JP2011130023A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide facsimile equipment which is capable of reducing a frequency with which a printing function is stopped due to running-out of paper or a paper jam during facsimile reception at night, and a frequency with which a facsimile reception function is stopped by the occurrence of capacity shortage in an image data storage memory due to the stop of the printing function. <P>SOLUTION: An image recorder provided with a reception part for receiving image data and a plurality of medium accommodation parts for accommodating printing media includes: a clock part for measuring time; a selection part which, in response to reception of image data via the reception part, selects one medium accommodation part among the plurality of medium accommodation parts on the basis of the time indicated by the clock part; and a printing part which performs print processing based on the image data, on media accommodated in the medium accommodation part selected by the selection part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that forms an image on a print medium based on received image data.

  Conventionally, as an image recording apparatus of this type, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, when image data is received from a transmission-side facsimile apparatus via a communication line, the image data is stored in an image memory, and There has been proposed a facsimile apparatus that reads stored image data, develops the image data, and prints the developed image on paper. In such a facsimile apparatus, for example, a paper tray for stacking and holding paper is attached to the apparatus main body so that it can be pulled out.

JP 2001-8017 A

  By the way, when the facsimile apparatus receives image data from the counterpart facsimile apparatus, the paper may run out or be jammed during the printing process based on the image data. When the facsimile apparatus is installed in an office or the like, if the above problems occur at night, the number of employees is sparse or unattended, so that the problems cannot be quickly dealt with and the printing function is stopped. In the above-described facsimile apparatus, when new image data is received in the above situation, the image data is sequentially stored in the image memory. However, when the size of the stored data increases and the memory capacity is saturated, the image data is stored. Therefore, there is a problem that the reception function of the image data is stopped.

  In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to reduce the frequency of stopping the printing function due to running out of paper or paper jam when receiving at night, and to the image data storage memory when the printing function stops. An object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of reducing the frequency at which a reception function stops due to insufficient capacity.

The present invention adopts the following configuration in order to solve the above points.
<Configuration>
An image recording apparatus of the present invention is an image recording apparatus including a receiving unit that receives image data and a plurality of medium storage units for storing print media, and a clock unit that measures time, and a reception unit. When the image data is received, a selection unit that selects one medium storage unit from a plurality of medium storage units based on the time indicated by the clock unit, and a medium stored in the medium storage unit selected by the selection unit, And a printing unit that performs a printing process based on image data.

  According to the present invention, a large-capacity tray capable of stacking a large amount of paper is provided, and when reception is performed at night, the print processing based on the received image data is controlled to be performed using the large-capacity tray. It is possible to reduce the frequency of occurrence of out of paper. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the frequency at which the print function and the reception function are stopped due to the out of paper.

1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a facsimile machine 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of a facsimile machine 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of ROM103 of Example 1 which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of RAM104 of Example 1 which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the structure of the replenishment warning program of Example 1 which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the structure of the facsimile reception program of Example 1 which concerns on this invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a configuration of a print control program according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a configuration of a paper feed tray selection program according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the facsimile apparatus 100a of Example 2 which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of the facsimile apparatus 100a of Example 2 which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of ROM103a of Example 2 which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of RAM104a of Example 2 which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the structure of the nighttime tray setting program of Example 2 which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the structure of the replenishment warning program 2 of Example 2 which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the structure of the paper feed tray selection program 2 of Example 2 which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, a description will be given by taking as an example a case where a facsimile apparatus, which is an image recording apparatus, is installed in an office and used in an operating environment where the number of employees is sparse or unattended at night.

<Configuration of Example 1>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a facsimile machine 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the facsimile apparatus 100 is detachably attached to an input display section 105, a printing section 106, a voice output section 108, an image reading section 200 located at the upper part of the apparatus, and a lower part of the apparatus. A small capacity tray 1063 and a large capacity tray 1064 are provided.
The facsimile apparatus 100 is connected to an analog public network and an IP network via a VoIP adapter (not shown), for example, and can perform facsimile communication (reception and transmission) with other facsimile apparatuses.
Since facsimile communication performed between the facsimile apparatus 100 and another facsimile apparatus is a well-known technique, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the input display unit 105 includes a touch panel display 1051, various button groups 1052, a “start” button 1053, and a “cancel” button 1054.
As shown in FIG. 1, the touch panel display 1051 is a part for receiving input of various instructions from a user operating the input display unit 105 or displaying various notifications to the user.
When the communication I / F unit (see FIG. 2) described later performs facsimile reception, the touch panel display 1051 notifies the user of the reception based on the control of the control unit 101 (see FIG. 2) described later. Display the reception notification screen.

  The various button groups 1052 are composed of a plurality of buttons corresponding to numbers 0 to 9, which are used by the user to input a facsimile number of a destination facsimile apparatus.

  A “start” button 1053 is pressed to instruct a facsimile transmission after a user places a document on the manual feed tray 201 of the image reading unit 200 and inputs a facsimile number of a transmission destination using various button groups 1052. Button.

  The “Cancel” button 1054 is a button that is pressed to instruct cancellation of the transmission process in a situation where the user presses the “Start” button 1053 and facsimile transmission is started.

The printing unit 106 includes the small-capacity tray 1063, the large-capacity tray 1064, and a discharge paper stacking unit 1065.
The small capacity tray 1063 is a paper tray that can accommodate a small number of sheets (for example, up to 100 sheets).
The large capacity tray 1064 is a paper tray that can accommodate a large number of sheets (for example, up to 500 sheets).
In the first embodiment, since the facsimile apparatus 100 has a large capacity tray 1064, the size of the apparatus becomes large. For this reason, the facsimile apparatus 100 includes a small-capacity tray 1063 capable of stacking a smaller number of sheets (for example, 100 sheets) than the normal number of sheets (for example, 300 sheets) as another tray. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a configuration having a sheet tray that can hold and hold a normal number of sheets instead of the small capacity tray 1063 in order to reduce the frequency of sheet supply by the user.
In the first embodiment, the facsimile apparatus 100 is configured to have one small-capacity tray 1063 as shown in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of sizes of paper are used. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to a configuration having a plurality of small-capacity trays in order to enable printing processing.

The discharged paper stacking unit 1065 is a part for stacking and holding the paper that has been discharged from a discharge unit (not shown) of the facsimile apparatus 100 and that has undergone printing processing.
As shown in FIG. 1, the discharge sheet stacking unit 1065 has a sufficient interval L between the discharge sheet stacking unit 1065 and the lower part of the image reading unit 200 so that a large amount (up to 500 sheets) of sheets can be stacked. (Long) configuration to keep.
In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the facsimile machine 100 has a configuration in which the interval L between the discharged paper stacking unit 1065 and the lower part of the image reading unit 200 is long. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which the interval L is set to a general length and a plurality of discharge stackers are disposed on the side surface of the apparatus main body.
In the case of the above configuration, the control unit 101 of the facsimile apparatus 100 causes the discharge sheet stacking unit 1065, the discharge stacker 1, the discharge stacker 2, and the like every time the number of discharged sheets reaches a predetermined number (for example, 100 sheets) at night time. The printing unit 106 is controlled so as to sequentially change the discharge destination. With this configuration, an increase in the size of the facsimile machine 100 can be prevented.

  Then, the printing unit 106 performs a printing process based on the image data received from the facsimile machine on the transmission side via the communication I / F unit 102 (see FIG. 2). The configuration relating to the operation of the printing process will be described in detail when the control configuration described later is described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the audio output unit 108 includes a speaker for emitting audio.
This audio output unit 108 outputs a “replenishment warning message” prompting the user to supply paper to the large-capacity tray 1064 at a later-described night time (6 pm to 9 am).
The “supply warning message” is stored in advance in the ROM 103 described later.
In the first embodiment, the audio output unit 108 is configured to be used only for outputting the above “replenishment warning message”. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image data is transmitted via the communication I / F unit 102. The present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which a reception notification sound for notifying that a message has been received is output.
The audio output unit 108 can also be applied to a configuration in which a transmission completion notification sound for notifying that transmission of image data is completed via the communication I / F unit 102 is output as audio.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the image reading unit 200 includes a manual feed tray 201 on which a document is placed. As shown in FIG. 1, the manual feed tray 201 is integrally formed with a cover located at the top of the facsimile machine 100. The image reading unit 200 has a document placing table made of a glass plate (not shown) at a position facing the lower side of the cover.
The image reading unit 200 is a part that generates image data by reading a document placed on the manual feed tray 201 or a document placing table (not shown) when the “start” button 1053 is pressed.
In the first embodiment, only control at the time of facsimile reception of the facsimile apparatus 100 will be described. Therefore, detailed description of the image reading unit 200 that is used only at the time of facsimile transmission is omitted.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a control configuration of the facsimile machine 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the facsimile apparatus 100 has a control unit 101 for controlling the entire apparatus, a communication I / F unit 102, a ROM 103, a RAM 104, an input display unit 105, a printing unit 106, and the like. The timer unit 107 and the audio output unit 108 are provided.

A communication I / F (Inter Face) unit 102 is a part that performs facsimile communication (reception or transmission) with other facsimile apparatuses.
That is, the communication I / F unit 102 performs facsimile communication between the facsimile apparatus 100 and another facsimile apparatus based on a defined communication sequence.
Since this communication sequence is a well-known technique, a detailed description is omitted.

  When the communication I / F unit 102 performs facsimile reception and acquires image data, the control unit 101 stores the image data in an image data storage area 20 (see FIG. 4) described later of the RAM 104.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the ROM 103.
A ROM (Read Only Memory) 103 is a part that stores each program executed in each unit of the facsimile apparatus 100 based on the control of the control unit 101.
As shown in FIG. 3, the ROM 103 includes a replenishment warning program storage area 10 for storing a “replenishment warning program”, a facsimile reception program storage area 11 for storing a “facsimile reception program”, and a “print control”. Print control program storage area 12 for storing “program”, paper feed tray selection program storage area 13 for storing “paper tray selection program”, and supply warning message for storing “supply warning message” And a storage area 14.

  In the “supply warning program”, when the current time measured by the time measuring unit 107 is a preset night time (from 6:00 pm to 9:00 am the next morning), the control unit 101 sends the audio output unit 108 to the large capacity tray 1064 for the user. This program is used to perform audio output control so as to output the “replenishment warning message” that prompts the user to replenish paper. The configuration of this “supply warning program” will be described in detail later.

The “facsimile reception program” is for the control unit 101 to cause the communication I / F unit 102 to receive a facsimile (image data) from the other party's facsimile apparatus and store the image data in the image data storage area 20 of the RAM 104. This is a program used for communication control. The configuration of this “facsimile reception program” will be described in detail later.
In the first embodiment, since only the facsimile reception process is described, the “facsimile reception program” is stored in the ROM 103 as shown in FIG. 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the ROM 103 performs the facsimile transmission process. It is assumed that a “facsimile transmission program” to be executed is also stored.

  When the control unit 101 completes the storage of the image data in the image data storage area 20 of the RAM 104, the “print control program” causes the print control unit 1061 to control the printer engine, and the small capacity tray 1063 and the large capacity tray 1064. This program is used to perform print control so that paper is fed from one of the trays and printed. The configuration of the “print control program” will be described in detail later.

  When the control unit 101 performs print processing, the “paper feed tray selection program” is based on whether the current time measured by the time measuring unit 107 is night time or not, and the small capacity tray 1063 and the large capacity tray 1064. This is a program used to perform selection control so as to select from which tray paper should be fed. The configuration of the “paper feed tray selection program” will be described in detail later.

  When the current time measured by the time measuring unit 107 reaches a preset night time, the “replenishment warning message” is used when the control unit 101 executes the “replenishment warning program” to supply paper to the large-capacity tray 1064 for the user. A voice message prompting

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the RAM 104.
A RAM (Random Access Memory) 104 is a storage unit that temporarily stores various types of information.
The RAM 104 is a work memory for expanding the various programs stored in the ROM 103.
The RAM 104 has a plurality of storage areas in advance for storing various types of information.
The RAM 104 has an image data storage area 20, a replenishment warning flag storage area 21, and a paper feed tray pointer storage area 22, as shown in FIG.

The image data storage area 20 is a memory for storing image data acquired via the communication I / F unit 102.
That is, the image data storage area 20 stores image data based on communication control when the control unit 101 executes the “facsimile reception program”.
When the printing process based on the image data is completed, the image data stored in the image data storage area 20 is deleted from the storage area based on the communication control of the control unit 101.

The replenishment warning flag storage area 21 is a memory for storing each variable indicating whether or not the sound output of the replenishment warning message by the sound output unit 108 has been completed.
That is, in the replenishment warning flag storage area 21, when the sound output of the replenishment warning message by the sound output unit 108 is completed, the warning is completed based on the sound output control when the “replenishment warning program” is executed by the control unit 101. "Warning complete" indicating that
On the other hand, in the replenishment warning flag storage area 21, a variable “unwarned” indicating that the warning is incomplete is stored based on the control of the control unit 101 when the sound output is incomplete.

The paper feed tray pointer storage area 22 is a memory for storing a variable indicating a tray that is a paper feed destination of paper used for the printing process.
That is, in the paper feed tray pointer storage area 22, a variable indicating that the tray to be used is the large capacity tray 1064 based on the control of the control unit 101 when the current time measured by the time measuring unit 107 is night time. The name “large capacity tray” is stored.
On the other hand, in the paper feed tray pointer storage area 22, when the current time is not the night time, the variable name “small capacity tray” indicating that the tray to be used is the small capacity tray 1063 based on the control of the control unit 101. Is stored.

  The input display unit 105 includes the touch panel display 1051 described above, various button groups 1052, a “start” button 1053, and a “cancel” button 1054.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printing unit 106 includes a printing control unit 1061, a printer engine 1062, a small capacity tray 1063, a large capacity tray 1064, and a discharged paper stacking unit 1065.

  The print control unit 1061 controls the printer engine 1062 to perform print processing based on image data received by facsimile using sheets stacked and held on either the small capacity tray 1063 or the large capacity tray 1064.

  The printer engine 1062 is an execution unit that executes print processing based on image data. The printer engine 1062 uses various printing mechanisms (not shown) to feed paper from the small-capacity tray 1063 or the large-capacity tray 1064, charge the photosensitive drum, laser irradiation, toner application, transfer to the paper, Fix it.

<Operation of Example 1>

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the configuration of the replenishment warning program.
The configuration of the replenishment warning program will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
When a user who uses the facsimile apparatus 100 turns on a power button (not shown) of the apparatus main body, the control unit 101 supplies a voltage from a power supply part (not shown) to each unit constituting the apparatus to start up. When each unit of the facsimile apparatus 100 is activated, the control unit 101 reads the replenishment warning program stored in the replenishment warning program storage area 10 of the ROM 103. The replenishment warning program is read by the control unit 101, whereby each step shown in FIG.

  The control unit 101 determines whether or not the current time measured by the time measuring unit 107 is a preset night time (from 6 pm to 9 am the next morning) (step S11). It is determined whether or not “ON” is stored in the replenishment warning flag storage area 21 (step S12).

  On the other hand, if the current time is not the night time, the control unit 101 searches whether or not “OFF” is stored in the replenishment warning flag storage area 21 (step S13), and “ON” is stored. Is stored in the storage area (step S14). And the control part 101 will perform the operation | movement of step S11 again, if "OFF" is memorize | stored. Further, when “OFF” is stored in the replenishment warning flag storage area 21, the control unit 101 performs the operation of step S11 again.

  Then, when “ON” is stored in the replenishment warning flag storage area 21 when the current time is the night time, the control unit 101 performs the operation of step S11 again.

  On the other hand, when “OFF” is stored in the replenishment warning flag storage area 21, the control unit 101 reads out the replenishment warning message stored in the replenishment warning message storage area 14 of the ROM 103 and outputs the voice to the voice output unit 108. And the message is transferred.

  When the audio output unit 108 receives the above replenishment warning message together with the above audio output instruction, the message “The night time has arrived. Please replenish paper in the large capacity tray” is displayed using the speaker. A sound is output at a high volume (step S15).

When the audio output unit 108 finishes outputting the replenishment warning message, the control unit 101 detects that paper has been set (supplied) on the tray using a sensor (not shown) installed on the large capacity tray 1064 ( In step S16, “ON” is stored in the replenishment warning flag storage area 21 of the RAM 104 (step S17).
At this time, the control unit 101 outputs the message at a high volume at a predetermined time interval until a sheet is set on the large capacity tray 1064.
And the control part 101 performs operation | movement of step S11 again, after complete | finishing the said memory | storage operation | movement.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the configuration of the facsimile reception program.
The configuration of the facsimile reception program will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
When the power button of the facsimile apparatus 100 is turned on and each unit of the apparatus is activated, the control unit 101 reads a facsimile reception program stored in the facsimile reception program storage area 11 of the ROM 103. The facsimile reception program is read by the control unit 101, whereby each step shown in FIG.

  When the control unit 101 receives a facsimile (image data) from the counterpart facsimile machine via the communication I / F unit 102 (step S21), the control unit 101 starts processing to store the image data in the image data storage area 20 of the RAM 104. (Step S22).

  On the other hand, when the image data is not received, the control unit 101 performs the operation of Step S21 again to wait for the reception of the image data.

  When the control unit 101 finishes storing the image data in the image data storage area 20 (step S23), the facsimile reception function is not stopped (step S24), and the operation of step S21 is performed again.

  On the other hand, the control unit 101 stops the printing function of the printing unit 106 (due to paper out or paper jam), and the data size of the image data sequentially stored in the image data storage area 20 increases and the area is increased. When the memory capacity is saturated and image data cannot be stored, the facsimile reception function is stopped (step S25). When the control unit 101 finishes storing the image data in the image data storage area 20 (step S23), the facsimile reception function is stopped (step S24), so that the facsimile reception function stop is canceled (step S26). ). When canceling the facsimile reception function stop, the control unit 101 performs the operation of step S21 again. Here, the control unit 101 stops the facsimile reception function until image data storage is completed.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the configuration of the print control program.
The configuration of the print control program will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
When the power button of the facsimile apparatus 100 is turned on and each unit of the apparatus is activated, the control unit 101 reads a tray selection program stored in the ROM 103. The tray selection program is read by the control unit 101, whereby each step shown in FIG.

  When the image data is stored in the image data storage area 20 of the RAM 104 (step S31), the control unit 101 reads the paper feed tray selection program stored in the paper tray selection program storage area 13 of the ROM 103. .

  When the control unit 101 completes the paper feed tray selection process, one of the small capacity tray 1063 and the large capacity tray 1064 is selected based on the variable name stored in the paper feed tray pointer storage area 22 of the RAM 104. Sheets stacked and held on the tray are fed and printing processing is performed.

  On the other hand, when the image data is not stored in the image data storage area 20, the control unit 101 performs the operation of step S31 again.

  When the printing process is finished, the control unit 101 deletes the processed image data stored in the image data storage area 20 (step S34). And the control part 101 performs operation | movement of step S31 again.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the configuration of the paper feed tray selection program.
The configuration of the paper feed tray selection program will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
When the power button of the facsimile apparatus 100 is turned on and each unit of the apparatus is activated, the control unit 101 reads the paper feed tray selection program stored in the paper feed tray selection program in the ROM 103. The paper feed tray selection program is read by the control unit 101, whereby each step shown in FIG.

  When the current time measured by the time measuring unit 107 is a night time (from 6 pm to 9 am the next morning) (step S41), the control unit 101 stores the variable stored in the paper feed tray pointer storage area 22 of the RAM 104. It is determined whether it is a “large capacity tray” (step S42).

  When the variable stored in the storage area is “small capacity tray”, the control unit 101 sets the variable “large capacity tray” in the storage area in order to select the large capacity tray 1064 as the paper feed tray. Store (step S43). When the control unit 101 finishes the storage process, the control unit 101 performs the operation of step S41 again.

  On the other hand, when the variable is “large capacity tray”, the control unit 101 performs the operation of step S41 again.

  In addition, when the current time is not the night time, the control unit 101 sets the small-capacity tray 1063 as a paper feed tray when the variable stored in the storage area is “large-capacity tray” (step S44). In order to select, the variable “small capacity tray” is stored in the storage area (step S45). When the control unit 101 finishes the storage process, the control unit 101 performs the operation of step S41 again.

  On the other hand, when the variable stored in the storage area is “small capacity tray”, the control unit 101 performs the operation of step S41 again.

<Effect of Example 1>
The facsimile apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes a large capacity tray 1064 capable of stacking a large amount (for example, 500 sheets) of paper. When the night time comes, a “replenishment warning message” for prompting paper supply to the tray is output as a voice. Since the sound is output from the speaker of the unit 108, any employee in the office listens to the notification and supplies paper to the tray. Accordingly, a large amount of sheets are stacked and held on the large capacity tray 1064 at night. When the facsimile reception is performed at night, the control unit 101 controls the large-capacity tray 1064 to perform the printing process based on the received image data, so that the frequency at which the sheet runs out can be reduced. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the frequency at which the printing function and the facsimile reception function are stopped due to the running out of paper.

<Configuration of Example 2>
The facsimile apparatus 100a according to the second embodiment of the present invention is a first apparatus capable of stacking a normal number of sheets (for example, 300 sheets) instead of the small capacity tray 1063 and the large capacity tray 1064 included in the facsimile apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. This is a configuration having a tray 1066 and a second tray 1067 (see FIG. 9).

  In addition, the facsimile machine 100a stacks and holds unprinted paper on one of the first tray 1066 and the second tray 1067, and the paper (backing paper) on which only one side is printed on the other tray. Is changed to a configuration for loading and holding.

  Further, the facsimile machine 100a determines on the input display unit 105a which of the first tray 1066 and the second tray 1067 is the tray that always stores unprinted paper as the night tray used for the printing process at night time. The first tray designation button 1055 and the second tray designation button 1056 are changed to be set by the user (see FIG. 9).

In the facsimile machine 100a, the interval L ′ between the lower surface of the image reading unit 200 and the discharged paper stacking unit 1065a is changed to be shorter than the interval L in the facsimile machine 100 of the first embodiment ( (See FIG. 9).
In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the facsimile machine 100a according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 9, the facsimile apparatus 100a is detachably attached to an input display section 105a, a printing section 106a, an audio output section 108a, an image reading section 200 positioned above the apparatus, and a lower section of the apparatus. A first tray 1066 and a second tray 1067 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the input display unit 105a includes a touch panel display 1051, various button groups 1052, a “start” button 1053, a “cancel” button 1054, a first tray designation button 1055, and a second tray designation. Button 1056.

The first tray designation button 1055 is a button used to designate the first tray 1066 as a paper feed tray (nighttime tray) used when the user performs printing at night.
The second tray designation button 1056 is a button used to designate the second tray 1067 as a night tray used when the user performs printing at night.
Here, when the first tray specifying button 1055 and the second tray specifying button 1056 are pressed by the user at night time, the pressing becomes invalid.
The other configuration of the input display unit 105a is the same as the configuration of the input display unit 105 of the first embodiment.

The printing unit 106a includes the first tray 1066, the second tray 1067, and a discharge paper stacking unit 1065a.
The first tray 1066 is a paper tray that can accommodate a normal number of sheets (for example, up to 300 sheets).
The second tray 1067 is a paper tray that can accommodate a normal number of sheets (for example, up to 300 sheets).
One of the first tray 1066 and the second tray 1067 stores unprinted paper, and the other tray stores paper that has been printed on only one side (back paper).
In the second embodiment, the facsimile machine 100a has two paper trays (first tray 1066 and second tray 1067) as shown in FIG. 9, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a configuration having three or more paper trays.

The discharged paper stacking portion 1065a is a portion for stacking and holding the paper that has been printed from the discharging portion (not shown) of the facsimile apparatus 100a and that has undergone the printing process.
As shown in FIG. 9, the discharge paper stacking section 1065a has a gap L ′ between the discharge paper stacking section 1065a and the lower part of the image reading section 200 so that a normal number of sheets (up to 300 sheets) can be stacked. Is shorter than the interval L in the facsimile apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.
The other configuration of the printing unit 106a is the same as the configuration of the printing unit 106 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, the audio output unit 108a includes a speaker for emitting audio.
When the night time comes, the audio output unit 108a, based on the control of the control unit 101a (see FIG. 10), prompts the user to supply paper to the first tray 1066, or the second tray supply warning message. One of “second tray supply warning message” prompting the user to supply paper to the tray 1067 is output as a voice.
The “first tray supply warning message” and the “second tray supply warning message” are stored in advance in the ROM 103a (see FIG. 12) described later.
The other configuration of the audio output unit 108a is the same as the configuration of the audio output unit 108 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a control configuration of the facsimile apparatus 100a according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 10, the facsimile apparatus 100a has a control unit 101a that controls the entire apparatus, a communication I / F unit 102, a ROM 103a, a RAM 104a, an input display unit 105a, and a printing unit 106a. The timer unit 107 and the audio output unit 108a are provided.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of the ROM 103a.
The ROM 103a is a part that stores each program executed in each unit based on the control of the control unit 101a.
As shown in FIG. 11, the ROM 103a includes a replenishment warning program storage area 10a for storing the “replenishment warning program 2”, a facsimile reception program storage area 11 for storing “facsimile reception program”, and “printing”. Print control program storage area 12 for storing "control program", paper feed tray selection program storage area 13a for storing "paper tray selection program 2", "first tray replenishment warning message", and "first tray warning message" Replenishment warning message storage area 14a for storing "two tray supply warning message", night tray setting program storage area 15 for storing "night tray setting program", and pressing for storing "press invalidation message" And an invalid message storage area 16.

  When the current time measured by the time measuring unit 107 is night time, the control unit 101a sends the audio output unit 108a to the night tray (first tray 1066 or second tray 1067) for the user. This program is used to perform audio output control to output the “first tray replenishment warning message” or “second tray replenishment warning message” that prompts replenishment. The configuration of the “supply warning program 2” will be described in detail later.

  When the control unit 101a performs the printing process, the “paper feed tray selection program” is based on whether the current time measured by the time measuring unit 107 is the night time or not, and the first tray 1066 and the second tray 1067. This is a program used to perform selection control so as to select from which tray paper should be fed. The configuration of the “paper feed tray selection program 2” will be described in detail later.

  The “night tray setting program” is based on the first tray designation button 1055 or the second tray designation button 1056 pressed by the user, and the night tray (first tray 1066) used by the control unit 101a for printing processing at night time. Or a program used to perform setting control to set the second tray 1067). The configuration of this “night tray setting program” will be described in detail later.

The “first tray replenishment warning message” indicates that when the current time measured by the time measuring unit 107 is nighttime, the control unit 101a uses the “replenishment warning program 2” when executing the “paper supply to the first tray 1066”. This is a voice message prompting replenishment.
The “second tray replenishment warning message” is a voice message that prompts the user to replenish paper on the second tray 1067, which is used when the control unit 101a executes the “replenishment warning program 2”.
The other configuration of the ROM 103a is the same as that of the ROM 103 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of the RAM 104a.
The RAM 104a is a storage unit that temporarily stores various types of information.
The RAM 104a is a work memory for expanding the various programs stored in the ROM 103a.
The RAM 104a has a plurality of storage areas in advance for storing various information.
As shown in FIG. 4, the RAM 104a is a storage area that characterizes the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the RAM 104a stores an image data storage area 20, a replenishment warning flag storage area 21, a paper feed tray pointer storage area 22a, and a night tray pointer storage area 23. And have.

The paper feed tray pointer storage area 22a is a memory for storing a variable indicating a tray that is a paper feed destination of paper used for printing processing.
That is, in the paper feed tray pointer storage area 22a, when the current time measured by the time measuring unit 107 is night time, a variable indicating that the tray to be used is a night tray described later based on the control of the control unit 101a. The name “night tray” is stored.
On the other hand, in the paper feed tray pointer storage area 22a, when the current time is not the night time, the variable name “night” indicates that the tray to be used is not the night tray based on the control of the control unit 101a. “Tray that is not a tray” is stored.

The night tray pointer storage area 23 is a memory for storing a variable indicating a tray as a paper feed destination used for printing processing at night time.
That is, in the night tray pointer storage area 23, when the user presses the first tray designation button 1055 at a time other than the night time, the tray used at night is the first tray 1066 based on the control of the control unit 101a. A variable name “first tray” is stored to indicate that it exists.
On the other hand, in the night tray pointer storage area 23, when the user presses the second tray designation button 1056 at a time other than the night time, the tray used at night is the second tray 1067 based on the control of the control unit 101a. A variable name “second tray” is stored to indicate that it exists.

<Operation of Example 2>
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the configuration of the night tray setting program.
The configuration of the nighttime tray setting program will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
When a user who uses the facsimile apparatus 100a turns on a power button (not shown) of the apparatus main body, the control unit 101a supplies a voltage from a power supply part (not shown) to each part of the device to start it up. When each unit of the facsimile apparatus 100a is activated, the control unit 101a reads out the night tray setting program stored in the night tray setting program storage area 15 of the ROM 103a. The night tray setting program is read out by the control unit 101a, whereby each step shown in FIG. 13 is sequentially executed.

  First, the control unit 101a sets “second tray” as an initial value of a variable indicating a night tray in the night tray pointer storage area 23 of the RAM 104a (step S51).

  When the user presses the first tray specifying button 1055 or the second tray specifying button 1056 (step S52), the control unit 101a determines whether it is night time (step S53).

  If the pressed button is “first tray designation button 1055” (step S54) when the time is not nighttime, the control unit 101a stores the variable name “first tray” in the nighttime tray pointer storage area 23. (Step S55).

  On the other hand, if the pressed button is the “second tray designation button 1056”, the control unit 101a returns to the operation of step S52 because the variable name “second tray” has already been set.

  In addition, in the case of night time, the control unit 101a reads the “press invalid message” stored in the press invalid message storage area 16 of the ROM 103a, and displays, for example, “the night tray designation button at night time on the touch panel display 1051. A message that “the press is invalid” is displayed (step S56).

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the configuration of the replenishment warning program 2.
The configuration of the replenishment warning program 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
When a user who uses the facsimile apparatus 100a turns on a power button (not shown) of the apparatus main body, the control unit 101a supplies a voltage from a power supply part (not shown) to each part of the device to start it up. When each unit of the facsimile apparatus 100a is activated, the control unit 101a reads the “replenishment warning program 2” stored in the replenishment warning program storage area 10a of the ROM 103a. The replenishment warning program 2 is read by the control unit 101a, whereby each step shown in FIG. 14 is sequentially executed.

  The operations in steps S61 to S64 in the second embodiment are the same as the operations in steps S11 to S14 in the first embodiment.

  When “OFF” is stored in the replenishment warning flag storage area 21, the control unit 101a reads a variable stored in the night tray pointer storage area 23 of the RAM 104a. When the read variable is “first tray” (step S65), the control unit 101a stores “first tray” stored in the first tray supply warning message storage area 141 of the supply warning message storage area 14a of the ROM 103a. The “replenishment warning message” is read out, the voice output unit 108a is instructed to output voice, and the message is transferred.

  On the other hand, when the read variable is “second tray”, the control unit 101a displays the “second tray supply warning message” stored in the second tray supply warning message storage area 142 of the supply warning message storage area 14a. Read and instruct voice output to the voice output unit 108a and transfer the message.

  When the voice output unit 108a receives the “first tray supply warning message” together with the voice output instruction, the voice output unit 108a indicates the message using a speaker. For example, “Night time has come. Please replenish "at a high volume (step S66).

When the audio output unit 108a finishes outputting the “first tray replenishment warning message”, the control unit 101a uses the sensor (not shown) installed on the first tray 1066 to set (supplement) paper in the tray. When this is detected (step S67), “ON” is stored in the replenishment warning flag storage area 21 of the RAM 104a (step S68).
At this time, the control unit 101a outputs the message at a high volume at a predetermined time interval until a sheet is set on the first tray 1066.

  On the other hand, when the voice output unit 108a receives the “second tray supply message” together with the voice output instruction, the voice output unit 108a indicates the message using a speaker. For example, “Night time has arrived. Paper to the second tray. Is supplied at a high volume (step S69).

When the audio output unit 108a finishes outputting the “second tray supply message”, the control unit 101a uses the sensor (not shown) installed on the second tray 1067 to set (supplement) paper in the tray. Is detected (step S70), "ON" is stored in the replenishment warning flag storage area 21 of the RAM 104a (step S68).
At this time, the control unit 101a outputs the message at a high volume at a predetermined time interval until a sheet is set on the second tray 1067.
And the control part 101a performs operation | movement of step S61 again, after complete | finishing the said memory | storage operation | movement.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the configuration of the paper feed tray selection program 2. The configuration of the paper feed tray selection program 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
When the power button of the facsimile apparatus 100a is turned on and each unit of the apparatus is activated, the control unit 101a reads the paper feed tray selection program 2 stored in the paper feed tray selection program storage area 13a of the ROM 103a. The paper feed tray selection program 2 is read by the control unit 101a, whereby each step shown in FIG. 15 is sequentially executed.

  When the current time measured by the time measuring unit 107 is night time (step S71), the control unit 101a stores the variable “night tray” in the storage area in order to select the night tray as the paper feed tray (step S71). S72). When the control unit 101a finishes the storage process, the control unit 101a performs the operation of step S71 again.

  On the other hand, if the current time is not a night time, the control unit 101a stores a variable “a tray that is not a night tray” in the storage area in order to select a tray that is not a night tray as a paper feed tray (step S73). ). When the control unit 101a finishes the storage process, the control unit 101a performs the operation of step S71 again.

<Effect of Example 2>
The facsimile apparatus 100a according to the second embodiment stores unprinted paper and backing paper in a first tray 1066 and a second tray 1067, respectively, and corresponds to a tray that stores the unprinted paper. Is input using the first tray specifying button 1055 or the second tray specifying button 1056, and at night time, a message prompting the user to replenish the tray containing the unprocessed paper is sent from the speaker of the audio output unit 108a. Therefore, any employee in the office listens to the notification and replenishes the tray in which the unprinted paper is stored. Thus, when the facsimile reception is performed at night, the control unit 101a performs control so that the printing process based on the received image data is performed using unprinted paper (the back paper is not used), so that paper jam occurs. The frequency can be reduced. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the frequency at which the printing function and the facsimile reception function are stopped due to a paper jam.

  In the above-described embodiments, the image recording apparatus of the present invention has been described as a facsimile apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having a facsimile function and a printer function.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Facsimile device 1055 1st tray designation | designated button 1056 2nd tray designation | designated button 1063 Small capacity tray 1064 Large capacity tray 1066 1st tray 1067 2nd tray 107 Time measuring part 108 Audio | voice output part

Claims (3)

In an image recording apparatus including a receiving unit that receives image data and a plurality of medium storage units for storing print media,
A clock unit for measuring time,
Upon receiving image data via the receiving unit, a selection unit that selects one medium storage unit from the plurality of medium storage units based on the time indicated by the clock unit;
An image recording apparatus comprising: a printing unit that performs printing processing based on image data on a medium stored in the medium storage unit selected by the selection unit.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects the medium storage unit based on a number of media that can be stored in each of the medium storage units and a time indicated by the clock unit. . It further includes an operation unit that receives instructions from the user,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects the medium storage unit based on an instruction from a user received by the operation unit and a time indicated by the clock unit.

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