JP2010253907A - Image forming apparatus and status page evaluation program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which automatically verifies correctness of a status page for outputting a set state of the apparatus, so as to save manpower in verification, and automatically verifies whether format of the status page gets irregular, especially, because print output is applied to the outside of a predetermined area. <P>SOLUTION: An area in which print output may be applied is set on the status page as a printable area. Data formed as bit map of the status page concerning whether print output is applied to the outside of the printable area is shown by bit map arithmetic operation with the printable area. The print output data on the outside of the area is verified by a method in which it is printed and output after it is subjected to highlight processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for verifying the validity of a status page output for notifying the setting state of an apparatus in an image forming apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus, a page called a status page for notifying the setting state of the apparatus is generally output on a sheet. The status page includes the image forming device model name, firmware version number, language settings, local time settings, installed memory capacity, network settings, interface settings, installed paper cassette information, print settings such as the number of copies, and image scanning A variety of image forming apparatus information such as the file format, scanner settings such as resolution, and counter information of the number of printed sheets are output.

  Conventionally, a method for confirming whether the output of the status page is intended and correct is performed by visually checking a status page printed on a sheet. Therefore, for example, when checking data whose data has changed for each item in the status page, it is necessary to check a very large number of outputs, and there is a problem that it takes time.

  Also, for example, the setting value for each setting item becomes an unexpected value (for example, a very long character string or a numerical value with a large number of digits), and the output item protrudes from the intended area on the status page. There is a problem that the format will collapse. Such format corruption has also been visually checked so far, which is inefficient and takes time and labor.

  For the purpose of providing a network printing system including a plurality of printers as a prior art, the network printing system having a small amount of communication traffic for collecting information and a simple computer changing operation for collecting job information and the like Each printer constituting the network printing system is set as a device that transmits printer status information (error / status / job report) to a designated computer according to a designated schedule, and for each printer. There is a method for setting the printer status information to be transmitted to the same computer in the network printing system (see Patent Document 1).

  However, this method also automatically verifies whether the status page created by the image forming apparatus is intended, in particular whether the status page format is within the intended printable area. Evaluation efficiency and labor saving cannot be achieved.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-1128

  The problem to be solved is that, in an image forming apparatus capable of outputting a status page, whether the output status page is the correct output intended, in particular, the print output is not output outside the intended printable area Whether or not it can be automatically and efficiently verified.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a status page creation unit for creating and outputting a status page in which a setting state of the apparatus is described for each item, and an area setting for setting a printable area on the status page A region, an out-of-region output verification unit that verifies whether there is an output outside the printable region, and an out-of-region output notification unit that notifies that when there is an output outside the printable region, It is characterized by having.

  The printable area set by the area setting unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention may be set by one rectangle or a combination of a plurality of rectangles.

  Further, the out-of-region output notification unit of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention performs at least one of notifying the panel that there is an output outside the printable region, or printing and outputting on paper. This may be a feature.

  Further, the out-of-area output notification unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention can perform any of the output part outside the area in the status page in reverse display, bold display, italicization, colorization, or surrounded by a frame. Or may be expressed by a free combination thereof.

  The status page evaluation program of the present invention includes a status page creation function for enabling a computer to create and output a status page in which the setting state of the apparatus is described for each item, and a printable area on the status page. An area setting function to be set, an out-of-area output verification function for verifying whether there is output outside the printable area, and an out-of-area output that notifies when there is an output outside the printable area And a notification function.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a status page creation unit for creating and outputting a status page in which a setting state of the apparatus is described for each item, and an area setting for setting a printable area on the status page A region, an out-of-region output verification unit that verifies whether there is an output outside the printable region, and an out-of-region output notification unit that notifies that when there is an output outside the printable region, It is characterized by having.

  Therefore, it is possible to automatically verify whether or not the status page is printed within the predetermined printable area based on the correctly intended format.

  The printable area set by the area setting unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention may be set by one rectangle or a combination of a plurality of rectangles.

  For this reason, the printable area can be set simply by specifying, for example, two points. Since the area is rectangular, the output outside the area can be verified by a simple calculation.

  Further, the out-of-region output notification unit of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention performs at least one of notifying the panel that there is an output outside the printable region, or printing and outputting on paper. This may be a feature.

  For this reason, the user can be notified that the format of the status page is broken, and the user can recognize the occurrence of the problem without looking at the status page.

  Further, the out-of-area output notification unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention can perform any of the output part outside the area in the status page in reverse display, bold display, italicization, colorization, or surrounded by a frame. Or may be expressed by a free combination thereof.

  For this reason, it becomes possible for the user to easily recognize a portion having an output outside the printable area.

  The status page evaluation program of the present invention includes a status page creation function for enabling a computer to create and output a status page in which the setting state of the apparatus is described for each item, and a printable area on the status page. An area setting function to be set, an out-of-area output verification function for verifying whether there is output outside the printable area, and an out-of-area output that notifies when there is an output outside the printable area And a notification function.

  Therefore, it is possible to automatically verify whether or not the status page is printed within the predetermined printable area based on the correctly intended format.

1 is a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart of the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the correct data creation mode of this invention Example, and the evaluation mode of a status page. 6 is an example of a status page output by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is an example of output processing outside the printable area and the printable area set on the status page.

  In an image forming apparatus capable of outputting a status page, it is automatically determined whether the output status page is the correct output intended, in particular whether the print output is not output outside the intended printable area. The area that may be printed on the status page is set as a printable area for problems that cannot be evaluated efficiently, and the status page and the above printable can be used to determine whether the printout is outside the printable area. The problem was solved by the method of verifying the presence or absence of data outside the region by computing with the region.

  The image forming apparatus 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[Constitution]
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 101 includes the following functional blocks, communication I / F (interface) 111, data receiving unit 113, print job control unit 115, status page evaluation unit 117, NVRAM 119, disk control unit 121, disk 123, data analysis. Unit 125, drawing data processing unit 127, drawing unit 129, panel 131, status page creation unit 133, memory management unit 135, system control unit 137, device information holding unit 138, evaluation sequence generation unit 139, correct page input unit 140, A correct page generation unit 141, an output unit 143, a print engine 145, a region setting unit 151, an out-of-region output verification unit 153, and an out-of-region output notification unit 155 are included.

  The image forming apparatus 101 is connected to an image forming apparatus B102 or a terminal apparatus 201, which are other image forming apparatuses, via a communication I / F 111.

  The image forming apparatus 101 has a computer (not shown), and each computer implements each functional block (or a control portion of the apparatus indicating each functional block).

  Specifically, a computer is a device that executes a program to perform computation and / or control. The computer has a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). The CPU, ROM, RAM, and interface are connected to each other via a bus, a controller, and the like so that data communication can be performed.

  The CPU is an arithmetic processing unit that executes processing described in a program and forms each functional block inside. The ROM is a non-volatile memory that stores programs and data in advance. The RAM is a memory that temporarily stores the program and data when the program is executed and uses it as a work area.

  Each functional block will be described below.

  A communication I / F (interface) 111 is an intermediary device for connecting the image forming apparatus 101 to a terminal device 201 such as a PC (Personal Computer) or another image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus B102). The communication I / F 111 may be a network interface, or other USB interface or parallel interface.

  The data receiving unit 113 is a functional unit that buffers the print data received by the communication I / F 111 and reconstructs the data for each print data.

  The print job control unit 115 is a functional unit that controls the execution, stop, and completion operations of the print job of the image forming apparatus 101.

  The status page evaluation unit 117 is a functional unit that evaluates a status page generated by the image forming apparatus 101. The image forming apparatus 101 compares and evaluates the bitmap data of the intended correct status page received by the correct page input unit 140 and the bitmap data of the status page output by the status page creation unit 133 of the image forming apparatus 101. Evaluate the validity of the status page to be output. At the time of evaluation, a portion that does not make sense even when compared, such as the execution date and time, firmware version number, etc., may be designated as an ignoring area and the portion may not be compared. Further, it may be determined whether the numerical value in the designated area is within a predetermined range (or whether the character string is in the designated character string). More detailed items of the evaluation function will be described later in the description item of the script of the evaluation sequence.

  An NVRAM (Non Volatile Random Access Memory) 119 is a non-volatile memory and has a function of recording setting information of the image forming apparatus 101. The information stored in the NVRAM 119 does not disappear even when the power is turned off, and the setting state of the image forming apparatus can be maintained regardless of the power state. The setting information stored in the NVRAM is passed to the status page creation unit 133 via the system control unit 137 and output to the status page.

  The disk control unit 121 controls reading and writing of information with respect to a disk 123 formed of a rotating magnetic disk device that is a secondary storage device of the image forming apparatus 101.

  The disk 123 is a secondary storage device of an image forming apparatus composed of a rotating magnetic disk device or the like. A program necessary for the operation of the image forming apparatus 101, image data, and the like are recorded and held, and read out when necessary and appropriately processed such as printout.

  The data analysis unit 125 analyzes a page description language (PDL) and PCL (Printer Control Language) included in the print data, and performs a drawing data processing unit 127, a drawing unit 129, and an output unit described later. Instructions for necessary operations are given to 143 and the like.

  The drawing data processing unit 127 converts print data described in the page description language into a display list that is an intermediate language based on the data analysis of the data analysis unit 125.

  The drawing unit 129 converts the print data written in the intermediate language (display list) converted by the drawing data processing unit 127 into bitmap data to be printed by the print engine 145 via the output unit 143.

  The panel 131 is an interface device for performing input / output with a user, which includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal panel and an input unit such as a touch panel and buttons.

  The status page creation unit 133 is a functional unit that creates a status page for outputting the setting state (or setting value) of the image forming apparatus 101 to a sheet. As described above, various types of information are output to the status page, and information on these setting states is acquired via the system control unit 137. An example of the status page output by the status page creation unit 133 is shown in FIG. The status page shows the model name of the image forming apparatus, the firmware version number, and the number of prints for each sheet and each print type held by the device information holding unit 138. There are other various items such as language setting and local time, but a part of them is shown here as an example.

  The memory management unit 135 is a functional unit that manages a main memory that is a primary storage device of the image forming apparatus 101.

  The system control unit 137 is a functional unit that controls the entire apparatus of the image forming apparatus 101. Information on the setting state of the image forming apparatus 101 is acquired from the device information holding unit 138 and each function unit of the image forming apparatus. The acquired information is passed to the status page creation unit 133 and output as a status page.

  The device information holding unit 138 is a functional unit that holds information about devices such as the number of printed sheets and an effective cassette (a paper feeding cassette that is mounted on the image forming apparatus and is operable). Information held by the device information holding unit 138 is passed to the status page creation unit 133 via the system control unit 137, and the information is output to the status page.

  The evaluation sequence generation unit 139 is a functional unit that generates a series of sequences for evaluating the status page. The evaluation sequence controls the image forming apparatus to change the setting state of the image forming apparatus 101 and output the status page by a simple script.

  The script is executed in the following format, for example.

"Command, setting item, setting value"
For example, when the language setting is set to English, the correct page generation unit 141 creates a bitmap with the correct page, and then sets the language setting of the image forming apparatus to English and the status page creation unit 133 maps the status page to the bitmap. A series of scripts for generating a converted page, causing the status page evaluation unit 117 to compare the status page with the correct page, and printing the evaluation result on a sheet by the print engine 145 is as follows.

; *** master creation mode ***
REC_MASTER_START
SET_MFP_VALUE Local_Language, English
CREATE_MASTER_BITMAP_AND_SAVE FILE_NAME = MASTER_01
REC_MASTER_END
; *** evaluation mode ***
EVAL_START
SET_MFP_VALUE, Local_Language, English
OUTPUT_BITMAP_AND_SAVE, StatusPage, FILE_NAME = LOCAL_LANG_TEST
COMPARE_BITMAP MASTER_01, LOCAL_LANG_TEST, RESULT
Print RESULT
EVAL_END
As a result of printing output by the above Print RESULT, a method is used in which the bit is output (colored in black) only where the bitmap data does not match.

  Moreover, the method of describing inconsistency items in a list form may be used.

  The evaluation sequence generation unit 139 converts the script into PCL (Printer Control Language) and controls the image forming apparatus through the print job control unit 115 and the system control unit 137.

  In the status page, there are items such as status page creation date and time, firmware version number, etc. that do not make a comparison with the correct page because the output result differs every time printing or testing is performed. In this case, a method may be adopted in which this item (region on the bitmap) is not evaluated (bitmap pattern matching) in advance.

  In that case, for example, the following ignore area setting command may be added to the script.

SET_IGNORE_REGION 710, 750, 1140, 820; (command, ignore region coordinates)
A method may be adopted in which the ignore area setting command is added during generation of the correct answer page and the correct answer page itself has an ignore area. Further, instead of generating a correct answer page, a method may be used in which the ignore area setting command is added at the time of evaluation and the area is ignored at the time of evaluation.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a status page and the firmware version number in the page is surrounded by a dotted line to indicate that the area is the ignore area (IGNORE_REGION).

  Further, instead of setting an ignoring area as described above, a method of determining whether a numerical value (or character string) in a specified area is within a specified range (within a plurality of specified character strings) may be used. . For example, when the temperature in the apparatus is output in the status page, it is determined to be normal if it is not a specific value but a predetermined range, so that a value having such a range can be checked.

  For example, check the numeric range with the following command:

VALUE_CHECK_REGION 710, 750, 1140, 820, VALUE <= 500 AND VALUE => 1
The above command is a command for checking whether the numerical value in the XY coordinates (710, 750, 1140, 820) is 1 or more and 500 or less.

  Also, for example, the following command is used to check for the presence of a character string.

STRING_CHECK_REGION 710, 750, 1140, 820, STR ("AAA", "AAB", "AAC")
The above command is a command for checking whether the character string in the XY coordinates (710, 750, 1140, 820) is any one of “AAA”, “AAB”, and “AAC”.

  If the numerical value range and the character string comparison do not match, a method may be used in which the area is painted black, and if the area matches, the bitmap data indicating that the area is not painted is output.

  Furthermore, it is possible to perform printing on a designated sheet and a designated mode (color / monochrome) according to a sequence, and set whether or not the counter value updated as a result is correct according to the sequence.

  The correct page input unit 140 receives an input of a status page (hereinafter referred to as a correct page) on which the correct setting state (or setting value) for each item is described according to the setting state of the image forming apparatus 101. The correct page is created, for example, by the status page creation unit 133b of the image forming apparatus B102 (FIG. 1), which is another image forming apparatus whose validity of the status page has already been verified. The method of accepting via may be sufficient. Further, it may be a correct page created on the terminal device 201 by a document creation program or the like. Furthermore, the correct page which the correct page generation part 141 mentioned later produces | generates may be sufficient. This correct answer page uses not only the correct setting state (or setting value) for each setting item but also the correct output format (setting item name and setting value output position). It is also possible to compare the status page formats output by the creation unit 133.

  The correct page generation unit 141 is a functional unit that generates a correct output (correct page) of the status page generated based on the sequence (described above) generated by the evaluation sequence generation unit 139.

  The output unit 143 receives the print data bitmapped by the drawing unit 129, transmits the print data to the print engine 145 that is a mechanism unit that actually performs printing, and controls data transmission to the print engine 145.

  The print engine 145 is a mechanism unit that prints on paper.

  The area setting unit 151 is a functional unit that sets an area where graphics and characters are printed on the status page. By inputting from the panel 131 or the terminal device 201, an area (printable area; BBOX) where a graphic or character printout is allowed is set on the status page. FIG. 5 shows an example of a status page and its printable area BBOX. As shown in the status page A of FIG. 5, the title 51a, the setting item name 51c, and the setting item value 51b are printed on the status page, and these printable areas can be printed. The area (or called BBOX) is set by input from the panel 131 or the terminal device 201. The setting is made by a single or a plurality of rectangles like the printable areas BBOX 53a, 53b, 53c in FIG. In the example of FIG. 5, the BBOXs are set apart from each other, but these BBOXs may overlap.

  The out-of-region output verification unit 153 verifies whether or not there is a print output outside the set printable region. This verification is performed by checking whether or not the print data of the status page created by the status page creation unit 133 is bitmapped and whether there is print output in a portion other than the printable area portion. More specifically, for example, AND of bit map data in which the printable area is 0 and the printable area is 1 and status page bit map data (1 is for a portion with print output, 0 for no portion). And check whether there is a place where the bit is set (1).

  The out-of-area output notification unit 155 can notify the panel 131 when the out-of-area output verification unit 153 has a print output outside the printable area, or print it on a sheet by the print engine 145 and output it. It is. It is also possible to process and output the output portion outside the printable area on the status page. A character (FF) portion 55 that protrudes to the right side of the printable area 53c as in the status page B shown in FIG. 5 is surrounded by a frame such as a dotted line as shown in FIG. Change the color to red (colorize), highlight (invert) the part, make the character bold, or italicize which part is printed out of the printable area. Show and notify. These notifications are displayed on the panel 131 in the same manner as the notification that there is output outside the area, or the status page is processed, added to the status page, output and output by the print engine. It may be taken.

[flowchart]
The status page evaluation operation of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Before the operation of the flowchart, the area setting unit 151 receives an input from the panel 131 or the terminal device 201 and sets a printable area (BBOX; see FIG. 5).

  S11: The evaluation sequence generation unit 139 generates a sequence for changing the setting state of items displayed on the status page in order to evaluate the status page. For example, language settings (eg, Japanese display, English display) and local time settings (eg, Japan Standard Time, Greenwich Mean Time) are changed to generate a status page with each setting.

  The evaluation sequence is generated by the evaluation sequence generation unit 139 using a PCL (Printer) based on, for example, a simple script (detailed above) in which a setting item (eg, Japanese display) and a setting value (eg, Japan Standard Time) are described in text. In other words, the PCL is transmitted to the print job control unit 115 and the evaluation sequence is executed.

  The evaluation sequence generates the evaluation page after setting the setting value for the setting item, compares the evaluation page, sets the setting value for the next setting item described in the script, and similarly generates the evaluation page and evaluation. repeat. Details of the repetition will be described later.

  S13: The correct page generation unit 141 generates a correct status page based on the evaluation sequence. The status page to be generated is generated by PDL (page description language), and then converted from PDL to DL (display list) as an intermediate language, and further converted to BM (bitmap) and stored.

  This PDL → DL → BM conversion may be performed by a conversion unit incorporated in the correct page generation unit 141. Alternatively, the conversion may be performed using the data analysis unit 125, the drawing data processing unit 127, and the drawing unit 129 of the image forming apparatus 101.

  The generation of correct pages in S11 and S13 is illustrated in FIG. In this case, the correct answer page is generated based on the evaluation sequence, and is compressed and stored in the disc.

  S15: The evaluation sequence generation unit 139 sets the image forming apparatus 101 according to the sequence. The image forming apparatus 101 is set through the system control unit 137, the print job control unit 115, and the like.

  S17: The print job control unit 115 instructs the status page creation unit 133 to create a status page according to the sequence.

  S19: The status page creation unit 133 obtains the setting information of the image forming apparatus 101 from the system control unit 137, and creates a status page based on the setting information. The status page creation unit 133 generates a status page in the PDL format.

  S21: The status page described by the generated PDL is converted into DL (display list) which is an intermediate language by the data analysis unit 125 and the drawing data processing unit 127.

  S23: The status page converted to DL in S19 is converted into a bitmap (BM) by the drawing unit 129. The status page converted into the bitmap is stored in the disk 123 via the disk control unit 121.

  S25: The status page evaluation unit 117 compares the bitmap data of the correct page generated in S13 with the bitmap data generated in S23.

  S27: If the bitmap data does not match as a result of the comparison in S25, the operation proceeds to S31. If the bitmap data match, the operation proceeds to S29. The comparison of the bitmap data is performed by pattern matching between the bitmap of the status page created by the status page creation unit 133 that is the evaluation object and the correct page.

  S29: Since the comparison result of the status page in S25 coincides, the fact that there is no problem is recorded.

  S31: Since the comparison result of the status page in S25 did not match, the inconsistent point is recorded.

  S33: The out-of-area output verification unit 153 uses the bitmap data of the status page and the data obtained by converting the printable area set by the area setting unit 151 into a bitmap, and print data is output outside the printable area. Verify whether it exists.

  S35: If the result of S33 shows that there is a print output outside the printable area, the operation proceeds to S37. If there is no print output outside the area, the operation proceeds to S39.

  S37: The out-of-area output notification unit 155 encloses, for example, the portion indicating that the print output data outside the printable area is out of print output with a dotted circle as shown in FIG. Further, the processing of the portion may be other means as described above, such as colorization, hatching, and highlighting.

  S39: The status page is printed out by the output unit 143 and the print engine 145. If there is print data outside the printable area, that fact may be output on the status page. Alternatively, a method of outputting that effect on the panel 131 may be used.

  S41: If there is a sequence that has not been evaluated yet in the evaluation sequence, the operation proceeds to S15, and the status page evaluation is repeated in the same manner for the next sequence. If there is no next sequence, the operation ends.

  The status page evaluation from S15 to S33 will be described with reference to FIG. The status page generated based on the evaluation sequence and the data compressed and stored in the disk in FIG. 3A are expanded and compared.

  With the series of operations described above, the validity of the status page of the image forming apparatus is automatically and continuously evaluated.

[Effect of Example]
The out-of-region output verification unit checks whether there is an output outside the printable region set by the region setting unit for verifying whether the status page created by the image forming apparatus is output within the intended correct region. By verifying and processing the output data outside the area and notifying that, automatically verifying whether the status page is printed within the printable area based on the correct intended format This makes it possible to improve the efficiency and labor saving of status page verification.

  The status page generated by the image forming apparatus is evaluated, a correct status page (correct page) is generated for the setting item, and the status page is actually compared with the status page created by the status page creating unit 133 of the image forming apparatus. To automatically evaluate whether the status page is correct. By this method, it is possible to save a lot of time and labor as compared with the conventional method of checking the status page by visual observation, and there is no oversight.

  Since the evaluation sequence is generated by setting the setting items and setting values in the script, the status page is automatically checked for the various setting items of the image forming apparatus under the condition that the setting values are changed. It can be done in a short time.

  Since the evaluation of the status page is performed by pattern matching using bitmapped data, there is no need to output to a conventional sheet, and the sheet is saved.

  By outputting only the portions where the bitmap data is different, it is possible to easily recognize the portion where the error has occurred.

  In addition, there is no need to read the output once on the paper with the scanner, and there is no need for OCR (optical character recognition) of the read data without causing a data reading error due to image deterioration at the time of reading with the scanner. No.

  Since the comparison of the status page is performed by pattern matching of bitmap data, not only the setting value difference of the setting item but also the difference of the status page format (for example, the setting value is described within the intended range). Check).

  Since it is possible to specify an ignored area that is not compared when evaluating with bitmap data, it is misunderstood that the comparison is performed and the data is incorrect for meaningless data such as date and firmware version number. There is no end.

  When evaluating with bitmap data, the numerical value or character string in the area can be compared to determine whether it is within the specified range or the specified character string. Data verification on values that can be determined is possible.

[Others]
In the embodiment of the present invention, an evaluation sequence generation unit 139, a correct page generation unit 141, a status page evaluation unit 117 (including an area setting unit 151, an out-of-area output verification unit 153, and an out-of-area output notification unit 155) are included in the image forming apparatus. 101, the above-described evaluation sequence generation unit 139, correct page generation unit 141, status page evaluation unit 117 (same as above), that is, is surrounded by a dotted line in the functional block diagram of FIG. The functional unit may be mounted outside the image forming apparatus 101, for example, on the terminal device 201 connected through a communication interface or a network interface, and may evaluate the status page creation unit 133 of the image forming apparatus 101.

  In the above case, the status page creation function of the status page creation unit 133 in the computer of the terminal device 201, the evaluation sequence creation function of the evaluation sequence creation unit 139, the correct page creation function of the correct page creation unit 141, and the status Status page evaluation function of page evaluation unit 117, region setting function of region setting unit 151, out-of-region output verification function of out-of-region output verification unit 153, and out-of-region output notification of out-of-region output notification unit 155 Realize functionality.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the comparison between the correct page and the status page created by the image forming apparatus is performed by pattern matching after bitmap conversion. For example, comparative evaluation is performed at the stage of DL or PDL before bitmap conversion. A method or a method of creating a correct page and a status page created by the status page creation unit as text and comparing only the set values regardless of the format or the like may be used. In this case, the format and the like cannot be compared, but the time required for the comparison evaluation is greatly reduced.

  For the verification of whether or not there is an out-of-region output performed by the out-of-region output verification unit 153, a method of performing comparative evaluation at the stage of DL or PDL may be used as described above. Further, the processing outside the area of the status page performed by the out-of-area output notification unit 155 may also take a method of processing the output at the DL or PDL stage.

  Alternatively, the data to be compared may be output in HTML format or RTF format instead of text, and a text-based comparison including the format may be performed.

  The object output in the area described as the printable area in the present specification is not limited to characters but may be a figure.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the computer is constituted by a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM. However, the number of these components is not limited to one, and a plurality of components may be used, and a control board on which these components are arranged. One or more of them may be used.

101 Image forming apparatus 102 Image forming apparatus B (another image forming apparatus)
111 Communication I / F (interface)
113 Data Receiving Unit 115 Print Job Control Unit 117 Status Page Evaluation Unit 119 NVRAM
121 disk control unit 123 disk 125 data analysis unit 127 drawing data processing unit 129 drawing unit 131 panel 133 status page creation unit 135 memory management unit 137 system control unit 138 device information holding unit 139 evaluation sequence generation unit 140 correct page input unit 141 correct answer Page generation unit 143 Output unit 145 Print engine 147 Paper 151 Region setting unit 153 Out-of-region output verification unit 155 Out-of-region output notification unit 201 Terminal device

Claims (5)

A status page creation unit for creating and outputting a status page in which the setting state of the device is described for each item;
An area setting unit for setting a printable area on the status page;
An out-of-area output verification unit that verifies whether there is output outside the printable area;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an out-of-area output notifying unit that notifies that when there is an output outside the printable area. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The printable area set by the area setting unit is set by one rectangle or a combination of a plurality of rectangles. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The out-of-region output notification unit performs at least one of notifying the panel that there is an output outside the printable region, or printing and outputting on a sheet. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The out-of-region output notification unit is expressed by any one of the above-described output pages outside the region in the status page, which are displayed in reverse, bolded, italicized, colored, or surrounded by a frame, or a free combination thereof. An image forming apparatus. On the computer,
A status page creation function for creating and outputting a status page in which the device setting status is described for each item,
An area setting function for setting a printable area on the status page;
An out-of-area output verification function for verifying whether there is output outside the printable area; and
A status page evaluation program for realizing an out-of-area output notification function for notifying when there is an output outside the printable area.

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