JP2016039458A - History information storage control program and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a history information storage control program and an image forming apparatus for reducing loss of history information related to the details executed by the image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A history information storage control program is for executing the steps of: determining whether or not history information can be stored in a connection destination storage medium connected via a network; reducing, when determined that the history information cannot be stored in the connection destination storage medium connected via the network, the amount of data of information stored in a connection source storage medium included in an image forming apparatus while retaining the substantial details of the information; and causing the connection source storage medium with the reduced amount of data to store the history information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a history information storage control program and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to management of history information.

  In recent years, there has been a tendency to digitize information, and image processing apparatuses such as printers and facsimiles used for outputting digitized information and scanners used for digitizing documents have become indispensable devices. Such an image processing apparatus is often configured as a multifunction machine that can be used as a printer, a facsimile, a scanner, or a copier by providing an imaging function, an image forming function, a communication function, and the like.

  Among such multifunction devices, for example, image formation output and document reading operation, read image data generation processing based on the read document, maintenance operation, operation to return from the power saving mode to the normal mode, communication with external devices When any operation or processing such as processing is executed, the operation history or processing history is generated as history information and stored in a non-volatile storage medium included in the own device, or a history information management server or the like via a network A multifunction device for transmitting and storing history information to an external device has been proposed and already known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, a multifunction device that stores history information in a non-volatile storage medium provided in its own device stores the history information because it cannot be stored any more when the storage medium runs out of free space. When new history information to be generated is generated, there is a problem that the history information is lost.

  Therefore, when such new history information to be stored is generated, such a multifunction device is configured to delete the old history information and store the new history information in an empty area. Therefore, even if such a multifunction device generates new history information to be stored, the history information is not lost. However, even if such multifunction peripherals can store new history information, the old history information is deleted, and thus the old history information is lost.

  On the other hand, a multifunction peripheral that transmits and stores history information to an external device such as a history information management server via a network does not store history information in a non-volatile storage medium included in the own device. Even if there is no free space, history information is not lost.

  However, even in such a multifunction device, for example, when the external device stops functioning due to a failure or the like, or when there is no free space in the storage area of the external device, the network is cut off and the external device is disconnected. When the history information cannot be transmitted, the history information cannot be stored in the external device, and is eventually stored in a nonvolatile storage medium provided in the own device. Therefore, even in such a multi-function device, when a situation occurs in which history information cannot be stored in the external device, there is no free space in the non-volatile storage medium provided in the self-device. As a result, there is a problem that history information cannot be stored any more, and as a result, history information is lost.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it reduces the disappearance of history information related to contents executed by an image forming apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one embodiment of the present invention, history information for storing history information about contents executed by an image forming apparatus in a connection destination storage medium connected to the image forming apparatus via a network is provided. A storage control program for determining whether the history information can be stored in the connection destination storage medium connected via the network; and the history information via the network The data of the information while retaining the substantial content of the information stored in the connection source storage medium included in the image forming apparatus when it is determined that the information cannot be stored in the connected storage medium connected Performing the steps of: reducing the amount; and storing the history information in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced. To.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the disappearance of history information related to the contents executed by the image forming apparatus.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation mode of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining a method for managing history information in the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining a method for managing history information in the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining a method for managing history information in the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining a method for managing history information in the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a method for managing history information in the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart for explaining processing when the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention outputs a warning message.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a client terminal such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a tablet terminal that transmits a print job that is an image formation output command to the image forming apparatus, based on a print job transmitted from the client terminal. An image forming apparatus that generates drawing information and executes image formation output based on the generated drawing information, and a history information management server that stores history of operations and processes executed by the image forming apparatus in the past as history information An image forming system will be described as an example.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes, for example, an image forming output and an original reading operation, a read image data generation process based on the read original, a maintenance operation, an operation for returning from the power saving mode to the normal mode, an external When any operation or process such as a communication process with a device is executed, the operation history and the processing history are generated as history information, transmitted to the history information management server via the network, and stored. .

  In addition, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, for example, when the history information management server stops functioning due to a failure or when the storage area of the history information management server runs out of space, the network is disconnected and the history information If the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server, such as when the history information can no longer be transmitted to the management server, the non-volatile storage provided in the device itself instead of the history information management server The history information is stored in the medium.

  Therefore, when the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server, the image forming apparatus stores history information any more when there is no more free space in the nonvolatile storage medium provided in the image forming apparatus. It becomes impossible to do.

  Therefore, when the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server and the new history information to be stored is generated, the image forming apparatus loses the history information or the old history information. The old history information is lost by storing the new history information in an empty area after deleting.

  Therefore, when the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment has substantial contents of the history information stored in the nonvolatile storage medium included in the image forming apparatus. Is to reduce the data amount of the history information.

  Accordingly, when the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment can increase the free area of the nonvolatile storage medium included in the image forming apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the non-volatile storage medium provided in the own device will run out of free space.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment can lose history information even when new history information to be stored is generated in a state where the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server. Can be reduced.

  First, an operation mode of the image forming system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation mode of the image forming system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in the image forming system according to the present embodiment, a network 5 to which image forming apparatuses 1a, 1b, and 1c are connected, a network 6 to which a printer management server 2 is connected, and a client terminal 3 are connected. The network 7 and the network 8 to which the history information management server 4 is connected are connected via a public line 9 such as the Internet or a telephone line. In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish the image forming apparatuses 1a, 1b, and 1c, they are collectively referred to as the image forming apparatus 1.

  Further, the number of image forming apparatuses 1 connected to the network 5 is an example, and a large-scale system in which many of these are connected may be used. Further, the number of client terminals 3 connected to the network 7 is an example, and a large-scale system in which many of these are connected may be used. A plurality of networks to which different client terminals 3 are connected may be connected to the image forming apparatus 1, the printer management server 2, and the history information management server 4 through the public line 9, or the image forming apparatus 1 The printer management server 2, the client terminal 3, and the history information management server 4 may be connected to the same network.

  Further, the networks 5, 6, 7, and 8 in FIG. 1 are limited networks such as an office LAN (Local Area Network), for example, the image forming apparatus 1, the printer management server 2, the client terminal 3, and the history information management. The server 4 is connected to the public line 9 via the respective LANs, but may be configured to be directly connected to the public line 9.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) that can be used as a printer, a facsimile, a scanner, and a copier by providing an imaging function, an image forming function, a communication function, and the like. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 generates CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow Key Plate) or monochrome drawing data based on the image data included in the print job transmitted from the client terminal 3, and based on the generated drawing data. The printer has a function as a color printer or a monochrome printer that executes image formation output on the fed paper.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, an image forming output and a document reading operation, a read image data generation process based on the read document, a maintenance operation, and a return operation from the power saving mode to the normal mode. When any operation or processing such as communication processing with an external device is executed, the operation history or processing history is generated as history information, and the history information is transmitted to the history information management server 4 via the network and stored. It is configured.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment disconnects the network when, for example, the history information management server 4 does not function due to a failure or the storage area of the history information management server 4 runs out. If the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4 such as when the history information can no longer be transmitted to the history information management server 4, the own device replaces the history information management server. The history information is stored in a nonvolatile storage medium provided.

  When the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment substantially stores the history information stored in the nonvolatile storage medium included in the image forming apparatus 1. It is configured to reduce the data amount of the history information while retaining various contents. The gist of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can increase the free space of the nonvolatile storage medium provided in the image forming apparatus 1 when the history information management server 4 cannot store the history information. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the non-volatile storage medium included in the own device will have no free space.

  For this reason, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment loses history information even when new history information to be stored is generated in a state where the history information management server 4 cannot store the history information. It becomes possible to reduce the possibility of doing.

  The printer management server 2 is a shared server existing on the network, and manages the image forming apparatuses 1a, 1b, and 1c so that they can be used from a plurality of client computers.

  The client terminal 3 is an information processing terminal operated by a user, and is realized by an information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer). The client terminal 3 may be realized by a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. Further, the client terminal 3 according to the present embodiment is installed with a printer driver that is dedicated software for using the image forming apparatus 1.

  The history information management server 4 is a shared server existing on the network, and stores history information of operations and processes executed by the image forming apparatus 1 in the past. That is, in this embodiment, the history information management server 4 functions as a connection destination storage medium.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1, the printer management server 2, the client terminal 3, and the history information management server 4 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration of the client terminal 3 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, the hardware configuration of the client terminal 3 is described as an example, but the same applies to the image forming apparatus 1 and the history information management server 4. However, the image forming apparatus 1 includes hardware for realizing dedicated functions in the printer, the scanner, and the facsimile in addition to the hardware configuration shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the client terminal 3 according to the present embodiment includes a configuration similar to that of a general server, a PC (Personal Computer), or the like. That is, the client terminal 3 according to the present embodiment has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 20, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 30, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 40, and an I / F 50. Connected through. A display unit 60 and an operation unit 70 are connected to the I / F 50.

  The CPU 10 is a calculation means and controls the operation of the entire client terminal 3. The RAM 20 is a volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 10 processes information. The ROM 30 is a read-only nonvolatile storage medium and stores a program such as firmware. The HDD 40 is a non-volatile storage medium that can read and write information, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, and the like.

  The I / F 50 connects and controls the bus 90 and various hardware and networks. The display unit 60 is a visual user interface for the user to check the state of the client terminal 3, and is realized by a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The operation unit 70 is a user interface such as a keyboard and a mouse for the user to input information to the client terminal 3. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the printer management server 2 and the history information management server 4 according to the present embodiment are operated as a shared server, and therefore the user interfaces such as the display unit 60 and the operation unit 70 can be omitted. It is.

  In such a hardware configuration, a program stored in a storage medium such as the ROM 30, the HDD 40, or an optical disk (not shown) is read into the RAM 20, and the CPU 10 performs an operation according to the program loaded into the RAM 20, whereby the software control unit Is configured. That is, in the present embodiment, a part or all of the program functions as a history information storage control program. A functional block that realizes the function of the client terminal 3 according to the present embodiment is configured by a combination of the software control unit configured as described above and hardware.

  Next, the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 3, the electrical connection is indicated by a solid arrow. FIG. 3 shows only the functional configuration necessary when the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment stores history information. Originally, in addition to these functions, operation buttons and a scanner engine are shown. A paper feed table, a paper discharge tray, and the like.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a controller 100, a network I / F 101, a print engine 102, and a display panel 103. The controller 100 also includes a print job processing unit 110, a history information management unit 120, a history information storage unit 130, a history information transmission unit 140, an input / output control unit 150, an engine control unit 160, and a display control unit 170.

  The controller 100 is configured by a combination of software and hardware. Specifically, a software control unit and an integrated circuit configured by loading a control program such as firmware stored in a non-volatile storage medium such as the ROM 30 or the HDD 40 into the RAM 20 and performing an operation by the CPU 10 according to the program. The controller 100 is configured by hardware such as the above. The controller 100 functions as a control unit that controls the entire image forming apparatus 1.

  The network I / F 101 is an interface for the image forming apparatus 1 to communicate with another device such as an administrator terminal or a PC via the network. The network I / F 101 is an Ethernet (registered trademark), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, or a Bluetooth. (Registered trademark), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark), FeliCa (registered trademark), and other interfaces are used. As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment receives image data for a print request and various control commands such as a print request from a terminal connected via the network I / F 101. The network I / F 101 is realized by the I / F 50 shown in FIG.

  The print engine 102 is an image forming unit that draws an image by executing image forming output on a sheet. A specific aspect of the print engine 102 according to the present embodiment is an image forming mechanism using an electrophotographic system or an inkjet system.

  The display panel 103 is an output interface that visually displays the state of the image forming apparatus 1. The display panel 103 is realized by the display unit 60 and the operation unit 70 shown in FIG.

  The print job processing unit 110 generates CMYK or monochrome drawing data based on the image data included in the print job transmitted from the client terminal 3. The print job processing unit 110 also generates the print job based on the print job transmitted from the client terminal 3, the user name and user ID that generated the print job, the reception date and time, the number of prints, and the number of print copies. , File name to be printed, type and size of paper to be used, paper tray to be used, print quality, direction of paper to be used, monochrome printing or color printing, whether to perform double-sided printing, whether to perform consolidated printing The image forming apparatus 1 provides information related to the print job such as whether or not to perform scaling printing, whether or not to perform folding processing, the type of folding processing, whether or not to perform binding processing, and the type of binding processing. Generated as history information of actions and processes executed in the past. When the print job processing unit 110 newly generates history information, the print job processing unit 110 makes a history information storage request, which is a request for storing the generated history information in the history information storage unit 130, to the history information management unit 120.

  The history information management unit 120 assigns a history ID for uniquely identifying the history information in accordance with the history information storage request from the print job processing unit 110, and records the history information newly generated by the print job processing unit 110. The information is stored in the information storage unit 130.

  When the history information management unit 120 receives a history information storage request from the print job processing unit 110, the history information management unit 120 determines whether the transmission settings set for the print job that is the basis of the history information are valid or invalid. Check. Here, the transmission setting is a setting as to whether or not history information is transmitted to and stored in the history information management server 4, and the history information management unit 120, when the transmission setting is valid, Is stored in the history information storage unit 130, and is transmitted to and stored in the history information management server 4. If invalid, the history information is simply stored in the history information storage unit 130 as it is. The history information management unit 120 confirms whether or not history information newly generated by the print job processing unit 110 can be stored in the history information management server 4 when the transmission setting is valid. A confirmation request, which is a request for the above, is made to the history information transmission unit 140.

  Further, when the history information management unit 120 receives a storage impossibility notification, which is a notification that the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4 as a confirmation result from the history information transmission unit 140 in response to the confirmation request. Compresses the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130. That is, in this embodiment, the history information management unit 120 functions as a data amount reduction unit.

  As described above, when history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4, compressing the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 is one aspect of the present embodiment. is there. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can increase the free area of the history information storage unit 130 when history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4. It is possible to reduce the possibility that the information storage unit 130 will run out of free space. For this reason, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment loses history information even when new history information to be stored is generated in a state where the history information management server 4 cannot store the history information. It becomes possible to reduce the possibility of doing.

  Further, when the history information management unit 120 receives a history information acquisition request that is a request for acquiring history information from the history information transmission unit 140, the history information management unit 120 reads the corresponding history information from the history information storage unit 130, Transfer to the history information transmitter 140.

  The history information storage unit 130 stores the history information generated by the print job processing unit 110 in association with the history ID. The history information storage unit 130 is realized by the HDD 40 shown in FIG. That is, in the present embodiment, the history information storage unit 130 functions as a connection source storage medium.

  The history information transmission unit 140 transmits the history information acquired from the history information management unit 120 to the history information management server 4. That is, in the present embodiment, the history information transmission unit 140 functions as a history information storage control unit. Further, when receiving a confirmation request from the history information management unit 120, the history information transmission unit 140 inquires of the history information management server 4 whether or not history information can be stored. That is, in the present embodiment, the history information transmission unit 140 functions as a storage determination unit.

  Further, the history information transmission unit 140 can store a notification that the history information management server 4 can store the history information as a result of inquiring whether the history information can be stored in the history information management server 4. When the notification is received, a history information acquisition request is made to the history information management unit 120.

  Further, the history information transmission unit 140 is a notification that the history information management server 4 cannot store the history information as a result of inquiring whether or not the history information management server 4 can store the history information. When the notification is received, the storage failure notification is transferred to the history information management unit 120.

  Further, when receiving a history information transmission request that is a request for transmitting history information from the history information management server 4, the history information transmission unit 140 makes a history information acquisition request to the history information management unit 120. .

  The input / output control unit 150 inputs a print job input from the client terminal 3 via the network and network I / F 101 to the print job processing unit 110, or receives the network and network I / F 101 from the history information management server 4. The history information transmission request input via the terminal is input to the history information transmission unit 140.

  The engine control unit 160 controls the print engine 102 based on the drawing data generated by the print job processing unit 110 to execute image formation output. The display control unit 170 displays information on the display panel 103.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 configured as described above, one of the gist according to the present embodiment is stored in the history information storage unit 130 when history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4. It is to reduce the data amount of the history information while retaining the substantial contents of the history information.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can increase the free area of the history information storage unit 130 when history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4. It is possible to reduce the possibility that the information storage unit 130 will run out of free space.

  For this reason, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment loses history information even when new history information to be stored is generated in a state where the history information management server 4 cannot store the history information. It becomes possible to reduce the possibility of doing.

  Next, a method for managing history information in the image forming system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining a method for managing history information in the image forming system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a case where the transmission setting set for the print job is valid. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a case where the transmission setting set for the print job is invalid. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a case where history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in order to manage history information in the image forming system according to the present embodiment, first, the print job processing unit 110 generates history information based on the print job transmitted from the client terminal 3. Then, a history information storage request is made to the history information management unit 120 (S402).

  When the history information management unit 120 receives a history information storage request from the print job processing unit 110, the history information management unit 120 checks whether the transmission setting set for the print job that is the basis of the history information is valid or invalid. If it is valid (S403), a confirmation request is sent to the history information transmitter 140 (S404).

  When receiving a confirmation request from the history information management unit 120, the history information transmission unit 140 inquires of the history information management server 4 whether the history information can be stored (S405).

  When the history information management server 4 receives an inquiry from the image forming apparatus 1 as to whether or not history information can be stored, the history information management server 4 determines whether or not history information can be stored, and stores the history information. If it is determined that the image can be stored, the image forming apparatus 1 is notified of a storable notification (S406).

  When the storable notification is transmitted from the history information management server 4, the history information transmission unit 140 makes a history information acquisition request to the history information management unit 120 (S407).

  When receiving the history information acquisition request from the history information transmission unit 140, the history information management unit 120 transfers the history information generated by the print job processing unit 110 in S401 to the history information transmission unit 140 (S408). It is checked whether there is enough free space to be stored in the history information storage unit 130. If there is a free region (S409), the history information is stored in the history information storage unit 130 (S410).

  At this time, if there is no free space for storing the history information in the history information storage unit 130, the history information management unit 120 deletes the history information as it is without storing it in the history information storage unit 130. As described above, even if the history information management unit 120 deletes the history information, the history information is not lost because it is transmitted to the history information management server 4 and stored therein.

  On the other hand, when receiving history information from the history information management unit 120, the history information transmission unit 140 transmits the received history information to the history information management server 4 (S411).

  When the history information is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 1, the history information management server 4 stores the transmitted history information in a nonvolatile storage medium included in the own device (S 412).

  As described above, the image forming system according to the present embodiment manages the history information by the method shown in FIG. However, in FIG. 4, only the case where the transmission setting set for the print job is valid has been described.

  A case where the transmission setting set for the print job is invalid will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining a method for managing history information in the image forming system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a case where the transmission setting set for the print job is invalid.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in order to manage history information in the image forming system according to the present embodiment, first, the print job processing unit 110 performs the same processing as S401 and S402 (S501 and S502).

  When the history information management unit 120 receives a history information storage request from the print job processing unit 110, the history information management unit 120 checks whether the transmission setting set for the print job that is the basis of the history information is valid or invalid. If it is invalid (S503), it is checked whether or not there is enough free space to store the history information in the history information storage unit 130. If there is free space (S504), the history information is stored. Is stored in the history information storage unit 130 (S505).

  At this time, if there is no free space for storing the history information in the history information storage unit 130, the history information management unit 120 deletes the history information as it is without storing it in the history information storage unit 130. As described above, even if the history information management unit 120 deletes and deletes the history information, the transmission setting is set to be invalid for the print job that is the basis of the history information. There is no particular problem.

  The history information management server 4 makes a history information transmission request to the image forming apparatus 1 at a preset time interval (S506).

  When a history information transmission request is transmitted from the history information management server 4, the history information transmission unit 140 makes a history information acquisition request to the history information management unit 120 (S507).

  When receiving the history information acquisition request from the history information transmission unit 140, the history information management unit 120 reads the corresponding history information from the history information storage unit 130 and transfers it to the history information transmission unit 140 (S508).

  When receiving the history information from the history information management unit 120, the history information transmission unit 140 transmits the received history information to the history information management server 4 (S509).

  When the history information is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 1, the history information management server 4 stores the transmitted history information in a nonvolatile storage medium included in the own device (S 510).

  As described above, the image forming system according to the present embodiment manages the history information by the method illustrated in FIG. 5 when the transmission setting set for the print job is invalid. However, in FIGS. 4 and 5, the case has been described in which history information can be stored in the history information management server 4.

  Therefore, a case where history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining a method for managing history information in the image forming system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a case where history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in order to manage history information in the image forming system according to the present embodiment, first, the print job processing unit 110 performs the same processing as S401 and S402 (S601 and S602).

  Then, the history information management unit 120 performs the same processing as S403 and S404 (S603, S604), and the history information transmission unit 140 performs the same processing as S405 (S605).

  When the history information management server 4 receives an inquiry from the image forming apparatus 1 as to whether or not history information can be stored, the history information management server 4 determines whether or not history information can be stored, and stores the history information. If it is determined that the image cannot be stored, the image forming apparatus 1 is notified of a storage failure notification (S606).

  When the history information transmission unit 140 receives a storage impossibility notification from the history information management server 4, the history information transmission unit 140 transfers the storage impossibility notification to the history information management unit 120 (S607).

  When the history information management unit 120 receives the storage failure notification from the history information transmission unit 140, the history information management unit 120 compresses the data of the history information stored in the history information storage unit 130 (S608). As described above, when history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4, compressing the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 is one aspect of the present embodiment. is there. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can increase the free area of the history information storage unit 130 when history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4. It is possible to reduce the possibility that the information storage unit 130 will run out of free space. For this reason, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment loses history information even when new history information to be stored is generated in a state where the history information management server 4 cannot store the history information. It becomes possible to reduce the possibility of doing.

  Then, the history information management unit 120 checks whether or not there is a free area enough to store the history information generated by the print job processing unit 110 in S601 in the history information storage unit 130. (S609), the history information is stored in the history information storage unit 130 (S610). At this time, the processing in the case where there is no free space for storing history information in the history information storage unit 130 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As described above, when the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4, the image forming system according to the present embodiment compresses the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130, The newly generated history information is configured to be stored in the history information storage unit 130.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can increase the free area of the history information storage unit 130 when history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4. It is possible to reduce the possibility that the information storage unit 130 will run out of free space. For this reason, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment loses history information even when new history information to be stored is generated in a state where the history information management server 4 cannot store the history information. It becomes possible to reduce the possibility of doing.

  Next, even if the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment compresses the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130, the newly generated history information can be stored in the history information storage unit 130. Even if it is not possible, that is, in S609 shown in FIG. 6, even if there is no free space for storing history information in the history information storage unit 130, a method for preventing the history information from being lost This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining a method for managing history information in the image forming system according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 7, even when the image forming apparatus 1 a compresses the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130, the newly generated history information is stored in the history information storage unit 130. Shows when you can't. In FIG. 7, it is assumed that the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 of the image forming apparatus 1a has already been compressed.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, the image forming apparatus 1 a according to the present embodiment stores newly generated history information in the history information storage unit 130 even if the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 is compressed. First, the printer management server 2 is inquired about the storage destination of history information that has been newly generated but cannot be stored in its own history information storage unit 130 (S701).

  Upon receiving an inquiry about the storage destination of history information from the image forming apparatus 1a, the printer management server 2 determines one of the image forming apparatuses 1b and 1c connected as a storage destination (S702). The determined storage destination is notified to the image forming apparatus 1a (S703).

  At this time, the printer management server 2 selects, for example, the image forming apparatus having the oldest date and time when the history information is stored in the history information storage unit 130 among the other connected image forming apparatuses 1b and 1c. It is comprised so that it may determine as a forming apparatus. This is because it is estimated that the older the date and time when history information is stored in the history information storage unit 130, the less frequently the image forming apparatus is used, and the history information storage unit 130 has more free space. It is.

  Further, at this time, the printer management server 2, for example, among the other connected image forming apparatuses 1 b and 1 c, history information with invalid transmission settings, or history information that has already been transmitted to the history information management server 4. May be configured so as to determine the image forming apparatus that stores the largest number in the history information storage unit 130 as a storage destination image forming apparatus. This is because history information with invalid transmission settings is considered to be unnecessary history information from the beginning, so there is no particular problem even if it is overwritten and deleted. This is because even if it is deleted, it is transmitted to the history information management server 4 and stored therein, so that it is not lost.

  At this time, for example, the printer management server 2 sets the image forming apparatus having the most empty area in the history information storage unit 130 among the other connected image forming apparatuses 1b and 1c as a storage destination image forming apparatus. It may be configured to determine. This is because the more space is available in the history information storage unit 130, the more image information can be stored in the image forming apparatus.

  When the image forming apparatus 1a receives the storage destination notification from the printer management server 2, the image forming apparatus notified as the storage destination stores the newly generated image in its own history information storage unit 130. History information that cannot be transmitted is transmitted (S704).

  The image forming apparatus to which the history information is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 1a stores the history information in its own history information storage unit 130 (S705).

  As described above, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment compresses the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 in a state where the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4. However, if the newly generated history information cannot be stored in the history information storage unit 130, the history information is stored in another image forming apparatus.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment compresses the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 in a state where the history information management server 4 cannot store the history information. Therefore, even when newly generated history information cannot be stored in the history information storage unit 130, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the history information being lost.

  Next, even if the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment compresses the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130, the newly generated history information can be stored in the history information storage unit 130. Even if it is not possible, that is, in S609 shown in FIG. 6, even if there is no free space for storing the history information in the history information storage unit 130, other history information is not lost. The method will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a method for managing history information in the image forming system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 8, it is assumed that the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 of the image forming apparatus 1 has already been compressed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment uses newly generated history information to the history information storage unit 130 even if the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 is compressed. First, the history information management unit 120 stores the history information stored in the history information storage unit 130 in the history information whose transmission setting is invalid, or has already been stored in the history information management server 4. The history information that has been sent or the history information that has already been sent to another image forming apparatus is searched (S801).

  The history information management unit 120 then searches the history information with the oldest storage date / time among the history information with invalid transmission settings, the history information that has been transmitted, or the history information that has already been transmitted to another image forming apparatus. Information is searched (S802). The history information management unit 120 deletes the searched history information with the oldest storage date from the history information storage unit 130 (S803).

  As a result of deleting the searched history information with the oldest storage date from the history information storage unit 130, the history information management unit 120 determines whether or not there is a free area for storing the history information to be newly stored in the history information storage unit 130. (S804).

  When the history information management unit 120 confirms that there is no free space in the history information storage unit 130 to store history information to be newly stored in the confirmation processing in S804 (S804 / NO), the history information The same processes as in S801 to S803 are repeated until there is a free space for storing information in the history information storage unit 130. When the history information management unit 120 confirms that there is an empty area sufficient to store the history information to be newly stored in the history information storage unit 130 (S804 / YES), the history information is stored in the history information management unit 120. It is stored in the area (S805).

  As described above, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment compresses the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 in a state where the history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4. If the newly generated history information cannot be stored in the history information storage unit 130, the history information is history information whose transmission setting is invalid, history information that has already been transmitted, or another image that has already been transmitted. The history information that has been sent to the forming apparatus is overwritten in order from the oldest stored date.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment compresses the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 in a state where the history information management server 4 cannot store the history information. Therefore, even when newly generated history information cannot be stored in the history information storage unit 130, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the history information being lost.

  Next, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the data amount of information stored in the history information storage unit 130 exceeds a predetermined amount, the information stored in the history information storage unit 130 is stored. A process for outputting a warning message for notifying the user that the data amount will soon reach the maximum storage capacity will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining processing when the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment outputs a warning message.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment outputs a warning message, the history information management unit 120 first determines that the data amount of information stored in the history information storage unit 130 is Whether or not the maximum amount of information that can be stored in the history information storage unit 130 has reached a predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum storage capacity of the history information storage unit 130, for example, 80% or more Is determined (S901).

  At this time, the history information management unit 120, among the history information stored in the history information storage unit 130, history information whose transmission setting is valid, history information that has not been transmitted to the history information management server 4, or Further, it may be configured to determine whether or not the amount of history information that has not been transmitted to another image forming apparatus has reached a predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum storage capacity of the history information storage unit 130. This is because the history information with invalid transmission settings is considered to be unnecessary history information from the beginning, so there is no particular problem even if it is overwritten and deleted. Even if it is deleted, it is transmitted to the history information management server 4 or another image forming apparatus and stored therein, so that it is not lost. Therefore, it is not necessary to count history information whose transmission settings are valid, history information that has been transmitted to the history information management server 4, or history information that has already been transmitted to another image forming apparatus. .

  In the determination process in S901, the history information management unit 120 determines that the data amount of information stored in the history information storage unit 130 has reached a predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum storage capacity of the history information storage unit 130. In this case (S901 / YES), warning message display information for displaying the warning message on the display panel 103 is generated (S902), and the display control unit 170 is notified.

  Upon receiving the warning message display information from the history information management unit 120, the display control unit 170 displays a warning message on the display panel 103 according to the received warning message display information (S903).

  On the other hand, in the determination process in S901, the history information management unit 120 does not reach the predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum storage capacity of the history information storage unit 130 in the data amount stored in the history information storage unit 130. Is determined (S901 / NO), the process is terminated without displaying a warning message.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the amount of information stored in the history information storage unit 130 reaches a predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum storage capacity of the history information storage unit 130. In addition, it is configured to output a warning message for informing the user that the data amount of information stored in the history information storage unit 130 will soon reach the maximum storage capacity.

  Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the amount of information stored in the history information storage unit 130 reaches a predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum storage capacity of the history information storage unit 130, The user can recognize that the data amount of the information stored in the information storage unit 130 will soon reach the maximum storage capacity. Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the user can take an action in advance to avoid the disappearance of the history information. Thereby, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can reduce the possibility of losing history information.

  As described above, when the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment cannot store the history information in the history information management server 4, the history information stored in the history information storage unit 130 is substantially stored. One of the gist is to reduce the data amount of the history information while retaining the typical contents.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can increase the free area of the history information storage unit 130 when history information cannot be stored in the history information management server 4. It is possible to reduce the possibility that the information storage unit 130 will run out of free space.

  For this reason, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment loses history information even when new history information to be stored is generated in a state where the history information management server 4 cannot store the history information. It becomes possible to reduce the possibility of doing.

  It should be noted that the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment compresses the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 to reduce the data amount of the history information, and free space in the history information storage unit 130. An example has been described that is configured to increase. In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment deletes information corresponding to some of the items included in the history information stored in the history information storage unit 130, thereby It may be configured to reduce the amount of data and increase the free area of the history information storage unit 130. At this time, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment may be configured to set a priority for each item included in the history information and delete it from the information corresponding to the item having a low priority.

  Further, the example in which the image forming system according to the present embodiment is configured to include the printer management server 2 has been described, but one of the image forming apparatuses 1a, 1b, and 1c has the function of the printer management server 2. The history management server 4 may be configured to be operated as an alternative to the printer management server 2, or the history information management server 4 may have the function of the printer management server 2 and be operated as an alternative to the printer management server 2. May be.

  Further, as described with reference to FIG. 6, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment inquires of the history information management server 4 whether the history information can be stored, and the history information management server 4 notifies the storage failure notification. In the example described above, the history information data stored in the history information storage unit 130 is compressed when the message is transmitted. In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, for example, when the history information management server 4 is not functioning due to a failure or when the network is disconnected and the history information management server 4 cannot be accessed. In the case where no response is received from the history information management server 4 even after a certain period of time has passed since the history information management server 4 was inquired as to whether or not the history information can be stored, the history information storage unit 130 stores the history information. The history information data may be compressed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a, 1b, 1c Image forming apparatus 2 Printer management server 3 Client terminal 4 History information management server 5 Network 6 Network 7 Network 8 Network 9 Public line 10 CPU
20 RAM
30 ROM
40 HDD
50 I / F
60 Display Unit 70 Operation Unit 80 Dedicated Device 90 Bus 101 Network I / F
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 Print engine 103 Display panel 110 Print job processing part 120 History information management part 130 History information storage part 140 History information transmission part 150 Input / output control part 160 Engine control part 170 Display control part

JP 2002-268966 A

Claims (10)

A history information storage control program for storing history information related to contents executed by an image forming apparatus in a connection destination storage medium connected to the image forming apparatus via a network,
Determining whether the history information can be stored in the connection destination storage medium connected via the network;
When it is determined that the history information cannot be stored in the connection destination storage medium connected via the network, substantial information stored in the connection source storage medium included in the image forming apparatus Reducing the amount of data of the information while maintaining various contents;
Storing the history information in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced;
A history information storage control program characterized by executing Determining whether the history information can be stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced;
When it is determined that the history information cannot be stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced, another image formation connected to the image forming apparatus via a network Storing in the device;
The history information storage control program according to claim 1, wherein: Determining whether the history information can be stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced;
When it is determined that the history information cannot be stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced, a plurality of other history information connected to the image forming apparatus via a network is stored. Storing the history information stored most recently in the image forming apparatus in the image forming apparatus,
The history information storage control program according to claim 1, wherein the history information storage control program is executed. Determining whether the history information can be stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced;
When it is determined that the history information cannot be stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced, a plurality of other history information connected to the image forming apparatus via a network is stored. Among image forming apparatuses, an image forming apparatus that stores the largest amount of history information stored in the connection destination storage medium, or a history information that is invalid for setting to be stored in the connection destination storage medium. Storing in the stored image forming apparatus;
The history information storage control program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the history information storage control program is executed. Determining whether the history information can be stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced;
When it is determined that the history information cannot be stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced, a plurality of other history information connected to the image forming apparatus via a network is stored. Storing in a connection source storage medium provided in an image forming apparatus having the largest free area in a storage area of a connection source storage medium provided in the other image forming apparatus among the image forming apparatuses;
The history information storage control program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the history information storage control program is executed. Determining whether the history information can be stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced;
Of the history information stored in the connection source storage medium with the reduced data amount, when it is determined that the history information cannot be stored in the connection source storage medium with the reduced data amount Deleting any history information;
The history information is stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced as a result of deleting any of the history information stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced. Storing in the generated free space;
The history information storage control program according to claim 1, wherein the history information storage control program is executed. Determining whether the history information can be stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced;
Of the history information stored in the connection source storage medium with the reduced data amount, when it is determined that the history information cannot be stored in the connection source storage medium with the reduced data amount The history information stored in the connection destination storage medium, or history information in which the setting for storing in the connection destination storage medium is invalid, and the history information stored most recently is deleted; and
The history information is stored in the connection destination storage medium among the history information stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced or in the connection destination storage medium. The history information is invalid, and the history information stored in the past is deleted, and as a result, the free space generated in the connection source storage medium with the reduced data amount is stored;
The history information storage control program according to claim 1, wherein the history information storage control program is executed. Whether the data amount of information stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced reaches a predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum data amount of information that can be stored in the connection source storage medium Determining whether or not,
The data amount of information stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced reaches a predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum data amount of information that can be stored in the connection source storage medium. A step of notifying when it is determined;
The history information storage control program according to claim 1, wherein the history information storage control program is executed. Among the history information stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced, the history that is not stored in the connection destination storage medium and the setting for storing in the connection destination storage medium is valid Determining whether the data amount of information has reached a predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum data amount of information that can be stored in the connection source storage medium;
Among the history information stored in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced, the history that is not stored in the connection destination storage medium and the setting for storing in the connection destination storage medium is valid When it is determined that the data amount of information has reached a predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum data amount of information that can be stored in the connection source storage medium;
The history information storage control program according to claim 1, wherein the history information storage control program is executed. An image forming apparatus that stores history information regarding executed contents in a connection destination storage medium connected to the image forming apparatus via a network,
A storage determination unit for determining whether the history information can be stored in the connection destination storage medium connected via the network;
When it is determined that the history information cannot be stored in the connection destination storage medium connected via the network, substantial information stored in the connection source storage medium included in the image forming apparatus A data amount reducing unit that reduces the data amount of the information while retaining various contents;
A history information storage control unit for storing the history information in the connection source storage medium with the data amount reduced;
An image forming apparatus comprising: