JP2021093674A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus that can manufacture wrapping paper designed for a large-sized object.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus of an embodiment has recording medium size receiving means, object-to-be-wrapped size receiving means, wrapping medium size extraction means, and image creation means. The recording medium size receiving means receives input of information on the size of a recording medium. The object-to-be-wrapped size receiving means receives input of information on the size of an object to be wrapped. The wrapping medium size extraction means extracts information on the size of a wrapping medium in accordance with the input size information. When the input size of the recording medium is not suitable for the extracted size of the wrapping medium, the image creation means can create a plurality of second images, which include, in at least one image, an edge for glueing allowing a plurality of printed recording media to be connected to be one wrapping medium and include divided images obtained by dividing a first image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

In an image forming apparatus, there is known a technique for producing a wrapping paper in which a pattern or a fold line as a guide for packaging is printed on the paper. However, there is a problem that the wrapping paper produced by the conventional technique does not correspond to an object having a size larger than the size that can be wrapped with a paper having a size that can be conveyed by an image forming apparatus.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-171633

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of producing a wrapping paper that can handle an object having a large size.

In order to solve the above problems, the image forming apparatus of the embodiment includes a recording media size receiving means, a packaging target size receiving means, a packaging media size receiving means, and an image generating means. The recording media size receiving means accepts the input of the size information of the recording medium. The packaging target size receiving means accepts the input of the size information of the packaging target. The packaging media size extracting means extracts the size information of the packaging media according to the size information input by the packaging target size receiving means. When the size of the recording medium input by the recording media size receiving means is not suitable for the size of the packaging media extracted by the packaging media size extraction means, the image generation means prints a plurality of recording media. It is possible to generate a plurality of second images, including a margin that allows connection so as to form one packaging medium in at least one image, and a divided image obtained by dividing the first image.

It is sectional drawing which showed schematicly about the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware structure of the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the image formation part of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control part and the image formation part of this embodiment. It is a display image figure of the package target dimension reception UI. It is a display image diagram of the wrapping reception UI. It is a display image figure of a paper size reception UI. It is a display image figure of the wrapping paper pattern reception UI. It is a development view of the combined wrapping for obtaining the wrapping paper size. It is a figure which shows the example of the connection wrapping paper. It is a figure which shows the example of the wrapping paper part. It is a development view of the diagonal wrapping and the furoshiki wrapping. It is a figure which shows the example of the connection wrapping paper made from the wrapping paper part. It is a figure explaining the 1st division in the generation of the image data for a wrapping paper part. It is a figure explaining the 2nd division in the generation of the image data for a wrapping paper part. It is a figure which shows the example of the connection wrapping paper made from the wrapping paper part which formed the image. It is a flowchart which shows the printing procedure of the wrapping paper and the wrapping paper part in this embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described.
(First Embodiment)
First, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment.

The image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment is configured by an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral). As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 2, a reading unit 3, a paper accommodating unit 4, an image forming unit 5, an operation input unit 6, a conveying means 7, and a toner cartridge 8. The reading unit 3 reads image data from the original. The operation input unit 6 receives an operation from the user. The image forming unit 5 forms an image on paper. The paper accommodating unit 4 loads the paper on which the image is formed. The transporting means 7 transports the paper in the paper accommodating unit 4. The toner cartridge 8 houses the toner used for forming an image.

Next, the transport means 7 will be described in detail. The transporting means 7 includes a pickup roller 71, a resist roller 72, a paper ejection roller 73, a reversing roller 74, and a transport roller (not shown). The transport rollers are a plurality of rollers arranged at key points in the paper transport path, and are responsible for relaying between the rollers in the paper transport of the transport means 7.

The pickup roller 71 picks up one of the sheets loaded in the paper accommodating section 4. After that, the picked-up paper is conveyed to the resist roller 72 by the conveying roller. The resist roller 72 temporarily stagnates the conveyed paper, and feeds the paper in accordance with the timing of the secondary transfer roller 57 to which the toner image is transferred, which will be described later. The paper sent out from the resist roller 72 passes through the secondary transfer roller 57 and the fixing device 59, and is discharged from the paper ejection roller 73. When the paper to be conveyed is double-sided printing, the paper fed from the paper ejection roller 73 is conveyed to the reversing roller 74 from one end on the upstream side in the paper ejection direction of the paper. The paper fed from the reversing roller 74 is conveyed again to the resist roller 72, passes through the secondary transfer roller 57 and the fixing device 59, the toner image is transferred to the back surface of the paper, and the paper is discharged from the paper ejection roller 73. Toner.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a control unit 2, a reading unit 3, a paper accommodating unit 4, an image forming unit 5, an operation input unit 6, and an I / F 9. Each of these components is connected via a bus 94.

The control unit 2 has a processor 21 and a built-in memory 22, reads data and a program from the built-in memory 22, and executes the program on the processor 21. The built-in memory 22 is composed of a storage memory 222 for temporarily storing and reading data, and a read memory 221 which is a read-only memory for data and programs. The read memory 221 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the storage memory 222 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory).

The scanning unit 3 sets the document and scans the document to save the image of the document as image data in the built-in memory 22. The paper storage unit 4 has a plurality of paper feed trays 41, which are trays for loading paper on which an image is formed as described above. Further, it has a manual feed tray 42, which is a tray for loading paper having a size that cannot be set in the paper feed tray 41 or paper having a size desired by the user (see FIG. 1). The image forming unit 5 forms a toner image on the paper conveyed from the paper accommodating unit 4 by the conveying means 7 shown in FIG. 1 using the image data acquired from the built-in memory 22 and the external device 91. The operation input unit 6 is composed of a display unit 61 that displays predetermined information and a physical key 62 that accepts an operation input when pressed. The display unit 61 is composed of, for example, a touch panel display, and accepts operation inputs based on the display contents displayed on the screen by touching the panel without using the physical keys 62.

The I / F9 is an interface for connecting the external device 91, and includes not only a wired interface but also a wireless interface.

The external device 91 is, for example, a smart device, a PC (Personal Computer), an external memory, an external server, or the like. A smart device is a multifunctional terminal that can use functions such as communication via a network, browsing the Web, and using various applications. The external memory is, for example, a USB memory (UniversalSerial Bus) or an SD memory card (Secure Digital), and is an external storage memory that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 1 separately from the built-in memory 22. The external server is, for example, a print server for connecting the image forming apparatus 1 to a computer network so that the image forming apparatus 1 can be used from a plurality of PCs.

Next, the configuration of the image forming unit 5 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the image forming unit 5 of the present embodiment. Here, the arrow a in FIG. 3 indicates the rotation direction of the transfer belt 56, the arrow b indicates the rotation direction of the photoconductor 51, the arrow c indicates the irradiation direction of the laser from an exposure device (not shown), and the arrow d indicates the paper transport. It shows the direction.

The image forming unit 5 includes a photoconductor 51, a charger 52, a developing device 53, a primary transfer roller 54, a photoconductor cleaner 55, a transfer belt 56, a secondary transfer roller 57, an opposing roller 58, and a fixing device 59.
The toner cartridge 8 shown in FIG. 3 contains yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners, respectively, and the toner is replenished to the developer 53 of each station that handles each color. The yellow toner cartridge 8Y houses the yellow toner. The magenta toner cartridge 8M houses magenta toner. The cyan toner cartridge 8C contains cyan toner. The black toner cartridge 8K houses black toner.
Each station has a photoconductor 51, a charger 52, a developing device 53, a primary transfer roller 54, and a photoconductor cleaner 55. As shown in FIG. 3, four stations of the present embodiment are provided, and each of them is divided into stations that handle yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners. Yellow Station 50Y handles yellow toner. The magenta station 50M handles magenta toner. The cyan station 50C handles cyan toner. Black Station 50K handles black toner. Here, after the number of each component, an acronym (Y, M, C, K) of the color of the toner handled in the station provided with that component is added and described.

Next, the process of forming an image in the image forming unit 5 will be described. First, in the yellow station 50Y that handles yellow toner, the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 51Y rotating in the b direction is charged by the charger 52Y to obtain an electric charge. The charged photoconductor 51Y is exposed to a laser cY from an exposure apparatus (not shown), and a part of the electric charge is removed by the exposure to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 51Y. Yellow toner is electrically adhered from the developer 53Y to the portion where the electrostatic latent image is formed, and the yellow toner image is developed. After that, the toner image on the photoconductor 51Y is electrically transferred to the transfer belt 56 by the primary transfer roller 54Y. The toner remaining on the photoconductor 51Y without being transferred is cleaned by the photoconductor cleaner 55Y, and the remaining charge is also removed. By repeating this series of operations, the yellow station 50Y transfers the yellow toner image to the transfer belt 56.

Similarly, the magenta station 50M that handles magenta toner, the cyan station 50C that handles cyan toner, and the black station 50K that handles black toner also develop toner images for each color and transfer them to the transfer belt 56.

On the other hand, the paper conveyed from the paper storage unit 4 is sent out to the secondary transfer region in synchronization with the toner image by the resist roller 72. The secondary transfer region is formed by a transfer belt 56, a secondary transfer roller 57, and an opposing roller 58, and the toner image on the transfer roller is electrically transferred to the paper by the opposing roller 58. The paper on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 59, and heat and pressure are applied to melt the toner and fix it on the paper. The toner remaining on the transfer belt 56 without being transferred is removed by a transfer belt cleaner (not shown).

Next, the control unit 2 of the present embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configurations of the control unit 2 and the image forming unit 5 of the present embodiment. The control unit 2 includes a wrapping paper condition receiving unit 23, a wrapping paper DB (Data) 24, and an image data generation unit 27. The image forming unit 5 forms the image data generated by the image data generating unit 27 on the paper under the control of the control unit 2.

The wrapping paper condition reception unit 23 has a wrapping target dimension reception UI (UserInterface) 231, a paper size reception UI 233, a wrapping method reception UI 232, and a wrapping paper pattern reception UI 234. The wrapping paper condition reception unit 23 provides a user interface function for receiving setting conditions in the wrapping paper for wrapping the object to be wrapped. The control unit 2 displays each UI of the packaging condition reception unit on the display unit 61, and the user can display the dimensions of the packaging object, the size of the paper to be used, the wrapping method of the packaging object, and the packaging formed on the paper from the operation input unit 6. You can enter a paper pattern. These UIs are implemented as, for example, a GUI (Graphical User Interface).

The wrapping paper DB 24 has a wrapping paper size DB241, a connection pattern DB242, a wrapping paper guide DB243, and a wrapping paper pattern DB26. The wrapping paper size DB241 stores the size data of the wrapping paper according to the size of the object to be wrapped and the wrapping method. The connection pattern DB 242 stores the arrangement of the wrapping paper parts 11 constituting the connection wrapping paper 10. Details of the connecting wrapping paper 10 and the wrapping paper parts 11 will be described later. The wrapping paper guide DB 243 stores image data such as auxiliary lines formed on the wrapping paper according to the dimensions of the wrapping object and the wrapping method of the wrapping paper. The wrapping paper pattern DB 26 stores image data formed on the surface of the wrapping paper.

The wrapping paper pattern DB 26 stores patterns and textures to be printed on the wrapping paper. For the pattern, for example, "flower pattern", "striped pattern", "geometric pattern", and solid colors of several colors are prepared. For the texture, for example, an image of wood grain or stone is prepared.

The image data generation unit 27 has a front surface image data generation unit 271, a back surface image data generation unit 272, and a DB search unit 273. The image data generation unit 27 generates image data to be formed based on the conditions received by the wrapping paper condition reception unit 23.

Here, the connection wrapping paper 10 is a wrapping paper having a large size that cannot be conveyed by the conveying means 7 provided in the image forming apparatus 1, and is manufactured by connecting a plurality of wrapping paper parts 11 at appropriate positions. The connection wrapping paper 10 is effective when the size of the wrapping paper read from the wrapping paper size DB241 is larger than the size of the paper included in the image forming apparatus 1.

The wrapping paper part 11 is a paper that becomes one connecting wrapping paper 10 by connecting the defined wrapping paper parts 11 to each other at an appropriate position. The number of wrapping paper parts 11 to be the connection wrapping paper 10 is determined by the size of the paper selected by the paper size reception UI 233 and the size of the wrapping paper read from the wrapping paper size DB241.

The wrapping target dimension reception UI231, the wrapping method reception UI232, the paper size reception UI233, and the wrapping paper pattern reception UI234 provided in the wrapping paper condition reception unit 23 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIG. 5 is a display image diagram of the package target dimension reception UI231.

The packaging target dimension reception UI 231 is a UI for receiving input of the dimensions of the packaging object. The dimensions of the packaged object are the values of the width, depth, and height of the packaged object when viewed in a rectangular parallelepiped. As shown in FIG. 5, a supplementary drawing is displayed such that the width, depth, and height of the packaging object indicate the corresponding locations.

As an operation of the package target dimension reception UI 231, for example, the control unit 2 displays the screen shown in FIG. 5 on the display unit 61 and prompts the user to input the dimensions of the package object. At this time, the user can input a numerical value in the frame displayed as "width: W mm", "depth: D mm", and "height: H mm" by using the physical key 62 or the display unit 61 which is a touch panel display.

FIG. 6 is a display image diagram of the wrapping reception UI 232. The wrapping method reception UI 232 is a UI for receiving the wrapping method of the object to be packaged. Examples of how to wrap a rectangular parallelepiped object to be wrapped include "combined wrapping", "furoshiki wrapping", and "diagonal wrapping".

As an operation of the wrapping method reception UI 232, for example, the control unit 2 displays the screen shown in FIG. 6 on the display unit 61, and the user can select an arbitrary wrapping method from the displayed options. At this time, an example of the package packaged in the selected packaging method may be displayed on the screen as a schematic diagram. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the combined wrapping is selected, and the figure in the frame on the right side of the drawing shows a schematic view of the combined wrapping.

FIG. 7 is a display image diagram of the paper size reception UI 233. The paper size reception UI 233 is a UI for receiving the size of the paper to be the wrapping paper. The paper size can be selected from the paper contained in the paper feed tray 41, and the user can also select the paper having any size set in the manual feed tray 42.

As an operation of the paper size reception UI 233, for example, the control unit 2 displays the screen shown in FIG. 7 on the display unit 61. As shown in FIG. 7, a diagram showing the image forming apparatus 1 and a selection button showing the size of the paper are displayed on the screen. The user can input the paper size to be used for the wrapping paper by selecting the displayed selection button or selecting the part corresponding to the paper feed tray 41 or the manual feed tray 42 in the schematic diagram of the image forming apparatus 1. it can. Further, when the paper accommodating unit 4 is provided with paper having a size suitable for the conditions accepted by the packaging target dimension reception UI 231 and the wrapping method reception UI 232, the control unit 2 is an image forming apparatus corresponding to the size of the paper. The part of the schematic diagram of 1 and the selection button may be highlighted or set as the default setting. The paper of an appropriate size here has a size equal to or larger than the vertical dimension and the horizontal dimension of the wrapping paper whose vertical and horizontal dimensions are calculated by the wrapping paper dimension DB241 described later, and is determined by the paper size reception UI 233. This is the smallest paper size that can be selected.

Paper size The size of the paper selected in the reception UI 233 is also the size of the paper used as the wrapping paper part 11 of the connection wrapping paper 10. Therefore, when using it as the wrapping paper part 11, the user sets it in the manual feed tray 42. It is necessary to register the dimensions of the paper in the control unit 2.

FIG. 8 is a display image diagram of the wrapping paper pattern reception UI 234. The wrapping paper pattern reception UI 234 is a UI for receiving a pattern (pattern or texture) formed on the paper to be the wrapping paper.

As an operation of the wrapping paper pattern reception UI 234, for example, the control unit 2 displays the screen shown in FIG. 8 on the display unit 61, and the user can select an arbitrary pattern from the displayed options. The displayed options correspond to the images stored in the wrapping paper pattern DB26. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the floral pattern is selected, and the figure in the frame on the right side of the drawing shows an image stored in the wrapping paper pattern DB26 corresponding to the floral pattern.

Further, the dimensions of the object to be wrapped, the wrapping method, the size of the paper to be used, and the pattern of the wrapping paper may be input from an external device 91 such as a smart device or a PC.

The wrapping object given as an input example of the wrapping paper condition receiving unit 23 is a rectangular parallelepiped, but the wrapping object is not limited to the rectangular parallelepiped and can be applied to various shapes such as a cylindrical shape and a triangular prism type.

Next, the wrapping paper size DB241, the connection pattern DB242, the wrapping paper guide DB243, and the wrapping paper pattern DB26 provided in the wrapping paper DB24 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12.

The size of the wrapping paper required for wrapping varies depending on the size of the object to be wrapped and the wrapping method. Further, the size of the wrapping paper according to each wrapping method can be obtained by an algorithm.

In the wrapping paper size DB241, an algorithm for deriving the size of the wrapping paper according to each wrapping method such as "combined wrapping", "furoshiki wrapping", and "diagonal wrapping" is registered. The control unit 2 is required to wrap the wrapping object by substituting the value input by the wrapping target size reception UI 231 into the algorithm of the wrapping paper size DB 241 according to the information input by the wrapping method reception UI 232. Calculate the dimensions of the wrapping paper.

FIG. 9 is a developed view of a combined wrapping for determining the dimensions of the wrapping paper. The dimensions of the wrapping paper P suitable for the combined wrapping are as shown in FIG. That is, when the wrapping object is placed in the center of the wrapping paper P as shown in FIG. 9 and the dimensions of the wrapping object are width: W, depth: D, and height: H, the vertical dimension A of the wrapping paper P is It is a dimension obtained by adding the width W of the packaging object and, for example, two-thirds of the height H of the packaging object to both ends. This length is a length that contributes to the overlap in the height direction when the packaged object is packaged, and the numerical value may be adjusted as appropriate. Further, the horizontal dimension B of the wrapping paper P is a dimension obtained by adding a length of, for example, 30 mm to the perimeter of one surface surrounded by the depth D and the height H of the wrapping object. This length is a length that contributes to the overlap in the width direction when the packaged object is packaged, and the numerical value may be adjusted as appropriate. In addition, based on the above-mentioned algorithm, the vertical dimension A of the wrapping paper P can be expressed by using the following mathematical formula.
A = W + 2 × (2 / 3H)
Further, the horizontal dimension B of the wrapping paper P can be expressed by using the following mathematical formula.
B = 2 x (D + H) + 30 mm

The connection pattern DB 242 stores a pattern of how to arrange the wrapping paper parts 11 constituting the connection wrapping paper 10. Wrapping paper size When the size of the wrapping paper obtained from DB241 is larger than the size of the paper selected by the user, the DB search unit 273 determines that the size of the wrapping paper is greater than or equal to the size of the wrapping paper obtained from the wrapping paper size DB241. The connection pattern of the wrapping paper parts 11 constituting the paper 10 is searched. Further, the display unit 61 may indicate the number of sheets of paper selected according to the connection pattern to be searched.

Since the connection wrapping paper 10 is composed of paper of the size selected by the paper size reception UI 233, there is a possibility that the size of the wrapping paper read from the wrapping paper size DB241 does not match just by connecting the wrapping paper parts 11 to each other. There is. Therefore, it is necessary to cut off the excess portion. Further, the size of the connection wrapping paper 10 is larger than the size of the wrapping paper read from the wrapping paper size DB241, and the pattern having the smallest size among the connection patterns is searched.

The dimensions of the connecting wrapping paper 10 will be described by taking FIG. 10 as an example. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the connection wrapping paper 10. The connection wrapping paper 10 shown in FIG. 10 is produced by connecting the wrapping paper parts 11 vertically and horizontally, but the arrangement and direction of the wrapping paper parts 11 are not limited.

Since the connecting wrapping paper 10 requires a margin 250 for connecting the wrapping paper parts 11, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the connecting wrapping paper 10 are the width of the margin 250 for each portion where the wrapping paper parts 11 overlap. It will be shortened by a minute. That is, the vertical dimension of the connecting wrapping paper 10 is A, the vertical dimension of the wrapping paper part 11 is x, the width dimension of the margin 250 is s, and the number of wrapping paper parts 11 used in the vertical direction of the connecting wrapping paper 10 is p. Then, the vertical dimension A of the connecting wrapping paper 10 needs to satisfy the following formula.
A ≤ px-s (p-1)
Further, when the horizontal dimension of the connecting wrapping paper 10 is B, the horizontal dimension of the wrapping paper part 11 is y, and the number of the wrapping paper parts 11 used in the horizontal direction of the connecting wrapping paper 10 is q, the connecting wrapping paper 10 The horizontal dimension B needs to satisfy the following formula.
B ≦ qy−s (q-1)
Therefore, it can be seen that (p × q) sheets of wrapping paper parts 11 are required using p and q that satisfy the above two equations.
Here, when the surplus vertical dimension of the connecting wrapping paper 10 is t and the horizontal dimension is u, t and u can be expressed as follows, respectively.
t = px-s (p-1) -A
u = qy-s (q-1) -B

Here, the dimensions of the connection wrapping paper 10 are obtained by taking the connection wrapping paper 10 of FIG. 10 as an example, but the method of obtaining the dimensions is not limited to this. The dimensions of the connection wrapping paper 10 vary depending on the connection pattern.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the wrapping paper part 11. The number 247 formed on the front surface of the wrapping paper part 11 indicates the arrangement order of the wrapping paper parts 11 of FIGS. 11 and 14, and therefore does not need to be printed.
The image data stored in the wrapping paper guide DB 243 will be described with reference to FIG. The wrapping paper guide DB 243 stores image data of the initial position 244, the folding line 245, the cutting line 246, the number 247, the symbol 248, and the margin line 249 based on the wrapping method of the wrapping paper. The initial position 244 is a starting position at which the object to be packaged is first installed on the wrapping paper at the time of packaging. The fold line 245 is an auxiliary line that serves as a guide for the fold during packaging. The cutting line 246 is an auxiliary line that serves as a guide for cutting off an unnecessary portion when producing the wrapping paper. The number 247 and the symbol 248 indicate the arrangement order, orientation, and position of each wrapping paper part 11. The margin line 249 is an auxiliary line for forming a margin 250 for connecting the wrapping paper parts 11 to each other when the connection wrapping paper 10 is produced. The initial position 244, the folding line 245, the cutting line 246, and the margin line 249 may be represented by lines having different shapes so as to be distinguished. Further, what is indicated between the lines may be printed. The margin 250 may be printed to indicate the margin 250. Further, it is not necessary to form an image in the space having a margin of 250.

FIG. 12 is a development view of the diagonal wrapping and the furoshiki wrapping. For example, in the case of diagonal wrapping and furoshiki wrapping, as shown in FIG. 12, the surface of the wrapping paper P having an appropriate size for the wrapping object is in contact with the determined surface of the wrapping object and the initial position 244. By installing and wrapping according to the procedure of each wrapping method, the object to be wrapped is properly wrapped. In this way, when wrapping the wrapping object, the position on the wrapping paper P on which the wrapping object is first installed is determined by each wrapping method. The user can easily grasp the initial position 244 of the wrapping object by printing a line indicating the initial position 244 of the wrapping object on the wrapping paper P or placing a color in the area indicating the initial position 244. ..
Since the initial position 244 and the wrapping procedure are also determined by each wrapping method, it is desirable to register the positions of the folding line 245, the cutting line 246, the number 247, and the symbol 248 in the wrapping paper guide DB 243 in advance.

Next, the DB search unit 273, the front surface image data generation unit 271 and the back surface image data generation unit 272 provided in the image data generation unit 27 will be described in detail.

The DB search unit 273 searches the wrapping paper DB 24 for data on the wrapping paper corresponding to the conditions received from the wrapping paper condition reception unit 23. Based on this data, the image data generation unit 27 generates an image to be formed on paper.

The front surface image data generation unit 271 generates image data formed on the front surface of the wrapping paper by combining the image data of the wrapping paper guide DB 243 and the wrapping paper pattern DB 26 extracted by the DB search unit 273. Further, when the size of the wrapping paper obtained from the wrapping paper size DB241 is larger than the size of the paper provided in the paper feed tray 41 and the manual feed tray 42, the front side image data for the connection wrapping paper 10 is generated.
Here, the front side of the wrapping paper is the side having a large exposed area when the wrapping object is wrapped. Here, a pattern is formed on the front surface of the wrapping paper.

The back surface image data generation unit 272 generates image data formed on the back surface of the wrapping paper by combining the image data of the wrapping paper guide DB 243 and the wrapping paper pattern DB 26 extracted by the DB search unit 273. Further, when the size of the wrapping paper obtained from the wrapping paper size DB241 is larger than the size of the paper provided in the paper feed tray 41 and the manual feed tray 42, the back surface image data for the connection wrapping paper 10 is generated. Here, the back surface of the wrapping paper is the surface on the side where the wrapping object is installed when the wrapping object is wrapped. Here, the initial position 244, the folding line 245, the number 247, and the symbol 248 are formed on the back surface of the wrapping paper.

Next, the procedure for generating image data for the wrapping paper part 11 constituting the image appearing on the connecting wrapping paper 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 (a) to 13 (c). FIG. 13A is a diagram showing an example of image data formed on the connecting wrapping paper 10. FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating the first division in the generation of image data for the wrapping paper part 11. FIG. 13C is a diagram illustrating a second division in the generation of image data for the wrapping paper part 11. The area of the dot pattern in FIGS. 13 (a) to 13 (c) is the range of the connecting wrapping paper 10 used when wrapping the object to be wrapped. The region outside the dot pattern formed on the paper becomes a margin 250 and is a portion where the wrapping paper parts 11 are connected to each other or cut along the cutting line 246.

Here, the image formed in the range of the paper used when packaging the object to be packaged is referred to as the first image. That is, in FIG. 13A, the image data formed in the dot pattern region of the connecting wrapping paper 10 is the first image. Further, in FIGS. 13A to 13C, the image data including the margin formed in the wrapping paper part 11 is used as the second image. That is, the region surrounded by the vertical dimension x and the horizontal dimension y of the wrapping paper part 11 is the second image. The second image has a portion of the divided first image.

The image data generation unit 27 is input by the wrapping paper size and the paper size reception UI 233 obtained from the wrapping paper size DB 241 based on the information input by the wrapping target size reception UI 231 and the paper size reception UI 233 and the wrapping method reception UI 232. The size information of the paper provided in the paper feed tray 41 and the manual feed tray 42 is compared. When the size of the wrapping paper obtained from the wrapping paper size DB241 is larger than the size information of the paper provided in the paper feed tray 41 and the manual feed tray 42, the generation of the second image is started.

First, the image data generation unit 27 generates a first image using the image data of the wrapping paper guide DB 243 and the wrapping paper pattern DB 26 extracted by the DB search unit 273.

The first image is divided into image data formed on the wrapping paper part 11 according to the connection pattern obtained from the connection pattern DB 242. In the present embodiment, a total of two sets of division, the first division and the second division, are performed. The first division divides the image in the horizontal direction so that the image is divided into upper and lower parts. The second division is the vertical division so that the image is divided into left and right. As the position to start the measurement of the dimension for dividing into a predetermined dimension, the upper left apex of the first image is set as the reference position in FIG. 13 (a), and the first division moves the reference position from the reference position to the bottom. Let me do it. The second division moves the reference position from the reference position to the right.

The first division will be described with reference to FIG. 13 (b). Here, the dimension of the width of the margin line 249 facing one side of the outer circumference of the wrapping paper part 11 via the margin 250 is defined as the margin dimension s. The dimension excluding the margin dimension s, which is the margin 250 from the vertical dimension x of the wrapping paper part 11, is defined as the divided image dimension m. The remaining vertical dimension of the divided image is defined as the image remainder dimension i.

The image data generated so that the vertical dimension of each divided image data becomes the divided image dimension m is divided. This is continuously executed when the image surplus dimension i is larger than the divided image dimension m, and ends when the image surplus dimension i becomes equal to or less than the divided image dimension m. Further, when the image surplus dimension i is equal to the margin dimension s, that is, when the dimension obtained by adding the image surplus dimension i to the divided image dimension m is equal to the vertical dimension x of the wrapping paper part 11, the first End the division of. After that, a margin v is added below the image data of the image remainder dimension i so as to have a dimension equal to the vertical dimension x of the wrapping paper part 11. At this time, a cutting line 246 may be drawn at the boundary between the image and the margin v.

In each of the divided image data, a margin margin of the margin dimension s is added below the divided image dimension m so as to be equal to the vertical dimension x of the wrapping paper part 11. The margin margin is a margin for becoming a margin 250 when the wrapping paper part 11 is connected, and a margin line 249 is drawn at the boundary between the margin margin and the image. Further, the margin margin may be printed to indicate the margin 250. Even if the image surplus dimension i is the same as the divided image dimension m, no margin margin is added below the image surplus dimension i.

The second division will be described with reference to FIG. 13 (c). Perform the second division in the same procedure as the first division. The dimension obtained by excluding the margin dimension s from the horizontal dimension of the wrapping paper part 11 is defined as the divided image dimension n. The remaining horizontal dimension of the divided image is defined as the image remainder dimension j.

The image data generated so that the horizontal dimension of each divided image data becomes the divided image dimension n is divided. This is continuously executed when the image surplus dimension j is larger than the divided image dimension n, and ends when the image surplus dimension j becomes equal to or less than the divided image dimension n. Further, when the image surplus dimension j is equal to the margin dimension s, that is, when the dimension obtained by adding the image surplus dimension j to the divided image dimension n is equal to the horizontal dimension y of the wrapping paper part 11, the second End the division of. After that, a margin v is added to the right side of the image data of the image remainder dimension j so as to have a dimension equal to the horizontal dimension y of the wrapping paper part 11. At this time, a cutting line 246 may be drawn at the boundary between the image and the margin v.

In each of the divided image data, a margin margin of the dimension s is added after the divided image dimension n so as to be equal to the horizontal dimension y of the wrapping paper part 11. A margin line 249 is drawn at the boundary between the margin margin and the image. Further, the margin margin may be printed to indicate the margin 250. Even if the image surplus dimension j is the same as the divided image dimension n, no margin margin is added to the right of the image surplus dimension j.

An image may or may not be formed in the space v of the margin v shown in FIGS. 13 (a) to 13 (c).

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a connecting wrapping paper 10 made of the wrapping paper part 11 on which an image is formed. In the connection wrapping paper 10 shown in FIG. 14, the margin v is cut off along the cutting line 246. Each of the image data processed as described above becomes image data (second image) formed on the wrapping paper part 11. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 14, the image data for the wrapping paper part 11 may indicate the corresponding positions and directions with numbers, arrows, and the like. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 prints the wrapping paper part 11 as well as a material explaining the connection order of the wrapping paper part 11 and a wrapping method of the wrapping object as a separate material, and transmits these data to an external device. You may. The margin 250, the initial position 244, the folding line 245, the cutting line 246, the number 247, and the symbol 248 may be printed with decolorizable ink and toner. At that time, the wrapping method may be printed on the wrapping paper part 11. For example, decolorizable inks and toners can be decolorized by heat, and when printing with this, the printing is erased by applying heat after packaging, and printing is confirmed when the wrapping paper is opened. Never.

Since the connection wrapping paper 10 shown in FIG. 13A is produced by connecting the papers side by side vertically and horizontally while keeping the papers in a certain direction, the image data generation procedure of the present embodiment is the above example. However, the image data generation procedure changes depending on the connection pattern of the wrapping paper parts 11.

Next, the procedure for printing the wrapping paper and the wrapping paper part 11 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a procedure for printing the wrapping paper and the wrapping paper part 11 in the present embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 15 is executed by, for example, the control unit 2.

In the ACT 10, the control unit 2 displays the package target dimension reception UI231 (see FIG. 5) on the display unit 61 and accepts the input of the dimensions of the package target. The user inputs the width, depth and height dimensions of the packaged object via the operation input unit 6.

In the ACT 12, the control unit 2 displays the wrapping method reception UI 232 (see FIG. 6) on the display unit 61 and receives the input of the wrapping method. The user selects a wrapping method from the options displayed via the operation input unit 6.

In the ACT 14, the control unit 2 displays the paper size reception UI 233 (see FIG. 7) on the display unit 61 and receives the input of the paper size to be used for the wrapping paper. The user selects a paper size from the options displayed via the operation input unit 6. When the manual feed tray 42 is selected, input of the dimensions of the paper carried in from the manual feed tray 42 is accepted.

In ACT16, the DB search unit 273 calculates the required wrapping paper size from the wrapping paper size DB241 based on the size of the wrapping object and the wrapping method input in ACT10 and ACT12. When the size of the wrapping paper obtained from the wrapping paper size DB241 in ACT16 is a size that fits in the paper size selected in ACT14 (ACT17, YES), the processing in ACT16 is completed and the process proceeds to ACT18.

In the ACT 18, the control unit 2 displays the wrapping paper pattern reception UI 234 (see FIG. 8) on the display unit 61 and receives the input of the pattern to be formed on the wrapping paper. The user selects a pattern from the options displayed via the operation input unit 6.

In the ACT 20, the DB search unit 273 searches the wrapping paper guide DB 243 and the wrapping paper pattern DB 26 for the target image based on the conditions input by the wrapping paper condition reception unit 23. The image data generation unit 27 generates image data of the front side and the back side of the wrapping paper by combining the images of the searched wrapping paper guide DB 243 and the wrapping paper pattern DB 26, respectively.

In ACT22, the image data generated according to the received conditions is printed on the paper selected in ACT14.

In the ACT 24, when the wrapping paper size obtained from the wrapping paper size DB241 in the ACT16 is a size that does not fit in the size of the selected paper (ACT17, NO), the DB search unit 273 searches for a paper connection pattern. Based on the size of the wrapping paper obtained from the wrapping paper size DB241 and the selected paper size, the connection pattern DB242 is searched for one having a size equal to or larger than the size of the wrapping paper and the smallest size among the connection patterns.

In the ACT 26, similarly to the ACT 18, the control unit 2 displays the wrapping paper pattern reception UI 234 (see FIG. 8) on the display unit 61, and receives the input of the wrapping paper pattern from the user.

In the ACT 28, the image data generation unit 27 generates image data for the wrapping paper part 11. The image data for the wrapping paper part 11 changes depending on the number of the wrapping paper parts 11 and the connection pattern. Image data of the wrapping paper is generated by combining the images of the wrapping paper guide DB 243 and the wrapping paper pattern DB 26 searched based on the input wrapping paper conditions in the same manner as the ACT 20. Next, the generated image data is divided according to the connection pattern, and the margin 250 is added at a predetermined position to generate the image data for the wrapping paper part 11. After that, it shifts to ACT22.

In the first embodiment, the wrapping paper part 11 having the margin 250 formed on at least one of the plurality of sheets is printed. The wrapping paper part 11 is a paper constituting the connecting wrapping paper 10 which is a large-sized wrapping paper that cannot be conveyed by the image forming apparatus 1. By appropriately connecting the wrapping paper parts 11 to each other via the margin 250 to produce the connected wrapping paper 10, the wrapping object having a size that cannot be wrapped by the size of the paper provided in the image forming apparatus 1. It is possible to wrap things as well.

(Second embodiment)
The object to be packaged is not necessarily a fixed shape, and it is quite possible to wrap an irregular shaped article or the like. If the object to be wrapped is irregular, it is not easy to prepare a development drawing, and it is difficult to form an appropriate wrapping paper guide. However, in order to wrap the object to be packaged, a new exterior may be applied to form a standard shape.

For example, the exterior is made of thick paper, and the dimensions of the thick paper required for the exterior are read out from the wrapping paper dimension DB241 using the square body dimensions, which are the maximum dimensions of each value of the width, depth, and height of the irregular wrapping object. , The initial position 244 and the fold line 245 read from the wrapping paper guide DB 243 are formed on the thick paper. Then, by deforming the thick paper along the fold line 245, an exterior for storing the irregularly shaped packaging object is produced. At this time, a margin 250 may be formed on thick paper to form a large-sized exterior. Further, the cutting line 246, the number 247, and the symbol 248 may be printed. It is also possible to increase the variation of the exterior manufacturing method by further adding the exterior data to the wrapping paper dimension DB241 and the wrapping paper guide DB243 and adding the exterior item to the wrapping method reception UI232. For example, algorithms for obtaining various exterior dimensions are registered in the wrapping paper dimension DB241. Various exterior development drawings are registered in the wrapping paper guide DB 243. Various exterior selection items are additionally displayed on the wrapping reception desk UI232.
By producing the wrapping paper shown in the first embodiment based on the dimensions of the exterior for storing the amorphous wrapping object, it is possible to indirectly wrap the amorphous wrapping object.

In the second embodiment, the wrapping object is standardized by registering the exterior data in the wrapping paper condition reception unit 23, the wrapping paper DB 24, and the image data generation unit 27 used in the first embodiment. Allows the production of exteriors for As a result, even if the object to be wrapped has an irregular shape, it can be wrapped with the wrapping paper produced in the first embodiment by storing it in the exterior.

According to at least one embodiment described above, when printing the packaging media with the image forming apparatus 1, it is possible to print a plurality of packaging media parts including at least one margin 250. By connecting the parts of the packaging media, it is possible to produce packaging media having various sizes and shapes, which require packaging media having a size that cannot be conveyed by the image forming apparatus 1.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. The image forming apparatus 1 used in the first embodiment and the second embodiment includes an MFP as a component, but an inkjet printer may also be used. If an inkjet printer is used as a component, heat is not used to fix the ink, so it is possible to apply glue to be adhered using heat to the glue 250. Further, each DB (wrapping paper dimension DB, connection pattern DB, wrapping paper guide DB, wrapping paper pattern DB) provided in the wrapping paper DB of the first embodiment and the second embodiment is an external server connected by a network. It may be stored in.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

5 ... Printing means (image forming unit)
27 ... Image generation means (image data generation unit)
231 ... Packaging target size reception means (Packaging target size reception UI)
233 ... Recording media size reception means (paper size reception UI)
241 ... Packaging media size extraction means (wrapping paper size DB)
242 ... Connection pattern extraction means (connection pattern DB)
244 ... Initial position 245 ... Fold line 246 ... Cutting line 247 ... Number 248 ... Symbol 249 ... Glue line 250 ... Glue margin

Claims (6)

Recording media size receiving means that accepts input of recording media size information,
A packaging target size receiving means that accepts input of size information of the packaging object, and
A packaging media size extracting means that extracts the size information of the packaging media according to the size information input by the packaging target size receiving means, and a packaging media size extracting means.
When the size of the recording medium input by the recording media size receiving means is not suitable for the size of the packaging media extracted by the packaging media size extraction means, the plurality of printed recording media are combined into one packaging medium. An image forming apparatus having an image generating means capable of generating a plurality of second images, including a margin that enables connection as described above in at least one image, and including a divided image obtained by dividing the first image. When the size of the packaged media extracted by the packaged media size extracting means is not suitable for the size of the recording medium input by the recording media size receiving means, the size of the packaged media is suitable for the size of the packaged media. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a connection pattern extracting means for extracting a pattern to which a plurality of recording media having the size of the recording medium are connected so as to have the minimum size. It also has a wrapping method reception means that accepts input of wrapping method of the object to be packaged.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the packaging media size extracting means extracts the size of the packaging media according to the size of the object to be packaged and the packaging method. The image generating means has an initial position indicating a position to be placed on the packaging media when the packaged object is packaged, and a folding line indicating a bend when the packaged object is packaged, according to the received input. , A claim that it is possible to generate an image including a cutting line indicating a position for cutting a surplus portion in a packaging medium and characters indicating a number and a symbol indicating an individual position in the first image. The image forming apparatus according to at least one of items 1 to 3. An image forming means capable of forming an image generated by the image generating means on a recording medium is further provided.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image forming means prints a margin line indicating a margin area, an initial position, a fold line, a cutting line, and a character indicating a number and a symbol by using a yellow recording material. An image forming means capable of forming an image generated by the image generating means on a recording medium is further provided.
The image forming means is a recording material in which at least one of a margin line, an initial position, a fold line, a cutting line, a number and a character indicating an orientation disappears by heat treatment in printing an image generated by the image generating means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, which can be printed by.

Images