controller Unit 400 Engine Unit 500 Communication Path 810 Controller 811 CPU
812 System memory 812a ROM
812b RAM
813 North Bridge 814 South Bridge 815 AGP
816 ASIC
817 Local memory 850 interface 860 PCI bus

Claims (15)

An image information storage unit storing image information;
An image information input unit for inputting image information;
An input image specifying information extracting unit for extracting input image specifying information for specifying the image information from the input image information;
An association information storage unit storing information associating the image information stored in the image information storage unit with the input image specifying information;
An image processing apparatus comprising: an image information specifying unit that specifies image information associated with the extracted input image specifying information among the image information stored in the image information storage unit.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image forming unit that executes image formation based on the specified image information.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specified image information is deleted from the image information storage unit. The association information storage unit
Storing information associating image information stored in the image information storage unit with document specifying information for specifying document information including a plurality of pieces of image information including the image information;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image information specifying unit specifies image information included in document information to which the specified image information belongs. The association information storage unit
5. The stored image specifying information for specifying the image information stored in the image information storage unit and the input image specifying information are stored in association with each other. 6. Image processing apparatus.   The said input image specific information extraction part extracts the said input image specific information from the information displayed on the image which the said input image information draws, The Claim 1 thru | or 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Image processing unit.   The input image specifying information extraction unit according to claim 6, wherein the input image specifying information extraction unit extracts the input image specifying information by decoding encoded information displayed on an image drawn by the input image information. Image processing device. An image forming unit that executes image formation based on image information stored in the image information storage unit;
An output image specifying information adding unit that adds output image specifying information for specifying image information that is an execution target of the image formation to the image information when executing image formation by the image forming unit;
The association information storage unit associates and stores the image information on which the image formation has been performed and the output image specifying information,
The input image specifying information extracting unit extracts the output image specifying information as the input image specifying information when image information on which the image formation has been performed is input to the image information input unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1. An image forming unit that performs image formation based on the input image information;
An output image specifying information adding unit that adds output image specifying information for specifying image information that is an execution target of the image formation to the image information when executing image formation by the image forming unit;
The image information storage unit stores the input image information,
The association information storage unit associates and stores the stored image information and the assigned output image specifying information,
The input image specifying information extracting unit extracts the output image specifying information as the input image specifying information when image information on which the image formation has been performed is input to the image information input unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1. A first functional block controlled by a first control unit; and a second functional block connected to the first functional block via a network and controlled by a second control unit;
The first functional block includes the image information input unit and the input image specifying information extraction unit,
The second functional block includes the image information specifying unit,
The image processing according to claim 1, wherein the second control unit notifies the first functional block of a result of specifying the image information by the image information specifying unit. apparatus. The second functional block is:
The image information storage unit;
An image information duplicating unit that transmits the image information identified by the image information identifying unit to the first functional block;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a replication history information storage unit that stores information relating to a replication history by the image information replication unit. The second functional block is:
An image information deletion unit for deleting the specified image information from the image information storage unit;
A replication history recognition unit for recognizing that the deleted image is transmitted to the first functional block based on the information regarding the replication history;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a deletion command transmission unit that transmits a deletion command of the transmitted image information to the first functional block. A control method for an image processing apparatus having a storage medium in which image information is stored,
Enter image information,
Extracting input image specifying information for specifying the image information from the input image information;
A control method for an image processing apparatus, wherein image information associated with the extracted input image specifying information is specified from among image information stored in the image information storage unit.   An image processing apparatus control program for causing an image processing apparatus to execute the control method according to claim 13.   15. A recording medium in which the control program according to claim 14 is recorded in a format readable by an image processing apparatus.

Images