JP2022060235A - Information display unit, information display method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet management system that displays pieces of sheet information as a list for each of groups registered by a user and can set a link to a paper feeding stage.

SOLUTION: A sheet management system sets, from a list of pieces of sheet information, sheet information on a sheet stored in a storage unit of an image forming apparatus, and the sheet management system registers the sheet information in a favorite group, displays the pieces of sheet information as a list for each of the favorite groups, and can set a link to a paper feeding unit from a screen on which the list is displayed.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a system for managing paper information used at the time of printing.

A device such as a printer has been conventionally known as an image forming apparatus for forming an image on paper (sheet). As one of such an image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus that supplies paper according to the paper information given to the print data is known (cited document). In this image forming apparatus, it is necessary to associate the paper information with the paper feed stage in advance, and the user searches for and specifies the paper to be associated with the paper feed stage from the list of registered paper information.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-205343

However, since the types of paper are enormous, it is difficult to find the desired paper information from the list if there is a large amount of registered paper information. Therefore, a paper management system that makes it easy to select the paper information to be linked to the paper feed stage is desired.

In printing factories that have a lot of paper information to be registered, the combination of paper to be used is often decided for each delivery destination to which the print deliverables are delivered on a regular basis. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to list the paper information for each group such as the delivery destination.

An object of the present invention is to provide a paper management system that lists paper information for each group registered by a user and can be associated with a paper feed stage.

The present invention is a paper management system for setting paper information of paper stored in a storage unit of an image forming apparatus from a list of paper information, and displays a screen capable of listing only paper information belonging to a specific group. In a paper management system that can be displayed on a device, paper information specified from a plurality of paper information is transferred to a group specified from a plurality of groups including at least a first group and a second group. The means for registering, the means for accepting the designation of the paper information associated with the storage unit from the list of paper information belonging to the first group, and the paper information associated with the storage unit from the list of paper information belonging to the second group. It is characterized by having a means for accepting the designation of.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a paper management system that can list paper information for each group registered by a user and set it in association with a paper feed stage.

It is a figure which shows the configuration example of a paper management system. It is a figure which shows the hardware composition of the image forming apparatus. (A) is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the print control device. (B) is a diagram showing a software configuration. It is a figure which shows the start flow of a paper management application. It is a figure which shows the activation flow of an image forming apparatus. (A) is a diagram showing a communication configuration of a paper management system. (B) is a diagram showing a paper management flow. (A) is a diagram showing a paper management screen. (B) is a diagram showing a registration screen of paper information. (C) is a diagram showing a designated screen of a paper feed stage. (A) is a diagram showing an edit screen of a favorite group. (B) is a diagram showing an edit screen of a favorite group. (C) is a diagram showing an edit screen of a favorite group. It is a figure which shows the screen transition at the time of registering a paper in a paper feed stage. It is a figure which shows the screen transition at the time of favorite registration. It is a figure which shows the screen transition at the time of editing a favorite group. (A) is a diagram showing a table of paper information. (B) is a diagram showing a table of paper feed stage information. (C) is a diagram showing a table of favorite information. (A) is a figure which shows the flow of the favorite registration process. (B) is a diagram showing a flow of favorite display. It is a figure which shows the screen transition at the time of favorite registration. It is a figure which shows the flow of the favorite registration process. It is a figure which shows the screen transition at the time of favorite registration. It is a figure which shows the flow of the favorite registration process. It is a figure which shows the paper list screen. The flow of the paper list display processing is shown.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a paper management system. The paper management system 100 of FIG. 1 includes an image forming device 103 and a print control device 102. The paper management system 100 is communicably connected to the client computer 101. The client computer 101 and the print control device 102 are communicably connected to each other via a Local Area Network (LAN) 110 using an Ethernet cable 109. Further, the print control device 102 and the image forming device 103 are connected via the image video cable 107 and the control cable 108. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 103 is not directly connected to the LAN 110. The image forming apparatus 103 and the client computer 101 communicate with each other via the print control device 102. The image forming apparatus 103 may be connected to the LAN 110. That is, the image forming apparatus 103 may be directly connected to the client computer 101 so as to be communicable.

The client computer 101 starts an application and gives a print instruction to the paper management system 100. The print control device 102 performs image processing in cooperation with the image forming device 103. The image forming apparatus 103 is a multifunction device having various functions, and not only performs image processing from the client computer 101 and the print control device 102, but also copies data read from the scanner unit of 104 and transmits the data to a shared folder. It is possible to do it. When scanning an image with the scanner unit 104, the operation unit 105 receives various instructions from the user via various keys. Further, the operation unit 105 displays various information such as a scan state via the panel. The paper ejection unit 106 receives the paper on which the image is formed and ejects the received paper. Reference numeral 111 is a display device (display device) of the print control device 102, such as a liquid crystal monitor. 112 is a keyboard and 113 is a pointing device.

In the present embodiment, the paper management system 100 will be described as a separate system of the print control device 102 and the image forming device 103, but the processing of the print control device 102 is included in the image forming device 103, and the print control device 102 is included. It does not have to be physically arranged. Further, the display device 111 may have a position input device function such as a touch pad, and may also have a function of a pointing device of 113.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus. In the block diagram of the image forming apparatus 103 of FIG. 2, the controller 200 controls the image forming apparatus 103 and is configured by the reading interface 212 from the CPU 201. Reference numeral 201 denotes a CPU, which comprehensively controls access to various devices connected to the system bus 204 based on a control program stored in the ROM 203 or the external storage device 210. Further, an image signal as output information is output to the printing unit (printer engine) 213 connected via the printing interface 207, or an image input from the reading unit (scanner) 104 connected via the reading interface 212. Control the signal. The CPU 201 can perform communication processing with the print control device 102 via the LAN controller 206. Reference numeral 202 denotes a RAM, which mainly functions as a main memory of the CPU 201, a work area, and the like. Access to the external storage device 210 such as a hard disk (HDD) and an IC card is controlled by a disk controller (DKC) 208. The hard disk is used as a job storage area for storing application programs, font data, form data, etc., temporarily spooling print jobs, and controlling spooled jobs from the outside. Further, the image data read from the scanner 104 and the image data of the print job are held as the reserved print data, and are also used as the reserved print data storage area for referencing or printing from the network. In this embodiment, the HDD is used as the external storage device, and various logs such as job logs and image logs are held. Reference numeral 205 denotes an operation unit I / F, which receives various information input by the user from the operation unit 105 (for example, a software key or a hardware key) and transmits various screen display control signals. Reference numeral 209 is a non-volatile memory, which stores various setting information set from the terminal via the operation unit 105 or the network. The video interface 211 receives image data from the print control device 102.

FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the print control device 102. In the block diagram of the print control device 102 of FIG. 3, the controller 300 controls the print control device 102 and is composed of the CPU 301 to the video interface 310. The CPU is a CPU, and comprehensively controls access to various devices connected to the system bus 304 based on a control program stored in the ROM 303 or the external storage device 309. Further, the CPU 301 can perform communication processing with the image forming apparatus 103 via the LAN controller 306. The CPU 301 can perform communication processing with the client computer 101 and the image forming apparatus 103 on the network via the LAN controller 307. Reference numeral 302 denotes a RAM, which mainly functions as a main memory of the CPU 301, a work area, and the like. Access to the external storage device 309 such as a hard disk (HDD) and an IC card is controlled by a disk controller (DKC) 308. The hard disk stores application programs, font data, form data, etc., and temporarily spools print jobs. The spooled job is processed by RIP (Raster Image Processor) and used as a job storage area for saving again. Reference numeral 305 is an operation unit I / F, which receives various information input from the operation unit (keyboard 112, pointing device 113) by the user, and transmits various screen display control signals to the display device 111. The video interface 310 transmits RIP-processed image data to the image forming apparatus 103.

FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a software configuration. The system software 351 that controls the print control device 102 includes a UI control unit 352, a paper management unit 353, a paper feed stage management unit 354, a network control unit 355, a job management unit 356, and a setting management unit 357.

The UI control unit 352 is a unit that controls a screen displayed on the paper management system. The UI control unit 352 can be controlled to switch the display of the screen display wording and the display unit system of the paper size according to the system setting.

The paper management unit 353 is a unit that communicates with the image forming apparatus 103 and manages the acquired paper information in the paper setting management table 1210 of FIG. The paper management unit 353 can edit, add, delete, and search the paper information in the paper setting management table 1210. The paper setting management table 1210 is a management table for managing paper information for each paper ID, and is managed by the external storage device 309, which is a non-volatile area. Although it was managed by the external storage device 309, it was managed by the external storage device 210 side of the image forming device 103, and the print control device 102 acquired the paper setting management table 1210 from the image forming device 103, and the RAM 302 was executed during the program execution. You may store it in.

The paper feed stage management unit 354 is a unit that communicates with the image forming apparatus 103 and manages the acquired paper feed stage information in the paper feed stage management table 1220 of FIG. The paper feed stage management unit 354 can edit, add, delete, and search the paper feed stage information with respect to the paper feed stage management table 1220. The paper feed stage management table 1220 is a management table for managing the paper feed stage information for each paper feed stage ID, and is managed by the external storage device 309 which is a non-volatile area. Although it was managed by the external storage device 309, it is managed by the external storage device 210 side of the image forming device 103, and the print control device 102 acquires the paper feed stage management table 1220 from the image forming device 103 and is executing the program. It may be stored in the RAM 302.

The network control unit 355 is a unit that controls communication processing with the client computer 101 on the network via the image forming apparatus 103 via the LAN controller 306 and the LAN controller 307.

The job management unit 356 is a unit that manages the print processing sequence and the order of jobs. The job management unit 356 manages the job received by the print control device 102, and controls the data transfer for printing the received job to the image forming apparatus 103 via the LAN controller 306 and the video interface 310.

The setting management unit 357 is a unit that manages system settings related to the paper management system and favorite information. The setting management unit 357 manages favorite information in the favorite setting table 1230 of FIG. The setting management unit 357 can edit, add, delete, and search favorite information in the favorite setting table 1230. The system setting is, for example, a language setting of the screen display wording of the paper management system and a display unit system (millimeter or inch) setting of the paper size. The setting table 1230 is a management table for managing the setting information of the paper management system 100, and is managed by the external storage device 309 which is a non-volatile area. Although it was managed by the external storage device 309, it is managed by the external storage device 210 side of the image forming device 103, and the print control device 102 acquires the setting table 1230 from the image forming device 103 and stores it in the RAM 302 during program execution. You may try to do it.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a paper management screen. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a screen for registering paper information. FIG. 7C is a diagram showing a designated screen of the paper feed stage.

The paper management system operates on the print control device 102. The top screen 710 of FIG. 7A is a screen in which information on the paper feed stage of the image forming apparatus 103 is displayed. The top screen 710 of the paper management system is drawn in the video memory according to the instruction from the CPU 301, and the image data drawn in the video memory is output to the display device 111 as a video signal and displayed.

Reference numeral 710 is a top screen of the paper management system, and a screen in which the paper feed stage information of the image forming apparatus 103 is displayed can be displayed (state of 710 in FIG. 7A). The top screen 710 shows the connection status of the hardware option of the image forming apparatus 103 connected to the print control device 102. When the paper management system is started, it acquires the hardware option information of the image forming apparatus 103 and displays the correct image according to this option information. FIG. 7 of the present embodiment shows a state in which five paper feeding devices (one of which is a manual feed tray) and a paper ejection device are connected. Reference numerals 713 to 716 are paper feed stage buttons. A paper feed stage button is created and arranged based on the information of the paper feed stage (paper feed unit, storage unit) of the image forming apparatus 103 acquired when the paper management system is started. The paper remaining amount display unit 718 is an area for displaying the paper remaining amount in the paper feed stage. When the controller 300 receives the paper feed stage status change event from the image forming apparatus 103 when the status change of the paper feed stage of the image forming apparatus 103 occurs, the controller 300 reacquires the paper feed stage information. The controller 300 redraws the paper remaining amount display unit 718 according to the acquired paper feed stage information.

The paper list button 711 is a button for issuing an instruction for displaying the paper list screen. In the present embodiment, when the button 711 is pressed, the controller 300 displays the paper list screen 730 of FIG. 7B, and displays the paper list screen 730 in the foreground.

The setting button 712 is a button for issuing an instruction for displaying a screen for changing the system setting of the paper management system. The controller 300 displays the current system settings according to the system settings stored in the external storage device 309. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the print control device 102 that is processed when the top screen 710 is created when the paper management system is started. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an activation flow of the image forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 5, when the image forming apparatus 103 is activated, the image forming apparatus 103 creates information that communicates with and synchronizes with the print control apparatus 102.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a start-up flow of the paper management application.

The program of the print control device 102 according to the flowchart of FIG. 4 is stored in the external storage device 309 of FIG. 3, is read out by the RAM 302, and is executed by the CPU 301. When the paper management system is activated, in S401, the controller 300 determines the model of the image forming apparatus 103 to be the target of paper management. The controller 300 communicates with the image forming apparatus 103, acquires model information, and determines the model of the image forming apparatus 103 based on the model discrimination information previously held by the paper management system.

After the model is determined in S401, the transition to S402 occurs.

In S402, the controller 300 determines the hardware option to which the image forming apparatus 103 is connected, creates the top screen 710, specifies the information of the paper feed stage, and absorbs the specification difference for each model. Use model discrimination information when doing so. After communicating with the image forming apparatus 103 and acquiring the hardware option information, the process proceeds to S403.

In S403, the controller 300 determines the paper feed stage connected to the image forming apparatus 103, which is the target of paper management. Acquires the number of connected paper feed stages and the paper feed stage information. For example, the paper feed stage information acquired here is the paper feed stage name, the paper feed stage ID, and the remaining amount of paper in the paper feed stage. When the paper feed stage can be determined in S403, the controller 300 controls the paper feed stage management unit 354 and writes the acquired paper feed stage information to the paper feed stage management table 1220. Transition to S404.

In S404, the controller 300 communicates with the image forming apparatus 103 and acquires the paper information set in each paper feed stage. After acquiring the paper information (paper ID) of the paper feed stage in S404, the controller 300 controls the paper feed stage management unit 354 and uses the acquired paper ID as the target paper feed stage ID of the paper feed stage management table 1220. Write to the matching area and transition to S405.

In S405, the controller 300 creates information on the paper feed stage buttons 713 to 717 to be displayed on the top screen 710. After creating the information of the paper feed stage button in S405, the process proceeds to S406.

In S406, the controller 300 communicates with the image forming apparatus 103 and acquires the paper list information. The paper information is, for example, the paper name and the parameters required for printing (the basis weight and size displayed in the paper information input area 751 of the paper, and the gloss / black quality adjustment displayed in the adjustment item list 754. , Etc.), favorite ID, usage history, and settable paper feed stage ID. After acquiring the paper list information in S406, the controller 300 controls the paper management unit 353, writes the acquired paper information to the paper setting management table 1210, and transitions to S407. In S407, the controller 300 creates the paper list information to be displayed in the paper list display area 731 of the paper list screen 730. The paper feed stage ID that can be set is the print control device 102, and can the controller 300 set each paper feed stage from the acquired paper information according to the image forming apparatus connected to the paper management unit 353? You may decide whether or not. Alternatively, the controller 300 inquires to the paper management unit 353 whether the paper information acquired from the image forming apparatus 103 can be set for each paper feed stage, and the setting possible returned from the image forming apparatus 103. The paper feed stage ID may be set. The usage history is information indicating the number of times the paper is allocated, is set as 0 times when the paper is created, and is the number of times the paper is counted up each time it is allocated to the paper feed stage.

In S407, the controller 300 transitions to S408 after creating the paper list information.

In S408, the controller 300 creates the top screen 710 from the model hardware option information of the image forming apparatus 103 acquired in S401 and S402 and the paper feed stage information created in S405. The controller 300 creates the paper list screen 730 from the paper list information created in S407. In the case of the display device 111 having a low resolution, since the screen display area is narrow, the paper list screen 730 may be superimposed and displayed on the top screen 710. If the paper management system is restarted after closing the paper list screen 730, only the top screen 710 may be displayed at the next startup. In that case, the operator presses the paper list button 711 on the top screen after activation to display the paper list screen 730 according to the information acquired in steps S405 and S407.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an activation flow of the image forming apparatus. The program of the image forming apparatus 103 according to the flowchart of FIG. 5 is stored in the external storage device 210 of FIG. 2, is read out by the RAM 202, and is executed by the CPU 201. When the image forming apparatus 103 is activated, it transitions to S501. In S501, the controller 200 acquires its own model information from the external storage device 210 and creates it as data that can be returned.

After creating the model information data in S501, the process proceeds to S502.

In S502, the controller 200 acquires the hardware option information to which it is connected from the print engine 213 via the print interface 207, and creates it as data that can be returned to the RAM 202. After creating the hardware option information data in S502, the process proceeds to S503.

In S503, the controller 200 acquires the hardware option information acquired from its own paper feed stage information from the RAM 202 and creates it as replyable data. After creating the paper feed stage information data in S503, the process proceeds to S504.

In S504, the controller 200 acquires its own paper list information from the external storage device 210 and creates it as data that can be returned. After creating the paper list information data in S504, the process proceeds to S505.

In S505, the controller 200 determines whether or not the inquiry for model information has been received from the print control device 102. If the inquiry for model information has been received, the process proceeds to S506, the model information created in S501 is returned, and the process proceeds to S507. Even if the inquiry for model information is not received in S505, the transition to S508 occurs.

In S507, the controller 200 determines whether or not the inquiry for hardware option information has been received from the print control device 102. If the inquiry for the hardware option information has been received, the process proceeds to S508, the hardware option information created in S502 is returned, and the process proceeds to S509. Even if the inquiry for hardware option information has not been received in S507, the transition to S509 occurs.

In S509, the controller 200 determines whether or not the inquiry for the paper feed stage information has been received from the print control device 102. If the inquiry for the paper feed stage information has been received, the process proceeds to S510, the paper feed stage information created in S503 is returned, and the transition to S511 occurs. Even if the inquiry for the paper feed stage information has not been received in S509, the transition to S511 occurs.

In S511, the controller 200 determines whether or not the inquiry for the paper list information has been received from the print control device 102. If the inquiry for the paper list information has been received, the process proceeds to S512, the paper list information created in S504 is returned, and the process proceeds to S505. Even if the inquiry for the paper list information is not received in S511, the transition to S505 occurs.

The explanation is returned to FIG. When the button 713 of the paper feed stage 1 is pressed by using the pointing device 113 or the like, the paper setting screen 770 of the paper feed stage 1 of FIG. 7 (c) is displayed. Since 714 to 717 are the same as 713, the description thereof will be omitted. Although not described in detail in this embodiment, it goes without saying that the paper feed stage includes all paper feed devices such as an inserter and a manual feed tray. Further, in the following description, the description of using the pointing device 113 or the like when operating the application such as when the button is pressed is omitted, but it goes without saying that the operation is performed using such an input device.

FIG. 7C is a paper setting screen 770 of the paper feed stage 1. The paper setting screen 770 is drawn in the video memory according to the instruction from the CPU 301, and the image data drawn in the video memory is output to the display device 111 as a video signal and displayed. The 770 has a paper list display area 771 and a paper information display area 772, a button 773 for displaying an adjustment screen for adjustment items, a button 774 for displaying a setting screen for other paper information not displayed here, an OK button 775, and a cancel button. 776 is displayed. Since the same contents as 731 of the paper list screen 730 are displayed in the paper list display area of 771, detailed description thereof will be omitted. When the paper setting screen 770 is displayed, the paper currently set in the paper feed stage on the paper list display area 771 is in the selected state. When a paper is selected from the paper list of 771, the information of the selected paper is displayed in 772. When another paper is selected in the paper list display area 771 and the OK button 775 is pressed, the controller 300 sets the paper for the image forming apparatus 103. When another paper is selected in the paper list display area 771 and the cancel button 776 is pressed, the controller 300 does not set the paper for the image forming apparatus 103 and closes the paper setting screen 770. The paper information display area of 772 displays the setting information of the currently selected paper. When the paper feed stage button 713 on the top screen 710 of FIG. 7A is pressed and the screen of 770 is opened, the information of the paper currently assigned to the paper feed stage 1 is displayed.

Each item of the paper information display area of 772 will be described. In order to improve the convenience of the operator, in this embodiment, as an example, only the paper information frequently used by the operator is displayed. Specifically, the paper name and various adjustment items (image position adjustment, secondary transfer voltage adjustment, curl correction amount, gloss / black quality adjustment, rear edge whiteout correction, saddle stitching setting, paper fan The air volume is adjusted. Since the description of each item will be described on the paper setting screen 750 of FIG. 7B, the description here will be omitted. In the paper information display area of 772, the name of the currently selected paper and the paper name are omitted. , It is displayed whether or not various adjustment values have been changed from the initial values of the image forming apparatus 103. If it has not been changed, it is displayed as no adjustment. If it has been changed, it is displayed as with adjustment. For items that can be adjusted from the print control device 102, the button 773 is displayed so that the corresponding adjustment screen can be displayed.

The button 774 is a button to be pressed when checking information not displayed in the paper information display area of 772 and changing the setting. For example, the paper setting screen 750 of FIG. 7B may be displayed.

Although the present embodiment will be described as a paper management application that operates on the print control device 102, the present embodiment is not limited to the paper management application. A similar mechanism may be implemented in the client computer 101 or the image forming apparatus 103.

<Embodiment 1>
The processing of the print control device 102 and the image forming device 103 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a communication configuration of a paper management system. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a paper management flow. The program of the print control device 102 described below is stored in the external storage device 309 of FIG. 3, is read out by the RAM 302, and is executed by the CPU 301.

In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which an operator enables a plurality of favorite settings for frequently used paper, finds a desired paper using the favorite information included in the paper information at the time of printing, and performs paper setting and printing. .. The favorite in this embodiment is identification information for making it easier for the operator to find the desired paper. In this embodiment, as an example, a favorite ID is provided as one of the paper information. At a printing factory, we may receive an additional order to print an additional 100 copies of printed matter that has been printed once. In that case, since printing is performed using the same paper as when printing last time, it is assumed that the paper will be set as a favorite so that the paper to be used at the delivery destination that receives additional orders can be found immediately. Specifically, for delivery destinations that often receive additional orders, create favorites with names such as customer A company, customer B company, and customer C company, and use them at each delivery destination. This is how to set a favorite for each paper. When there are multiple delivery destinations, it is not possible to distinguish by only one favorite, so it is possible to have multiple favorite IDs as paper information.

Here, the flow in which the printing factory receives an order for printing an in-house leaflet (paper: using Mohawa Color) from the customer A and the operator prints the in-house leaflet will be described in the flow of FIG. 6 (b). As a premise of the explanation, the printing factory makes it possible to distinguish between the paper used by each customer and other papers according to the type of favorite. As favorites, customer A company, customer B company, and customer C company are registered, and the form to be used for each customer is already registered.

<< Favorite management method >>
First, favorite management means will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 11. FIG. 8A is a diagram showing an edit screen of a favorite group. FIG. 8B is a diagram showing an edit screen of a favorite group. FIG. 8C is a diagram showing an edit screen of a favorite group. In this embodiment, there is a favorite management screen 810 of FIG. 8A as a favorite management means. The favorite management screen 810 is displayed by pressing the favorite registration / edit button 753 on the paper setting screen 750. The setting screen displayed when the setting button 712 of the top screen 710 is pressed may be changed to the favorite management screen 810.

The favorite management screen 810 of FIG. 8A is composed of a favorite list 811, a registration button 812, an edit button 813, a delete button 814, and a close button 815.

The favorite list 811 displays a list of favorite names registered in the favorite setting table 1230 as a paper management system. The controller 300 acquires the favorite name, favorite ID, and icon ID of the favorite setting table 1230 from the setting management unit 357 for the UI control unit 352, and creates the favorite management screen 810. For example, on the management screen 810, icon images and favorite names corresponding to the icon IDs are displayed vertically side by side according to the favorite setting table 1230. The favorite currently selected on the favorite list 811 is in the selected state.

FIG. 12A is a diagram showing a table of paper information. FIG. 12B is a diagram showing a table of paper feed stage information. FIG. 12 (c) is a diagram showing a table of favorite information.

Here, the favorite setting table 1230 of FIG. 12 will be described. The favorite setting table is a setting table for storing the favorite type of the paper management system. The favorite setting table 1230 is managed by the setting management unit 357 and stored in the external storage device 309 which is a non-volatile area. The favorite setting table 1230 is composed of a favorite name, a favorite ID, and an icon ID. The favorite name is a name to be displayed to the user on the screen. The favorite ID is identification information for distinguishing favorites. The icon ID is an ID for identifying an icon on the paper list screen 730 or the like so that the icon can be used to distinguish which favorite is along with the paper list name. It is assumed that a distinguishable icon ID is assigned in advance to the icons displayed in the icon lists 822 and 833 described later. For example, the circled number 1 has an icon ID = 1, the circled number 2 has an icon ID = 2, and so on, and the icon IDs are sequentially assigned from the left to the right of the icon. The controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to read the icon corresponding to the icon ID and display the icon on the screen.

Button 812 is a button for newly registering a favorite. When the button 812 is pressed, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display the favorite registration screen 820.

Button 813 is a button for editing a favorite selected in the favorite list 811. When the button 813 is pressed, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display the favorite edit screen 830.

Button 814 is a button for deleting the favorite selected in the favorite list 811. When the button 814 is pressed, the controller 300 controls the setting management unit 357 to delete the selected favorite.

The button 815 is a button for closing the favorite management screen 810. When the button 815 is pressed, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to close the favorite management screen 810.

Next, the favorite registration screen 820 of FIG. 8B will be described. It is composed of a name input field 821, an icon list 822, an OK button 823, and a cancel button 824. The name input field 821 is a text field in which a favorite name can be input. When changing the name, it is possible to input characters in the text area using the keyboard 112 or the like. In the following description, the description of using the keyboard 114 or the like at the time of input is omitted, but it goes without saying that characters are input using such an input device. When the OK button 823 is pressed, the controller 300 controls the setting management unit 357 to add the input name and the icon ID of the selected icon to the favorite setting table 1230. When the cancel button 824 is pressed, the controller 300 operates the UI control unit 352 so as to close the favorite registration screen 820. The icon list 822 is a list of icons that can be displayed in the paper list display area 731 of the paper list screen 730 and the favorite setting area 752 of the paper setting screen 750. The operator can select one icon to be used from the present icons.

Next, the favorite editing screen 830 of FIG. 8C will be described. It is composed of a name input field 831, an icon list 832, an OK button 833, and a cancel button 834. Since the name input field 831 is the same as the name input field 821, the description thereof will be omitted. Since the icon list 832 is the same as the icon list 822, the description thereof will be omitted. When the OK button 833 is pressed, the controller 300 sets the changed name and the icon ID of the selected icon to the setting management unit 357 for the favorite part corresponding to the selected favorite ID. Control to write to 1230. Since the cancel button 834 is the same as the cancel button 824, the description thereof will be omitted.

Here, the screen transition of the screen described with reference to FIG. 8 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing screen transitions when editing a favorite group. First, the screen transition of new favorite registration will be described. When the favorite registration / edit button 1111 of the screen 1110 (paper setting screen 750) of FIG. 11 is pressed, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display the screen 1120 (favorite management screen 810). do. When the registration button 1122 is pressed on the screen 1120, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display the screen 1130 (favorite registration screen 820). When "Customer D company" is selected in the name input field 1131 and "Spade" is selected in the icon list 1132 on the screen 1130 and the button 1133 is pressed, the controller 300 adds the input information to the favorite setting table 1230. .. Specifically, the controller 300 writes "Customer D company" in the favorite name, 4 in the favorite ID (because it is currently used from 1 to 3), and 6 in the icon ID for the setting management unit 357. To control. The controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to close the screen 1130.

Next, the screen transition when editing a registered favorite will be described. On the screen 1120, when "Customer A company" is selected in the favorite list 1121 and the edit button 1123 is pressed, the controller 300 displays the screen 1140 (favorite edit screen 830) on the UI control unit 352. Control to do. When "Customer E company" is selected in the name input field 1141 and "Heart" is selected in the icon list 1142 on the screen 1140 and the button 1143 is pressed, the controller 300 overwrites the input information in the favorite setting table 1230. .. Specifically, the controller 300 controls the setting management unit 357 to write "Customer E company" in the favorite name and 7 in the icon ID in the area of favorite ID = 1. The controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to close the screen 1130.

Finally, the screen transition when deleting a registered favorite will be described. On the screen 1120, when "Customer A company" is selected in the favorite list 1121 and the delete button 1124 is pressed, the controller 300 has a paper having the selected favorite ID for the paper management unit 353. Control to search. The paper management unit 353 acquires all the registered paper information and compares whether or not there is an ID that matches the favorite ID of the paper information of each paper. When the controller 300 detects that there is a sheet belonging to the favorite ID = 1 of the customer A company, the controller 300 interrupts the search and controls the UI control unit 352 to display the warning screen 1150. The warning screen 1150 is a warning screen for confirming whether or not to delete even one paper having the corresponding favorite ID. The warning screen 1150 displays a warning icon and wording in the message area 1151. When the Yes button 1152 is pressed, the controller 300 controls the setting management unit 357 to delete the setting of the row of favorite ID = 1 (customer A company) from the setting table 1230. The controller 300 deletes the favorite ID = 1 from the favorite ID of the paper information for all the papers in the paper setting management table 1210 for the paper management unit 353. For example, the paper (Mohawk Color) having the paper ID = 1 in the paper setting management table 1210 overwrites the favorite IDs with 2, 3, and 4. The controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to redraw the displayed screen 1110 and the paper list screen 730. If the favorite to be deleted is not set on any of the papers, the controller 300 sets the favorite ID = 1 (customer A company) row from the setting table 1230 to the setting management unit 357. Control to delete the setting of. The controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to redraw the displayed screen 1110 and the paper list screen 730. The above is the explanation about the management means for favorites.

<< Favorite setting means >>
Next, the favorite setting means will be described. In the present embodiment, there are two means of registering favorites, one is set on the paper setting screen 750 of FIG. 7 (b) and the other is set by right-clicking on the paper list screen 730 shown in FIG. ..

The means for setting on the paper setting screen 750 of FIG. 7B will be described. The paper setting screen 750 is a screen for newly registering paper and editing registered paper. The paper setting screen 750 is composed of a paper information input area 751, a paper information adjustment item list 754, a pull-down menu 755 for switching a display group of the adjustment item list, an OK button 756, and a cancel button 757.

The paper information input area 751 displays the minimum setting items necessary for handling paper in the paper information. In this embodiment, for example, as setting items, a name, a basis weight, a color, a surface property, a size, a feature, a second side on both sides, and a favorite are displayed. In this explanation, since the explanation focuses on favorites, only the outline is used as the setting items other than favorites. Object 761 is a text area where you can enter the name of the paper. When changing the name, it is possible to input characters in the text area using the keyboard 112 or the like. For example, it may be left blank at the time of new registration, and the selected paper name may be displayed at the time of editing. In order to reflect the changed information in the paper information, press the OK button 756 on the paper setting screen 750. By pressing the OK button 756, the paper information of the print control device 102 and the image forming device 103 can be changed.

Press the OK button 756 on the paper setting screen 750. You can cancel the paper settings by pressing the cancel button 757. Object 762 is a text area where you can enter the basis weight. Since the operation is the same as the name text area of the object 761, the description thereof will be omitted in the following cases. Object 763 displays paper color information and is a pull-down menu that can be selected from the list. Object 764 is a pull-down menu that displays surface information, displays the color of the paper, and can be selected from the list. Object 765 displays paper size information and is a pull-down menu list that can be selected from the list. Reference numeral 766 is a text area in which the length in the main scan direction and the sub scan direction of the paper size, which can be input when the user-defined size is selected in the object 765, can be input. On the paper setting screen 750, since the paper size is A4, it is grayed out so that it cannot be input. In addition, a button capable of switching between millimeters and inches may be arranged so that the input unit can be switched between millimeters and inches. Object 767 is a pull-down menu list that displays feature information and can be selected from the list. Object 768 displays the flap position of the envelope and is a pull-down menu list that can be selected from the list. This is a pull-down menu list that can be entered when an envelope is selected in object 767. The object 769 is a radio button that displays information on the second side of both sides and can switch between setting and non-setting. The double-sided second-side information is a setting in which paper that has already been fixed on the front surface is put into the paper feed stage and the transfer voltage is changed when the back surface is fixed.

The favorite setting area 752 is a menu that displays a list of favorites stored in the favorite setting table 1230 and allows setting which favorite belongs to. Here, the favorite list is displayed as 752 with a check box, and when the check box is checked, it indicates that the user belongs to the target favorite. For example, in 752, the three favorites (customer A company, customer B company, and customer C company) are not checked, indicating that they do not belong to any of the favorites. In order to reflect the changed information in the paper information, press the OK button 756 on the paper setting screen 750. By pressing the OK button 756, the paper information of the print control device 102 and the image forming device 103 can be changed. Upon receiving the instruction to create the paper setting screen 750, the controller 300 controls the setting management unit 357 to acquire the favorite setting table 1230. The controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display the paper setting screen 750 according to the acquired information in the favorite setting table 1230.

The favorite registration / edit button 753 is a button for displaying the favorite management screen 810. Since the favorite management screen 810 has already been explained, the description thereof will be omitted.

In the adjustment item list 754, names, adjustments with / without adjustments, and display groups are listed for items that can be adjusted with the set values included in the paper information. For adjustment of adjustment items, even if the adjustment item is selected on 754, the detailed value of the adjustment value and the adjustment button are displayed on the paper setting screen 750, and the target adjustment screen is displayed by pressing the adjustment button. good. The outline of the adjustment item displayed on the 754 will be described. The glossiness / black quality adjustment is an item for adjusting the glossiness of the output image by adjusting the temperature of the fuser when using plain paper or coat paper. The display group is defined as image quality. The adjustment of the secondary transfer voltage is an adjustment item that changes the voltage when transferring the toner image to the paper. The display group is defined as image quality. The rear end whiteout correction is an adjustment item that changes the transfer voltage when the toner is white out or the color is lightened at the rear end of the paper in the transport direction. The display group is defined as image quality. The secondary transfer static electricity elimination bias adjustment is an adjustment item for changing the voltage value (static electricity elimination bias) for removing static electricity remaining on the intermediate transfer belt. The display group is defined as image quality. The ITB image removal adjustment is an adjustment item that changes the degree of image removal of the intermediate transfer belt. The display group is defined as image quality. The toner amount adjustment mode is an adjustment item that changes the total amount of toner. The display group is defined as image quality. The adjustment of the primary transfer voltage is an adjustment item that changes the voltage when the toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt to the paper. The display group is defined as image quality.

The adjustment of the registration loop amount is an adjustment item for changing the amount of deflection of the paper formed when adjusting the image position. The display group is defined as image quality. The adjustment of the register speed is an adjustment item that changes the speed when adjusting the image position. The display group is defined as image quality. The adjustment of the image rubbing correction is an adjustment item for changing the transport speed when the paper is deformed due to the unevenness of the water content and the image is distorted or the density unevenness occurs due to the occurrence of transport failure. The display group is defined as image quality. The fixing pressure adjustment is an adjustment item that changes the fixing pressure. The display group is defined as image quality. The fixing speed adjustment is an adjustment item that changes the fixing speed. The display group is defined as image quality.

Image position adjustment is an adjustment item that changes the print position on the front and back paper. The display group is defined as the image position. The front end / rear end margin adjustment is an adjustment item that changes the length of the front end side and rear end margins with respect to the transport direction at the time of printing. The display group is defined as the image position. The automatic adjustment of the horizontal register is an item for adjusting so that the image does not shift vertically (horizontally) with respect to the transport direction. The display group is defined as the image position. The air volume adjustment of the paper handling fan is an adjustment item that changes the air volume of the fan when handling the paper. The display group is defined as paper transport. The air volume adjustment of the pre-fixing transfer fan is an adjustment item for changing the air volume of the pre-fixing transfer fan. The display group is defined as paper transport.

The pull-down menu 755 is a pull-down menu that enables selection of a filter for displaying the adjustment item list 754 as a filter for each group. For example, when the image quality is selected in the pull-down menu 755, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display only the adjustment items whose display group is the image quality in the adjustment item list 754.

Next, a means for setting a favorite by right-clicking on the paper list screen 730 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 13 (a).

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing screen transitions when registering favorites. FIG. 13 (a) is a diagram showing a flow of favorite registration processing. FIG. 13B is a diagram showing a flow of favorite display.

In step S1301, when the controller 300 detects a mig click on the paper list screen 1010, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to determine whether or not the favorite icon area 1011 of the displayed paper is right-clicked. For example, in the paper list display area 771, a column for displaying a favorite icon is created in the first column. The controller 300 acquires the clicked row number and column number for the UI control unit 352, and determines whether the column number matches the column number for displaying the favorite icon. Which paper is selected is determined by the line number which line in the paper list display area 771 is clicked. Further, the controller 300 acquires the type of click from the UI control unit 352 and determines whether or not it is a right click.

In step S1302, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to acquire the favorite ID of the selected media from the clicked row number and column number.

In step S1303, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display the favorite registration menu 1021 on the paper list screen 1020. For example, the controller 300 acquires the favorite setting table 1230 acquired from the setting management unit 357, and controls to embed (assign) the favorite name and the icon to be displayed in the favorite registration menu 1021 on the screen. The controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to check the matching favorite ID among the favorites of the favorite registration menu 1021 according to the favorite setting of the selected paper acquired in step 1302. .. In the favorite registration menu 1021, it is possible to check a plurality of favorites.

In step S1304, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to detect the state change of the favorite check box. Specifically, it detects whether or not the check box of the favorite registration menu 1021 is clicked. For example, when the customer C company is clicked in the favorite registration menu 1021, the controller 300 checks the check box of the customer C company for the UI control unit 352 and proceeds to step S1305. Control to proceed. If the customer C company is not clicked, the controller 300 continues the detection process. If an area other than the favorite registration menu 1021 is clicked, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to close the favorite registration menu 1021.

In step S1305, the controller 300 (paper management unit 353) controls the area of the paper setting management table 1210 of the selected paper. As a result, the favorite ID in which the favorite registration menu 1021 is checked is overwritten. If all the favorites are not checked, the favorite ID of the paper setting management table 1210 is set to no setting. When the writing to the paper setting management table 1210 is completed, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to close the favorite registration menu 1021. The controller 300 updates the favorite icon for the UI control unit 352 according to the favorite ID in the paper list display area of the displayed paper list screen 1020 and the paper setting screen 770. When there is only one favorite ID, the controller 300 displays an icon corresponding to the favorite ID. When the number of favorite IDs is two or more, the controller 300 displays an icon indicating that a plurality of favorites are set, which is different from the icon of the favorite to be registered in the favorite registration menu 1021. For example, an icon such as the object 1022 in FIG. The controller 300 does not display the favorite icon when the favorite ID is not set.

The above is the description of the favorite setting means when the favorite icon of the selected paper is right-clicked on the paper list screen 1010. For convenience of explanation, the right-click favorite setting method for one selected paper has been explained here, but by selecting multiple papers and right-clicking, all the selected papers will be batched. You may be able to register your favorites. For example, on the paper list screen 1010, it is assumed that a plurality of papers are selected by Ctrl + left-clicking and the favorite icon area 1011 is right-clicked. In step S1303, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 so that the favorite registration menu 1021 is unchecked and displayed. In step S1304, the controller 300 detects that any of the favorites has been checked, and proceeds to step S1305. In step S1305, the controller 300 performs a process of writing the favorite ID of the paper setting management table 1210 corresponding to the paper ID to all the selected papers in the paper management unit 353. As the favorite ID to be written, the favorite ID that is the logical sum of the favorite ID currently set in the paper ID to be written and the favorite ID checked in the favorite registration menu 1021 is written. For example, when the customer B company is checked in the favorite registration menu 1021 with the paper ID = 1 and 2 selected, the favorite ID of the paper ID = 1 is written in 1 and 2. Further, the favorite ID of the paper ID = 2 is written as 1 or 2.

note that. In the present embodiment, a mode in which the favorite registration menu 1021 is displayed by right-clicking is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to right-clicking. For example, as a keyboard shortcut key, the favorite registration menu 1021 may be displayed by pressing a specific key. Alternatively, a combination of pressing a specific key may allow the favorite corresponding to the key to be registered without displaying the favorite registration menu 1021.

<< Favorite display means >>
From here, the flow in which the operator prints the in-house leaflet using the favorite information described above will be described in the flow of FIG. 6 (b).

In step S601, the operator presses the paper list button 711 on the top screen 710 of the paper management system.

In step S602, the controller 300 of the print control device 102 controls the UI control unit 352 to acquire the paper setting management table 1210 from the paper management unit 353. The controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to create the paper list screen 910 according to the acquired paper list.

Here, the details of the paper list screen will be described using the paper list screen 730 of FIG. 7A. The paper list screen 730 is drawn in the video memory according to the instruction from the CPU 301, and the image data drawn in the video memory is output to the display device 111 as a video signal and displayed. The screen 730 displays a paper list display area 731, a pull-down menu 732 for selecting a paper list display method, a paper search input area 733, and a button for adding paper to the paper list. As the paper addition button, a new registration button 734 for registering new paper in the paper list, a duplicate button 735 for duplicating existing paper in the paper list, and a registration button 736 for creating paper from the paper database are displayed.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing screen transitions when registering paper in the paper feed stage. The paper list display area of the object 731 will be described. Object 731 is a table that displays a paper list. Paper information is set in the column and paper is set in the row. If you want to display other than the attribute information of the displayed paper, you can display it by operating the slider bar of the object 737. If you want to display paper other than the displayed paper, you can display it by operating the slider bar of the object 738. The selected paper is highlighted so that you can see that it is selected. When any of the unselected papers is selected from the table of the paper list of the object 731, the information of the selected paper is displayed in the paper display area of the 731. In the present embodiment, right-clicking the column 739 in which the favorite icon is displayed displays the favorite registration menu 1021 in FIG. 10, and right-clicking the other column 740 displays the paper registration context menu 932 in FIG. .. In this way, the processing is changed between column 739 and column 740, but as a common processing when left-clicking is performed on both columns, the left-clicked paper is selected. I have to. If the column 740 is right-clicked while a plurality of papers are selected, for example, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 so that the paper registration context menu 932 is not displayed. This is because a plurality of sheets are not set for one paper feed stage. As another implementation means, the multiple selection is removed, only the last clicked paper is selected, and the paper registration context menu 932 is displayed for the selected paper (the last clicked paper). You may.

A pull-down menu for selecting a display method of the paper list of 732 will be described. In the pull-down menu 732, the display means of the paper list display area of the object 731 is displayed. In this embodiment, as an example, all are displayed, and the display means is customer A company, customer B company, customer C company, and history. It is assumed that Show All is selected when the screen is displayed.

The customer A company, the customer B company, and the customer C company are options for filtering the display contents of the paper list display area of the object 731 for each favorite ID of the paper information.

In step S603, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display the paper list screen 910 on the display device 111.

In step S604, the operator selects customer A from the pull-down menu 732.

In step S605, the controller 300 (UI control unit 352) detects a change in the pull-down menu 911. Then, the controller 300 creates a paper list according to the selection of the pull-down menu 911 from the paper information of the paper setting management table 1210. For example, when customer A is selected in the pull-down menu 911 as shown in FIG. 10, the controller 300 refers to the favorite ID of the paper information in the paper setting management table 1210, and customer A (favorite ID =). Judge whether or not 1) is included. The controller 300 adds the matching paper to the paper list display area 731 for the UI control unit 352. The flow of processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 13 (b).

In step S1321, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 so that the initial value of the line number n of the paper information to be displayed in the paper list display area 731 is 0.

In step S1322, the controller 300 refers to the selection content of the pull-down menu 911 for the UI control unit 352 in order to acquire the favorite to be displayed. Here, customer A company (favorite ID = 1) can be acquired as a favorite.

In step S1323, the controller 300 acquires the paper information of the n + 1st line (first line) of the paper setting management table 1210 for the paper management unit 353, and refers to the favorite ID of the acquired paper information. Here, the favorite ID = 1 of the paper (Mohawk Color) is acquired.

In step S1324, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to determine whether the favorite ID acquired in step S1323 matches the favorite ID acquired in step S1322. Here, it is determined whether or not it matches the favorite ID = 1. If they match, the controller 300 proceeds to step S1325. If they do not match, the controller 300 proceeds to step S1326. Here, since the favorite ID of the paper (Mohawk Color) matches the favorite ID = 1, the process proceeds to step S1325.

In step S1325, the controller 300 adds the paper information on the n + 1th line to the paper list display area 731 for the UI control unit 352. Here, the controller 300 adds the paper (Mohawk Color) to the paper list display area 731.

In step S1326, the controller 300 increments the line number n of the paper information to be displayed in the paper list display area 731 with respect to the UI control unit 352.

In step S1327, the controller 300 determines whether or not the end of the paper setting management table 1210 has been reached for the paper management unit 353. When the end is reached, the controller 300 proceeds to step S1328. If the end has not been reached, the controller 300 proceeds to step S1323, and repeats steps S1323 to S1326 for the paper information in the remaining paper setting table. Here, since the paper information remains in the paper setting management table 1210, the controller 300 proceeds to the process to step S1323. The controller 300 acquires the paper information of the n + 1st row (second row) of the paper setting management table 1210 from the paper management unit 353, and proceeds with the processing of steps S1323 to S1326.

In step S1328, since it is ready to display only the papers matching the selection contents of the pull-down menu 911 in the paper list display area 731, the controller 300 causes the UI control unit 352 to display the paper list screen 920. To control. In the case of a paper in which a plurality of favorite IDs are registered (for example, the paper of 1210 in FIG. 12 (paper ID = 2)), select either customer A company or customer B company from the pull-down menu 911. Even so, it is displayed in the paper list display area 731.

The explanation is returned to FIG. In step S606, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display the paper list screen 920 including the paper list display area 731 filtered by the customer A company in step S605. In other words, the paper list screen 920 can list only the paper information associated with the customer A company.

Regardless of the selection content of the pull-down menu 911, when column 739 is clicked, all favorites are displayed in 1021. For example, even if the pull-down menu 911 is the customer A company, the customer A company, the customer B company, and the customer C company are displayed on the object 1021.

In step S607, the operator left-clicks to select the paper (Mohawk Color) 921 used for printing by the customer A company. The controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 so that the paper information 921 selected by left-clicking is in the selected state like the paper information 931. The operator right-clicks on the named area to allocate paper to the paper feed tray.

In step S608, when the controller 300 detects a right-click in a column other than the favorite icon as described in column 740 of FIG. 7A, the controller 300 creates a paper registration context menu 932 for the UI control unit. To control. The controller 300 controls to acquire the settable paper feed stage ID of the paper setting management table 1210 corresponding to the paper 931 from the paper management unit 353 and to acquire the corresponding paper feed stage name from the paper feed stage management table 1220. .. For example, in the example of FIG. 9, the controller 300 acquires the settable paper feed stage ID = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} of the paper 931 (paper ID = 1) from the paper feed stage management table 1220. Acquires the paper feed stage name of each paper feed stage ID. In this example, the paper cassette 1, the paper cassette 2, the paper cassette 3, the paper cassette 4, and the manual feed tray are acquired, and the controller 300 creates the paper registration context menu 932 for the UI control unit 352.

In step S609, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display the paper registration context menu 932.

In step S610, the operator selects a paper feed stage (paper cassette 1) for registering paper from the paper registration context menu 932.

In step S611, the controller 300 sets the paper for registering the information of the paper setting management table 1210 corresponding to the selected paper 931 in the paper cassette 1 (paper feed stage ID = 5) with respect to the paper management unit 353. Control to create instructions. The controller 300 controls the LAN controller 306 to the network control unit 355 and transmits a paper setting instruction to the image forming apparatus 103 via the control cable 108.

In step S612, when the controller 200 of the image forming apparatus 103 receives the paper setting instruction by the LAN controller 206, the controller 200 sets the paper information of the received paper 931 to the designated paper feed stage (here, the paper cassette 1). do. In FIG. 6, the paper setting means using a right-click is described, but in the present embodiment, the paper 931 is dragged as shown in FIG. 9 to the paper feed stage button 941 of the paper cassette 1 on the top screen 940. You can set the paper by dropping it. The controller 300 counts up the usage history of the paper for which the paper setting has been made, and controls the paper management unit 353 to write the usage history in the usage history of the paper setting management table 1210 of the target paper ID.

In step S613, the operator opens the paper cassette 1 of the image forming apparatus 103 and sets the paper bundle of the paper 931. The operator closes the paper cassette 1.

The above is the explanation of the procedure for setting the paper used for printing. From here, the flow of printing the job 1 of company A using the paper 931 will be described.

In step S614, the operator creates a job 1 of company A from the client computer 101, changes the setting to use the paper 931 and then issues a print instruction to the print control device 102 using the print application or the printer driver. .. The print instruction includes the type of paper used for printing and the specification of the paper feed stage, and is specified by the print application or the UI of the printer driver at the time of the print instruction. The client computer 101 transmits PDL (Page Description Language) data to the print control device 102 as an instruction to execute the print process. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the type of paper used for printing or the paper feed stage is specified in the PDL data. Here, it is assumed that the paper cassette 1 is specified as the paper feed stage in the UI of the printer driver.

In step S615, the controller 300 of the print control device 102 performs RIP (Raster Image Processor) processing based on the received PDL data, and generates raster image data or the like that can be read by the image forming device 103. The controller 300 analyzes the print instruction included in the PDL data and creates print setting information used for the print process.

In step S616, the controller 300 transmits the image data and the print setting information used for the print process to the image forming apparatus 103 as print data, respectively. Here, the paper cassette 1 is designated as the paper feed stage in the print data. In the present embodiment, the controller 300 controls the network control unit 355 to control the LAN controller 306 so as to transmit the print setting information to the image forming apparatus 103 via the control cable 108. Further, the controller 300 controls the job management unit 356 to control the video interface 310 so as to transmit the image data to the image forming apparatus 103 via the image video cable 107.

In step S617, the controller 200 of the image forming apparatus 103 controls to feed the paper from the designated paper feed stage or the paper feed stage in which the designated paper type is registered according to the received print data. .. Here, since the paper cassette 1 is specified as the paper feed stage in the print data, the paper cassette 1 is used.

In step S618, the controller 200 controls the printing unit (printer engine) 213 connected via the printing interface 207 to output an image signal as output information and print the image signal.

The above has described a series of steps for finding and printing desired paper using the favorite display. As a result, the operator can easily use the paper desired by the operator (customer A company's paper Mohawk Color) even when the desired paper is determined for each of a plurality of customers (delivery destinations). It will be possible to find it in. This improves the convenience of the operator who performs the paper setting operation for the digital multifunction device paper.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, when the number of favorite papers favorited by the favorite setting means increases, it may be difficult to find the papers immediately even if the favorites are displayed. For example, suppose that customer A, customer B, and customer C are prepared as favorites, and the paper to be used is set as a favorite for each delivery destination. However, suppose that the number of types of print products ordered from customer A has increased, and the number of papers belonging to customer A has increased, resulting in a situation in which scrolling is required. When printing by customer A, it becomes difficult for the operator to find the desired paper even if the pull-down menu 732 is set to customer A on the paper list screen 730 and a filter is applied.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the above situation occurs, unnecessary favorite paper is deleted so that the desired paper can be easily found. Specifically, when the total number of sheets for which the favorite setting has been set reaches a predetermined threshold value after the favorite setting means is implemented, a screen for canceling the favorite setting is displayed.

The processing of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing screen transitions when registering favorites. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a flow of favorite registration processing. Since the description of the favorite registration process has already been described in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted below. On the paper list screen 1410 of FIG. 14, the operator right-clicks the favorite icon area 1412 with the paper 1411 selected. The operator checks the customer C company in the favorite registration menu 1413.

From here on, it will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S1501, the controller 300 controls the paper management unit 353 to calculate the total number of sheets for which the favorite is set and determine whether or not the predetermined threshold value is exceeded. For example, the total number of papers for which the favorite is set is calculated by referring to the paper information in the paper setting management table 1210 and counting the number of papers for which the favorite ID is set. If the total number of sheets for which the favorite is set exceeds the threshold value, the controller 300 proceeds to step S1502. If the total number of sheets for which favorites are set does not exceed the threshold value, the favorite setting process is terminated without doing anything.

In step S1502, the controller 300 causes the paper management unit 353 to generate a paper list display area 1422 to which only the paper information belonging to any of the favorites is added in order to display the favorite release screen 1420. Control. The favorite cancellation screen 1420 is a screen on which the favorite registration in which the paper information is set can be canceled. A message prompting the user to cancel the registration is displayed on the favorite cancellation screen 1420. Since the basic processing flow is the same as the processing flow of steps S1321 to S1327 in FIG. 13B, only different parts will be described here.

Since there is no difference in the processing contents in step S1321, the description thereof will be omitted.

In step S1322, the controller 300 targets all the favorite IDs registered in the favorite setting table 1230 as the favorites to be displayed. Here, favorite IDs = 1, 2, and 3 are displayed.

Since there is no difference in the processing contents in step S1323, the description thereof will be omitted.

In step S1324, the controller 300 checks whether the favorite ID of the paper information in the n + 1th row of the paper setting management table 1210 matches any of the favorite IDs = 1, 2, and 3. If it matches any of the favorite IDs, the process proceeds to step S1325. If it does not match any of the favorite IDs, the process proceeds to step S1326.

Since there is no difference in the processing contents in step S1326, the description thereof will be omitted.

Since there is no difference in the processing contents in step S1327, the description thereof will be omitted. Step S1502 is completed through the processes up to this point for all the papers in the paper setting management table 1210.

In step S1503, the controller 300 arranges the paper list display area 1422 created in step S1502 in order of the UI control unit 352 so that the number of times of use history of the display area is small (ascending order). Control to change.

In step S1504, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display the favorite release screen 1420.

The favorite release screen 1420 is composed of a pull-down menu 1421 for selecting a paper list display method, a paper list display area 1422, a paper search input area 1427, and a close button 1426 for closing the favorite release screen 1420. The paper list display area 1422 has slider bars 1424, 1425 similar to 737, 738. Except for the pull-down menu 1421, the description is omitted because it is the same as the paper list screen 730. The difference is that the pull-down menu 1421 displays the option "favorite", which means that it corresponds to one of the favorites. Here, "favorite" means that it corresponds to any of favorite IDs = 1, 2, and 3. In this embodiment, the favorite release screen 1420 may be provided with a check box for switching whether or not to display the favorite release screen 1420 thereafter.

The above is an explanation of the means for deleting unnecessary favorite papers when the number of favorites exceeds a predetermined number. As a result, when the number of registered favorites increases, it is possible to lead to a screen prompting the deletion of unnecessary favorites in order to make it easier to find the desired paper. Operators can maintain the ease of finding the desired paper by deleting unwanted favorites. Therefore, the operator can easily find the desired paper.

<Embodiment 3>
In the second embodiment, a means for deleting unnecessary favorite papers when the number of favorites increases has been described. However, it is troublesome to select the papers you want to cancel one by one from the favorite cancellation screen and cancel the favorites. In particular, if there is an unnecessary favorite group itself, it may be easier for the operator to cancel the favorite by deleting the group itself.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, unlike the second embodiment, when the above situation (specific condition) is reached, an unnecessary favorite group can be deleted to maintain a situation in which a desired paper can be easily found. To do so. Specifically, when the total number of sheets for which favorites have been set reaches a predetermined threshold value after the favorite setting means is implemented, the favorite release screen 1620 is displayed.

The processing of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing screen transitions when registering favorites. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a flow of favorite registration processing.

Since the description of the favorite registration process has already been described in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted below. On the paper list screen 1610 of FIG. 16, the operator right-clicks the favorite icon area 1612 with the paper 1611 selected. The operator checks the customer C company in the favorite registration menu 1613.

From here on, it will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S1701, the controller 300 controls the paper management unit 353 to calculate the total number of sheets for which the favorite is set and determine whether or not the predetermined threshold value is exceeded. Since the processing is the same as that of S1501, the description thereof will be omitted. If the total number of sheets for which the favorite is set exceeds the threshold value, the controller 300 proceeds to step S1702. If the total number of sheets for which favorites are set does not exceed the threshold value, the favorite setting process is terminated without doing anything. In other words, you can register your favorites up to a predetermined number as usual.

In step S1702, the controller 300 displays the favorite release screen 1620. The favorite release screen 1620 has the same screen configuration as the favorite management screen. The only difference is that it displays the message "Are there any unused favorites?" To the operator on the screen.

Step S1703. In step S1704, since the same processing as the portion explaining the warning screen 1150 in "Screen transition when deleting registered favorites" in FIG. 11 of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

The above is an explanation of the means for deleting unnecessary favorite groups when the number of favorites increases. As a result, when the number of registered favorites increases, it is possible to lead to a screen prompting the deletion of unnecessary favorite groups in order to make it easier to find the desired paper. By deleting unnecessary favorite groups, the operator can delete unnecessary favorites at once, and can maintain the ease of finding the desired paper. Therefore, the operator can easily find the desired paper.

<Embodiment 4>
In the second and third embodiments, a means for deleting unnecessary favorite papers and groups when the number of favorites increases has been described. However, if the number of customers increases and the existing customers continue to be good customers, there are cases where you want to keep the current favorites even if the number of favorites increases.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, unlike the second and third embodiments, in the case of the above situation, it is possible to maintain a situation in which it is easy to find a desired paper without deleting favorites. Specifically, when the total number of papers set as favorites reaches a predetermined threshold value, the paper list screen 1810 is set to a state in which paper search can be performed immediately when the paper list screen 1810 is displayed.

The processing of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a paper list screen. FIG. 19 shows a flow of paper list display processing.

From here on, it will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This flowchart describes a process performed at the timing when the button 711 on the top screen is pressed or the paper list screen 1810 being displayed is drawn in the foreground.

In step S1901, the controller 300 controls the paper management unit 353 to calculate the total number of sheets for which the favorite is set and determine whether or not the predetermined threshold value is exceeded. Since the processing is the same as that of S1501, the description thereof will be omitted. If the total number of sheets for which the favorite is set exceeds the threshold value, the controller 300 proceeds to step S1902. If the total number of sheets for which favorites are set does not exceed the threshold value, the favorite setting process is terminated without doing anything.

In step S1902, the controller 300 sets the input focus of the screen in the search input area 1812 with respect to the UI control unit 352.

In step S1903, the controller 300 creates a paper list 1813 for all the papers registered as favorites. Since the description is the same as that described in step S1502 of FIG. 15, the description thereof will be omitted.

In step S1904, the controller 300 sorts the paper list 1813 created in step S1902 in order of usage history. Since the description is the same as that described in step S1503 of FIG. 15, the description thereof will be omitted.

In step S1905, the controller 300 controls the UI control unit 352 to display the paper list screen 1810. The pull-down menu 1811 displays the option "favorite" which means one of the favorites. Here, "favorite" means that it corresponds to any of favorite IDs = 1, 2, and 3.

The above is an explanation of the means for making it possible to immediately enter a keyword in the search input area of the paper when the paper list screen is displayed when the number of favorite registrations increases. As a result, when the number of registered favorites increases, it is possible to guide the user to a search means that makes it easier to find the desired paper than the favorite means. Therefore, the operator can easily find the desired paper even in a situation where the number of favorite registrations is very large.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Further, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or a device composed of one device. For example, a part of the module described in the system software 351 may be configured to be executed by an external server, and the function may be realized by acquiring the result processed by the external server.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications (including organic combinations of each embodiment) are possible based on the gist of the present invention, and these are excluded from the scope of the present invention. is not. That is, all the configurations in which each of the above-described examples and modifications thereof are combined are also included in the present invention.

The definitions of abbreviations appearing in each embodiment are as follows. The ASIC is an Application Special Integrated Circuit. The CPU is a Central Processing Unit. FAX stands for FACSIMILE. LAN is a Local Area Network. The MFP is a MultiFunction Peripheral. A PC is a Personal Computer. PDL is Page Description Language. RAM is Random-Access Memory. ROM is a Read Only Memory. The SFP is a Single Function Peripheral. UI is User Interface. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. IF stands for Interface

100 Paper management system 101 Client computer 102 Print control device 103 Image forming device 111 Display device 112 Keyboard 113 Pointing device 910 Paper list screen 911 Pull-down menu 1021 Favorite registration menu

The present invention relates to an information display device, an information display method, and a program .

An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for displaying both a first object for setting a setting value included in a sheet information and a second object for registering a sheet information as a favorite. With the goal.

The present invention has a display means for displaying information on a sheet registered as a favorite, and a registration means for registering the sheet information displayed by the display means in the sheet holding means, and the display means is used for the sheet information. It is characterized in that both the first object for setting the included setting value and the second object for registering the sheet information in the favorite can be displayed .

According to the present invention, both the first object for setting the setting value included in the sheet information and the second object for registering the sheet information in the favorites can be displayed .

Claims (17)

A paper management system that sets the paper information of the paper stored in the storage unit of the image forming device from the paper information list, and displays a screen on the display device that can list only the paper information belonging to a specific group. In a paper management system that is possible
A means for registering paper information specified from a plurality of paper information in a designated group from a plurality of groups including at least a first group and a second group.
A means for accepting the designation of the paper information associated with the storage unit from the list of the paper information belonging to the first group,
A means for accepting the designation of the paper information associated with the storage unit from the list of the paper information belonging to the second group,
A paper management system characterized by having. The paper management system according to claim 1, wherein the means for registering is capable of registering specific paper information in the first group and the second group. The icon registered in the first group and given to the paper information registered in the second group is different from the icon registered only in the first group, and only in the second group. The paper management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the icon is different from the icon registered in. The paper management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein up to a predetermined number of paper information can be registered in one group. 1. The paper management system described. The paper management system according to claim 5, wherein a message prompting the cancellation of registration of any paper information from the list of paper information is arranged on the cancelable screen. The paper management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a screen prompting the deletion of a group is displayed on the display device based on satisfying a specific condition. The paper management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the registration means accepts a designation for collectively registering a plurality of paper information in one group. It is a paper management system that sets the paper information of the paper stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus from the list of paper information, and causes the display device to display a screen that can list only the paper information belonging to a specific group. In the paper management method that is possible
A process of registering paper information specified from a plurality of paper information in a designated group from a plurality of groups including at least a first group and a second group, and a process of registering the paper information.
The process of accepting the designation of the paper information associated with the storage unit from the list of paper information belonging to the first group, and
The process of accepting the designation of the paper information associated with the storage unit from the list of paper information belonging to the second group, and
A paper management method characterized by having. The paper management method according to claim 9, wherein the registration step is capable of registering specific paper information in the first group and the second group. The icon registered in the first group and given to the paper information registered in the second group is different from the icon registered only in the first group, and only in the second group. The paper management method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the icon is different from the icon registered in. The paper management method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein up to a predetermined number of paper information can be registered in one group. 13. Described paper management method. The paper management method according to claim 13, wherein a message prompting the cancellation of registration of any paper information from the list of paper information is arranged on the cancelable screen. The paper management method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein a screen prompting the deletion of the group is displayed on the display device based on the condition that a specific condition is satisfied. The paper management method according to any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein the registration step accepts a designation for collectively registering a plurality of paper information in one group. It is a paper management system that sets the paper information of the paper stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus from the list of paper information, and causes the display device to display a screen that can list only the paper information belonging to a specific group. In a print control device that can
A means for registering paper information specified from a plurality of paper information in a designated group from a plurality of groups including at least a first group and a second group.
A means for accepting the designation of the paper information associated with the storage unit from the list of the paper information belonging to the first group,
A means for accepting the designation of the paper information associated with the storage unit from the list of the paper information belonging to the second group,
A print control device characterized by having.

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