JP2009259128A - Image forming system, image forming apparatus, and print server - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly complete a printout by simultaneously printing with a plurality of image forming apparatuses at the time of printing with an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming apparatus is connected through a network to the other image forming apparatuses, and configured to carry out grouping of paper supply storage parts across the image forming apparatuses, and to divide jobs so that simultaneous printout can be performed by a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected through the network, and to transmit the divided ones to the plurality of image forming apparatuses for execution. Also, a method having a print server having job dividing and transmitting functions is also provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  Image formation that allows print jobs to be divided and transmitted to a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected by a telecommunication line, and that the print output can be terminated early by performing simultaneous output from the plurality of image forming apparatuses. The present invention relates to a system, an image forming apparatus, and a print server.

  In an image forming apparatus having a plurality of paper feed storage units (such as a paper feed cassette or a manual paper feed tray), there is a method in which the plurality of paper feed storage units are grouped according to paper size, paper type, and the like. It was.

  For example, there is a method in which a plurality of paper feed trays are handled as a group, and the statuses of the individual paper feed trays (paper feed accommodation units) are represented as the statuses of the grouped paper feed trays (see Patent Document 1).

  When paper in one paper storage unit (paper tray) is consumed by grouping, switching to paper from other paper storage units in the same group and printing continuously However, the grouping is performed only in the sheet storage unit in a single image forming apparatus so far, and a group of sheet storage units over a plurality of image forming apparatuses is formed. I couldn't.

The print job is completed early by dividing one print job and sending it to each image forming apparatus at the same time for the paper feed storage section of each image forming apparatus grouped across multiple units. Although it is possible to make it happen, there was no device that realized it.
JP 2006-76868 A

  The problem to be solved is that, in an image forming apparatus that receives a paper feed from a paper feed storage unit and prints it out in a printing unit, when grouping the paper feed storage units, This is because only the grouping of the sheet feeding units can be performed, and printing cannot be simultaneously performed on the grouped sheet feeding units spanning a plurality of image forming apparatuses.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming system according to the present invention having a plurality of image forming apparatuses that receive paper feed from a paper feed accommodating section and perform print output in a printing section, and an electric communication line between the image forming apparatuses. The image forming apparatus includes: a communication interface unit that enables connection to the telecommunication line; and the paper feed accommodating unit that spans between the plurality of image forming apparatuses. Group management unit for setting and managing grouping of jobs, and job division generation for generating a plurality of divided print jobs by dividing a print job in order to simultaneously perform print output by paper feeding from the grouped paper feed storage unit A job transmission unit that transmits the divided print job to the other image forming apparatus via the communication interface unit, and the divided print job via the communication interface unit. And having a job receiving unit for receiving, and a job execution section for executing the received divided print job.

  The image forming system according to a second aspect of the present invention is the image forming system according to the first aspect, wherein the image forming apparatus is capable of printing in a paper feed accommodating portion of another image forming apparatus. A paper feed tray status inquiry section that inquires about whether or not, and a paper feed tray status response section that answers the status of the paper feed storage section in response to an inquiry from the paper feed tray status inquiry section of the other image forming apparatus. The job division generation unit increases or decreases the number of print job divisions in response to a reply that printing is possible in the paper feed storage unit of the other image forming apparatus, and the job transmission unit The divided print job is transmitted when a response indicating that printing is possible in the paper feed accommodating portion of the image forming apparatus is received. Here, in claim 1 and 2, in one image forming apparatus among a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected by the telecommunication line, the job division generation unit divides and generates the plurality of print jobs. Of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, the other image forming apparatuses (grouped paper feeds thereof) other than the divided print jobs (divided print jobs) are generated. A plurality of print jobs as described above with respect to other image forming apparatuses as an image forming apparatus having a storage section and further responding that printing in the paper feed storage section is possible in claim 2. A divided print job is transmitted from the image forming apparatus that has generated the divided generation, and the other image forming apparatus receives the divided print job and executes the divided print job. Simultaneous printing output is carried out by dividing the print job is executed in the image forming apparatus that has performed the division generation.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses that receive a paper feed from a paper feed accommodating section and perform print output in a printing section, and a print server that transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus. And an image forming system in which the image forming apparatus and the print server are connected by an electric communication line, wherein the print server enables a connection with the electric communication line, A group management unit for setting and managing the grouping of the paper feed storage units across the plurality of image forming apparatuses and a paper output from the grouped paper feed storage units for simultaneous print output A job division generation unit that divides the print job into a plurality of divided print jobs, and the divided print job to the image forming apparatus via the communication interface unit A communication interface unit that enables connection to the telecommunication line, and a job reception unit that receives the divided print job via the communication interface unit And a job execution unit that executes the received divided print job.

  An image forming system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the image forming system according to the third aspect, wherein the print server inquires whether printing is possible in a paper feed accommodating portion of the image forming apparatus. A paper tray status inquiry unit, and the job division generation unit increases or decreases the number of divisions of the print job in response to a reply that printing is possible in the paper feed storage unit of the image forming apparatus, The job transmitting unit transmits the divided print job to an image forming apparatus that has answered that printing is possible in a paper feed accommodating unit of the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus And a paper feed tray status answering unit that answers the status of the paper feed storage unit in response to an inquiry from the paper feed tray status query unit. In this case, the job division generation unit of the print server performs division and generation of the plurality of print jobs, and the plurality of image forming apparatuses (of which the grouped sheet storage unit is provided). In claim 4, the print server transmits a divided print job to an image forming apparatus that has made a reply that printing can be performed in the paper feed container, and so forth. When the apparatus receives the divided print job and executes the divided print job, simultaneous print output is performed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, which is an image forming apparatus that receives a paper feed from a paper feed accommodating portion and prints it out at a printing portion, and is a communication interface portion that enables connection to an electric communication line A group management unit configured to group and manage the sheet storage unit and the sheet storage unit of another image forming apparatus connected via the telecommunication line, and the grouped sheet storage unit A job division generation unit that generates a plurality of divided print jobs by dividing a print job in order to simultaneously perform print output by paper feeding from the printer, and the other image forming apparatus that transmits the divided print job via the communication interface unit A job transmission unit that transmits to the job, a job reception unit that receives the divided print job via the communication interface unit, and a job execution unit that executes the received divided print job. It is characterized in.

  An image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein a paper feed tray state for inquiring whether printing is possible in a paper feed accommodating portion of the other image forming apparatus. An inquiry unit; and a paper feed tray status answering unit that answers the status of the paper feed storage unit in response to an inquiry from the paper feed tray status query unit, wherein the job division generation unit is configured to output the other image. The number of print job divisions is increased / decreased in response to an answer indicating that printing can be performed in the sheet storage unit of the forming apparatus. The division print job is transmitted when an answer indicating that it is possible is received.

  An image forming apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the fifth or sixth aspect, wherein a plurality of the paper feed accommodating portions and a remaining paper amount detection for detecting a paper out of the paper feed accommodating portions. And a sheet feeding drive unit that enables continuous feeding from the plurality of sheet feeding units to the printing unit, and the group management unit includes the plurality of sheet feeding units. When the paper remaining amount detection unit detects that any of the paper storage units is out of paper, the paper feed drive is switched so as to switch to paper feed from another paper storage unit in the same group. A sheet feed switching control unit for controlling the unit. Here, in one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses connected by the telecommunication line, the job division generation unit divides the print job into the plurality of print jobs. The image forming apparatus in which the plurality of print jobs are divided and generated is set as another image forming apparatus other than the plurality of print job divided generation of the plurality of image forming apparatuses. The image forming apparatus to which the other image forming apparatus (there are grouped sheet storage units, of which a print is possible in the sheet storage unit according to claim 6, and so on) ), And the other image forming apparatus receives the divided print job, executes the divided print job, and forms the print job as described above. Simultaneous printing output is carried out by dividing the print job is executed in the location.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the print server of the present invention is connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses that receive paper feed from the paper feed storage unit and perform print output in the printing unit via an electric communication line, and send the print job to the print server. A print server for transmitting to the image forming apparatus, wherein the group management unit sets and manages grouping of the sheet storage units across the plurality of image forming apparatuses; and the grouped sheet storage unit A job division generation unit that generates a plurality of divided print jobs by dividing a print job in order to perform print output at the same time by paper feeding from the copy unit, and the divided print job to the image forming apparatus via the communication interface unit. And a job transmission unit for transmission.

  A print server according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the print server according to the eighth aspect, further comprising a paper feed tray state inquiry unit that inquires whether printing is possible in the paper supply unit of the image forming apparatus. The job division generation unit increases or decreases the number of divisions of the print job in response to a reply that the paper feed tray state inquiry unit can print in the paper feed storage unit of the image forming apparatus, The job transmission unit transmits the divided print job to the image forming apparatus that has made a reply that printing can be performed in the paper feed accommodating unit of the image forming apparatus.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming system according to the present invention having a plurality of image forming apparatuses that receive paper feed from a paper feed accommodating section and perform print output in a printing section, and an electric communication line between the image forming apparatuses. The image forming apparatus includes: a communication interface unit that enables connection to the telecommunication line; and the paper feed accommodating unit that spans between the plurality of image forming apparatuses. Group management unit for setting and managing grouping of jobs, and job division generation for generating a plurality of divided print jobs by dividing a print job in order to simultaneously perform print output by paper feeding from the grouped paper feed storage unit A job transmission unit that transmits the divided print job to the other image forming apparatus via the communication interface unit, and the divided print job via the communication interface unit. Since it has a job receiving unit for receiving and a job execution unit for executing the received divided print job, when grouping the paper feed accommodating units, they are connected by an electric communication line It is possible to group the sheet storage units among a plurality of image forming apparatuses. In addition, it is possible to simultaneously print out one print job in a plurality of image forming apparatuses having grouped paper feed storage units and complete the print job at an early stage.

  The image forming system according to a second aspect of the present invention is the image forming system according to the first aspect, wherein the image forming apparatus is capable of printing in a paper feed accommodating portion of another image forming apparatus. A paper feed tray status inquiry section that inquires about whether or not, and a paper feed tray status response section that answers the status of the paper feed storage section in response to an inquiry from the paper feed tray status inquiry section of the other image forming apparatus. The job division generation unit increases or decreases the number of print job divisions in response to a reply that printing is possible in the paper feed storage unit of the other image forming apparatus, and the job transmission unit In this case, the divided print job is transmitted when a response indicating that printing can be performed in the sheet storage unit of the image forming apparatus is sent to the other image forming apparatus in advance. Check the inquiry to see if it is possible In order to transfer the job, the distributed job is divided and sent according to the number of executable image forming apparatuses, so that a simultaneous output print job cannot be completed by some image forming apparatuses. No longer occurs.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses that receive a paper feed from a paper feed accommodating section and perform print output in a printing section, and a print server that transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus. And an image forming system in which the image forming apparatus and the print server are connected by an electric communication line, wherein the print server enables a connection with the electric communication line, A group management unit for setting and managing the grouping of the paper feed storage units across the plurality of image forming apparatuses and a paper output from the grouped paper feed storage units for simultaneous print output A job division generation unit that divides the print job into a plurality of divided print jobs, and the divided print job to the image forming apparatus via the communication interface unit A communication interface unit that enables connection to the telecommunication line, and a job reception unit that receives the divided print job via the communication interface unit And a job execution unit that executes the received divided print job. Therefore, when grouping the paper feed storage units, a plurality of image forming units connected by a telecommunication line are formed. It became possible to group paper storage units between devices. In addition, it is possible to simultaneously print out one print job in a plurality of image forming apparatuses having grouped paper feed storage units and complete the print job at an early stage. Further, since the print server is responsible for the group management function and the job split generation function, it is not necessary to provide these functions on the image forming apparatus side, and simultaneous output is possible even with a normal image forming apparatus. Further, the CPU time of the image forming apparatus and the load on the memory are reduced, and the print output capability is increased. In addition, the communication burden for managing the group table between the image forming apparatuses is reduced.

  An image forming system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the image forming system according to the third aspect, wherein the print server inquires whether printing is possible in a paper feed accommodating portion of the image forming apparatus. A paper tray status inquiry unit, and the job division generation unit increases or decreases the number of divisions of the print job in response to a reply that printing is possible in the paper feed storage unit of the image forming apparatus, The job transmitting unit transmits the divided print job to an image forming apparatus that has answered that printing is possible in a paper feed accommodating unit of the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus And a paper feed tray status answering unit that answers the status of the paper feed storage unit in response to an inquiry from the paper feed tray status querying unit. Output is possible In order to transfer the job after confirming the inquiry, the distributed job is divided and sent according to the number of executable image forming apparatuses. The problem that the image forming apparatus cannot be completed no longer occurs.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, which is an image forming apparatus that receives a paper feed from a paper feed accommodating portion and prints it out at a printing portion, and is a communication interface portion that enables connection to an electric communication line A group management unit configured to group and manage the sheet storage unit and the sheet storage unit of another image forming apparatus connected via the telecommunication line, and the grouped sheet storage unit A job division generation unit that generates a plurality of divided print jobs by dividing a print job in order to simultaneously perform print output by paper feeding from the printer, and the other image forming apparatus that transmits the divided print job via the communication interface unit A job transmission unit that transmits to the job, a job reception unit that receives the divided print job via the communication interface unit, and a job execution unit that executes the received divided print job. Since, characterized in that, when grouping the sheet containing portion, a group of the sheet containing portion between the plurality of image forming apparatuses connected by telecommunication lines becomes possible. In addition, it is possible to simultaneously print out one print job in a plurality of image forming apparatuses having grouped paper feed storage units and complete the print job at an early stage.

  An image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein a paper feed tray state for inquiring whether printing is possible in a paper feed accommodating portion of the other image forming apparatus. An inquiry unit; and a paper feed tray status answering unit that answers the status of the paper feed storage unit in response to an inquiry from the paper feed tray status query unit, wherein the job division generation unit is configured to output the other image. The number of print job divisions is increased / decreased in response to an answer indicating that printing can be performed in the sheet storage unit of the forming apparatus, and the job transmission unit performs printing in the sheet storage unit of the other image forming apparatus. Since the divided print job is transmitted when an answer indicating that it is possible is sent, the job transfer is performed after confirming whether or not print output on another image forming apparatus is possible in advance. The job to be distributed is For transmission are divided according to the number of an image forming apparatus, a problem that the print job concurrent output can not be completed in a part of the image forming apparatus no longer occur.

  An image forming apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the fifth or sixth aspect, wherein a plurality of the paper feed accommodating portions and a remaining paper amount detection for detecting a paper out of the paper feed accommodating portions. And a sheet feeding drive unit that enables continuous feeding from the plurality of sheet feeding units to the printing unit, and the group management unit includes the plurality of sheet feeding units. When the paper remaining amount detection unit detects that any of the paper storage units is out of paper, the paper feed drive is switched so as to switch to paper feed from another paper storage unit in the same group. A paper feed switching control unit for controlling the paper feeding unit, so that even if one sheet storage unit runs out of paper in the image forming apparatus, paper can be fed from other paper feed storage units. It became possible to continue printing after switching.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the print server of the present invention is connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses that receive paper feed from the paper feed storage unit and perform print output in the printing unit via an electric communication line, and send the print job to the print server. A print server for transmitting to the image forming apparatus, wherein the group management unit sets and manages grouping of the sheet storage units across the plurality of image forming apparatuses; and the grouped sheet storage unit A job division generation unit that generates a plurality of divided print jobs by dividing a print job in order to perform print output at the same time by paper feeding from the copy unit, and the divided print job to the image forming apparatus via the communication interface unit. When grouping the sheet storage units, when connecting the sheet storage units to the sheet storage unit between a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected by a telecommunication line Grouping of Te has become possible. In addition, it is possible to simultaneously print out one print job in a plurality of image forming apparatuses having grouped paper feed storage units and complete the print job at an early stage. Further, since the print server is responsible for the group management function and the job split generation function, it is not necessary to provide these functions on the image forming apparatus side, and simultaneous output is possible even with a normal image forming apparatus. Further, the CPU time of the image forming apparatus and the load on the memory are reduced, and the print output capability is increased. In addition, the communication burden for managing the group table between the image forming apparatuses is reduced.

  A print server according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the print server according to the eighth aspect, further comprising a paper feed tray state inquiry unit that inquires whether printing is possible in the paper supply unit of the image forming apparatus. The job division generation unit increases or decreases the number of divisions of the print job in response to a reply that the paper feed tray state inquiry unit can print in the paper feed storage unit of the image forming apparatus, The job transmission unit transmits the divided print job to the image forming apparatus that has responded that printing is possible in the paper feed accommodating unit of the image forming apparatus. In order to transfer the job after confirming the inquiry whether the print output in the image forming apparatus is possible, the distributed job is divided and sent according to the number of executable image forming apparatuses. Simultaneous output Can not be completed no longer be generated by dividing the print job is part of the image forming apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus or image forming system having a plurality of paper feed accommodating portions, it is impossible to form a group of paper feed accommodating portions across a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the plurality of grouped images A communication interface that allows a plurality of image forming apparatuses to be connected to a network, and a problem that a job cannot be completed at the same time by simultaneously printing out from the paper feed storage unit of the forming apparatus, and the connection between these connected image forming apparatuses The problem has been solved by providing a group management unit that manages group information of the sheet storage unit and a job division generation unit that divides and generates jobs for simultaneous output by a plurality of image forming apparatuses.

  An image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention and an image forming system having a plurality of image forming apparatuses will be described below as a first embodiment. The configuration of the first embodiment does not include a print server.

[Device configuration]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view mainly showing a mechanical configuration of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The paper feed storage section in the description refers to both a flat paper feed tray such as a manual feed tray 220 described later and a box-type paper feed tray such as paper feed cassettes 201a, b, c, and d. Indicates.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a main body unit 200, a sheet post-processing unit 300 disposed on the left side of the main body unit 200 in FIG. 1, an operation unit 400 for a user to input various operation commands, and the like. The document reading unit 500 is disposed above the document reading unit 500, and the document feeding unit 600 is disposed above the document reading unit 500.

  The operation unit 400 includes a touch panel 401 (display unit), a start key 402, a numeric keypad 403, and the like. The touch panel 401 (display unit) displays various operation screens and various operation buttons for the user to input various operation commands. The start key 402 is used for the user to input a print execution command and the like, and the ten key 403 is used for inputting the number of prints and the like.

  The document feeding unit 600 includes a document storage unit 601, a document discharge unit 602, a paper feed roller 603, a document transport unit 604, and the like, and the document reading unit 500 includes a scanner 501 and the like. The paper feed roller 603 feeds the original set in the original storage unit 601, and the original transport unit 604 transports the fed original one by one on the scanner 501 one by one. The scanner 501 sequentially reads the conveyed document, and the read document is discharged to the document discharge unit 602.

  The main body 200 includes a plurality of paper feed cassettes 201a, b, c, and d (paper feed accommodation unit), a manual paper feed tray 220 (paper feed accommodation unit), and a plurality of paper feed rollers 202a, b, c, d, and 221. (Paper feeding drive unit), transfer roller 203 (printing unit), photosensitive drum 204 (printing unit), exposure device 206 (printing unit), developing device 207 (printing unit), fixing roller 208 (printing unit), discharge port 209, a discharge tray 210, and the like.

  The sheet feeding cassettes 201a, b, c, d and the manual sheet feeding tray 220 constitute a sheet feeding container.

  A printing unit 240 is formed by the transfer roller 203, the photosensitive drum 204, the exposure device 206, the developing device 207), and the fixing roller 208.

  The plurality of paper feed rollers 202a, b, c, d, 221 and the paper feed path from the paper feed storage unit to the printing unit 240 and its drive system constitute a paper feed drive unit 230.

  The photosensitive drum 204 is uniformly charged by a charging device (not shown) while rotating in the direction of the arrow. The exposure device 206 converts a modulation signal generated based on the image data of the document read by the document reading unit 500 into a laser beam and outputs the laser beam, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 204. The developing device 207 supplies a black developer to the photosensitive drum 204 to form a toner image.

  On the other hand, in the paper feed cassettes 201a, b, c, and d of the paper feed storage unit 201, the paper feed rollers 202a, b, c, and d are the outermost of the paper feed cassettes 201a, b, c, and d in which printing paper is stored. The printing paper is pulled out to the paper feed path of the paper feed drive unit 230 by rotating in contact with the paper on the upper surface. Further, in the manual paper feed tray 220, the paper feed roller 221 rotates in contact with the uppermost paper of the manual paper feed tray 220 to draw the print paper to the paper feed path of the paper feed drive unit 230 and transfer it. Feed to the roller 203. The transfer roller 203 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 204 to the conveyed printing paper, and the fixing roller 208 heats and fixes the transferred toner image on the printing paper. Thereafter, the printing paper is carried into the paper post-processing unit 300 from the discharge port 209 of the main body 200. The printing paper is also discharged to the discharge tray 210 as necessary.

  In the paper feed cassettes 201a, b, c, d, remaining amount sensors 205a, b, c, d for detecting the remaining amount of paper are attached to the respective paper feed cassettes. The remaining amount sensors 205a, b, c, d are J-shaped as shown in the figure, and detect the remaining amount of paper by rotating around the upper shaft as the remaining amount of paper decreases. When the paper runs out, the portion of the remaining amount sensor that contacts the paper falls into a hole (not shown) formed in the bottom surface of the paper feed cassette (paper feed tray), so that it can be detected that the paper has run out.

  In the manual paper feed tray 220 (paper feed accommodating portion), the paper feed roller 221 serves as a remaining amount sensor.

  When the paper cassettes 201a, b, c, and d of the image forming apparatus 1 are taken out from the image forming apparatus main body 200 for paper replenishment, they are slid out in the right direction in FIG. 1 (arrow P in FIG. 1). Therefore, the paper feed path of the paper feed driving unit 230 connected to the transfer roller 203 and the photosensitive drum 204 from the paper feed rollers 202a, b, c, and d is not blocked. Therefore, even during the printing operation, it is possible to replace the paper feeding cassette that is not related to the paper feeding to the printing unit 240, and in this case, the printing operation is not stopped.

  Similarly, the manual paper feed tray 220 can be replenished without interrupting the printing operation.

  The paper post-processing unit 300 includes a carry-in port 301, a print paper carrying unit 302, a carry-out port 303, a stack tray 304, and the like. The printing paper conveyance unit 302 sequentially conveys the printing paper carried into the carry-in port 301 from the discharge port 209 and finally discharges the printing paper from the carry-out port 303 to the stack tray 304. The stack tray 304 is configured to be movable up and down in the direction of the arrow in accordance with the number of print sheets stacked from the carry-out port 303.

[Function block]
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  In this functional block diagram, only the part related to the essence of the present invention is illustrated in a block diagram. A block diagram of the printing unit 240 and the post-processing device 300 described in the configuration diagram of FIG.

  FIG. 2 shows the paper feed storage unit (paper feed cassettes 201a, b, c, and d and the manual paper feed tray 220), the paper feed drive unit 230, the operation unit 400, and the operation already described with reference to the side sectional view of FIG. In addition to the touch panel 401 (display unit) in the unit 400, a software function unit 700 and a communication interface unit 751 which are functional block units not illustrated in FIG.

  The software function unit 700 includes a remaining paper amount detection unit 701, a paper size type detection unit 703, an internal Web server 707, a paper feed switching control unit 709, a paper out notification unit 711, an image processing unit 713, and a group function unit 715. is doing.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is connected to a network 801 (electric communication line) through the communication interface unit 751, and PC1 (Personal Computer) 901 and PC2 (Personal Computer) also connected to the network 801 (electric communication line). ) 903 is connected. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is connected to another image forming apparatus via a network in order to enable grouping with a paper feed accommodating portion of the other image forming apparatus. Details of this network configuration will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Each functional unit will be described below. In the description of this functional block, descriptions of functional units that are provided in a normal image forming apparatus such as a FAX transmission / reception unit but are not related to the essence of the present invention are omitted.

  The communication interface unit 751 is an interface unit that connects the image forming apparatus 1 to the network 801. The communication interface unit 751 is connected to an external device such as a PC (Personal Computer). Further, the image forming apparatus is connected to another image forming apparatus that performs network group connection of the paper feed accommodating unit (details will be described later with reference to FIG. 4).

  The software function unit 700 is a function unit that causes the computer of the image forming apparatus 1 to implement various functions using software.

  The remaining paper amount detection unit 701 receives signals from remaining amount sensors 205a, b, c, and d that detect the remaining amount of paper in each of the paper feed cassettes 201a, b, c, and d included in the paper feed storage unit 201. Then, it is detected how much paper is left in each of the paper feed cassettes 201a, b, c, and d and that the paper has run out.

  The paper size type detection unit 703 is installed in a paper size signal measured by a frame part that determines the paper size of each of the paper feed cassettes 201a, b, c, and d of the paper feed storage unit 201 and in the paper feed path. Based on the signal from the sensor, the paper size and the paper type supplied to each paper feed cassette are detected.

  For attributes of paper types that cannot be detected by these sensors, such as thick paper, colored paper, or single-sided used paper, the group function unit 715 (described later) records and retains the attributes after receiving user input. .

  The internal Web server 707 is provided so that the state of the image forming apparatus 1 can be accessed from the browser 913 of the PC 2; 903 which is an external apparatus. By accessing the page of the internal Web server 707, the setting state of the image forming apparatus 1 can be confirmed and the setting can be changed. As described above, the grouping setting of the sheet storage unit can also be confirmed and changed by accessing the internal Web server 707.

  The paper feed switching control unit 709 automatically prints without stopping the printing operation when there is no paper in one of the paper feed storage units (paper feed cassette and manual paper feed tray) grouped during printing. This is a functional unit that controls the paper feed driving unit 230 to feed paper from other paper feed storage units grouped into groups.

  The out-of-paper notification unit 711 is a functional unit that notifies of out-of-paper when printing has been performed and the paper has been consumed and any of the grouped paper storage units has run out.

  The image processing unit 713 converts the print job data into a data format that can be executed by the printing unit 240. The print job data transmitted from the printer driver 921 is generally described in a page description language, and the image processing unit 713 converts the data in the page description language into bitmap format data that can be executed by the printing unit 240. To do.

  The group function unit 715 is a function unit that manages the group function of the sheet feed storage unit of the image forming apparatus 1. The group function unit 715 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the group function unit 715 includes a group management unit 715m, a paper feed tray status inquiry unit 715q, a paper feed tray status response unit 715a, a job division generation unit 715d, an intermediate job generation unit 715h, a job transmission / reception unit (job (Transmission unit, job reception unit) 715s and job execution unit 715x. Each functional unit will be described below.

The group management unit 715m receives an input of the grouping setting of the sheet storage unit and holds a record. This is a functional unit for performing setting (grouping function) by dividing a plurality of paper feed cassettes into groups. Generally, grouping is performed for each sheet having the same size and type. (However, it is possible to set different items in a group. This is because the default group setting may be made by the maintenance staff when paper is not replenished at the time of setting.)
In the image forming apparatus 1, a plurality of paper feed storage units (a plurality of paper feed cassettes 201 a, b, c, and d and a manual paper feed tray 220) are grouped, and the grouped one is a large capacity. It can be handled as a paper feed storage unit (hereinafter referred to as a grouping function). With this grouping function, a large amount of printing exceeding the maximum sheet capacity of one sheet feeding cassette can be continuously performed. In other words, even if one sheet in a grouped paper cassette is exhausted and emptied, it automatically switches to paper feeding from a different grouped paper cassette. It is possible to perform continuous printing until there is no paper in all the grouped paper feed storage units without causing the “print engine pause” state.

  This setting may be performed by input from the operation unit 400, may be performed by the printer monitoring utility 911 of the PC 1; 901 that is the external device through the communication interface unit 751, or may be performed by the PC 2; 903 that is the external device. The setting may be performed using the setting function of the internal Web server 707 by accessing the internal Web server 707 of the image forming apparatus 1 using the browser 913.

  The group management unit 715m can group the sheet storage units not only with the sheet storage unit in its own image forming apparatus but also with other image forming apparatuses connected to the network. (Hereinafter referred to as a net group). For this reason, when there is no more paper in printing in its own paper feed storage unit, printing from another grouped image forming apparatus is possible. The grouping setting (both independent setting and net group setting) of the sheet storage unit is recorded in the group table 715t held by the group management unit 715m. The recorded contents of the group table will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  Details of the grouping setting method and the exchange of information necessary for the setting will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The group management unit 715m exchanges the group table with the group management unit 715m of another image forming apparatus so that the image forming apparatuses connected via the network share the same group table 715t.

  By the image forming apparatus net group function of the embodiment of the present invention, a simultaneous output function between a plurality of image forming apparatuses is provided. This function distributes a divided print job (divided print job) to each of the net grouped sheet storage units, and issues a print instruction to use the print unit of each image forming apparatus. This function enables simultaneous printout. As a result, the printing time can be greatly shortened.

  The paper feed tray status inquiry unit 715q indicates the status of the paper feed trays grouped by other image forming apparatuses and whether the paper to be printed on the paper feed tray is the correct paper (paper size, paper type, etc.). Is a function unit that inquires whether the remaining amount of paper is sufficient for printing.

  The paper feed tray status reply unit 715a is a functional unit that answers a query from a paper feed tray status query unit 715q of another image forming apparatus. The paper feed tray status answering unit 715a obtains information on the paper feed storage unit of the image forming apparatus 1 from the remaining paper amount detection unit 701 and the paper size type detection unit 703 and answers the inquiry.

The job division generation unit 715d divides an original print job (for example, a print job transmitted from the host computer PC1; 901) into the number of image forming apparatuses that perform simultaneous output when performing simultaneous output by a plurality of units. Generate multiple split print jobs. (The division method will be described later in the flowchart.)
The halfway job generation unit 715h receives a print job generated by the printer driver 921 of the PC1; 901, and when the job is printed by feeding from its own sheet storage unit, If there is no more paper in the paper storage unit, the remainder of the job is grouped so that it can be printed on another image forming apparatus by feeding from the paper supply storage unit of the other image forming apparatus. This is a functional unit for generating the remaining jobs of the completed print job. The generated job is transmitted to the other image forming apparatus described above, and printing is executed.

  A job transmission / reception unit (job transmission unit, job reception unit) 715s transmits a print job (and a divided print job) generated by the job division generation unit 715d and the halfway job generation unit 715h to another image forming apparatus. And a function of receiving print jobs (and divided print jobs) generated by the job division generation unit 715d and the halfway job generation unit 715h of other image forming apparatuses. The job transmission / reception unit 715s transmits / receives a job to / from another image forming apparatus through the communication interface unit 751. Also, a print job is received from PC1; 901 which is a host computer.

  The job execution unit 715x is a functional unit for causing the printing unit of the image forming apparatus 1 to print the print job received by the job transmission / reception unit 715s.

[Network configuration]
FIG. 4 is a network configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The same image forming apparatus whose apparatus configuration and functional blocks are shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 is connected by a network 801 (electric communication line) (image forming apparatus 1, image forming apparatus 2, image forming apparatus 3). ing.

  3 is connected to the network 801, and a job created by the printer driver 921 of the PC 1; 901 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus (for example, the image forming apparatus 1).

  In this figure, the manual paper feed tray 220 of the image forming apparatus 1 is the manual tray 1, the paper feed cassette a201a is the tray 1a, the paper feed cassette b201b is the tray 1b, the paper feed cassette c201c is the tray 1c, and the paper feed cassette d201d is the tray. It is written as 1d.

  In the image forming apparatus 2 and the image forming apparatus 3, the corresponding paper feed trays are similarly named as shown.

Here, grouping of paper feed trays between image forming apparatuses is set.
The following paper feed tray groups (G1 to G4) are formed.
(1) The tray 1a of the image forming apparatus 1, the tray 2a of the image forming apparatus 2, and the tray 2b form a sheet feed tray group G1 between the apparatuses.
(2) The tray 1b and the tray 1c of the image forming apparatus 1 and the tray 2c of the image forming apparatus 2 form a sheet tray group G2 between the apparatuses.
(3) The tray 1d of the image forming apparatus 1, the tray 2d of the image forming apparatus 2, and the tray 3d of the image forming apparatus 3 form a paper feed tray group G3 between the apparatuses.
(4) The three trays 3a, 3b, and 3c of the image forming apparatus 3 form the paper feed tray group G4 in the apparatus.

  The setting of the above paper feed tray group is recorded in the group table 715t managed by the group management unit 715m, and the same group management table (715t-1, 715t-2, 715t-3) is stored in the group management unit of each image forming apparatus. Owned and managed by 715.

[Settings for grouping the paper storage unit]
The setting operation for grouping paper feed trays is performed by the browser 913 accessing the user interface screen shown in FIG. 6 on the touch panel 401 of the image forming apparatus 1, the screen of the printer monitoring utility 911, or the internal Web server 707. Display on the screen.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the three paper feed trays to be grouped (in FIG. 6, the tray 1a (1) of the image forming apparatus 1, the tray 2a (2) and the tray 2b (3) of the image forming apparatus 2). By selecting (Tray) and further selecting the grouping button (4), the paper feed tray group G1 between the apparatuses is determined.

  Information on the paper feed group of the image forming apparatus determined by this method is generated as a group table 715t, transmitted from the set image forming apparatus (1 or 2 or 3) to each image forming apparatus, and held. . If there is a change in the group table, the group information is updated by transmitting the changed table to each image forming apparatus again.

  The functions relating to the exchange of the group table 715t described above are performed by the group management unit 715m of each image forming apparatus.

  The exchange of information exchanged here is related to the configuration of the paper feed accommodating portion of each image forming apparatus. In the case shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, all the image forming apparatuses have the same configuration of the sheet storage unit. However, depending on the image forming apparatus, the number of sheet storage units may be different, so the group management table 715t. The configuration information of the sheet storage unit for each image forming apparatus necessary for generating the image is exchanged. This exchange is performed between the image forming apparatuses before the grouping setting is performed, and the configuration of the sheet storage unit can be displayed on the grouping setting interface screen (FIG. 6). In addition, even when a group that is closed in one image forming apparatus 3 is already set in the image forming apparatus 3, such as a group G4 in the image forming apparatus 3 shown in FIGS. For example, the exchange of the reserved group information is also exchanged between the group management units 715m of the image forming apparatuses.

  The information exchanged may include information on the paper such as the paper size, paper type, and paper orientation of the paper feed container in addition to the configuration information of the paper feed container.

[flowchart]
The flow of the print job execution operation using the net group setting in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  The operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 starts when the print job starts.

  S11: The group management unit 715m accepts an input regarding settings for a print job.

  (1): Accepts an input for setting which sheet feeding tray of which apparatus is grouped between image forming apparatuses connected via a network. A method of using an already set one as it is may be used.

  (2): Accepts an input for specifying whether to distribute and output a print job to a plurality of image forming apparatuses at the same time.

  (3): Accept input of job start. The job may be started by an input from the operation unit 400 of the image forming apparatus 1 or may be a method in which the job is started by being input by the printer driver 921 of the PC 1; 901 connected via the network.

  S13: The group management unit 715m determines whether or not it was designated to distribute and output the print job to a plurality of image forming apparatuses at the same time in (2) in S11. When outputting between a plurality of devices at the same time, the operation proceeds to S31 of FIG. 8 indicated by [P]. When simultaneous output between a plurality of apparatuses is not performed, the operation proceeds to S15.

  S15: The group management unit 715m includes the paper feed tray of the image forming apparatus (the image forming apparatus that has started the print job; hereinafter referred to as the self apparatus) in the group designated for the print job, and It is determined whether there is a sheet tray that has not yet been selected for the job. If there is, the operation shifts to S17 on the assumption that the print job in the own apparatus is started. If not, the operation proceeds to S23.

  S17: The group management unit 715m selects the paper feed tray of its own device specified in S15. The record of selection is recorded in the group table 715t held by the group management unit 715m so that the paper feed tray once selected is not selected again.

  S19: The group management unit 715m determines whether or not there is paper in the paper feed tray selected in S17 (for example, the remaining power sensor when the selected paper feed tray is the paper feed cassette a201a). This is determined from the signal 205a). If there is paper in the selected paper feed tray, the operation proceeds to S21. If there is no sheet, the operation proceeds to S15.

  S21: The job is executed by the own apparatus and the operation is terminated.

  S23: The group management unit 715m is connected to another image forming apparatus (the original image forming apparatus instructed to execute the job by the network) in the group designated in S11 to form a net group of the paper feed tray. It is determined whether there is an unselected paper feed tray of a possible image forming apparatus). If there is, the operation proceeds to S25. If not, the operation proceeds to S30.

  S25: The group management unit 715m selects another image forming apparatus identified in S23. The record of selection is recorded in the group table 715t held by the group management unit 715m so that the paper feed tray once selected is not selected again. The selection information is also transmitted to other image forming apparatuses forming the group.

  S27: The group management unit 715m notifies the user via the touch panel 401 (display unit) or the like that printing on another device is to be performed because printing on the own device is impossible.

  S29: The midway job generation unit 715h generates a job to be transferred to another device. The job transmission / reception unit 715s transfers the job to the corresponding image forming apparatus. The transferred job is executed in the other image forming apparatus, printed out, and the operation ends.

  S30: When the group management unit 715m has selected the paper feed tray of its own device in S17 and has reached S30, the touch panel indicates that the job has not been completed because the self device has run out of paper. The user is notified with 401 (display unit) or the like. Here, the operation of the flowchart ends when the job is not completed.

  When the paper is replenished, the paper feed tray is set as unselected, and the operation from S15 is repeated again.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the operation when it is selected that the simultaneous inter-device output is performed in S13 of FIG. 7 will be described.

  The simultaneous output between devices is, for example, a plurality of image forming apparatuses such as the net paper feed tray group 3; G3 shown in FIG. This is an output method that allows print output to be completed at an early stage by distributing to the image forming apparatuses (image forming apparatus 1, image forming apparatus 2, and image forming apparatus 3 in G3 in FIG. 4).

  For example, assume that when an attempt is made to print out six copies of a three-page document, an output instruction is issued from the image forming apparatus 1 using the paper feed tray group 3; G3 in FIG. In this case, two copies of a three-page document are fed by feeding from the tray 1d of the image forming apparatus 1, two copies of a three-page document are fed by feeding from the tray 2d of the image forming apparatus 2, and the tray of the image forming apparatus 3 There is a merit that the printing time is reduced to one third by simultaneously distributing the three-page document such as two copies by feeding paper from 3d and simultaneously printing it out.

  The distribution method may be a distribution method for each number of copies described above. In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 has 6 copies of the first page, the image forming apparatus 2 has 6 copies of the second page, and the image forming apparatus 3. Then, a method may be used in which jobs are distributed on a page-by-page basis, such as six copies of the third page. The operation from S31 will be described below.

  S31: The paper feed tray status inquiry unit 715q sends to each image forming apparatus having a paper feed tray designated as a group for simultaneous output (if the paper feed tray of its own device is in a group, Inquires whether paper is in the paper feed tray and can be printed.

  S33: In the other image forming apparatuses that have received the inquiry in S31, the paper feed tray state answering unit 715a makes the answer. It is determined that printing is not possible for the image forming apparatus that has received the answer and is not received by the paper feed tray state inquiry unit 715q.

  S35: The job division generation unit 715d distributes a plurality of print jobs to distribute the print job to the image forming apparatus that is determined to be printable as a result of the reception in S33 (which may include the self apparatus as described above). A divided print job (divided print job) is generated.

  S37: If the divided print job generated in S35 includes a divided print job for the own apparatus, the operation proceeds to S39. If there is no divided print job for the own apparatus, the operation proceeds to S43.

  S39: A divided print job for the self apparatus generated in S35 is issued to the self apparatus and the job is executed.

  S41: The job transmission / reception unit 715s transfers the divided print job for other apparatus generated in S35 to the other apparatus, and the job is executed in the other apparatus to perform print output, and the operation ends.

  S43: Similar to S41, the job transmission / reception unit 715s transfers the divided print job for the other apparatus generated in S35, and the job is executed in the other apparatus, the print output is performed, and the operation ends.

  Next, an operation performed when the paper runs out in the own apparatus and another apparatus during job execution will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In the case of FIG. 9, the apparatus that has run out of printing paper is the own apparatus, and based on the image forming apparatus that issued the print job, the own apparatus (print job instruction apparatus), another apparatus (print job) It is not written as “receiving device”.

  The flow from S55 to S70 in FIG. 9 basically corresponds to S15 to S30 in FIG. 7, but there are differences in the details, so the following will be described with attention to the differences. .

  S55: When the paper runs out, the group management unit 715m of the device that has run out of paper (regardless of whether it is the device that instructed the print job or the device that received the print job) It is determined whether or not there is an unselected paper feed tray in the designated image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus in which the paper has run out; hereinafter referred to as the self apparatus). If there is, the operation shifts to S17 on the assumption that the print job in the own apparatus is started. If not, the operation proceeds to S23.

  S57: The group management unit 715m selects the paper feed tray of its own device specified in S55. The record of selection is recorded in the group table 715t held by the group management unit 715m so that the paper feed tray once selected is not selected again.

  S59: The group management unit 715m determines whether or not there is a sheet in the sheet feeding tray selected in S57 (for example, the remaining amount sensor when the selected sheet feeding tray is the sheet feeding cassette a201a). This is determined from the signal 205a). If there is paper in the selected paper feed tray, the operation proceeds to S61. If there is no sheet, the operation proceeds to S55.

  S61: The job is executed by the own apparatus and the operation is terminated.

  S63: The group management unit 715m connects to other image forming apparatuses (except for the original image forming apparatus that has been instructed to execute the job) in the designated group of the print job, and is connected to the net group of the paper feed tray. It is determined whether there is an unselected paper feed tray of the image forming apparatus) capable of forming the image. If there is, the operation proceeds to S65. If not, the operation proceeds to S70.

  S65: The group management unit 715m selects another image forming apparatus identified in S63. The record of selection is recorded in the group table 715t held by the group management unit 715m so that the paper feed tray once selected is not selected again. The selection information is also transmitted to other image forming apparatuses forming the group.

  S67: The group management unit 715m notifies the original image forming apparatus that first instructed the print job that printing is to be performed by another apparatus because the printing cannot be performed by the own apparatus, that the job is to be transferred. To do.

  S69: The midway job generation unit 715h generates a job to be transferred to another device. The job transmission / reception unit 715s transfers the generated job to another image forming apparatus. The transferred job is executed in the other image forming apparatus, printed out, and the operation ends.

  S70: If the group management unit 715m has selected the paper feed tray of its own device in S57 even once and has reached S70, it means that its own device has run out of paper and has not completed the job. The user is notified using the touch panel 401 (display unit) or the like. Here, the operation of the flowchart ends when the job is not completed.

  When the paper is replenished, the paper feed tray is set as unselected, and the operation from S55 is repeated again.

[Effect of Example 1]
The image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention enables the following.

  By connecting image forming devices via a network and distributing print jobs to enable simultaneous output among multiple image forming devices, printing time can be reduced to the time divided by the number of simultaneous printing devices. It became.

  Next, an image forming system and a print server according to the present invention will be described below as a second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the print server 101 performs group management functions and print job division generation.

[Device configuration]
The mechanical structure of the image forming apparatus used in the image forming system is the same as that described with reference to FIG.

[Function block network configuration]
A functional block and a network configuration of the image forming system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the image forming system according to the second embodiment, the print server 101 performs a grouping management function of the sheet storage unit. Therefore, the image forming apparatus has a simpler functional block configuration as compared with the first embodiment. Functional blocks of the image forming apparatus will also be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of image forming apparatuses 4, 5 and 6 (4, 5 and 6 are the same apparatus) are connected to the print server 101 via a network 801.

  The image forming apparatus 4 according to the second exemplary embodiment includes the paper feed accommodating unit tray 4a201a, the tray 4b201b, the tray 4c201c, the tray 4d201d, and the manual feed tray 4 as described in the first exemplary embodiment.

  The image forming apparatus 4 includes a communication interface unit 751, a job transmission / reception unit 715s, a job execution unit 715x, and a paper feed tray state answering unit 715a. The functions of the image forming apparatus 4 are the same as those of the image forming apparatus 1 described in the first embodiment. Since it is the same as each function part, it abbreviate | omits.

  In the image forming system according to the second embodiment, a print server 101 is further added to the network configuration (FIG. 4) of the image forming system according to the first embodiment.

  The print server 101 includes an internal Web server 107 and a group function unit 115. The group function unit 115 further includes a group management unit 115m, a paper feed tray status inquiry unit 115q, a job division generation unit 115d, and a job transmission / reception unit 115s. Have

  The group management unit 115m holds a management group table 115t that is group setting information. The group setting information held in the management group table 115t is the same as that in the first embodiment, and as shown in FIG. 5, the groups G5, G6, and G7 of the sheet storage unit extending over a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a single image forming apparatus. Group G8 is recorded.

  In this case, information necessary for creating a group table (such as a sheet storage unit configuration of the image forming apparatus) is exchanged between the image forming apparatus and the group management unit 115m of the print server 101, and is managed by the group management unit 115m. A method of creating the group table 115t may be used. The actual information exchanged has already been described in the grouping setting of the sheet storage unit in FIG. 6 described above. However, when there is the print server 101, the configuration of the sheet storage unit between the image forming apparatuses. Instead of exchanging information and paper information, a method of only transmitting from the image forming apparatus to the print server 101 may be used. As a result, the burden on the group management of the image forming apparatus and the burden on the network spent for exchanging information are reduced. If the print server 101 owns the management group table 115t, other image forming apparatuses can omit the group management function simply by following the instruction. Of course, a configuration in which a print server is further added to the configuration of the image forming apparatuses connected via the network having the group management function shown in the first embodiment may be used.

  The paper feed tray status inquiry unit 115q determines whether the status of the paper feed trays grouped in the image forming apparatus and the paper scheduled to be printed on the paper feed tray are correct (paper size, paper type, etc. are correct). Or a function unit for inquiring whether or not there is a remaining amount of paper to be printed.

  The job division generation unit 115d generates a plurality of divided print jobs by dividing a print job into the number of image forming apparatuses that perform simultaneous output in order to perform simultaneous output in a plurality of image forming apparatuses. The original print job is created by, for example, the printer driver 921 of the PC 1; 901 and transmitted to the print server 101 via the network 801. After that, the job division generation unit 115d of the print server 101 performs simultaneous printing in a group (for example, G7 in FIG. 5; a group spanning the tray 4d, the tray 5d, and the tray 6d of the image forming apparatus 4) between the apparatuses of the sheet storage unit. Therefore, the print job is divided into the number of image forming apparatuses that have made a printable response by inquiring in advance about the status of the paper feed storage unit of each image forming apparatus by the paper feed tray status inquiry unit 115q.

  The job transmission / reception unit (job transmission unit, job reception unit) 115s has a function of receiving a print job from the PC1; 901 described above, and the divided print job generated by the job division generation unit 115d as another image forming apparatus. And a function to transmit to.

  The internal Web server 107 is a functional block for confirming various settings of the print server, the device status, and the execution status of the print job from an external device (for example, PC 2; using the browser 923 of 903). When grouping the sheet storage units of a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the internal Web server 107 is accessed.

[Settings for grouping the paper storage unit]
In the second embodiment, the paper feed tray grouping is set by a method of displaying the user interface screen shown in FIG. 6 on the browser 913 by accessing the internal Web server 107 of the print server 101, or a printer monitoring utility. 911 exchanges information with the group management unit 115m and displays the same screen in FIG. The browser is not limited to a browser on a PC, and may be a method performed from an image forming apparatus having a browser function.

  The setting method is the same as the method described in FIG.

[flowchart]
FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of the operation flow of the print server according to the second embodiment, which will be described below.

  The print job is created by the printer driver of the host computer PC1; 901. When simultaneous output printing on the host computer starts, the flowchart of FIG. 10 starts operation.

  S81: Host computer PC1; 901 performs group setting for the image forming apparatus. The group setting may be performed by accessing the internal Web server 107 of the print server using a browser or the like and using the grouping setting screen shown in FIG. 6, or by directly specifying the group using the printer driver 921. It may be a method. In addition, the user inputs that simultaneous device output is to be performed. Further, a document to be printed is selected and printing is executed.

  S 83: The printer driver 921 of the host computer PC 1; 901 generates a print job for the document specified in S 81 and transmits it to the print server 101.

  S85: The operation in the print server 101 is performed from this step. The job transmission / reception unit 115s of the print server 101 receives the print job simultaneously with the group information to be simultaneously output. Note that the group information may be set in advance instead of simultaneously with the job.

  S87: The paper feed tray status inquiry unit 115q of the print server 101 inquires whether the status of the paper feed tray of each image forming apparatus set as a group can be printed.

  S89: An answer from each image forming apparatus is received in response to the inquiry in S87.

  S91: The job division generation unit 115d divides the print job received from PC1; 901 in S85 according to the number of image forming apparatuses that answered that printing is possible in S87, and generates a plurality of divided print jobs. The print job dividing method is the same as that explained in the explanation of S31 in FIG.

  S93: The job transmission / reception unit 115s transmits the divided print job divided and generated in S91 to the image forming apparatus that has answered that printing is possible in S89.

  S95: From this step, the operation is performed in the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus receives the divided print job by the job transmission / reception unit 715 s via the communication interface unit 751. This is performed by a plurality of image forming apparatuses that receive divided print jobs (for example, image forming apparatuses 4, 5, and 6 in FIG. 5).

  S97: The job execution unit 715x of the image forming apparatus completes printing by executing the divided print job received in S95.

  Through the series of operations described above, the print server 101 manages groups, and the print server 101 divides and generates print jobs, distributes them to the image forming apparatuses, and executes the divided print jobs received by the image forming apparatuses. This makes it possible to print simultaneously.

  Note that if the paper runs out at the time of printing in S97, the operation shifts to S55 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 described in the first embodiment, and printing from another sheet feeding unit is possible. For example, a method of continuing the operation may be taken.

[Effect of Example 2]
In the image forming system of the second embodiment, since the print server 101 performs group management of the paper feed accommodation unit, the image forming apparatus does not need to have a group management unit as shown in the first embodiment, and the configuration of the image forming system is improved. It became easy. In the second embodiment, the image forming apparatus having the paper feed tray state answering unit 715a has been described. However, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to a conventional image forming apparatus that does not have the paper feed tray state answering unit 715a. The system is applicable.

  In addition, since the print server 101 is responsible for the group management function and the job division generation function, it is not necessary to provide these functions on the image forming apparatus side, and simultaneous output is possible even with a normal image forming apparatus. Further, the CPU time of the image forming apparatus and the load on the memory are reduced, and the print output capability is increased. In addition, the communication burden for managing the group table between the image forming apparatuses is reduced.

[Others]
The image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described by taking a relatively high-functional image forming apparatus including functional units such as the document feeding unit 600, the document reading unit 500, and the post-processing device 300 as an example. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and can be applied to, for example, an image forming apparatus that does not include the above-described functional unit. The apparatus configuration of the image forming apparatus is within the scope of the gist or technical idea of the present invention. It can be changed as appropriate. In addition, the image forming apparatus that has made these changes is also within the scope of the technical scope of the present invention.

  In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus and the print server are connected to a network 801 as an electric communication line and can exchange information with each other. A telecommunication line such as a USB connection or IEEE1394 connection may also be used.

  In this embodiment, an example in which a print job is created by the printer driver of the PC 1; 901 that is a host computer has been described. As described above, the image forming apparatus itself may generate a job. In this case, in the first exemplary embodiment, the job division generation unit of the image forming apparatus that has read the original allows the simultaneous output by a method of dividing the print job and transmitting it to each image forming apparatus. In the second exemplary embodiment, the image forming apparatus that has read the document transmits the print job to the print server 101, and the job division generation unit of the print server divides the print job and transmits the divided print job to each image forming apparatus. Simultaneous output is possible depending on the method.

1 is a side sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. (Example 1, Example 2) 1 is a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Example 1 FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram in a group function unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Example 1 1 is a configuration diagram of a network configuration that does not include a print server of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Example 1 1 is a configuration diagram of a network configuration having a print server of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. (Example 2) It is a figure of the user interface screen at the time of performing the group setting of the image forming apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention. Example 1 6 is a flowchart when a print job is executed by the image forming apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Example 1 6 is a flowchart for simultaneous output between apparatuses in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Example 1 6 is a flowchart when a paper out occurs in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. (Example 1, Example 2) 6 is a flowchart for simultaneous printing using the print server according to the embodiment of the present invention. (Example 2)

Explanation of symbols

1 Image forming apparatus 1 (Example 1)
2 Image forming apparatus 2 (Example 1)
3 Image forming apparatus 3 (Example 1)
4 Image forming apparatus 4 (Example 2)
5 Image forming apparatus 5 (Example 2)
6 Image forming apparatus 6 (Example 2)
101 Print server (Example 2)
107 internal web server (internal web server)
115 Group Function Unit (Example 2)
115d Job division generation unit (Example 2)
115m Group Management Department (Example 2)
115q Paper Tray Status Inquiry Section (Example 2)
115s Job transmission / reception unit (job transmission unit, job reception unit) (Example 2)
115t group table (Example 2)
201a, b, c, d Paper feed cassette (paper feed accommodating part)
202a, b, c, d Paper feed roller (paper feed drive unit)
203 Transfer roller (printing section)
204 Printing drum (printing section)
205a, b, c, d Remaining amount sensor 206 Exposure device (printing unit)
207 Development device (printing unit)
208 Transfer roller (printing section)
220 Manual paper feed tray (paper feed compartment)
221 Paper feed roller (paper feed drive)
230 Paper Feed Drive Unit 240 Printing Unit 400 Operation Unit 401 Touch Panel (Display Unit)
701 Paper remaining amount detection unit 703 Paper size detection unit 707 Internal Web server (internal Web server)
709 Paper feed switching control unit 711 Paper out notification unit 713 Image processing unit 715 Group function unit 715a Paper feed tray status answering unit 715d Job division generation unit 715h Mid-job generation unit 715m Group management unit 715q Paper feed tray status inquiry unit 715s Job transmission / reception Copies (job transmitter, job receiver)
715t group table 715x job execution unit 801 network (telecommunications line)
901 PC1 (Personal Computer) (external device)
903 PC2 (Personal Computer) (external device)
911 Printer monitoring utility 921, 923 Printer driver P Paper cassette drawer direction

Claims (9)

An image forming system having a plurality of image forming apparatuses that receive a paper feed from a paper feed accommodating section and perform printing output in a printing section, wherein the image forming apparatuses are connected by an electric communication line,
The image forming apparatus includes:
A communication interface unit enabling connection with the telecommunication line;
A group management unit for setting and managing the grouping of the sheet feed storage units across the devices of the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
A job division generation unit that generates a plurality of divided print jobs by dividing a print job in order to simultaneously perform print output by paper feed from the grouped paper feed storage units;
A job transmission unit that transmits the divided print job to the other image forming apparatus via the communication interface unit;
A job receiving unit that receives the divided print job via the communication interface unit;
An image forming system comprising: a job execution unit that executes the received divided print job. The image forming system according to claim 1,
The image forming apparatus includes:
A paper feed tray status inquiry unit for inquiring whether printing is possible in the paper feed storage unit of the other image forming apparatus;
A paper feed tray status answering unit that answers the status of the paper feed storage unit in response to an inquiry from the paper feed tray status query unit of the other image forming apparatus,
The job division generation unit increases or decreases the number of print job divisions in response to a reply that printing is possible in the paper feed accommodating unit of the other image forming apparatus,
The image transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the job transmission unit transmits the divided print job when receiving a reply that printing can be performed in a paper feed accommodating unit of the other image forming apparatus. A plurality of image forming apparatuses that receive paper feed from a paper feed accommodating section and perform print output in a printing section; and a print server that transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus, An image forming system in which print servers are connected by an electric communication line,
The print server
A communication interface unit enabling connection with the telecommunication line;
A group management unit for setting and managing the grouping of the sheet feed storage units across the devices of the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
A job division generation unit that generates a plurality of divided print jobs by dividing a print job in order to simultaneously perform print output by paper feed from the grouped paper feed storage units;
A job transmission unit that transmits the divided print job to the image forming apparatus via the communication interface unit;
The image forming apparatus includes:
A communication interface unit enabling connection with the telecommunication line;
A job receiving unit that receives the divided print job via the communication interface unit;
An image forming system comprising: a job execution unit that executes the received divided print job. The image forming system according to claim 3,
The print server
A paper feed tray status inquiry unit for inquiring whether printing is possible in the paper feed storage unit of the image forming apparatus,
The job division generation unit increases or decreases the number of divisions of the print job in response to a reply that printing can be performed in the paper feed storage unit of the image forming apparatus,
The job transmitting unit transmits the divided print job to an image forming apparatus that has answered that printing is possible in a paper feed accommodating unit of the image forming apparatus.
An image forming system, comprising: a paper feed tray status answering unit that answers the status of the paper feed storage unit in response to an inquiry from a paper feed tray status query unit of the print server. An image forming apparatus that receives a paper feed from a paper feed storage unit and performs printout in a printing unit,
A communication interface that enables connection to a telecommunication line; and
A group management unit configured to group and manage the sheet storage unit and a sheet storage unit of another image forming apparatus connected via the telecommunication line;
A job division generation unit that generates a plurality of divided print jobs by dividing a print job in order to simultaneously perform print output by paper feed from the grouped paper feed storage units;
A job transmission unit that transmits the divided print job to the other image forming apparatus via the communication interface unit;
A job receiving unit that receives the divided print job via the communication interface unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a job execution unit that executes the received divided print job. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
A paper feed tray status inquiry unit for inquiring whether printing is possible in the paper feed storage unit of the other image forming apparatus;
A paper feed tray status reply unit that answers the status of the paper feed storage unit in response to an inquiry from the paper feed tray status query unit;
The job division generation unit increases or decreases the number of print job divisions in response to a reply that printing is possible in the paper feed accommodating unit of the other image forming apparatus,
The image transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the job transmission unit transmits the divided print job when an answer to the effect that printing can be performed in the paper feed accommodation unit of the other image forming apparatus is received. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:
A plurality of the sheet storage units;
A remaining paper amount detection unit for detecting a paper out of the paper feed storage unit;
A paper feed driving unit that enables continuous feeding from the plurality of paper feed storage units to the printing unit,
The group management unit groups and manages the plurality of sheet storage units,
When the sheet remaining amount detection unit detects that any of the sheet storage units is out of paper, the sheet feed switching unit controls the sheet feed drive unit to switch to feeding from another sheet storage unit in the same group. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit; A print server for connecting a plurality of image forming apparatuses that receive paper feed from a paper feed accommodating section and performing print output in a printing section via an electric communication line and transmitting a print job to the image forming apparatus. ,
A group management unit for setting and managing the grouping of the sheet feed storage units across the devices of the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
A job division generation unit that generates a plurality of divided print jobs by dividing a print job in order to simultaneously perform print output by paper feed from the grouped paper feed storage units;
A print server comprising: a job transmission unit configured to transmit the divided print job to the image forming apparatus via the communication interface unit. The print server according to claim 8, wherein
A paper feed tray status inquiry unit for inquiring whether printing is possible in the paper feed storage unit of the image forming apparatus;
The job division generation unit increases or decreases the number of divisions of the print job in response to a reply that printing can be performed in the paper feed storage unit of the image forming apparatus of the paper feed tray state inquiry unit,
The print server, wherein the job transmission unit transmits the divided print job to an image forming apparatus that has made a reply that printing can be performed in a paper feed accommodating unit of the image forming apparatus.

Images