JP2012234114A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device that allows a user to certainly collects a desired printed matter without preparing a large post-processing device.SOLUTION: An image forming device 1 that receives print jobs from a plurality of users to form images on the basis of the print jobs includes: a discharge roller 25 that discharges a printed matter to the outside by holding and conveying the printed matter on which the image is formed by an image forming part; and a discharge control part that controls the discharge roller 25 to discharge the printer matter. The discharge control part determines whether each of the printed matters is to be sorted or not on the basis of the content of the print job received from the user, discharges the printed matter determined not to be sorted while continuously driving the discharge roller 25, and holds the printed matter determined to be sorted, with its top protruding from the discharge roller 25 and the rest remaining in the machine by stopping the discharge roller 25 during the discharge operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus used jointly by a plurality of users. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that receives a print job transmitted from each computer or the like by each user and performs printing in order of reception, for example.

  Conventionally, a plurality of users may use the same printer, for example, at work. Normally, each user issues an image formation command to the printer in units of print jobs from the computer or the like used. The printer sequentially prints the received print jobs in the order received, for example, and discharges the printed paper, that is, the printed matter, to the paper discharge tray. Each user distinguishes the printed matter of the print job he / she has taken out of the papers on the paper discharge tray of the printer and takes it home.

  For example, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of paper discharge trays as a post-processing device, printed materials are sorted by being discharged to different paper discharge trays for each print job (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .) If this is the case, there is no possibility of mixed prints of different print jobs. However, the post-processing apparatus is a relatively large apparatus, and is often not provided in a small image forming apparatus.

  In a relatively small image forming apparatus having only one paper discharge tray, for example, there is an apparatus that performs sorting by discharging a printed product by shifting the position in the horizontal direction of the paper discharge direction for each print job (for example, patents). Reference 2). In this way, even on a single paper discharge tray, the printed materials are stacked at positions shifted laterally for each print job, so that each user finds a desired printed material separately from other printed materials. be able to.

JP 2001-348160 A JP 2009-012910 A

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 2 described above, it is necessary to have a mechanism for moving the roller in the axial direction in order to discharge to at least two different positions, which may lead to an increase in the size of the apparatus. Further, the printed matter is stacked on one tray, although it is discharged laterally for each print job. For this reason, for example, a small number of print jobs sandwiched between a large number of print jobs or a print job printed on a smaller size paper than the previous and next print jobs are hidden between the print jobs of the previous and next print jobs. There was a fear. In such a case, there was a risk that the user who commanded the previous or subsequent print job could take the printed product by mistake. In particular, such a situation with respect to printed matter including personal information and confidential information is not preferable because it may cause information leakage.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that allows a user to reliably collect a desired printed matter without providing a large post-processing device.

  An image forming apparatus of the present invention, which has been made for the purpose of solving this problem, is an image forming apparatus that receives a print job from a plurality of users and forms an image based on the print job. A discharge roller that discharges the printed material outside the apparatus by conveying the printed material with the image formed therebetween, and a discharge control unit that controls the discharge roller to discharge the printed material. Based on the contents of the print job, it is determined whether or not each print product is a target for sorting. For a print product that is determined not to be a target for sorting, the discharge roller is driven as it is to be ejected, and it is a target for sorting. For prints that have been identified as being, the discharge roller is stopped in the middle of discharge, so that the leading portion protrudes from the discharge roller and the remaining portion remains in the machine. It is an.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the printed matter determined to be a sorting target is placed between the discharge rollers and is set to a cueing state. In this cueing state, the printed matter has not yet been completely discharged out of the machine, so there is no risk of it being accidentally taken away by another user. The user can instruct the cueing state of the printed matter that is desired to be reliably collected. Moreover, it is not necessary to provide a large post-processing device in order to achieve this cueing state. Therefore, it is an image forming apparatus that allows a user to reliably collect a desired printed matter without providing a large post-processing device.

Further, according to the present invention, when the received print job includes at least one of a sorting specification setting and a confidential setting, the discharge control unit determines that the printed matter of the job is a sorting target, In other cases, it is desirable to determine that the printed matter of the job is not a sorting target.
In this way, it is determined that a job for which neither sorting designation nor confidential setting is set is not a sorting target, and therefore, the job is discharged without entering a cueing state. Therefore, the printed matter of the job that is not the sorting target is processed without delay.

Furthermore, in the present invention, when the received print job includes at least one of a sorting specification setting and a confidential setting, the discharge control unit prints a specific print determined in advance among the printed materials of the job. It is desirable to determine that only the printed matter in order is the target of sorting, and it is determined that the other printed matter is not the target of sorting.
In this way, only the printed matter in the specific printing order is set to the cueing state. In order to attract the user's attention, it is not always necessary to set the cue state for each sheet, and this is sufficient.

Furthermore, in the present invention, when the received print job includes a confidential setting, the discharge control unit outputs a print job that does not include the confidential setting within a predetermined length of time before the print job. Only when printing is performed, it is desirable to determine that the printed matter of the job is the target of sorting, and otherwise, it is determined that the printed matter of the job is not the target of sorting.
In this way, it is possible to prevent the printed material of the print job from being overlaid on the printed material of the print job that is not a confidential setting received before the print job.

Furthermore, in the present invention, when the received print job includes confidential settings, the discharge control unit receives a print job from a user other than the job owner of the print job after receiving the print job. It is desirable to determine that the printed matter of the job is the target of sorting only in the case of the job, and otherwise determine that the printed matter of the job is not the target of sorting.
In this way, it is possible to prevent the printed material of another user from overlapping the printed material of the print job.

Further, in the present invention, a registration roller that supplies printing paper to the image forming unit in accordance with the timing of image formation is provided, and the discharge control unit is configured to print the printing paper subsequent to the printed matter that is determined to be sorted. It is desirable to wait on the registration roller until the printed material in the cueing state is removed.
If this is the case, it is possible to appropriately wait for the subsequent sheet of the printed material in the cueing state.

Further, according to the present invention, there is a printed matter sensor that is disposed between the image forming unit and the discharge roller and detects the presence or absence of the printed matter, and the discharge control unit forwards the printed matter that is determined to be sorted from the rear end. If the position within the range of 1 to 10 mm is set to the cueing position at the detection position of the print sensor, and then the trailing edge of the print is detected by the print sensor, the discharge by driving the discharge roller is performed. It is desirable to resume.
In such a case, the user only pulls the cueing printed material slightly, and the trailing edge of the printed material is detected by the printed material sensor. The user does not have to forcibly pull out the printed material in order to resume discharging.

Further, in the present invention, an identification information adding unit for adding an image of job identification information for identifying a job to a formed image in the image forming unit, and an image of job identification information on the printed material by drawing the printed material on which the image has been formed. A reading unit for reading, a first post-read discharge unit and a second post-read discharge unit for discharging printed matter that has passed through the reading unit, an identification information receiving unit for receiving input or selection of job identification information by a user, and a reading unit Among the printed materials that have passed through, the one with the image indicating the job identification information received by the identification information receiving unit is discharged from the first post-read discharge unit, and the other is the second post-read discharge unit It is desirable to have a reading / discharging control unit that discharges the image from the recording medium.
If it is such, it is also possible to sort the printed matter on which the image has been formed.

Alternatively, the present invention is an image forming apparatus that receives a print job from a plurality of users and forms an image based on the print job. The image forming unit and a job for identifying the job in the formed image in the image forming unit An identification information adding unit for adding an image of identification information, a reading unit that pulls in an image-formed printed material and reads an image of job identification information on the printed material, and after the first reading that discharges the printed material that has passed through the reading unit The discharge part and the second post-read discharge part, the identification information reception part that receives input or selection of job identification information by the user, and the job identification information received by the identification information reception part among the printed materials that have passed through the reading part are shown. A reading / discharging control unit that discharges an image-attached image from the first post-reading discharge unit, and discharges other items from the second post-reading discharge unit It may be an image forming apparatus.
In such a case, the image of the job identification information on the printed material can be read, and the printed material on which the image has been formed can be selected based on the job identification information. That is, it is possible to select and collect a desired printed material from printed materials that have been stacked after printing. For example, since a copying machine usually has a device for reading a document, it can be diverted. Therefore, it is an image forming apparatus that allows a user to reliably collect a desired printed matter without providing a large post-processing device.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the first post-read discharge unit is provided with a post-read discharge roller for discharging the printed material outside the apparatus by sandwiching and transporting the printed material that has passed through the reading unit. , For printed matter discharged by the discharge roller after reading, stop the discharge roller after reading in the middle of discharge, so that the leading portion protrudes from the discharge roller after reading and the remaining portion remains in the machine. Is desirable.
If this is the case, in this cueing state, the printed matter has not yet been completely discharged out of the machine, so there is no risk of being overlaid with other printed matter that has already been discharged.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it has a reading registration roller that supplies the printed material to the reading unit one by one, and the reading discharge control unit supplies the subsequent printed material by the reading registration roller when setting the printed material to a cueing state. It is desirable to wait until the printed material in the cueing state is removed.
If this is the case, it is possible to appropriately wait for the subsequent sheet of the printed material in the cueing state.

Further, according to the present invention, an image is formed by the document tray on which the printed material to be supplied to the reading unit is placed, the number obtaining unit for obtaining a value related to the number of bundles of printed materials placed on the document tray, and the image forming unit. A number storage unit that stores the number of printed materials for each job, and the reading and discharging control unit stores the number of sheets stored in the number storage unit for the job having the job identification information received by the identification information receiving unit. It is desirable to switch the distribution of the printed matter to the first post-read discharge unit and the second post-read discharge unit depending on whether or not it is a majority of the number of sheets acquired in (1).
In this way, when the time required for the discharge process is different between the first post-read discharge unit and the second post-read discharge unit, the smaller of the number to be sorted and the number to be unsorted is set as the time. It can be made to discharge to the direction where it takes. Thereby, the waiting time of the user can be further shortened.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, a user can reliably collect a desired printed matter without providing a large post-processing device.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a conveyance system of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a driver screen of a PC connected to the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a flowchart figure which shows a sorting control process. It is a flowchart figure which shows a classification judgment process. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic document reading unit having a sorting function. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the printed matter to which identification information was added. It is a flowchart figure which shows a selection process. It is a flowchart figure which shows an exit selection process.

"First form"
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus shared by a plurality of users.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a single paper discharge tray 11. The image forming apparatus 1 illustrated here has an electrophotographic image forming unit. In this drawing, only the photosensitive member 13 that carries the formed toner image is shown in the middle of the right side as the image forming portion. However, in practice, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a device for charging and exposing the photosensitive member 13, a device for forming a toner image by developing an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive member 13, and the like. . Since these devices in the image forming apparatus 1 are all existing technologies, explanation and illustration are omitted here. The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus having an intermediate transfer belt and transferring a toner image from the intermediate transfer belt to a sheet.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a conveyance path 15 that conveys a sheet, as indicated by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. The paper is stored in a paper cassette 17 at the bottom of the figure, and is conveyed upward in the figure along the conveyance path 15. In the middle, an image is formed on the paper. For this purpose, a plurality of transport rollers 21 to 25 and paper sensors 27 and 28 are provided in the middle of the transport path 15.

  The plurality of transport rollers are a paper feed roller 21, a registration roller 22, a transfer roller 23, a fixing roller 24, and a discharge roller 25 in order from the bottom (paper transport order) in FIG. These are roller pairs in which two rollers are arranged to face each other, except for the paper feed roller 21. The paper feed roller 21 is a roller that pulls out one of the stored paper from the paper cassette 17.

  The registration roller 22 is a roller used to align the toner image and the paper. The transfer roller 23 is a roller for performing a transfer process for transferring the toner image from the photosensitive member 13 to a sheet. The fixing roller 24 is a roller for performing a fixing process for fixing the toner image on the sheet. The discharge roller 25 is a roller for transporting the sheet on which the image is formed, and discharging the sheet outside the apparatus.

  The paper sensors 27 and 28 are both sensors that determine the presence or absence of paper at the detection position. In the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, a registration sensor 27 and a fixing paper discharge sensor 28 are provided as paper sensors. As shown in FIG. 1, the registration sensor 27 is a sensor disposed on the downstream side of the paper feed roller 21 and on the upstream side of the registration roller 22. The fixing paper discharge sensor 28 is a sensor disposed downstream of the fixing roller 24 and upstream of the discharge roller 25.

  The image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment further includes a main motor 31 and a registration motor 32 as shown in FIG. The main motor 31 drives the paper feed roller 21, the transfer roller 23, the fixing roller 24, and the discharge roller 25. The registration motor 32 drives the registration roller 22. The paper feed roller 21 is connected to the main motor 31 via a paper feed clutch 34.

  Thus, the transfer roller 23, the fixing roller 24, and the discharge roller 25 are driven in conjunction with the main motor 31. When the paper feed clutch 34 is engaged, the paper feed roller 21 is also driven in conjunction with the transfer roller 23 and the like. On the other hand, the registration roller 22 is driven at a different timing from the other rollers.

  According to the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the paper is pulled out from the paper cassette 17 by the paper feed roller 21, transported through the transport path 15, and reaches the registration roller 22. The timing at which the paper reaches the registration roller 22 can be determined from the detection result of the registration sensor 27. For example, since the distance between the registration sensor 27 and the registration roller 22 and the sheet conveyance speed therebetween are known, the image forming apparatus 1 can grasp the timing.

  Then, the registration roller 22 sends out the paper so that the paper reaches the transfer roller 23 in accordance with the timing of forming the toner image on the photosensitive member 13. Then, the transfer roller 23 transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive member 13 to the sheet. Since the timing is adjusted in this way, the toner image is transferred to an appropriate position on the paper. Further, the toner image is fixed on the sheet by the fixing roller 24. As a result, a printed matter on which an image is formed is obtained.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 1 conveys the printed matter on which the image is formed from the fixing roller 24 toward the discharge roller 25. The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can grasp the timing when the leading edge of the printed material reaches the discharge roller 25 based on the timing when the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 detects the leading edge of the printed material. This is because the distance between the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 and the discharge roller 25 and the transport speed of the printed material during this time are both known. Similarly, the timing at which the trailing edge of the printed material passes through the fixing roller 24 and the timing at which the trailing edge of the printed material passes through the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 can be grasped. This is because the length of the printed paper and the distance between the fixing roller 24 and the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 are all known.

  As a result, after completion of image formation, printed matter that has not been discharged to the outside of the apparatus is detected by the fixing discharge sensor 28. The fixing paper discharge sensor 28 is disposed so that the distance between the sensor and the discharge roller 25 is smaller than the smallest print paper handled by the image forming apparatus 1. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 1, with respect to the printed matter that has undergone the fixing process, the leading portion protrudes outside from between the discharge rollers 25, and the rear portion is sandwiched between the discharge rollers 25, and The arrangement of the printed matter in which the rear end has not yet passed the position of the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 is possible for any paper.

  Next, a schematic configuration of the control system of the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes an MFP controller 41 and an engine controller 42. The MFP controller 41 controls the entire image forming apparatus 1. The engine controller 42 receives the detection results of the registration sensor 27 and the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 and performs drive control of the main motor 31 and registration motor 32 and operation control of the paper feed clutch 34.

  In the image forming apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the main motor 31 is connected to the engine controller 42 via the main motor drive circuit 36. The registration motor 32 is connected to the engine controller 42 via a registration motor drive circuit 37. The paper feed clutch 34 is connected to the engine controller 42 via a paper feed clutch operation circuit 38.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an operation panel 45, an automatic document reading unit 46, and an image processing unit 47 are connected to the MFP controller 41. The MFP controller 41 functions as a discharge control unit during the sorting process. The operation panel 45 is for receiving an instruction input by the user and displaying information to the user. The automatic document reading unit 46 is for reading image of a document and creating image data. The image processing unit 47 performs, for example, data processing such as color adjustment and deformation on the image data of the document, and creates data suitable for image formation.

  Further, the MFP controller 41 receives an instruction for image formation from the PC 49 or the like which is an external device connected to the image forming apparatus 1. In FIG. 2, only one PC 49 is shown, but actually, a plurality of PCs are usually connected. The image forming apparatus 1 receives a print job as an instruction for image formation from a plurality of users via the PC 49 and the operation panel 45. Each print job is an instruction to form one or more printed materials, and each user sends a print instruction to the image forming apparatus 1 in units of print jobs. The image forming apparatus 1 normally performs print processing for each print job in the order of acceptance.

  Next, FIG. 3 shows an example of the driver screen 51 displayed on the display of the PC 49 when the user sends a print job via the PC 49 to the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the user can instruct a print instruction by adding detailed settings. In the example of this figure, a check mark is displayed in the square of the “sorting” field 53 at the lower part of the right field in the figure. That is, it is instructed that the printed matter of this print job is to be sorted. However, the sorting in this embodiment is slightly different from the sorting process described in the conventional patent documents 1, 2 and the like. Details of sorting in this embodiment will be described later.

  Further, when the “option” tab 54 at the top in the figure is selected, more detailed settings regarding this job can be made. The “option” tab 54 of the present embodiment includes, for example, an option of whether or not to set this print job as confidential print.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the printed matter is the target of sorting for a print job in which it is particularly desired to prevent the printed matter from being taken away by others or scattered around the device. For this purpose, a user who uses the image forming apparatus 1 selects and instructs a sorting process in advance for such a print job. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus 1 handles print jobs designated as confidential prints by the user, which may be overlaid with the prints of other users' print jobs, as sorting processing targets.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment determines that a print product in a specific printing order that is determined in advance is a sort target when the print job being printed is a sort process target. . For example, the first printed matter of the print job is a sorting target. Then, the image forming apparatus 1 does not discharge the printed material to be sorted to the paper discharge tray 11 as it is. When the printed material to be sorted reaches the discharge roller 25, only the top portion of the printed material is projected onto the paper discharge tray 11, and the remaining portion is left in the apparatus and stopped. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 stops the rotation of the discharge roller 25 while the printed material is sandwiched between the discharge rollers 25, and the printed material is passed through the fixing roller 24 at the rear end, and is sent to the fixed paper discharge sensor 28. Stop at a position that has not been reached.

  In this stopped state, only the top portion of the printed matter to be sorted protrudes from the discharge roller 25 and is not completely discharged. Hereinafter, this state is referred to as a cueing state. When the printed material is set to the cueing state, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment interrupts the formation of the printed material to be printed thereafter. That is, the conveyance of the printed material and the image forming process are stopped. For example, the subsequent paper is stopped at the position of the registration roller 22.

  The user who has instructed the print job to be sorted checks the leading protruding portion of the printout in the cueing state, and pulls the leading end portion of the printout of his / her print job. As a result, the trailing edge of the printed material passes the detection position of the fixing paper discharge sensor 28. That is, the printed matter is not detected by the fixing paper discharge sensor 28.

  Thereby, the image forming apparatus 1 can grasp from the detection result of the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 that the printed matter has been pulled out. That is, it is confirmed that the user of the print job is near the image forming apparatus 1. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 resumes paper conveyance and image formation, and creates and discharges the remaining printed matter of the print job. Thereby, the image forming apparatus 1 discharges the printed matter of the print job to the paper discharge tray 11 after the user is ready to collect the printed matter for the print job to be sorted. Yes.

  It is desirable that the discharge roller 25 is configured to be freely rotatable at least in the direction of pulling out the printed matter even when the rotation drive from the main motor 31 is stopped. If this is the case, there will be no problem for the user to pull out the protruding portion. Alternatively, the stop position of the printed material in the cueing state may be defined as the dimension stop position. The dimension stop position is a position where the rear end of the printed matter is about 1 to 10 mm upstream from the position of the fixing paper discharge sensor 28. That is, the printed matter at the dimension stop position reaches the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 at the rear end if it is advanced a little further. When the trailing edge of the printed material is detected by the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 by being pulled slightly by the user, the image forming apparatus 1 resumes driving of the discharge roller 25 and discharges the printed material.

  The image forming apparatus 1 can grasp the size of the paper used in the printing process, and obtain the elapsed time after the leading edge of the printed material is detected by the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 and the conveyance speed of the printed material at that position. can do. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 can accurately grasp the position of the rear end in the cueing state for each printed matter. Accordingly, the printed material can be stopped at the dimension stop position.

  Since the cue print is stopped while being sandwiched between the discharge rollers 25, even if the user of the previous print job comes to pick up the print that has already been output, it is easy to bring it together. I can't. Further, when another user takes away the printed material, there is no possibility that the printed material to be sorted falls from the paper discharge tray 11 and is scattered. On the other hand, the user of the print job that is the target of the sorting process can confirm whether it is his or her print job by the protruding portion of the printout in the cueing state. There is no risk of scattering. Further, it is possible to prevent the printed matter from being discharged before the user of the print job to be sorted is near the image forming apparatus 1 and scattered without being noticed by the user or taken away by another user. The

  Even if it is the target of the sorting process, the second and subsequent prints of the print job can be confirmed without being stopped because the user is confirmed to be there when the first page is pulled out. And print. Alternatively, the last printed matter of the print job may be set to the cueing state. By doing so, the user of the print job pulls out the printed material and discharges it, so that all the printed materials of the print job are prepared and can be taken immediately. Other users are motivated to carefully check whether they are their printed materials before taking them away because some printed materials are stopped in the cueing state. In other words, it is sufficient to select only a print job having a specific print order as a sorting target.

  Alternatively, the print job to be sorted is not limited to a specific print order, and a plurality of printed materials may be sorted. For example, it may be stopped in a cueing state by being sandwiched between the discharge rollers 25 as a sorting target every two or three sheets. Alternatively, all printed materials of the print job may be classified. In this way, the user of the print job can surely collect one by one.

  Next, processing of a print job in the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of print control processing executed in the MFP controller 41 of this embodiment. This process is continuously executed while the main power supply of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on. When the execution of the print control process is started, the image forming apparatus 1 first stands by until a print job is received (S101: NO).

  When a print job is received (S101: YES), the image forming apparatus 1 feeds one sheet from the sheet cassette 17 (S102). Then, the paper fed in S102 is transported along the transport path 15 from the bottom upward in FIG. 1 (S103). The sheet is conveyed until the sheet reaches the registration roller 22 (S104: NO).

  When the paper reaches the registration roller 22 (S104: YES), the registration motor 32 is controlled via the engine controller 42 and the registration motor drive circuit 37 to stop the registration roller 22 (S105). The timing at which the paper reaches the registration roller 22 can be predicted by the detection signal of the registration sensor 27.

  Further, after waiting for synchronization with the image (S106), the conveyance of the sheet is resumed and the image is formed (S107). That is, the toner image is transferred onto the sheet by the transfer roller 23, and the toner image is fixed on the sheet by the fixing roller 24. As a result, a printed matter was formed. Subsequently, the timing at which the leading edge of the paper reaches the discharge roller 25 is predicted based on the detection result by the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 (S108).

  If it is determined that the printed material has reached the discharge roller 25 (S108: YES), the MFP controller 41 performs a sorting determination process for determining whether or not the printed material is a sorting target (S109). Note that this sorting determination process may be performed at an earlier stage after receiving a print job. The contents of the sorting determination process will be described later.

  If the printed material is to be sorted (S110: YES), the MFP controller 41 puts the printed material into a cueing state. That is, the discharge roller 25 is stopped in a state where the printed matter is sandwiched between the discharge rollers 25 (S111). At this time, the registration roller 22 is also stopped, and the printing process on the subsequent paper is interrupted.

  When the cueing print is no longer detected by the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 (S112: YES), the driving of the discharge roller 25 is resumed and the paper is discharged (S113). The rotation of the registration roller 22 is also allowed. Note that the fact that the paper is no longer detected by the fixing paper discharge sensor 28 is considered to be due to the fact that the user has collected the paper.

  If the printed material printed this time is not the one to be sorted (S110: NO), it is discharged out of the machine as it is without stopping the rollers (S113). When all processing of the print job is completed, the process returns to S101 to check whether there is a next job. This is the end of the description of this process.

  Next, FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the sorting determination process executed in S109 of the above-described print control process. This process is executed every time a print job is processed.

  When the execution of this process is started, the image forming apparatus 1 first determines whether or not the print job that is the determination target is designated as the target of the sorting process by the user (S201). . For example, the user can select a print job sorting instruction using the “sorting” field 53 of the driver screen 51 shown in FIG. If sorting is instructed by the user (S201: YES), this print job is a target of sorting processing.

  If the print job is instructed by the user as the target of the sorting process (S201: YES), it is determined whether or not the printed matter to be determined is the first one of the print job. (S202). If it is the first printed material (S202: YES), it is determined that the printed material is to be sorted (S203). If it is not the first printed material (S202: NO), it is determined that the printed material is not the one to be sorted (S207). In either case, this process ends and returns to the print control process.

  If the user is not instructed as an object of the sorting process (S201: NO), the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether the print job is a confidential print setting (S204). For example, a print job in which confidential print is set from the “option” tab 54 of the driver screen 51 (see FIG. 3) by the user is a confidential print print job. Alternatively, if the file to be printed is a confidential document, it may be automatically set as confidential print.

  If it is determined that the print job is a confidential print job (S204: YES), the processing differs depending on whether a print job is received before or after the print job. First, it is determined whether or not a normal print print job is received within a predetermined time before starting the print job processing (S205).

  A normal print is a print job other than a confidential print. A user who has instructed normal printing tends to have a longer time to leave a printed matter than a user of confidential printing. For this reason, there is a possibility that the user has not yet come to pick up the printed matter even if it is a normal print job received a while ago. That is, if a normal print print job has been received in advance, the print material of the print job that is the target of this processing may be superimposed on the normal print material.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, only when a print job that does not include confidential settings is printed within a predetermined length of time before this print job (normal print print job), this print job is sorted. Suppose that it is a target. For example, when a normal print print job is received within 10 minutes before the print job is received, it is assumed that the print job is a target of sorting processing.

  Furthermore, if a normal print job has not been received before (S205: NO), it is determined whether a print job has been received from a user other than the user who issued the print job instruction after this print job. Judgment is made (S206). Whether or not the user is another user can be determined based on whether or not the PC that issued the print job is another PC. If the print job received later is a print job according to an instruction from the same user, there is no problem even if the print job is superposed on the printed matter of the print job and discharged.

  Therefore, if a normal print job is received before this print job (S205: YES), or if a print job from another user is received after this print job (S206: YES), this print job is executed. Assume that a job is a target of sorting processing. Also in this case, it is determined whether or not the printed matter to be determined is the first sheet of the print job (S202).

  If it is the first printed material (S202: YES), it is determined that the printed material is to be sorted (S203). If it is not the first printed material (S202: NO), it is determined that the printed material is not the one to be sorted (S207). In either case, this process ends and returns to the print control process.

  In S202, it is determined whether the printed material is the first printed material of the print job. However, as described above, the printed material is not limited to the first printed material. All the printed materials of the print job that is the target of the sorting process may be the target of sorting. Alternatively, the last one may be the sorting target. In addition, when a subsequent print job is received in the middle of a print job, it is possible to determine the printed matter that is the object of determination at that time as the one to be sorted. All of these are included in the concept of a specific printing order set in advance.

  Furthermore, when it is determined that the print job is not a confidential print job (S204: NO), or a normal print job has not been received before and a job of another user has not been received (S205: NO and S206). : NO), it is determined that the printed material is not the one to be sorted (S207). In this case as well, this process ends and returns to the print control process.

  If this print job is a confidential print print job, it may be determined whether or not it is the target of the sorting process based on a criterion other than those in S205 and S206. For example, all confidential print print jobs may be targets of sorting processing. Alternatively, only when both before and after this print job are normal prints, the sorting process may be performed.

  Also, the previous print job may be determined based on whether or not it is the same user. If the subsequent job is a normal print, even the same user may be selected as a sorting target. Further, in this process, the judgment location (S201 and S204 to S206) for the job and the judgment location (S202) for each printed matter may be interchanged. This is the end of the description of the sorting determination process.

  As described above in detail, according to the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the first printed material of the print job to be sorted is created, the printed material is stopped in a cueing state. That is, the leading edge of the printed matter protrudes outside the machine, and the trailing edge is left in the machine to stop the conveyance of the paper. Therefore, there is no possibility that the printed product is accidentally taken away by another user before the user of the job comes close to the apparatus. Thus, the image forming apparatus is capable of reliably collecting a desired printed matter without including a large post-processing device.

"Second form"
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus shared by a plurality of users.

  In this embodiment, the printed materials of a plurality of print jobs that have already been printed are stacked, so that only the printed materials of the desired print job are selected from among the paper bundles. In this embodiment, the stacked sheet bundle is a target of the sorting process (hereinafter referred to as “sorting target sheet bundle”). The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment performs this sorting process using, for example, an automatic document reading unit provided on the upper part of the apparatus.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the automatic document reading unit can perform a paper sorting process in addition to a normal document reading process. In a normal document reading process, a sheet bundle of documents is received, pulled one by one, and the image is read to form image data. Note that when reading on both sides is instructed, the automatic document reading unit reads one side, turns the paper over, draws it again, and reads the image on the back side.

  When performing the sorting process, the automatic document reading unit according to the present embodiment accepts the sheet bundle to be sorted, pulls in one sheet at a time, reads the image, and determines whether the printed material is to be sorted. The printed matter that is determined not to be selected is discharged to a normal document discharge tray. On the other hand, the printed matter determined to be a selection target is discharged from another discharge port. Note that the sort target sheet bundle to be subjected to the sorting process is a bundle of printed matter printed by the image forming apparatus or the same model.

  A schematic configuration of the automatic document reading unit 60 of the present embodiment is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the automatic document reading unit 60 of this embodiment has a document table 61, a document discharge tray 62, and a reading unit 63. Further, as a paper transport system, a paper feed roller 71, a registration roller 72, a pre-reading roller 73, a post-reading roller 74, a discharge roller 75, and a reverse roller 76 are provided. The automatic document reading section 60 includes a registration sensor 77, a reverse sensor 78, and a discharge sensor 79 as paper sensors arranged in the paper conveyance path. Further, the automatic document reading section 60 has a switching member 80 for switching the paper transport path.

  First, processing when an image of a document is read by the automatic document reading unit 60 of this embodiment will be described. When reading an image of a single-sided original, the original paper is conveyed as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. That is, the originals placed on the document table 61 are drawn one by one, read while being conveyed facing the reading unit 63, and discharged onto the document discharge tray 62 by the discharge roller 75.

  On the other hand, when reading an image of a double-sided original, the automatic original reading unit 60 changes the direction of the switching member 80 after the reading of one side is completed. Then, the original sheet whose surface has been read is conveyed as indicated by a broken line in FIG. That is, the sheet is sent to the reverse roller 76 without being sent to the discharge roller 75. Furthermore, after the sheet is fed halfway between the reversing rollers 76, the front and back sides of the sheet can be changed by pulling back the original rear end side first.

  The automatic document reading section 60 of this embodiment can perform a sorting process using these devices. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment prints an image of identification information in advance when forming an image on a printed matter that may be a selection target. For example, when printing a confidential print or a print job for which sorting is instructed, this image forming apparatus automatically adds and prints an image of identification information on the first page. Alternatively, identification information may be added to all pages of the print job.

  In addition, when a print job is issued, the user may be able to set whether or not identification information needs to be added. Further, the first printed matter of the job subsequent to the job to which the identification information is added may be printed with the identification information added even if there is no information addition instruction. Here, the image forming unit (photosensitive member 13 or the like) functions as an identification information adding unit. Further, for a print job to which identification information is added in this way, the number of printed materials included in the print job is counted and stored.

  Next, an example of identification information added to the printed material is shown in FIG. In the printed matter 81 of this example, the identification information 82 is described with fine characters. The identification information 82 includes, for example, information such as a print job ID and a printing date. Information may be written as it is as shown in this figure, or may be added after being encrypted. If the image forming apparatus is a color printer, the identification information 82 may be printed in yellow, for example. In this way, the identification information 82 is not so conspicuous and does not interfere with the printed matter.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment requests the user to input information of a print job to be sorted when a sheet bundle to be sorted is placed on the document table 61 and sorting processing is instructed. When the user selects the sorting process from the sheet bundle to be sorted, the user selects the history of the print job desired to be sorted from the past job history displayed on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus acquires the job ID and printing time of the selected print job. Note that the method of selecting a print job to be selected is not limited to the selection from the one displayed on the operation panel, and the user may directly input using a numeric keypad or the like.

  Then, the apparatus pulls one sheet from the sheet bundle to be sorted placed on the document table 61 by the sheet feeding roller 71 and conveys the sheet to a position facing the reading unit 63 via the registration roller 72. At a position facing the reading unit 63, the printed material is conveyed at a constant speed by the pre-reading roller 73 and the post-reading roller 74. Then, the reading unit 63 reads the portion of the identification information 82 in the printed image, and compares it with the information of the previously selected print job.

  The automatic document reading unit 60 according to the present embodiment discharges the printed matter determined not to be selected based on the read image to the document discharge tray 62 as it is by the discharge roller 75. The image forming apparatus determines that the printed material is not the one to be selected when the printed material does not include the identification information 82 or is included, but is different from the information of the print job to be selected at this time. .

  On the other hand, the paper that is determined to be selected is conveyed to the reverse path. That is, the image forming apparatus, when the identification information 82 to be selected is included in the read image, changes the direction of the switching member 80 and conveys the printed material toward the reversing roller 76. Further, the apparatus stops the conveyance with the printed matter sandwiched between the reverse rollers 76. In other words, the automatic document reading unit 60 of this embodiment has an arrangement in which the leading end of the printed matter determined to be the object to be selected protrudes from the reversing roller 76 to the outside of the machine, and the trailing end is left in the machine. The reverse roller 76 is stopped while being sandwiched. In this stopped state, only the top portion of the printed matter to be selected protrudes from the reversing roller 76 and is not completely discharged. This state is the same state as the cueing state in the first embodiment. The rear end of the printed product in the cueing state has not yet passed the position of the reversing sensor 78.

  The cueing printed matter sandwiched between the reversing rollers 76 stops with only the leading end protruding above the document discharge tray 62. The user who has instructed the sorting process can easily understand that the printed material is in the cueing state, and that it is the printed material to be sorted. Then, the automatic document reading unit 60 stands by as it is until the pinched printed material is pulled out by the user. The next printed material is stopped at the position of the registration roller 72 before reaching the reading unit 63.

  Note that it is desirable that the reversing roller 76 at this time is configured to be freely rotatable at least in the direction in which the printed material is pulled out even when the rotational drive is stopped. If this is the case, there will be no problem for the user to pull out the protruding portion. Alternatively, the stop position of the printed material in the cueing state may be defined as the dimension stop position. The dimension stop position is a position where the trailing edge reaches the reversal sensor 78 when the printed matter advances a little further, for example, a position where the trailing edge of the printed matter is about 1 to 10 mm upstream from the position of the reversing sensor 78.

  The automatic document reading unit 60 can grasp the size of the printed material while passing through the reading unit 63, and the elapsed time after the leading edge of the printed material is detected by the reversing sensor 78 and the conveyance speed of the printed material at that point. Can be obtained. Therefore, the image forming apparatus can accurately grasp the position of the rear end in the cueing state for each printed matter.

  Then, when the printout in the cueing state is pulled out by the user, the apparatus continues the sorting process for the remaining sheet bundle. Alternatively, in the apparatus that adds the identification information to only the first sheet, when the first sheet is selected, it may be determined that the remaining number of printed materials of the print job is a subsequent part. All the printed materials of the same job may be discharged from the same route. Then, reading and discharging are continuously performed until a printed material having different identification information 82 is read, the number of printed sheets of the print job is reached, or the printed material is no longer on the document table 61. In this way, the user can easily collect only the printed matter of the desired job history.

  In this sorting process, the reverse roller 76 also functions as a printed matter discharge unit. This is because when the user pulls out, the printed matter stopped at this location is discharged out of the machine. Further, the printed material of the same job as the selected printed material can be discharged from the reverse roller 76. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as the discharge portion of the printed matter that has passed through the reading portion 63, the first post-read discharge portion that extends from the discharge roller 75 to the document discharge tray 62, and the second post-read discharge portion by the reverse roller 76 It has become.

  Next, sorting processing by the automatic document reading unit 60 of this embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. This process is executed when the user instructs the sorting process by the automatic document reading unit 60. When the execution of this process is started, the automatic document reading section 60 first determines whether or not a sheet bundle to be sorted is placed on the document table 61 (S301). If the sheet bundle to be sorted is not placed (S301: NO), this process ends. Or it is good also as performing the display which requests | requires mounting | wearing of the paper bundle for sorting.

  When the sorting target sheet bundle is placed on the document table 61 (S301: YES), one printed matter is drawn from the sorting target sheet bundle on the document table 61 (S302). The drawn printed material is conveyed (S303), and it is determined whether or not it has reached the registration roller 72 (S304). The conveyance is continued until the printed material reaches the registration roller 72 (S303).

  When the printed matter reaches the registration roller (S304: YES), the registration roller 72 is temporarily stopped (S305). If there is a printed material already conveyed, it waits until the interval with the printed material becomes appropriate (S306). If the interval becomes appropriate (S306: YES), the printed material is further conveyed and the reading unit It sends out to the position which opposes 63 (S307). If the printed material is the first sheet of the sheet bundle to be sorted, S306 is YES. Then, the identification information 82 (see FIG. 7) of the printed matter is read by the reading unit 63 (S308).

  Further, the read identification information 82 is compared with the information of the print job instructed to be sorted by the user, and it is determined whether or not the printed matter is a printed matter to be sorted (S309). That is, it is determined whether or not the job ID printed on the printed material and the print time match the information of the print job instructed by the user. If they do not match (S309: NO), the paper is discharged out of the apparatus from the discharge roller 75 (S310), and the process returns to the top (S301) of this flowchart.

  On the other hand, if it matches the instructed information (S309: YES), it is a printed matter to be selected. Therefore, the direction of the switching member 80 is changed without discharging the printed material, and the printed material is conveyed to the path to the reverse roller 76 (S311). Further, when the paper reaches the position of the reverse roller 76 (S312: YES), the reverse roller 76 is stopped (S313). As a result, the printed matter stops in a cueing state in which a part of the printed matter is protruded from the document discharge tray 62. Since the apparatus is stopped in this state, the user can know that the printed matter belongs to the job instructed to sort. Therefore, the user pulls out the printed matter from the reverse roller 76 and collects it.

  The automatic document reading unit 60 waits for the user to remove the printed matter from the reverse roller 76 while the reverse roller 76 is stopped (S314). If the printed matter is removed (S314: YES), the process returns to S301. Whether or not it has been removed can be detected by a reversing sensor 78. If the printed material still remains on the document table 61 after the printed material is removed (S301: YES), the next printed material is processed. If no printed matter remains on the document table 61 (S301: NO), this process ends. This completes the description of the sorting process by the automatic document reading section 60.

  By doing this, even if printing has already been completed and discharged, and even if it has been overlaid with another sheet, it is possible to easily select only the desired printed matter. If the image forming apparatus is to print by adding the identification information 82 to only one of the print jobs, the process may be terminated when the target printed matter is found. Further, when the execution of this process is instructed, it is considered that the user who desires the printed matter is near the image forming apparatus. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is not always necessary to stop the printed matter. The user can easily grasp that the printed matter is the sorting target printed matter simply by switching the outlet so that the printed matter of the job instructed to be sorted is ejected from the outlet different from the printed matter of the other jobs.

  Note that in the case of a device that adds the identification information 82 to all printed materials of a print job and continues the sorting process until the sheet bundle to be sorted disappears on the document table 61, the user needs to pull out one sheet at a time. For this reason, if the number of prints to be sorted is large, it takes time to complete the processing. Therefore, if the number of printed materials to be sorted is compared with the number of printed materials that are not to be sorted and the smaller one is set to the cue state, it is possible to prevent the processing time from taking too long. For example, if most of the paper bundles to be sorted are printed materials for a print job to be sorted and only a small number of printed materials from other print jobs overlap, it is better to sort the printed materials from other print jobs. It is efficient.

  Therefore, when receiving an instruction for sorting processing, the automatic document reading unit 60 according to the present embodiment conveys either the printed matter of the designated print job or the printed matter of a print job other than the designated one to the reversing path in a cueing state. The user can select whether to stop. That is, it is possible to select which one of the prints of the print job to be sorted and the prints of the print job not to be sorted out of the two discharge units of the discharge roller 75 and the reverse roller 76. Furthermore, when this selection is not made by the user, the image forming apparatus may determine.

  An example of exit selection processing by the image forming apparatus of this embodiment is shown in the flowchart of FIG. This process is executed prior to the sorting process when the sorting process by the automatic document reading unit 60 is instructed. Or it is good also as what is performed only when execution is instruct | indicated by the user with the instruction | indication of the selection process.

  When this process is started, the image forming apparatus first estimates the number N1 of the sheet bundles to be sorted placed on the document table 61 (S401). For example, it is possible to estimate the number of sheet bundles by detecting the weight of the loaded sheet bundle or the thickness of the sheet bundle. Further, the number N2 of printed materials to be selected is acquired from the number of printed sheets of the print job instructed as the selection target (S402). Further, from the difference between N1 and N2, the number N3 of sheets that are not to be selected from the sheet bundle to be sorted is estimated (S403).

  Then, the selection target number N2 acquired in S402 is compared with the non-selection number N3 acquired in S403 (S404). If the number N2 is larger than the number N3 (N2> N3) (S404: YES), the smaller printed material that is not to be selected is sent to the reverse roller 76 and stopped (S405). . That is, it is assumed that the printed matter to be sorted is sent to the discharge roller 75 and the printed matter that is not to be sorted is sent to the reverse roller 76.

  Alternatively, if the number N2 is equal to or less than the number N3 (S404: NO), the printed matter to be selected is sent to the reverse roller 76 and stopped (S406). That is, it is assumed that the printed matter to be sorted is sent to the reverse roller 76 and the printed matter that is not to be sorted is sent to the discharge roller 75.

  Then, the determined exit of the printed matter to be selected is displayed on the operation panel 45 to notify the user (S407). As a result, the user can know from which of the reverse roller 76 and the discharge roller 75 the printed material to be sorted is output. By doing so, the number of operations of the user pulling out the paper can be further reduced.

  As described in detail above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, a printed sheet bundle can be sorted by the automatic document reading unit 60. For this purpose, the image forming apparatus reads the identification information 82 of the printed matter, and determines whether or not it matches the information of the print job designated by the user. If it is determined that they match, the printed matter is sent to the reverse path to set the cueing state. When the printed matter is pulled out by the user, the remaining printed matter is further selected. Thus, the image forming apparatus is capable of reliably collecting a desired printed matter without including a large post-processing device.

In addition, this form is only a mere illustration and does not limit this invention at all. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof.
For example, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment may be equipped with the automatic document reading unit according to the second embodiment. For example, the image forming method is not limited to the electrophotographic method. The present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus using a liquid color material. Further, a color printer or a monochrome printer may be used. Furthermore, although a directly connected PC is illustrated as an apparatus that issues a print job, it can also be applied to a print job received via an external line, for example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 11 Paper discharge tray 13 Photoconductor 22, 72 Registration roller 25, 75 Paper discharge roller 28 Fixing paper discharge sensor 41 MFP controller 61 Document stand 63 Reading part 76 Reverse roller 82 Identification information

Claims (12)

An image forming apparatus that receives print jobs from a plurality of users and forms an image based on the print jobs.
An image forming unit;
A discharge roller for discharging the printed material out of the machine by conveying the printed material imaged by the image forming unit;
A discharge control unit for controlling the discharge roller to discharge the printed matter;
The discharge control unit
Based on the contents of the print job received from the user, it is determined whether or not each printed product is to be sorted.
For printed materials that are determined not to be sorted, the discharge roller continues to be driven and discharged.
For printed matter determined to be classified, the discharge roller is stopped in the middle of discharge, so that the leading portion protrudes from the discharge roller and the remaining portion remains in the machine. An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge control unit includes:
If the received print job contains at least one of the sorting specification setting and the confidential setting, the print job of the job is determined as the sorting target,
In other cases, the image forming apparatus determines that the printed matter of the job is not a sorting target. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the discharge control unit includes at least one of a sorting specification setting and a confidential setting in the received print job.
It is determined that only prints in a specific printing order determined in advance are to be sorted,
An image forming apparatus characterized in that it determines that printed matter in other printing order is not a sorting target. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the discharge control unit, when the received print job includes a confidential setting,
Only when a print job that does not include confidential settings has been printed within the predetermined length of time before the print job, the printout of that job is determined as the target of sorting,
In other cases, the image forming apparatus determines that the printed matter of the job is not a sorting target. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the received print job includes a confidential setting, the discharge control unit includes:
Only when a print job from a user other than the job owner of the print job is received after the print job is received, the printed matter of the job is determined to be a classification target,
In other cases, the image forming apparatus determines that the printed matter of the job is not a sorting target. In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A registration roller that supplies printing paper to the image forming unit in accordance with the timing of image formation;
The discharge control unit causes the registration rollers to wait for the printing paper subsequent to the printed material determined to be sorted until the printed material in the cueing state is removed. Image forming apparatus. In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A printed matter sensor that is disposed between the image forming unit and the discharge roller and detects the presence or absence of a printed matter;
The discharge control unit, for a printed material that is determined to be classified,
From the rear end to the front, a position within a range of 1 to 10 mm is set to the cueing position at a squeeze position where it is located at the detection position of the printed matter sensor,
Thereafter, when the trailing edge of the printed matter is detected by the printed matter sensor, discharging by driving the discharging roller is resumed. In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An identification information adding unit for adding an image of job identification information for identifying a job to the formed image in the image forming unit;
A reading unit that pulls in an image-formed printed material and reads an image of the job identification information on the printed material;
A first post-read discharge unit and a second post-read discharge unit that discharge printed matter that has passed through the reading unit;
An identification information receiving unit for receiving input or selection of job identification information by a user;
Out of the printed matter that has passed through the reading unit, the one with the image indicating the job identification information received by the identification information receiving unit is discharged from the first post-reading discharge unit, and the other printed matter is the first one. An image forming apparatus comprising: a reading and discharging control unit that discharges from the post-reading discharging unit. An image forming apparatus that receives print jobs from a plurality of users and forms an image based on the print jobs.
An image forming unit;
An identification information adding unit for adding an image of job identification information for identifying a job to the formed image in the image forming unit;
A reading unit that pulls in an image-formed printed material and reads an image of the job identification information on the printed material;
A first post-read discharge unit and a second post-read discharge unit that discharge printed matter that has passed through the reading unit;
An identification information receiving unit for receiving input or selection of job identification information by a user;
Out of the printed matter that has passed through the reading unit, the one with the image indicating the job identification information received by the identification information receiving unit is discharged from the first post-reading discharge unit, and the other printed matter is the first one. An image forming apparatus comprising: a reading and discharging control unit that discharges from the post-reading discharging unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein
The first post-read discharge unit is provided with a post-read discharge roller that discharges the printed material out of the apparatus by conveying the printed material that has passed through the reading unit.
For the printed matter discharged by the post-read discharge roller, the read discharge control unit stops the post-read discharge roller in the middle of discharge, so that the leading portion protrudes from the post-read discharge roller and the remaining portion is in the machine. An image forming apparatus, wherein the remaining cueing state is set. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10,
A reading registration roller for supplying printed matter to the reading unit one by one;
The reading and discharging control unit, when placing the printed matter in the cueing state, causes the subsequent printing matter to be supplied by the reading registration roller to wait until the printed matter in the cueing state is removed. Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11,
A document tray for placing printed matter to be supplied to the reading unit;
A number acquisition unit for acquiring a value relating to the number of bundles of printed materials placed on the document tray;
A number storage unit that stores the number of printed materials imaged by the image forming unit for each job;
The reading and discharging control unit determines whether or not the number of sheets stored in the number storage unit for the job of the job identification information received by the identification information receiving unit is a majority of the number acquired by the number acquisition unit. 2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein distribution of printed matter to the first post-read discharge unit and the second post-read discharge unit is switched.

Images