JP2019097150A - Image processing apparatus, control method of image processing apparatus, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a mechanism of suppressing the occurrence of a down time of an image processing apparatus by effectively increasing a free capacity of a region for storing a job history.SOLUTION: A job history management part of an image formation apparatus, transmits one or more job history not transmitted and held in a region for storing the job history to an external part in accordance with a preset schedule, and removes the job history transmitted from the region (S802 to S805). The job history management part specifies one or more job history of the size larger than a predetermined size from a plurality of job histories stored in the region when a remaining capacity in the region is smaller than a predetermined amount (Yes in S801), transmits one or more job history of the size larger than the predetermined size from the plurality of histories stored in the region, transmits one or more job history specified without depending on the schedule, and removes one or more job history transmitted from the region (No in S801, and S809 to S812).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that holds job execution history, and a control method and program of the image processing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image processing apparatus such as a digital multi-functional peripheral, a job history audit system for storing job execution history (hereinafter referred to as "job history") in a database when executing jobs such as printing, copying and fax transmission / reception. There is. The job history audit system can audit job history stored in the database. In the audit, the user searches the database, refers to the contents of the job executed in the past, or notifies the user by e-mail or the like a list of job histories of jobs executed in a specific period (for example, 24 hours). It is confirmation etc. The job history can include image data used at the time of job execution.

  In the job history inspection system, the image processing apparatus temporarily stores job history in the storage device of the image processing apparatus, and transmits the job history to the server at a predetermined timing in the order of storage. Since the storage device of the image processing apparatus can not be said to have a large capacity, the image processing apparatus performs image processing for reducing the image data size of the job history before accumulating the job history. The image processing is, for example, to lower the resolution, lower the image quality, or change the image format of the image data. The image processing apparatus also has a function of monitoring the used capacity or the free space of the storage device and alerting the administrator when the shortage of the free space of the storage device approaches.

  Furthermore, when transmitting the job history to the server, a communication session is established with the server in units of job history, and the job history is transmitted. In order to prevent the network load due to the transmission process from affecting the work, an operation is possible such that the job history transmission from the image processing apparatus to the server is concentrated at night.

  On the other hand, image processing on image data of a job history in an image processing apparatus is performed in parallel with execution of a job in the image processing apparatus, which affects the execution processing speed of the job. Therefore, large image data may be stored in the storage device without executing image processing. When image processing is not performed, there is a possibility that the job history can not be accumulated (the job history to be accumulated exceeds the capacity of the storage device) until transmission is performed at night depending on the job execution frequency. In this type of image processing apparatus, when the area for storing the job history is full, transmission on the job history and deletion of the transmitted log are completed, and printing on the image processing apparatus is performed until the necessary free space is secured. It is a specification to prohibit. That is, in such an image processing apparatus, when printing with high image quality is frequently performed, there is a possibility that downtime (print prohibited time) may occur as a trade-off of improvement in print performance.

  Patent Document 1 describes a technique for determining whether a job history can be transmitted to a server by a power saving (sleep mode) start time of an image processing apparatus after job execution, and performing transmission when transmission is possible. There is.

JP, 2015-112818, A

  However, according to Patent Document 1, even when the storage capacity of the storage device of the image processing apparatus is small, the job history is transmitted to the server in the order of accumulation, so the storage capacity of the storage device can not be increased efficiently. .

  As described above, transmission of the job history to the server by the image processing apparatus establishes and transmits a communication session with the server on a job history basis. That is, as in Patent Document 1, in the case of job history transmission in the accumulated order regardless of the size of the job history, if there are multiple job histories with a small size at the beginning, the necessary free space of the storage device is increased. In addition, it is necessary to establish multiple communication sessions. At this time, if a large number of image processing apparatuses have sent job history to the server, an image processing apparatus whose communication session can not be established because it tries to establish a communication session exceeding the number of simultaneous connections. Will try to establish a communication session again. As described above, in the case of transmitting the job history to the server in the order of accumulation, it may take time to establish a communication session, and it is necessary to repeat the process several times to increase the necessary free space of the storage device.

  Further, in the job history audit system, in order to audit the job history stored in the database, it is necessary to store the job history necessary for the audit timing in the database.

  In addition, when the image processing apparatus transmits a job history to the server, the server side may respond with a busy error. In this case, although the image processing apparatus waits after waiting for a predetermined time, there is a possibility that the area for storing the job history of the image processing apparatus may run out of space during the standby. If the waiting time is shortened and retried, the load on the server will be high.

  In addition, when processing image data included in the job history in the server, when processing an image with a large resolution or paper size, a large amount of resources are required, which increases the load on the server and reduces the processing speed. Do. When the load on the server increases, the performance of other processes such as the process of receiving the job history transmitted from the image processing apparatus is also degraded. As a result, transmission of the job history from the image processing apparatus to the server is delayed, and there is a high possibility that the area for storing the job history of the image processing apparatus runs out of capacity.

  On the other hand, if image data having a large resolution or paper size is stored as it is without processing the image in the server, the capacity of the storage device on the server side will be compressed. If the storage device on the server side runs out of capacity, the server side can not receive the job history, and can not process the job history including normal image data with small resolution and small paper size. As a result, there is a high possibility that the area for storing the job history of the image processing apparatus runs out of capacity.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism capable of efficiently increasing the free space of a region for storing a job history and suppressing the occurrence of downtime of the image processing apparatus.

  The present invention is an image processing apparatus including a storage device in which an area for storing a job history including content information including an image to be processed corresponding to an executed job and attribute information of the job is secured. Transmitting means for transmitting one or more unsent job histories stored in the area to the outside according to a preset schedule, deleting means for deleting the transmitted job history from the area, and And specifying means for specifying one or more job histories of a size larger than a predetermined size among the plurality of job histories stored in the area, when the remaining capacity becomes smaller than a predetermined amount. When the one or more job histories are specified by the specifying unit, the transmission unit transmits the one or more specified job histories to the outside without depending on the schedule. When the one or more specified job histories are transmitted to the outside without depending on the schedule by the transmission means, the deleting means deletes the specified one or more job histories from the area. It is characterized by

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently increase the free space of the area for storing the job history and to suppress the occurrence of the downtime of the image processing apparatus.

Overall configuration of job history audit system according to the present embodiment Hardware configuration of image processing device Hardware configuration diagram of information processing device that configures PC, processing server, database Software configuration of image processing device A diagram showing an example of a job history transmitted by an image processing apparatus to a processing server A diagram showing an example of a setting screen for performing various settings related to job history transmission Diagram showing an example of reference value for calculating transmission time of job history Flowchart showing an example of the first periodic execution process of the present embodiment Sub flowchart showing an example of job history transmission processing of the present embodiment Flow chart showing an example of the second periodic execution process of the present embodiment Flow chart showing an example of transmission completion confirmation process of the present embodiment Software configuration of processing server Flowchart showing an example of job history transmission processing of the second embodiment Flowchart showing an example of job history reception processing of the second embodiment

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a view showing an example of the entire configuration of a job history audit system including an image processing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the job history audit system according to the present embodiment, a personal computer (hereinafter "PC") 10, an image forming apparatus 20, a processing server 30, and a database 40 are connected to a network 50, enabling mutual communication. It is. Although FIG. 1 describes these units one by one, a plurality of units may be connected to the network 50. The functions of the PC 10, the processing server 30, and the database 40 may be configured on the same device. For example, the PC 10, the processing server 30, and the database 40 may be configured by a general-purpose PC or the like. Furthermore, each function of the processing server 30 and the database 40 may be configured by one device or may be configured by a plurality of devices. Also, each function of the processing server 30 and the database 40 may be configured by a cloud server or the like. For example, each function of the processing server 30 and the database 40 can be constructed using a public cloud service or the like.

  The PC 10 generates various jobs such as printing and FAX transmission to be executed by the image forming apparatus 20 by using a printer driver or the like and transmits the jobs to the image forming apparatus 20. The generation and transmission of the job at that time are performed, for example, by user operation via a user interface.

  The image forming apparatus 20 corresponds to the image processing apparatus of the present embodiment, and has, for example, functions such as scan, print, copy, fax, and transmission. Further, the image forming apparatus 20 has a job history recording function of storing the job history in the storage device simultaneously with the execution of the job regarding the executed job. In the job history recording function, the image forming apparatus 20 can perform image processing for reducing the size of the image data when the image data is included in the job history before storing the job history. is there. The image processing is, for example, to lower the resolution, lower the image quality, or change the image format of the image data.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 20 has a job history transmission function of transmitting the job history saved by the job history recording function to the processing server 30. The image forming apparatus 20 implements these functions, and may be a digital multifunction peripheral (MFP: Multi Function Printer) or an image forming apparatus such as a printer.

  The processing server 30 receives the job history transmitted by the image forming apparatus 20 by the job history transmission function. The processing server 30 performs data processing on the received job history, and transmits the data-processed job history to the database 40. Here, the data processing is processing for extracting text information by performing OCR (Optical Character Recognition) processing on image data, and converting the resolution and file format of the image data. The text information obtained by the data processing is linked with the job history, stored in the database 40, and used for searching the job history.

  The database 40 receives the job history transmitted from the processing server 30 and stores it in the storage device. The database 40 includes a large capacity storage configured of one or more hard disk drives (HDD) or the like, and can store a large amount of job history for a long time. A database may be built in mass storage, or may be configured to have a file server function.

  A network 50 is a connection line for communicably connecting the PC 10, the image forming apparatus 20, the processing server 30, and the database 40, and may be a LAN, a WAN, a wireless communication network, or the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 20. As shown in FIG.
In FIG. 2, a CPU 201 controls the entire image forming apparatus 20 in a centralized manner, and controls, for example, each unit connected to a bus 211 to execute each function such as printing and FAX transmission. The ROM 202 stores, for example, a basic control program of the image processing apparatus and various data. The RAM 203 is used, for example, as a working memory of the CPU 201.

  The external storage device 204 is used as a storage area of temporary data during execution of each program and permanent data. For example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is used as the external storage device 204. As a result, the external storage device 204 can store a large amount of data although the speed of reading / writing data is slower than that of the RAM 203. Here, the external storage device 204 may secure an area dedicated to the job history. Also, the external storage device 204 may be a device such as a CD, a DVD, or a memory card that can load external media and read / write data.

  The communication device 205 is a device for connecting the image forming device 20 to the network 50, connects the image forming device 20 to the LAN, and communicates with other devices connected to the network 50, for example, by TCP / IP. Enables communication.

  The input unit 206 is an operation unit for receiving an input operation of characters and data by the user, and is, for example, a ten key or a hard key. The display unit 207 is a device for displaying various screens, and is, for example, a liquid crystal touch panel. The input unit 206 may include a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 207. The user inputs an instruction to execute the print function and the copy function to the image forming apparatus 20 via the input unit 206 on the user interface screen displayed on the display unit 207.

  The scanner unit 208 is configured to optically read an original placed on an original table, or optically scan a plurality of original sheets continuously conveyed from an automatic original feeding unit (ADF) at a fixed reading position. Read configuration.

  The printer unit 209 has a configuration for printing an image on a recording medium such as printing paper based on image data. As a configuration for printing, various recording methods such as an electrophotographic recording method and an inkjet recording method can be applied. The image forming apparatus 20 can execute the copy function by performing printing by the printer unit 209 based on the image data read by the scanner unit 208. Further, the image forming apparatus 20 can execute the print function by performing printing by the printer unit 209 based on print data input via the communication device 205.

  The image processing unit 210 performs color space conversion, mapping, binarization, interlace, background removal, etc., for the image data acquired from an external device such as the scanner unit 208 or the PC 10, according to printing or each application. Execute the process The image processing unit 210 performs image processing such as lowering the resolution, lowering the image quality, and changing the image format in the image processing unit 210 with respect to the image data included in the job history. Generated by

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus constituting the PC 10, the processing server 30, and the database 40. As shown in FIG. The hardware configuration shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the hardware configuration of a general information processing apparatus. The hardware configuration of a general information processing apparatus can be applied to the PC of the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 3, a CPU 301 controls the entire information processing apparatus in an integrated manner, for example, controls each unit connected to a bus 308 to execute various data processing. The ROM 302 stores, for example, a basic control program of the information processing apparatus and various data. The RAM 303 is used, for example, as a working memory of the CPU 301.

  The external storage device 304 is used as a storage area of an operating system (OS) of the information processing apparatus, temporary data of each application being executed, and permanent data. If frequently followed, an HDD is used as the external storage device 304. Thus, the external storage device 304 can store a large amount of data although the speed of reading / writing data is slower than that of the RAM 303. Also, the external storage device 304 may be a device such as a CD, a DVD, or a memory card that can load external media and read / write data.

  The input device 305 is an operation unit for receiving an input operation of characters and data by the user, and is, for example, a keyboard or a pointing device. The display device 306 is a device for displaying various screens, and is, for example, a CRT or a liquid crystal monitor. The input device 305 may be configured to include a touch panel provided on the surface of the display device 306. The user inputs a print job execution instruction to the image forming apparatus 20 via the input device 305 on the user interface screen displayed on the display device 306.

  The communication device 307 is a device for connecting the information processing device to the network 50, connects the information processing device to the LAN, and performs data communication, for example, by TCP / IP with other devices connected to the network 50. To be possible.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of the software configuration of the image forming apparatus 20. As shown in FIG.
The software configuration described in FIG. 4 is realized by the CPU 201 reading out a program stored in, for example, the ROM 202 to the RAM 203 and executing the program.

  In FIG. 4, the data transmission / reception unit 2003 performs transmission / reception processing of various data with the PC 10 and the processing server 30. The data transmission / reception unit 2003 transmits, for example, the job history generated by the job history generation unit 2006 to the processing server 30. The data transmission / reception unit 2003 also receives a job and a job execution request from the PC 10.

  A setting management unit 2001 stores settings regarding execution of various functions of the image forming apparatus 20 in storage devices such as the ROM 202, the RAM 203, and the external storage device 204, and reads the settings from the storage devices. Here, the settings are, for example, copy settings for executing the copy function and print settings for executing the print function. The settings also include settings relating to the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 20 itself. For example, setting is a power saving mode for reducing the power consumption of the entire device by controlling a power supply unit (not shown) so as to partially limit energization of each part of the device when receiving no operation input from the user for a predetermined time. (Sleep mode), including the transition time to transition to the power off state. The settings also include various settings described later with reference to FIG. 6, for example, a transmission start time for transmitting the job history to the processing server 30, and a threshold for determining that the external storage device 204 is insufficient.

  The job control unit 2004 controls the scanner unit 208 and the printer unit 209 to execute various jobs based on the job execution request input by the input unit 206 or received by the data transmission / reception unit 2003.

  The sleep control unit 2005 controls the image forming apparatus 20 to shift to the sleep mode based on the setting value of the transition time to the sleep mode managed by the setting management unit 2001 and the control status of each unit related to the job control unit 2004. Manage time by timer. When the sleep control unit 2005 detects that the transition time managed by the setting management unit 2001 has been reached by a timer, the sleep control unit 2005 partially controls energization of each unit of the image forming apparatus 20, and the image forming apparatus 20 is in the sleep mode. Or, shift to the power off mode. Hereinafter, the sleep mode will be described as an example of an apparatus state in which the amount of power consumption is smaller than that in the normal state where various jobs can be executed.

  The job history generation unit 2006 generates a job history after or in parallel with the job execution of the job control unit 2004. The job history generation unit 2006 may notify the job history management unit 2002 of a job history generation notification notifying that the job history has been generated when the job history is generated. The job history generation unit 2006 requests the image processing unit 2007 to execute image processing on image data included in the job history with respect to a part of the job history according to a certain condition. In response to a request from the job history generation unit 2006, the image processing unit 2007 executes image processing on image data included in the job history. As described above, the image processing is resolution conversion, image quality deterioration, image format conversion, and the like for reducing the image data size, but this processing takes time. For example, when a large resolution such as 1200 dpi is designated by the printer driver at the time of printing, or when a large sheet of A3 or more is designated, the printing processing speed may be reduced or it may be used during image processing. The amount of memory increases. Therefore, in such a case, the job history generation unit 2006 does not request the image processing unit to perform image processing.

  The job history management unit 2002 stores the job history generated by the job history generation unit 2006 in the external storage device 204. Also, the job history management unit 2002 transmits the job history stored in the external storage device 204 to the processing server 30 via the data transmission / reception unit 2003 at the timing described later with reference to FIGS. Also, the job history management unit 2002 deletes from the external storage device 204 the transmitted job history that has been completely transmitted to the processing server 30. The job history includes content information including an image to be processed corresponding to the job executed by the image forming apparatus 20 and attribute information of the job, the details of which will be described later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of the job history 500 transmitted to the processing server 30 by the job history management unit 2002 of the image forming apparatus 20.
As shown in FIG. 5, the job history 500 is composed of attribute information 501 that accompanies the execution of the job, content information 510 of the job execution target, and the like.
For example, the attribute information 501 includes information such as job history ID 502, job type 503, job execution user name 504, job start time 505, job execution device 506, number of pages 507, job execution result 508 and the like.

  The job history ID 502 is identification information for identifying the present job history. The job type 503 indicates the type of job corresponding to the job history ID 502, and is, for example, copying or printing. The job execution user name 504 is a name indicating a user who has instructed execution of a job corresponding to the job history ID 502.

  The job start time 505 indicates the date / time when execution of the job corresponding to the job history ID 502 is started. The job start time 505 is, for example, a time when the image forming apparatus 20 is temporarily stored in the queue when receiving a print job from the outside, and is read from the queue for execution.

  The job execution device 506 represents the name of the device that has executed the job corresponding to the job history ID 502, and here represents the printer 02 (image forming apparatus 20). As described above, the job history 500 is transmitted to the processing server 30. As a result, the processing server 30 receives and manages the job history 500 from the plurality of image forming apparatuses 20 connected to the network 50. At that time, the processing server 30 can manage the job history of each image processing apparatus using the information of the job execution device 506.

  The number of pages 507 indicates the number of pages to be executed of the job corresponding to the job history ID 502. The number of pages 507 may be a logical number of pages according to a predetermined unit of an image, or may be a physical number of pages based on a recording medium. The job execution result 508 represents the execution result of the job corresponding to the job history ID 502.

  The content information 510 includes information on image data 511 and text data 512 of execution targets of the job corresponding to the job history ID 502. The information is, for example, a storage position in the external storage device 204 of image data and text data. Also, the content information 510 includes content information for the number of pages 507 represented by the attribute information 501. When the job history is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 20 to the processing server 30, the image data and text data stored in the external storage device 204 are also based on the information on the image data and text data in the content information 510. , To the processing server 30 as part of the job history. Further, when deleting the transmitted job history, the image data and text data transmitted as part of the job history are also deleted from the external storage device 204.

  The job history 500 illustrated in FIG. 5 indicates that the user “User 001” has executed a job for printing a document including pages “3” with “Printer 02” at “12:09 on June 16, 2017”. ing. And, it indicates that the execution result is "success (printing success)".

  Also, in the job history 500 illustrated in FIG. 5, not one but a plurality of job histories may correspond to one job. In that case, for example, job histories corresponding to the same job may be used as a common job history ID. Alternatively, sub-numbers or the like added to the job history ID may indicate that they correspond to the same job.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen 600 on which the image forming apparatus 20 performs various settings for transmitting the job history to the processing server 30. As shown in FIG.
The setting screen 600 is displayed on the display unit 207, and accepts specification from the user via the input unit 206. When the setting is changed on the setting screen 600, the setting management unit 2001 stores the changed value in the external storage device 204.

In the screen 601, “always send a job history by designating a transmission interval as a transmission schedule” by using a radio button 601a, or “A transmission start time is separately designated by a transmission start time by a radio button 601b. Specify "Send job history at the specified time". When "always transmit" of the radio button 601a is specified, the transmission interval is also specified. Further, when “Specify transmission start time and transmit until transmission stop time zone” of the radio button 601 b is specified, the time to start transmission is also specified as “transmission start time”.
Furthermore, it is specified whether the "transmission stop time zone" is to be set by the check box 601c. When the transmission stop time zone is set, the time zone is also specified.

  In the case of this screen example, transmission of the job history is started from "0:00", and transmission is set to be performed until "8:00" at which the transmission stop time zone is started. In this case, the job history management unit 2002 starts a timer for managing the job history transmission time, and transmits the job history to the processing server 30 when it becomes “0:00”. Also, every time one job history transmission is completed, the job history management unit 2002 checks the time to determine whether the transmission stop time has come, and the next job history is displayed only when the transmission stop time has not come. Send to the processing server 30.

  In the setting to always transmit at an interval of 30 minutes which is not enabled in this screen example, the job history management unit 2002 excludes the transmission stop time zone when the transmission stop time zone is designated by the check box 601 c. The job history is sent to the processing server 30 at specified intervals of 30 minutes. Here, in one transmission, all job histories stored in the external storage device 204 may be transmitted, and then the next transmission processing may be performed again after waiting for 30 minutes. Also, the number of job histories to be sent in one transmission and the data size are fixed (not shown, but can be specified by the user), and after sending a prescribed job history, wait for 30 minutes and follow the prescribed job history again. May be sent to the processing server 30 by the sending process of

  In the screen 602, it is specified in the check box 602a whether job log transmission needs to be completed by a specific time. Further, "follow the setting of [sleep transition time]" with the radio button 602b, or "audit time" with the radio button 602c. When "audit time" of the radio button 602c is selected, the time when the audit is started is also designated as the "audit time".

  In the case of this screen example, the “audit time” is selected by the radio button 602 c and the audit time is designated as “9:00”. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 20 is required for the audit by “9:00”. The job history needs to be sent to the processing server 30. Auditing refers to a list of job histories of jobs executed in a specific period (for example, 24 hours), which are searched in the database, refer to the contents of jobs executed in the past, or notified by e-mail etc. The user is to confirm. Also, the audit time is the time to conduct an audit, and although only one can be designated in this screen example, a plurality of designations may be possible.

  In the case of this screen example, the job history management unit 2002 receives an external storage device 204 each time it receives a job history generation notification from the job history generation unit 2006 indicating that a job history is generated due to the execution of a job. Check the used capacity of. As a result of confirming the used capacity, it is determined whether transmission of the job history is completed by the designated time based on a determination criterion described later with reference to FIG. Alternatively, the used capacity of the external storage device 204 may be periodically checked, and similarly, it may be determined whether transmission of the job history is completed by the designated time. When it can be predicted that the transmission of the job history is not completed by the designated time, the image forming apparatus 20 transmits the job history to the processing server 30. At this time, even if the current time is included in the transmission stop time of the screen 601, transmission may be started.

  In addition, when “following [Sleep transition time setting]” is selected in radio button 602 b, a job necessary for the audit is set by the setting time of the sleep transition time specified on another setting screen of image forming apparatus 20 not shown. The history needs to be sent to the processing server 30. The process in this case is also similar to the case where the “auditing time” is designated by the radio button 602c described above. For example, when “30 minutes” is set as the transition time to the sleep mode on another setting screen of the image forming apparatus 20 (not shown), the sleep control unit 2005 determines that the predetermined process has been completed in the image forming apparatus 20. Set the timer for 30 minutes with. The predetermined processing is processing accompanied by an instruction by a user operation, and is, for example, login operation to the image forming apparatus 20, job execution, and display of a setting screen. Then, when 30 minutes pass without any predetermined processing being performed, the sleep control unit 2005 shifts the image forming apparatus 20 to the sleep mode. On the other hand, when the predetermined processing is performed before the lapse of 30 minutes, the sleep control unit 2005 resets the timer and sets the timer for 30 minutes again.

  In the screen 603, an operation is designated when the image forming apparatus 20 detects a shortage of the capacity of the external storage device 204 (when the remaining capacity of the area for storing the job history is smaller than a predetermined amount). In the screen 603, when it is specified in the check box 603a that a warning about a shortage of free space is specified, the job history management unit 2002 receives notification of job history generation from the job history generation unit 2006 every time in the external storage device 204. Check the used capacity or the free capacity, and determine whether the free capacity is insufficient. Alternatively, the used capacity or the free capacity of the external storage device 204 may be periodically confirmed. The job history generation notification is a notification that the job history management unit 2002 receives from the job history generation unit 2006 that a job history has been generated due to the execution of the job.

  The job history management unit 2002 is specified by “target of transmission” when it is determined that the external storage device 204 is insufficient in free capacity and “automatically transmit when capacity is insufficient” is specified by the radio button 603 c. The job history that has been sent is sent to the processing server 30. When “limit to large size job history” is designated by the radio button 603 e, the job history whose image processing has not been performed due to the time required is transmitted to the processing server 30. For example, it is a job history of a print job for which a large resolution such as 1200 dpi is specified by the printer driver at the time of printing, or a print job for which a large sheet of A3 or larger is specified. When “all” is specified in “target of transmission”, the job history generation unit 2006 transmits the job history to the processing server 30 in the order in which the job history is generated. Here, in the case where “limit to large job history” of the radio button 603 e is specified, priority is given to a job history with a large size for which image processing has not been performed, and thereafter, the size for which image processing has been performed is small Job history may be sent.

The job history management unit 2002 may not perform automatic transmission of data when detecting a shortage of the capacity of the external storage device 204 when “following the schedule” is designated by the radio button 603 d. In that case, after warning of the insufficient free space, the next transmission start time according to the schedule setting on the screen 601 is waited.
As in the case of the screen 603, the screen 602 described above is also provided with a UI for specifying the “target of transmission”, and it is possible to specify the transmission target when the job history transmission is completed by a specific time. Good. For example, the screen 602 may be provided with the same buttons as the “transmission target” radio button 603 d “all” on the screen 603 and the radio button 603 e “job history limited for large size”.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of a table 700 showing the reference value for calculating the transmission time required for transmitting the job history to the processing server 30 by the job history management unit 2002.
The job history management unit 2002 calculates the transmission time of the job history from the reference value shown in FIG. 7 and determines whether the job history stored in the external storage device 204 can be transmitted to the processing server 30 by the designated time. Determine

The data size 701 and the transmission time 702 are defined in the table 700 of FIG. 7.
In the example of FIG. 7, it is defined that it takes 2000 milliseconds to transmit 10 MB of data and 12000 milliseconds to transmit 500 MB of data.
As described above, each time the job history management unit 2002 receives a job history generation notification to the effect that a job history is generated due to execution of a job from the job history generation unit 2006, or periodically, external storage The used capacity or the free capacity of the device 204 is confirmed and calculated. The transmission time is, for example, a required time required for transmission processing from the conversion of the content to be job execution into a transmission format to the completion of output from the communication device 205 to the network 50. However, as long as it changes according to the data size, it may be the time required for the transmission process defined elsewhere.

  Although the transmission time is specified based on the data size in FIG. 7, the transmission time may be specified by another method. For example, the data size per page may be used, or the transmission time may be specified based on the paper size and color.

  Moreover, the reference value shown in FIG. 7 is a fixed value previously determined by the program. However, it does not have to be a fixed value, and a system administrator or the like can arbitrarily change the value, a log describing the processing time (not shown), or a value obtained by measuring the transmission time of the job history transmission processing automatically. The table may be updated as needed by reflecting it on the table of FIG.

  Hereinafter, processing executed by the job history management unit 2002 of the image forming apparatus 20 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. The processing illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 11 is realized by the CPU 201 reading out a program stored in, for example, the ROM 202 to the RAM 203 and executing the program.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a first periodic execution process in the present embodiment. The present process corresponds to the process of transmitting the job history to the processing server 30 when the job history management unit 2002 of the image forming apparatus 20 confirms the used capacity or free space of the external storage device 204 and determines that the capacity is insufficient. Also, this process is performed each time the job history management unit 2002 receives a job history generation notification from the job history generation unit 2006 indicating that the job history is generated due to the execution of the job, or, for example, 5 minutes. It is executed at regular intervals such as intervals.

  First, in step S801, the job history management unit 2002 checks the used capacity or the free space of the external storage device 204, and determines whether the free space is insufficient. In the case of checking the free space, it is also necessary to check the total capacity of the external storage device 204, which can be calculated by “free space = total capacity−used capacity”. It is determined whether the external storage device 204 is used below the threshold of the free space (not shown) held by the job history management unit 2002 to determine whether the free space is insufficient. The threshold value of the free space is, for example, 30% of the total capacity of the external storage device 204, and the free space is less than 30% (for example, 28%) at the timing of the free space confirmation of the external storage device 204. It is judged as "lack". Note that “capacity shortage” may be determined based on whether the external storage device 204 is used by exceeding the threshold of the use capacity (not shown) held by the job history management unit 2002 as the determination criterion. In this case, the threshold is used as the used capacity. For example, when the threshold is 70% of the total capacity of the external storage device 204, the used capacity of the external storage device 204 is 70% at the timing of the used capacity confirmation of the external storage device 204. If the amount is larger than (for example, 71%), it is determined as "insufficient capacity".

  In S801, for example, when the status of the insufficient capacity notification completion flag described later is confirmed in S816, and it is determined that the insufficient capacity notification completion flag is ON and a sufficient free space can be secured in the external storage device 204. The process of changing the capacity shortage notification flag to OFF may be performed.

If it is determined in S801 that the external storage device 204 does not run out of space (No in S801), the job history management unit 2002 advances the process to S802.
In step S802, the job history management unit 2002 confirms whether the current time is a transmission time. The transmission time is part of setting information acquired from the external storage device 204 by the job history management unit 2002 via the setting management unit 2001. For example, in the screen 601 of FIG. 6, it is from the transmission start time to the start of the transmission stop time zone, and in the case of the screen 601, it is the time between “0:00” and “8:00”.

  If it is determined in S802 that the current time is not the transmission time (No in S802), the job history management unit 2002 ends the process of this flowchart and waits for the next execution timing. The setting information acquired by the job history management unit 2002 is assumed to acquire setting information including the entire setting of the image forming apparatus 20 stored in the external storage device 204, but individual setting information It may be acquired at the necessary timing after the next step.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S802 that the current time is the transmission time (Yes in S802), the job history management unit 2002 advances the process to S803.
In step S 803, the job history management unit 2002 confirms whether the unsent job history is stored in the external storage device 204. If it is determined that the unsent job history is not stored (in the case of No in S803), the job history management unit 2002 ends the process of this flowchart.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the unsent job history is stored (in the case of Yes in S803), the job history management unit 2002 advances the process to S804.
In step S804, the job history management unit 2002 confirms whether the current time is the transmission stop time based on the setting information acquired in step S802. In the example of the screen 601 of FIG. 6, when the current time is between “8:00” and “17:00”, it is determined that it is the transmission stop time.

If it is determined in S804 that the transmission stop time is reached (Yes in S804), the job history management unit 2002 ends the processing of this flowchart.
On the other hand, if it is determined in S804 that the transmission stop time is not reached (No in S804), the job history management unit 2002 advances the process to S805.
In step S805, a job history transmission process shown in FIG. 9 described later is executed. After the job history transmission process shown in FIG. 9 is executed, the job history management unit 2002 returns the process to S803.

If it is determined in S801 that the external storage device 204 is insufficient (Yes in S801), the job history management unit 2002 advances the process to S806.
In step S806, the job history management unit 2002 confirms the setting of automatic transmission of data from the setting information acquired in step S802. The setting of the automatic transmission of data is whether or not "automatic transmission when there is insufficient capacity" of the radio button 603c of the screen 603 of FIG. 6 is designated.

If it is determined in the above-described S806 that “automatically transmit when capacity is insufficient” is selected (Yes in S806), the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to S807.
In step S 807, the job history management unit 2002 confirms “target of transmission” from the setting information acquired in step S 802. If it is determined that “Limited to large size job history” is designated in the radio button 603 e of the screen 603 in FIG. 6 (in the case of Yes in S 807), the job history management unit 2002 shifts the processing to S 808 and the size Start sending a large job history to the processing server 30.

  In step S 808, the job history management unit 2002 notifies that the automatic transmission of the job history has been started due to the lack of capacity of the external storage device 204. The notification may be notified by e-mail to the e-mail address of the administrator (not shown) held in the setting management unit 2001 by e-mail, or a screen may be displayed on the display unit 207 using a user interface, and notification may be performed. . In the notification content, it may be clearly indicated that automatic transmission has been started for a job history having a large size.

  Next, in step S809, the job history management unit 2002 confirms whether the unsent job history having a large size is stored in the external storage device 204. Here, the job history having a large size is a job history in which image processing is not performed because it takes time. For example, it is a job history of a print job for which a large resolution such as 1200 dpi is specified by the printer driver at the time of printing, or a print job for which a large sheet of A3 or larger is specified.

If it is determined in S809 that a job history with a large unsent size is stored (Yes in S809), the job history management unit 2002 advances the process to S810.
In step S <b> 810, the job history management unit 2002 acquires a job history having a large size among the job histories stored in the external storage device 204.
Next, in step S811, the job history management unit 2002 transmits the job history acquired in step S810 to the processing server 30 via the data transmission / reception unit 2003.
Next, in step S812, the job history management unit 2002 deletes the job history transmitted in step S811 from the external storage device 204, and returns the process to step S809. That is, while there is a job history having a large size, transmission of the job history having a large size is repeated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S809 that a job history with a large unsent size is not stored (No in S809), the job history management unit 2002 ends the processing of this flowchart. In S809 to S812, when the remaining capacity of the area for storing the job history becomes smaller than the predetermined amount, one of the plurality of job histories stored in the area has a size larger than the predetermined size. A process of specifying the above job history and transmitting it to the processing server 30 is described. However, priority may be given to the job history having a large size, and thereafter, other job histories may be transmitted to the processing server 30. Other job histories may be rearranged in size and transmitted in the order of large size, or may be transmitted in the order generated by the job history generation unit 2006.

  Further, when it is determined that “all” of the radio button 603 d of the screen 603 in FIG. 6 is designated as “target of transmission” in the above S 807 (No in S 807), the job history management unit 2002 performs S 813. The process of transmitting the job history to the processing server 30 is started in the order generated by the job history generation unit 2006.

  In step S813, the job history management unit 2002 notifies that the automatic transmission of the job history has been started due to the lack of capacity of the external storage device 204, as in the above-described step S808. The notification may be notified by e-mail to the e-mail address of the administrator (not shown) held in the setting management unit 2001 by e-mail, or a screen may be displayed on the display unit 207 using a user interface, and notification may be performed. . In the notification content, it may be clearly indicated that automatic transmission has been started for all job histories.

Next, in step S814, the job history management unit 2002 confirms whether the unsent job history is stored in the external storage device 204, as in the above-described step S803. If it is determined that there is an unsent job history (YES in step S814), the job history management unit 2002 shifts the processing to step S815.
In step S815, the job history management unit 2002 executes a job history transmission process shown in FIG. 9 described later. After the job history transmission process shown in FIG. 9 is executed, the job history management unit 2002 returns the process to step S814.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S814 that the unsent job history is not stored in the external storage device 204 (No in S814), the job history management unit 2002 ends the processing of this flowchart. In S807 to S815, the job history can be transmitted to the processing server 30 without depending on the transmission schedule.

If it is determined in the above-described S806 that “automatically transmit when capacity is insufficient” is not selected (No in S806), the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to S816.
In step S816, the job history management unit 2002 confirms the capacity shortage notification completion flag. Note that the capacity shortage notification completion flag is a flag used to prevent the notification of S817 described below from being performed many times. The capacity shortage notification completion flag may be set to OFF in the above-described step S801, or may be previously set to OFF when the job history management unit 2002 is started. The information on the shortage notified flag is stored in the external storage device 204 via the setting management unit 2001.

If it is determined in S816 that the capacity shortage notification completion flag is OFF (No in S816), the job history management unit 2002 advances the process to S817.
In step S817, the job history management unit 2002 notifies the system administrator of the capacity shortage. The notification of the capacity shortage may be notified by e-mail to the e-mail address of the administrator (not shown) held in the setting management unit 2001 by e-mail, or a screen is displayed on the display unit 207 using a user interface to perform notification. May be

Next, in step S818, the job history management unit 2002 turns on the capacity shortage notification completion flag. By doing this, the notification of the capacity shortage of the external storage device 204, which has been made once, is not performed again. After the processing of step S818, the job history management unit 2002 ends the processing of this flowchart.
If it is determined in S816 that the capacity shortage notified flag is ON (Yes in S816), the job history management unit 2002 ends the processing of this flowchart.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the job history transmission process according to the present embodiment. This processing corresponds to processing in which the job history management unit 2002 of the image forming apparatus 20 transmits the job history stored in the external storage device 204 to the processing server 30 via the data transmission / reception unit 2003. This process is a process performed in S805 and S815 of FIG.

  In step S901, the job history management unit 2002 acquires the job history stored in the external storage device 204. Here, the order of acquiring the job history in the present embodiment is the order generated by the job history generation unit 2006, but it is another defined order, such as rearranging in size and setting to the order of large size. May be

In step S 902, the job history management unit 2002 transmits the job history acquired in step S 901 to the processing server 30 via the data transmission / reception unit 2003.
Next, in step S903, the job history management unit 2002 deletes the job history transmitted in step S902 from the external storage device 204, and ends the processing of this flowchart.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the second periodic execution process in the present embodiment. In this process, when the job history management unit 2002 of the image forming apparatus 20 determines that the job history stored in the external storage device 204 can be transmitted to the processing server 30 by the designated time, it is determined that transmission is not possible. This corresponds to the process of sending the job history to the processing server 30. This process is performed each time the job history management unit 2002 receives a job history generation notification from the job history generation unit 2006 indicating that a job history is generated due to the execution of a job, or, for example, every five minutes. It is executed at regular intervals of However, the process of FIG. 10 is not executed when the process of FIG. 10 is being executed.

  In step S1001, the job history management unit 2002 acquires setting information stored in the external storage device 204 via the setting management unit 2001, and confirms whether the job history is set to be transmitted by a specific time. Do. This setting is determined based on, for example, whether or not the “complete job history transmission by a specific time” check box 602 a in the screen 602 of FIG. 6 is checked. If the check box 602a is not checked, the job history management unit 2002 determines that the job history is not set to be transmitted by the specific time (No in S1001), and ends the processing of this flowchart. .

  On the other hand, when the check box 602a is checked, the job history management unit 2002 determines that the job history is set to be transmitted by the specific time (Yes in S1001), and advances the processing to S1002 . In S1001, the setting information acquired by the job history management unit 2002 is assumed to acquire setting information including the entire setting of the image forming apparatus 20 stored in the external storage device 204. However, individual setting may be performed. Information may be acquired at the required timing after the next step.

In step S1002, the job history management unit 2002 confirms whether the transmission completion time is in accordance with [setting of sleep transition time] based on the setting information acquired in step S1001. This setting is determined, for example, based on whether or not “following [Setting of sleep transition time]” of the radio button 602 b on the screen 602 of FIG. 6 is designated. If the radio button 602 b is designated, the job history management unit 2002 determines that “follow the setting of [sleep transition time]” is designated (Yes in S 1002), and advances the processing to S 1003.
In step S1003, the job history management unit 2002 acquires setting information (setting time of sleep transition time) of [setting of sleep transition time] from the setting information acquired in the above-described step S1001, and advances the processing to step S1005.

On the other hand, when the radio button 602 b is not specified, the job history management unit 2002 determines that “follow the setting of [sleep transition time]” is not specified (No in S 1002), and advances the processing to S 1004. .
In step S1004, the job history management unit 2002 acquires the time designated as the “audit time” from the setting information acquired in step S1001. For example, in the screen 602 of FIG. 6, the audit time is designated as "9:00".

  In step S1005, the job history management unit 2002 receives the job history generation notification, or transmits the job history stored in the current external storage device 204 to the processing server 30 by the designated time at regular intervals. Determine if you can. The details of the determination process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S1006, the job history management unit 2002 receives the result in step S1005 and confirms whether transmission to the processing server 30 can be completed by the designated time. If it is determined that the transmission is completed (in the case of Yes in S1006), the job history management unit 2002 ends the processing of this flowchart.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S1006 that the transmission can not be completed (No in S1006), the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to S1007.
In step S1007, the job history management unit 2002 acquires all unsent job histories stored in the external storage device 204, and advances the processing to step S1008.
In step S1008, the job history management unit 2002 transmits the oldest unsent job history among the job histories acquired in step S1007 to the processing server 30.
In step S1009, the job history management unit 2002 deletes the job history transmitted in step S1008 from the external storage device 204.

Next, in step S1010, the job history management unit 2002 determines whether transmission of all the job history acquired in step S1007 has been completed. If it is determined that there is a job history not yet transmitted among the job histories acquired in S1007 (in the case of No in S1010), the job history management unit 2002 returns the process to S1008, and the next unsent job history is Control to send.
On the other hand, if it is determined in S1010 that all transmission of the job history acquired in S1007 has been completed (Yes in S1010), the job history management unit 2002 ends the processing of this flowchart.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the transmission completion determination process. This process corresponds to the process of confirming whether the job history management unit 2002 of the image forming apparatus 20 can transmit the job history stored in the external storage device 204 to the processing server 30 by the designated time. . In the present embodiment, it is determined whether transmission is possible based on the data size of the job history stored in the external storage device 204. However, in addition to the size, the number of job histories, the number of pages, the paper size and color, etc. You may use it as a standard. This process is a process performed in S1005 of FIG.

In step S1101, the job history management unit 2002 acquires a reference value for calculating the transmission time required for the job history management unit 2002 to transmit the job history to the processing server 30 illustrated in FIG.
Next, in step S1102, the job history management unit 2002 acquires the total size of the job history stored in the external storage device 204.

  Next, in step S1103, the job history management unit 2002 acquires the time acquired in step S1003 or S1004 in FIG. 10 based on the reference value acquired in step S1101 and the total data size of the job history acquired in step S1102 (sleep transition time). Or calculate whether it can be sent by the audit time). Hereinafter, the time corresponding to the time acquired in S1003 or S1004 of FIG. 10 is referred to as “transmission completion time”. At this time, the delay time is calculated as a time that is earlier than the “transmission completion time”. The grace period may be, for example, 10 minutes, or twice the periodic interval when the process of FIG. 10 is performed at regular intervals. The reason for providing a grace period is that when it is calculated whether transmission is possible at a time that is perfect for the “transmission completion time”, it may actually be later than the calculation result due to an error or the like due to the network load. Since the purpose is to complete the transmission of the job history reliably by the “transmission completion time”, the time is given a grace period.

In step S1104, the job history management unit 2002 determines whether transmission is possible based on the result of the calculation in step S1103. If it is determined that the transmission of the job history can be surely completed by the “transmission completion time” (in the case of “Yes” in S1004), the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to S1108.
On the other hand, if it is determined in S1104 that the transmission of the job history can not be completely completed by the “transmission completion time” (No in S1004), the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to S1105.

  In step S1105, the job history management unit 2002 confirms a transmission completion impossible notification completion flag. The transmission completion impossible notification completion flag is a flag used to prevent duplicate notification in S1106 described later. The transmission completion impossible notification completion flag is previously set to OFF when the job history management unit 2002 is started, and is saved in the external storage device 204 via the setting management unit 2001. Also, when the time specified in the specific time ([sleep transition time setting] or audit time) specified on the screen 602 in FIG. 6 has elapsed, the flag is updated to OFF, and the setting management unit 2001 , And is stored in the external storage device 204.

If it is determined in S1105 that the transmission completion impossible notification completion flag is ON (Yes in S1105), the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to S1108.
On the other hand, if it is determined in S1105 that the transmission completion impossible notification completion flag is OFF (No in S1105), the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to S1106.

  In step S1106, the job history management unit 2002 starts processing to transmit the job history stored in the external storage device 204 regardless of the transmission schedule until the time (transmission completion time) acquired in step S1003 or S1004 in FIG. Notification to the user (exception transmission start notification). This notification may be notified by e-mail to the e-mail address of the administrator (not shown) held in the setting management unit 2001 by e-mail, or a screen may be displayed on the display unit 207 using a user interface to perform notification. Good. Also, by notifying the processing server 30 of this notification, it is added as supplementary information to the list of job histories of jobs executed in a specific period (for example, 24 hours) that the processing server 30 transmits to the user, It may be notified.

  Next, in step S1107, the job history management unit 2002 sets the transmission completion impossible notification completion flag ON. In this way, it is not possible to duplicate the notification that the job history stored in the external storage device 204 can not be transmitted by the time acquired in step S1003 or S1004 in FIG. After the processing of step S1107, the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to step S1108.

  In step S1108, the job history management unit 2002 returns the result of the determination made in step S1104 to the caller (S1005 in FIG. 10), and ends the processing of this flowchart.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, when it is detected that the storage capacity of the storage device of the image processing apparatus is close, the job history stored in the storage device of the image processing apparatus is compared with the job history having a large size. Send to an external device. Further, it is determined whether transmission of the job history stored in the storage device of the image processing apparatus can be completed by a specific time such as audit timing, and transmission of the job history to the external apparatus is started at a time when transmission can be completed (exception transmission). According to such a configuration, when a job history including an image having a large size is stored in the storage device of the image processing apparatus, the job history is first transmitted when a communication session can be established. It is possible to increase the free space of the storage device. In addition, it is possible to transmit the necessary job history to the server by the time to audit the job history and the sleep transition time. That is, the free space of the area for storing the job history can be efficiently increased, and the occurrence of the downtime of the image processing apparatus can be suppressed.

Second Embodiment
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the second embodiment, in order to enable the processing server 30 to preferentially receive the job history having a large size, the image forming apparatus 20 and the processing server 30 define a priority of the job history and a process based on the priority. Conduct. This process is an extension of S1008 in FIG. 10 in the first embodiment, but the overall process in which the job history management unit 2002 of the other image forming apparatus 20 transmits the job history to the processing server 30 (S811 in FIG. The present invention may be applied to S902 of 9).

  FIG. 12 shows an example of the software configuration of the processing server 30. As shown in FIG. The software configuration described in FIG. 12 is realized by the CPU 301 of the processing server 30 reading out a program stored in the external storage device 304 or the like to the RAM 303 and executing the program.

  In FIG. 12, a data transmission / reception unit 3003 performs transmission / reception processing of various data with the image forming apparatus 20, the database 40, and the like. The data transmission / reception unit 2003 receives, for example, the job history generated by the job history generation unit 2006 from the image forming apparatus 20. Further, the data transmission / reception unit 2003 transmits the data-processed job history and the like to the database 40.

  A data processing unit 3004 performs OCR (Optical Character Recognition) processing on image data included in the job history to extract text information, and converts the resolution and file format of the image data.

  The setting management unit 3001 saves the setting relating to the operation of the processing server 30 and the setting of the image forming apparatus 20 to be managed in the storage device and reads the settings from the storage device. The storage device of the storage destination is the ROM 302, the RAM 303, the external storage device 304 of the processing server 30, the external storage device 304 of the database 40, or a storage device to which the other processing server 30 can access. Here, the setting related to the operation of the processing server 30 includes, for example, the operation setting of the data processing unit 3004 (setting whether or not to perform the OCR processing, resolution setting, image file format, etc.), access information to the database 40, etc. Is included.

The job history management unit 3002 receives a job history from the image forming apparatus 20 via the data transmission / reception unit 3003, performs data processing via the data processing unit 3004, and then transmits the job history to the external storage device 304 of the processing server 30. Store. Here, the data processing is processing for performing OCR processing on image data to extract text information, and converting the resolution and file format of the image data. The text information obtained by the data processing is linked with the job history, stored, and used for searching the job history.
Also, the job history management unit 3002 transmits job history, text information, and the like to the database 40 via the data transmission / reception unit 3003. The job history management unit 3002 deletes, from the external storage device 304 of the processing server 30, the job history and the text information for which transmission to the database 40 has been completed.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of job history transmission processing according to the second embodiment. This process is realized by the CPU 201 of the image forming apparatus 20 reading out a program stored in, for example, the ROM 202 to the RAM 203 and executing the program. Further, the present processing corresponds to processing in which the job history management unit 2002 of the image forming apparatus 20 transmits a job history to the processing server 30. Also, this process is performed each time the job history management unit 2002 receives a job history generation notification from the job history generation unit 2006 indicating that the job history is generated due to the execution of the job, or, for example, 5 minutes. It is executed at regular intervals such as intervals. Specifically, this is an extension of S1008 of FIG. 10, but may be applied to the processing contents of S811 of FIG. 8 and S902 of FIG.

  First, in step S1301, the job history management unit 2002 of the image forming apparatus 20 confirms the size of the job history. For the job history to be checked here, this process may be executed for one job history, or efficiency may be achieved by checking a plurality of job histories and listing size information. Good. In this embodiment, processing is performed on one job history, and this processing is repeated by the number of job histories stored in the external storage device 204.

  In step S1302, the job history management unit 2002 determines whether the size of the job history acquired in step S1301 is a large job history. Here, the job history having a large size is a job history in which image processing is not performed because it takes time. For example, it is a job history of a print job for which a large resolution such as 1200 dpi is specified by the printer driver at the time of printing, or a print job for which a large sheet of A3 or larger is specified.

If it is determined that the job history is a large size job history (Yes in S1302), the job history management unit 2002 sets the large size flag to On (S1303), and advances the process to S1305. .
On the other hand, if it is determined that the job history is not a large size job history (S1302: No), the large size flag is set to Off (S1304), and the process proceeds to S1305.

In step S1305, the job history management unit 2002 confirms the value of the large size flag. If it is determined that the value of the large size flag is On (in the case of Yes in S1305), the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to S1306.
In step S1306, the job history management unit 2002 transmits the job history using the priority flag attached API via the data transmission / reception unit 2003 in order to transmit the large-sized job history to the processing server 30, and the process proceeds to step S1308. Proceed to Here, the priority flagged API is a job history to be processed by the processing server 30 with priority according to the value, by adding a new argument to the existing job history transmission API on the program. Refers to a means that enables determination. Even if a new argument is not added, it may be in the form as long as the processing server 30 can determine whether it is a job history to be preferentially processed based on the value of the existing argument of the existing API. In addition, a dedicated API for transmitting a job history having a large size to the processing server 30 may be separately prepared. By transmitting the job history using the above-described API, it can be easily recognized whether the job history received by the processing server 30 of the transmission destination is a job history to be processed with priority.

If it is determined in S1305 that the value of the large size flag is Off (No in S1305), the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to S1307.
In step S1307, the job history management unit 2002 transmits the job history using the existing existing API via the data transmission / reception unit 2003, and the process proceeds to step S1308. The job history transmitted in this process is a job history with a small size, specifically, a job history in which image processing has been performed after or in parallel with job execution (hereinafter referred to as “normal job history”) Called Further, it may be possible to determine whether the processing server 30 is a normal job history that does not need to be prioritized or not according to the value of the existing argument of the existing API, or an API dedicated to the normal job history may be separately prepared.

In step S1308, the job history management unit 2002 receives the response from the processing server 30 via the data transmission / reception unit 2003.
Next, in step S1309, the job history management unit 2002 confirms the response received in step S1308 via the data transmission / reception unit 2003, and determines whether transmission has succeeded. If it is determined that the information indicating that the transmission is successful is included in the response (in the case of Yes in S1309), the job history management unit 2002 ends the processing of this flowchart.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the information indicating that the transmission is successful is not included in the response (in the case of No in S1309), the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to S1310.

  In step S1310, the job history management unit 2002 determines, via the data transmission / reception unit 2003, whether the response received in step S1308 includes a server busy error. Here, the server busy error is a response defined to request the client to wait when the job history is sent from the client after the number of connections that the processing server 30 can simultaneously receive.

If it is determined in S1310 that the server busy error is included in the response (in the case of Yes in S1310), the job history management unit 2002 advances the process to S1311.
In step S1311, the job history management unit 2002 confirms the value of the large size flag, the value of which has been rewritten in step S1303 or S1304. If the value of the large size flag is On (No in step S1311, that is, if the size is a large job history), the job history management unit 2002 directly shifts the process to step S1305. As a result, for the job history to be preferentially processed, the job history transmission (retransmission) can be immediately performed next time (at the time of retry).

On the other hand, if the value of the large size flag is Off (in the case of Yes in S1311, that is, if the size is not a large job history), the job history management unit 2002 advances the processing to S1312.
In step S1312, the job history management unit 2002 stands by for a predetermined time. Here, the purpose of waiting is to perform job history transmission (retransmission) smoothly next time (at the time of retry) by waiting for a fixed time for the concentration of job history transmission processing to the processing server 30. belongs to. The standby time defines an appropriate time in consideration of the capacity of the external storage device 204, such as several tens of seconds to several tens of minutes. In addition, the standby time may be changeable by a user interface or the like. After waiting for a predetermined time, the job history management unit 2002 shifts the processing to S1305.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S1310 that the server busy error is not included in the response (in the case of No in S1310), the job history management unit 2002 advances the process to S1313.
In step S1313, the job history management unit 2002 performs error processing, and ends the processing of this flowchart.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of job history reception processing according to the second embodiment. This process is realized by the CPU 301 of the processing server 30 reading a program stored in the external storage device 304 to the RAM 303 and executing the program. Also, this process is executed each time the data transmitting / receiving unit 3003 receives the job history transmitted from the image forming apparatus 20 in S1306 or S1307 of FIG. Further, the present process is a flowchart in which the processing server 30 executes various processes on the job history received from the image forming apparatus 20.

  In step S1401, the job history management unit 3002 of the processing server 30 confirms the presence / absence of the priority flag of the job history reception API via the data transmission / reception unit 3003. The job history reception API is the API used in S1306 or S1307 of FIG. 13, and is determined depending on which of the processes of S1306 and S1307 the job history management unit 2002 of the image forming apparatus 20 executes. In this embodiment, the determination is made based on the presence or absence of the priority flag specified in the argument of the same API, but it is also possible to have completely different APIs called separately.

  Next, in step S1402, the job history management unit 3002 determines whether the received job history is to be prioritized. Here, if the priority flag of the job history reception API is present in S1401 (when the job history with a large size is received), it is determined that the job history should be received preferentially. If it is determined that the job history should be prioritized (in the case of Yes in S1402), the job history management unit 3002 advances the processing to S1403.

  In step S1403, the job history management unit 3002 confirms whether the number of priority job histories that can be received by the data transmission / reception unit 3003 is one or more. The number of priority job histories that can be received is intended to realize prevention of excessive use of memory and CPU and performance degradation of the entire system by defining in advance a certain value (upper limit) that can be received. . The number of priority job histories that can be received is, for example, “5”.

  If it is determined in S1403 that the number of priority job histories that can be received by the data transmission / reception unit 3003 is 0 or less (No in S1403), the job history management unit 3002 advances the process to S1408. The processes after S1408 will be described later.

  On the other hand, if the data transmitting / receiving unit 3003 determines that the number of priority job histories that can be received is 1 or more in S1403 (if Yes in S1403), the job history management unit 3002 proceeds to S1404.

  Next, in step S 1404, the job history management unit 3002 sets a value obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of priority job histories that can be received by the data transmission / reception unit 3003 as the number of priority job histories that can be received.

  Subsequently, in step S1405, the job history management unit 3002 sets a value obtained by subtracting 1 from the process startable number as the process start number for the data processing unit 3004 to execute data processing. Here, the purpose of this processing will be described. While the priority job history (that is, the job history having a large size) is received and processed, it is expected that a large amount of computer resources such as memory and CPU will be used. Therefore, by restricting the execution process of the data processing unit 3004, it is an object to prevent the performance degradation of the entire system. After the processing of step S1405, the job history management unit 3002 advances the processing to step S1409.

If it is determined in S1402 that the job history is not prioritized (No in S1402), the job history management unit 3002 advances the process to S1406.
In step S1406, the job history management unit 3002 confirms whether the number of normal job histories receivable by the data transmission / reception unit 3003 is one or more. The number of normal job histories that can be received is, like the number of prioritized job histories that can be received, by defining in advance a certain value (upper limit) that can be received, excessive use of computer resources such as memory and CPU, It is for realizing the prevention of the performance degradation of the whole system. The number of normal job histories that can be received is, for example, “3”, and a value smaller than the number of priority job histories that can be received (for example, “5”) is defined. In the present embodiment, although the number of priority job histories that can be received and the number of normal job histories that can be received are defined as different values, the value “the reception of these is combined without being distinguished by the size of the job history. The number of possible job histories may be defined. In this embodiment, the number of priority job histories that can be received is defined to be larger than the number of normal job histories so that many priority job histories can be received. However, the number of normal job histories that can be received and the number of priority job histories that can be received may be the same value.

If it is determined in S1406 that the number of normal job histories receivable by the data transmission / reception unit 3003 is 0 or less (No in S1406), the job history management unit 3002 advances the process to S1408.
In step S1408, the job history management unit 3002 transmits a server busy error as a response (a response for requesting the client to wait) to the data transmission / reception unit 2003 via the data transmission / reception unit 3003, and ends the processing of this flowchart. .

On the other hand, if the data transmitting / receiving unit 3003 determines that the number of priority job histories that can be received is less than or equal to 0 in S1406 (No in S1406), the job history management unit 3002 advances the process to S1407.
In step S1407, the job history management unit 3002 sets a value obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of normal job histories receivable by the data transmission / reception unit 3003 as the number of receivable normal job histories, and the process advances to step S1409.

  In S1409, the data processing unit 3004 checks whether the process startable number is one or more. The process startable number is provided as part of measures to improve the performance as a system by starting a plurality of processes or threads for executing data processing and executing data processing in parallel. A fixed value (upper limit) is previously defined based on the mounting standard of the memory and CPU of the processing server 30, and a plurality of processes or threads can be activated within a range not exceeding that value.

  If the data processing unit 3004 determines that the process startable number is 0 or less (S1409: No), the data processing unit 3004 stands by (S1411) and returns the process to S1409. With regard to the standby of S1411, a standby for several tens of seconds to several minutes is assumed, but an embodiment may be such that the standby state is canceled by receiving a notification by an event issued by the job history management unit 2002.

  On the other hand, if the data processing unit 3004 determines that the process startable number is 1 or more in S1409 (Yes in S1409), the process proceeds to S1410.

  In step S1410, the data processing unit 3004 starts a process for executing data processing, and executes data processing on job history. As described above, data processing is processing for performing OCR processing on image data to extract text information, and converting the resolution and file format of the image data. After completion of the process started in S1410, the process proceeds to S1412.

  In step S1412, the job history management unit 3002 determines whether the received job history should be preferentially received, as in step S1402. The details are the same as in S1402, and therefore the description thereof is omitted here, but the result of S1402 may be temporarily stored in a variable or the like and may be referred to.

  If it is determined in S1412 that the job history should be prioritized (Yes in S1412), the job history management unit 3002 advances the process to S1413.

  In step S1413, the job history management unit 3002 sets a value obtained by adding 1 to the process startable number to the process start number for the data processing unit 3004 to execute data processing. This is a process for returning the number of processes that can be started up by the data processing unit because the data processing unit 3004 completes data processing on a job history with a large size.

  In step S1414, the job history management unit 3002 sets a value obtained by adding 1 to the number of priority job histories that can be received by the data transmission / reception unit 3003 as the number of priority job histories that can be received. This is a process for returning the receivable number because the data transmission / reception unit 3003 has completed data reception for the job history with a large size.

If it is determined in S1412 that the job history is not to be prioritized (No in S1412), the job history management unit 3002 advances the process to S1415.
In step S1415, the job history management unit 3002 sets a value obtained by adding 1 to the number of normal job histories receivable by the data transmission / reception unit 3003 as the receivable number of normal job histories. This is a process for returning the receivable number because data reception for the normal job history by the data transmission / reception unit 3003 is completed.
After the process of S1414 or S1415, the job history management unit 3002 ends the process of this flowchart.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, when the image forming apparatus 20 transmits a job history having a high priority (a job history having a large size) to the processing server 30, it is frequently retried to wait for the standby time. Control to reduce. On the other hand, when transmitting a normal job history, control is made to retry after waiting as in the conventional case. As a result, it is possible to quickly transmit a high priority job history (a job history with a large size) without increasing the load on the server.

Further, the processing server 30 performs control to limit (decrease) the process startable number while processing the high priority job log data. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in performance due to the large consumption of computer resources due to the processing of the job history (job history having a large size) with high priority.
Further, by setting the number of priority job histories that can be received to a value larger than the number of normal job histories that can be received, it is possible to prioritize the reception of job histories with high priority (job histories with a large size).
As a result, the storage device of the image forming apparatus can be prevented from running out of capacity.

  As described above, according to each embodiment, the free space of the area for storing the job history can be efficiently increased, and the occurrence of downtime of the image processing apparatus can be suppressed.

In addition, the structure of the various data mentioned above and its content are not limited to this, According to a use or the objective, you may be comprised by various structure or content.
Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention can be embodied as, for example, a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, or a storage medium. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of one device.
Further, all configurations obtained by combining the above-described embodiments are also included in the present invention.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program. Can also be realized. It can also be implemented by a circuit (eg, an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.
Further, the present invention may be applied to a system constituted by a plurality of devices or to an apparatus comprising a single device.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the respective embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, which are excluded from the scope of the present invention is not. That is, all configurations obtained by combining the above-described embodiments and their modifications are also included in the present invention.

Claims (14)

An image processing apparatus comprising: a storage device in which an area for storing a job history including content information including an image to be processed corresponding to an executed job and attribute information of the job is secured,
A transmitting unit that transmits one or more unsent job histories stored in the area to the outside according to a preset schedule;
Deletion means for deleting the sent job history from the area;
Specifying means for specifying one or more job histories of a size larger than a predetermined size among the plurality of job histories stored in the area, when the remaining capacity of the area becomes smaller than a predetermined amount; Have
When the one or more job histories are specified by the specifying unit, the transmission unit transmits the one or more specified job histories to the outside without depending on the schedule.
When the one or more specified job histories are transmitted to the outside independently of the schedule by the transmission means, the deleting means deletes the specified one or more job histories from the area. Image processing device characterized by The apparatus further includes a setting unit configured to transmit only a job history having a size larger than the predetermined size as a transmission target to be transmitted to the outside when the remaining capacity of the area is smaller than the predetermined amount.
When the setting is not performed and the job history is transmitted to the outside according to the remaining capacity of the area becoming smaller than the predetermined amount, the transmission unit performs the specification without the specification unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more unsent job histories stored in the area are transmitted to the outside. If it is a transmission stop time set in advance, the transmission of the job history is not performed according to the schedule by the transmission unit.
3. The transmission system according to claim 1, wherein, when the transmission of the job history is performed independently of the schedule, the transmission of the job history is performed even in the transmission stop time. Image processing apparatus as described.   The specifying unit is configured to, from among a plurality of job histories stored in the area, when the remaining capacity of the area becomes smaller than a predetermined amount periodically and / or at a timing after execution of a job. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein one or more job histories having a size larger than a predetermined size are specified. The apparatus further includes a determination unit that determines whether transmission of all job histories stored in the area is completed by a preset transmission completion time.
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transmission unit transmits all the job histories stored in the area to the outside without depending on the schedule.   The transmission completion time is a transition time set in advance from a first mode in which a job can be executed to a second mode in which the power consumption is smaller than that in the first mode. Image processing device.   6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transmission completion time is a time at which the transmitted job history set in advance is audited.   The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the determination unit performs the determination periodically and / or at any timing after execution of a job.   The transmitting means, when transmitting a job history of a size smaller than a predetermined size, attempts to retransmit after a predetermined time has elapsed if there is a response from the transmission destination to request a wait, and the size is larger than the predetermined size 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the case of transmitting a job history of the size, when there is a response from the transmission destination to request a standby, re-transmission is attempted before the predetermined time elapses. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1.   10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when transmitting the job history having a size larger than a predetermined size, the transmission means transmits the job history by a method that allows the transmission destination to recognize the fact. The transmission means transmits the job history to a server.
The server is a server that receives a job history transmitted from the image processing apparatus and performs data processing of content information included in the received job history, and simultaneously stores a job history having a size larger than a predetermined size. If the number being processed has reached the first number, a new job history data processing is started waiting for the end of any of the job history data processing of a size larger than the predetermined size. To control,
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The server is
When a job history of a size smaller than the predetermined size is received from the image processing apparatus, the number of job histories of a size smaller than the predetermined size to be subjected to data processing reaches a second number. Make a response to the image processing device to request a wait,
When a job history of a size larger than the predetermined size is received from the image processing apparatus, the number of job histories of a size larger than the predetermined size to be subjected to data processing reaches a third number larger than the second number. If there is a response, the image processing apparatus is requested to wait.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that: A control method of an image processing apparatus including a storage device in which an area for storing a job history including content information including an image to be processed corresponding to an executed job and attribute information of the job is secured.
A first transmission step of transmitting one or more unsent job histories stored in the area to the outside according to a preset schedule;
A first deleting step of deleting the transmitted job history from the area;
A specific step of specifying one or more job histories of a size larger than a predetermined size from among a plurality of job histories stored in the area, when the remaining capacity of the area becomes smaller than a predetermined amount;
A second transmitting step of transmitting the one or more specified job histories to the outside without depending on the schedule, when the one or more job histories are specified in the specifying step;
A second deleting step of deleting the specified one or more job histories from the area when the one or more specified job histories are transmitted to the outside without depending on the schedule in the second transmission step; ,
And a control method of an image processing apparatus.   The program for functioning a computer as a means of any one of Claims 1-10.