JP2023109420A - Image processing device, method for controlling the same, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image processing device that can specify an external device used by a user who sets a consumable supply whenever a consumable supply is set and can limit available features of external devices used by other users, and to provide a method for controlling the same and a program.SOLUTION: In a printer 100 connected to external devices 600A-600C, when an ink cassette detection unit 155 detects switching from a state where an ink ribbon cassette 200 is not installed to a printer 100 to a state where the ink ribbon cassette 200 is installed to the printer 100, a CPU 151 sets one of the external devices 600A-600C as a manager device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, its control method, and program, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus that prints image data from a plurality of external devices, its control method, and its program.

Image processing apparatuses such as printers (hereinafter simply referred to as printers) are often shared by a plurality of users. That is, the printer is configured to be connectable to a plurality of external devices such as smartphones and personal computers, and can print image data sent from smartphones and personal computers. However, if a large number of unspecified users are permitted to use the printer from a plurality of external devices that can be connected to the printer, there is a problem that the consumption of paper and ink increases. Therefore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200003 describes a method of setting a function to be permitted to be used for each external device used by each user so that each user can use only the permitted functions.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-344128

However, with the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200010, even a user who prepares consumables such as ink and paper for use in the printer and sets them in the printer can only use the permitted functions. For this reason, we do not limit the functions that can be used for external devices used by users who set consumables in the printer. , it is desirable to limit the functions that can be used depending on the situation.

For example, if unlimited printing is permitted from an external device used by a user who has not prepared consumables, the consumables will run out before the user who prepared the consumables can use them. may not be able to print. Therefore, it is desirable to limit usable functions so that users who do not prepare consumables cannot print unlimitedly from external devices used by them.

Also, since consumables are not always prepared by the same user, it is necessary to identify the external device used by the user who sets the consumables in the printer each time the consumables are set in the printer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image display device that can identify an external device used by a user who has set a consumable and restrict the functions available in the external device used by other users each time a consumable is set. It is to provide a processing device, its control method, and a program.

In order to solve the above problems, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention is an image processing apparatus that is connected to a plurality of external devices, in which consumables of the image processing apparatus are changed from a state in which consumables are not attached to a state in which they are attached. The apparatus is characterized by comprising setting means for setting one of the plurality of external devices as an administrator device in response to detection of switching.

According to the present invention, every time a consumable is set, the external device used by the user who set the consumable can be specified, and the functions available in the external device used by other users can be restricted.

1 is a perspective view showing an entire printer as an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette in FIG. 1; 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink ribbon cassette; FIG. FIG. 4 is a developed view of the ink ribbon in FIG. 3; 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printer; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing operation of the printer; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing operation of the printer; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of administrator device setting processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a diagram showing a display screen notified to the external device in FIG. 5 according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of print processing when image data is received from an external device that is the administrator device set in step S806 of FIG. 8. FIG. This is a printer setting screen displayed on an external device. 4 is a flowchart of print processing executed in the printer; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the result of image combination performed in step S1204 of FIG. 12; FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a subroutine of print processing executed in step S1008 of FIG. 10 and step S1205 of FIG. 14; FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of administrator device setting processing according to the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. FIG.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire printer 100 as an image processing apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of the printer 100 viewed from the top side, and FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view of the printer 100 viewed from the bottom side.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the printer 100 has a power button 101 and a display unit 102 on its top surface, and a cover 103 and an ink ribbon cassette insertion opening 104 on its side surface.

A power button 101 is a button for turning on the power of the printer 100 when pressed by the user.

The display unit 102 can blink and light up, and the display unit 102 lights up when the power of the printer 100 is turned on. A case where the display unit 102 blinks will be described later.

The lid 103 is configured to be openable and closable in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the ink ribbon cassette insertion port 104 is inside the printer 100, and the user can insert and remove the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the arrow B direction with the lid 103 open.

As shown in FIG. 1B, a paper cover 105 and a paper stacking section 106 are arranged on the bottom surface of the printer 100 .

The paper cover 105 is a cover pivotally supported so as to be openable and closable in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG.

The paper stacking unit 106 is located inside the printer 100 as shown in FIG. can. The sheets 300 loaded in the sheet stacking unit 106 are drawn into the printer 100 sheet by sheet by a sheet feeding mechanism provided in the printer 100, which will be described later.

The ink ribbon cassette 200 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 200. FIG. 2A is a top perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 200, and FIG. 2B is a bottom perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 200. FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 200. FIG.

The housing portion of the ink ribbon cassette 200 is composed of an upper case 201, a first lower case 202, and a second lower case 203, as shown in FIGS. Upper case 201, first lower case 202, and second lower case 203 are made of resin.

Inside the housing of the ink ribbon cassette 200, a supply bobbin 204, a take-up bobbin 205, and an ink ribbon 210 are arranged.

Both the supply bobbin 204 and the take-up bobbin 205 have the same shape and are made of resin, and the ink ribbon 210 is wound around the supply bobbin 204 . The supply bobbin 204 is rotatably held by the upper case 201 and the first lower case 202 , and the winding bobbin 205 is rotatably held by the upper case 201 and the second lower case 203 . By rotating the take-up bobbin 205 , the ink ribbon 210 wound around the supply bobbin 204 can be wound around the take-up bobbin 205 . The upper case 201 has a first bridge portion 201A (FIG. 2(a)) and a second bridge portion 201B (FIG. 2(b)). The supply bobbin 204 and the take-up bobbin 205 can be held at a constant interval by the first bridge portion 201A and the second bridge portion 201B.

FIG. 4 is a developed view of the ink ribbon 210. As shown in FIG.

The ink ribbon 210 has a yellow dye 211, a magenta dye 212, a cyan dye 213, and an overcoat layer 214 applied in order as shown in FIG. there is The marker 215 is a black line, and can detect that the marker 215 blocks light emitted by an ink ribbon sensor, which will be described later. Two markers 215 are applied to the leading portion of the yellow dye 211, while one marker 215 is applied to the leading portion of the other colors. This distinguishes the leading portion of the yellow dye 211 from the leading portions of other colors. This distinction is made by an ink ribbon sensor, and the printer 100 can recognize the top position of the yellow dye 211 based on this identification result.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printer 100. As shown in FIG.

5, the printer 100 includes a CPU 151, a ROM 152, a RAM 153, a print control section 154, an ink cassette detection section 155, and a communication section 156, in addition to the power button 101 and the display section 102 described above.

A CPU 151 performs system control and arithmetic processing of the printer 100 . A ROM 152 stores a system control program for the printer 100 and other programs. The CPU 151 reads a program from the ROM 152 and controls each part based on the read program.

The RAM 153 temporarily stores image data. The print control unit 154 generates print data based on the image data stored in the RAM 153 and transmits the print data to a print unit (not shown in FIG. 5) for printing.

The ink cassette detector 155 can detect whether the ink ribbon cassette 200 is attached to the printer 100 .

The communication unit 156 controls communication with a plurality of external devices 600 such as smartphones and personal computers connected to the printer 100 . That is, the printer 100 is configured to be connectable with a plurality of external devices 600 . In this embodiment, an example in which three external devices 600A, 600B, and 600C are connected to the printer 100 will be described.

6 and 7 are cross-sectional views showing the printing operation of the printer 100. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view showing the printer 100 in the standby state, FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view showing the paper feeding operation of the printer 100, and FIG. 6C is the printer 100. is a cross-sectional view showing the state of completion of the paper feeding operation. 7A is a cross-sectional view showing the printer 100 at the start of printing, FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view showing the printer 100 during printing, and FIG. It is a sectional view showing a state after paper.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the printer 100 includes a thermal head 110, a head support shaft 112, a head arm 111, a radiator plate 114, a platen roller 120, a paper feed roller 130, a separation plate 131, and a paper guide 132 . The printer 100 also includes a paper feed sensor 141 , a paper discharge sensor 142 , an ink ribbon sensor 150 , an ink cassette detector 155 , a transport roller 160 , a driven roller 161 and an internal battery 170 .

The head arm 111 is rotatably supported around a head support shaft 112 . The thermal head 110 is supported by a head arm 111 and is rotatable from the standby position shown in FIG. 6A to the printing position shown in FIG. be able to.

As shown in FIG. 6A, in the standby state, the thermal head 110 is urged clockwise around the head support shaft 112 by a head urging spring (not shown). The thermal head 110 is regulated at a waiting position where the distance from the platen roller 120 is maximized so as not to interfere with the insertion and removal of the ink ribbon cassette 200 . The heat sink 114 is attached to the thermal head 110 and is configured to transfer the heat generated by the thermal head 110 to the heat sink 114 . The platen roller 120 is rotatably arranged in the printer 100 and configured to rotate as the paper 300 is conveyed.

The paper feed roller 130 can be driven and rotated by a drive source (not shown). Further, the paper feed roller 130 can move from a retracted position separated from the paper 300 shown in FIG. 6A to a paper feed position in contact with the paper 300 shown in FIG. 6B.

The paper guide 132 is lifted by the paper 300 when the paper is fed, and is rotatably supported from the position shown in FIG. 6(a) to the position shown in FIG. 6(b). Also, the paper guide 132 is always urged downward and is in a position in contact with the separation plate 131 shown in FIG. 6(a).

The paper feed sensor 141 and the paper discharge sensor 142 are sensors that detect the presence or absence of the paper 300 by irradiating the rear surface of the paper 300 with light and detecting the reflected light of the irradiated light.

The ink ribbon sensor 150 is a sensor that irradiates the wall surface of the ink ribbon cassette 200 with light and detects the reflected light of the irradiated light. When the reflected light is blocked by the marker 215, the position of the marker 215 is detected. . The ink cassette detection unit 155 is a sensor that detects that the ink ribbon cassette 200 is attached to the printer 100 by irradiating the upper case 201 of the ink ribbon cassette 200 with light and detecting the reflected light of the irradiated light. .

The transport roller 160 can be driven and rotated by a drive source (not shown). The driven roller 161 is a driven roller that faces the conveying roller 160 and is configured to rotate following the rotation of the conveying roller 160 .

The internal battery 170 is housed above the paper 300 inside the printer 100 . The built-in battery 170 is a lithium-ion secondary battery, and is configured to be chargeable by receiving power supply from an external power source (not shown).

Next, referring to FIGS. 6 to 9, the operation of setting administrator devices from a plurality of external devices 600 connected to the printer 100 will be described.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of administrator device setting processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display screen notified to the external device 600 according to this embodiment.

In the printer 100, when the user presses the power button 101 to turn on the power of the printer 100, the CPU 151 starts executing the administrator device setting process shown in FIG.

In step S801, the CPU 151 uses the ink cassette detector 155 to determine whether the ink ribbon cassette 200 is attached to the printer 100 or not. When the ink ribbon cassette 200 is detected by the ink cassette detection unit 155 and the CPU 151 determines that the ink ribbon cassette 200 is installed, this process is terminated. On the other hand, if the ink ribbon cassette 200 is not detected by the ink cassette detection unit 155 within the specified time from the start of the processing in FIG.

In step S802, the CPU 151 uses the ink cassette detection unit 155 to determine whether the ink ribbon cassette 200 is attached to the printer 100 thereafter. That is, it is determined whether or not the state of the ink cassette detection unit 155 has changed from the state in which the ink ribbon cassette 200 is not detected to the state in which the ink ribbon cassette 200 is detected. When the CPU 151 determines that the ink ribbon cassette 200 is attached to the printer 100 (YES in step S802), the process proceeds to step S803.

In step S<b>803 , the CPU 151 uses the communication unit 156 to notify the external device 600 of a message as to whether or not administrator setting is to be performed. Specifically, an instruction to display the screen shown in FIG. 9A is sent as a message to all of the external devices 600 (external devices 600A to 600C) connected to the printer 100. FIG. In the external devices 600A to 600C, the screen shown in FIG. 9A is displayed according to the display instruction notified from the printer 100 in step S803.

In this embodiment, a case will be described below in which user A, who has attached the ink ribbon cassette 200 to the printer 100, uses the external device 600A, and users B and C use the external devices 600B and 600C.

When user A selects a YES button 901 on the screen shown in FIG. 9A displayed on external device 600A, an administrator setting signal is transmitted from external device 600A to printer 100. FIG. Here, the administrator setting signal is a signal for notifying the printer 100 that the external device 600A is about to be registered as an administrator device (applying for administrator). Upon receiving the administrator setting signal, CPU 151 transmits an instruction to display the notification screen shown in FIG. 9B to external device 600A, which is the transmission source of the administrator setting signal. In response to this display instruction, the external device 600A indicates that it can be set as an administrator device by holding down the power button 101 for a specified time (here, two seconds) or longer, as shown in FIG. 9B. A notification screen showing It should be noted that the purpose of this embodiment is to enable administrator authority to be granted to a user who has replaced consumables such as an ink ribbon cassette. Therefore, before displaying the screen of FIG. 9A, the external device 600 displays a replacement confirmation screen including a message "Have you replaced the ink ribbon cassette/paper?" and buttons indicating "Yes" and "No." may be displayed. In this case, only the external device 600 for which the "Yes" button has been selected on the replacement confirmation screen may display the screen of FIG. On the other hand, the external device 600 for which the "No" button has been selected on the replacement confirmation screen is set as the administrator device in the same way as when the NO button 902 on the screen shown in FIG. 9A is selected. The printer 100 is notified via the communication unit that the printer 100 is not to be printed.

User A can set external device 600A as an administrator device by continuing to press (long press) power button 101 for two seconds or more according to the notification screen shown in FIG. 9B of external device 600A. That is, when the power button 101 is pressed for two seconds or longer, the CPU 151 (setting means) sets the external device 600A (first external device), which is the transmission source of the administrator setting signal, as the administrator device. do.

In the administrator device setting process of the present invention, after the CPU 151 receives the administrator setting signal from the external device 600A, the external device 600A is set as the administrator device when the printer 100 is operated in a predetermined manner. However, it is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the predetermined operation on the printer 100 is not a long press of the power button 101 for two seconds or longer as in the present embodiment, but two continuous operations (double-click) on the power button 101, or a non-operation of the printer 100. The operation may be performed on the illustrated touch panel screen. Further, although it is desirable to prompt user A to perform a predetermined operation on the printer 100 as in the present embodiment, the notification screen shown in FIG. 9B may not be displayed on the external device 600A. For example, the CPU 151 may blink an LED lamp (not shown) of the printer 100 instead of displaying the notification screen of FIG. You may make it produce a sound. Also, the notification screen of FIG. 9B may be displayed on the touch panel screen (not shown) of the printer 100 .

In step S804, it is determined whether or not the external device 600 has received a signal indicating that the YES button has been pressed (administrator setting signal). Specifically, as described above, it is determined whether or not one of the YES button 901 and the NO button 902 has been selected on the screen of FIG. 9A displayed on the external devices 600A to 600C. When YES button 901 is selected on any one of external devices 600A to 600C, CPU 151 displays the screen shown in FIG. After notifying the instruction, the process proceeds to step S805. On the other hand, if the NO button 902 has been selected for all of the external devices 600A to 600C, the process ends. It is conceivable that neither the YES button 901 nor the NO button 902 is selected because the user of the external device 600 connected to the printer 100 does not notice that the screen of FIG. 9A is displayed. . Therefore, if neither the YES button 901 nor the NO button 902 is operated within a predetermined period of time (for example, 30 seconds), it may be assumed that the NO button 902 has been operated and processing may proceed. In this case, the external device 600 may notify the printer 100 that the NO button 902 has been operated after 30 seconds have elapsed. Alternatively, the printer 100 may assume that the NO button 902 has been operated and proceed with the process if there is no button operation notification from the external device 600 for a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds). Processing after step S805 will be described below, taking as an example a case where the YES button 901 is selected only in the external device 600A.

In step S805, the CPU 151 determines whether the power button 101 has been pressed for a specified time or longer. If it is determined that the power button 101 has been pressed for the specified time or more (YES in step S805), the process proceeds to step S806. On the other hand, if the power button 101 has been pressed for less than the specified time, it is determined that the administrator application has been canceled, and the process returns to step S803. In the above description, cancellation of the administrator application is performed by pressing the power button 101 of the printer 100. In this case, the printer 100 can be turned off by pressing the power button 101 during administrator settings. It's gone. Therefore, the administrator application may be canceled by operating another button. Alternatively, the external device 600 displays an administrator application cancel button, and in response to the operation (touch) of the administrator application cancel button, the external device 600 cancels the administrator application to the printer 100. may be notified.

In step S806, the CPU 151 determines that the user A, who has loaded the ink ribbon cassette 200 into the printer 100, has pressed the power button 101 for a specified time or longer, and sets the external device 600A as the administrator device.

In step S803, the screen shown in FIG. 9A is also displayed on the external devices 600B and 600C. Therefore, it is conceivable that either user B or C, who does not have the ink ribbon cassette 200 attached to the printer 100, selects the YES button 901 displayed on the external device 600B or 600C before user A. . However, in this case, the screen displayed on the external device 600A of the user A who has attached the ink ribbon cassette 200 to the printer 100 is switched from the screen shown in FIG. 9(a) to the screen shown in FIG. 9(c). As a result, user A knows that either user B or C is trying to register a device other than external device 600A (external device 600B or external device 600C) as an administrator device (applying for administrator). . Furthermore, user A who has loaded the ink ribbon cassette 200 into the printer 100 can press the power button 101 to cancel the administrator application. When the screen shown in FIG. 9C is displayed, the cancellation operation of the administrator application can be performed by pressing other buttons of the printer 100 as in the case where the notification screen shown in FIG. 9B is displayed. It may be an operation or an operation to a cancel button displayed on the external device 600 .

As described above, in step S805, the user A pressed the power button 101, but if the pressed time is less than the specified time, it is determined that the administrator application by the user A has been canceled, and the process returns to step S803. After returning to step S803, the CPU 151 notifies the external device 600A, the external device 600B, and the external device 600C of the display instruction of the screen shown in FIG. 9A again. Therefore, the user A who has installed the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the printer 100 can set the external device 600A as the administrator device in response to this re-notification.

Further, in this embodiment, immediately before the process of step S805 in which it is determined whether or not the power button 101 has been pressed for a specified time, the user A operates the printer 100 to mount the ink ribbon cassette 200 to the printer 100. there is That is, when the process of step S805 starts, the user A who has been operating the printer 100 immediately before can operate the printer 100 (press the power button 101). This prevents the CPU 151 from erroneously setting another user as an administrator.

In step S<b>807 , the CPU 151 locks the ink ribbon cassette 200 so that users B and C cannot remove it from the printer 100 . Specifically, the CPU 151 moves the thermal head 110 from the standby position shown in FIG. 6(a) to the intermediate position shown in FIG. 6(b). Therefore, the thermal head 110 comes to a position where it interferes with the second bridge portion 201B of the ink ribbon cassette 200, and the ink ribbon cassette 200 can be prevented from being removed from the printer 100. FIG. Although the details of this unlocking method are omitted, it can be executed only by the device set as the administrator device in step S806 among the external devices 600A to 600C. After performing this lock, this processing is terminated.

According to this process, after setting the administrator's device, the ink ribbon cassette 200 is locked from being attached to or detached from the printer 100 . This prevents a user other than user A, who has installed the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the printer 100, from removing the ink ribbon cassette 200 from the printer 100 and starting the administrator device setting process of FIG. 8 again. Specifically, even if a user other than user A attempts to start the administrator device setting process of FIG. This process ends immediately after starting. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a new administrator device from being set after the administrator device has been set.

In the above description, in step S803, all connected external devices 600 are notified to display a screen asking whether or not to perform administrator settings. However, instead of notifying all the external devices 600 at once, the administrator setting may be notified to the external devices 600 one by one. In this case, first, one of the external devices 600 is caused to display a replacement confirmation screen for allowing the user to select whether or not the ink ribbon/paper has been replaced using Yes and No buttons. If the Yes button is selected on the replacement confirmation screen, the external device 600 is caused to display the screen of FIG. The operation notifies that the administrator setting is possible and prompts the administrator setting. Since only one user has replaced the ink ribbon/paper, if the user of the external device 600 who presses the Yes button on the replacement confirmation screen does not perform the administrator setting, the processing in FIG. 8 is terminated. good too. If the screen of FIG. 9B is displayed, the process of step S805 is executed, and if the power button 101 is pressed for a specified time or longer, the external device 600 that is applying for administrator is set as the administrator device. When the No button is selected on the replacement confirmation screen, the next external device 600 is caused to display the replacement confirmation screen. If a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) has elapsed since the replacement confirmation screen was displayed on the next external device 600 (after the printer 100 notified the next external device 600), the No button is pressed as described above. may be considered to have been selected, and the process may proceed. If the No button is selected on the replacement confirmation screen for all external devices 600 (corresponding to No in step S804), the process of FIG. 8 ends without setting administrator authority.

Next, with reference to FIG. 10, functions that can be operated by user A on the printer 100 using the external device 600A when the external device 600A is set as the administrator device will be described.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of print processing when image data is received from the external device 600A, which is the administrator device set in step S806 of FIG. This processing is executed by the CPU 151 reading a program from the ROM 152 and based on the read program.

First, in step S1001, CPU 151 receives image data from external device 600 via communication unit 156 (step S1001).

In step S1001a, the CPU 151 determines whether the received image data was sent from the administrator device (external device 600A). Here, all the image data transmitted from the external device 600 is attached with metadata including the ID of the transmission source device, and the CPU 151 uses the metadata to perform determination in step S1001a. If the received image data has been sent from a device other than the administrator's device (NO in step S1001a), this processing ends. On the other hand, if the received image data has been transmitted from the administrator device (YES in step S1001a), the process advances to step S1002. If the printer 100 is printing, the image data sent from a device other than the administrator's device is spooled. A well-known printing process is executed.

In step S1002, the CPU 151 determines whether the printer 100 is printing. If the printer 100 is not printing (NO in step S1002), the process advances to step S1008, and the CPU 151 causes the print control unit 154 to generate print data based on the received image data, and transmits the print data to the printing unit for printing. Executes the print processing to be performed. If the printer 100 is printing (YES in step S1002), the process advances to step S1003, and the CPU 151 temporarily saves the image data in the RAM 153. FIG.

In step S1004, the CPU 151 creates a print standby job list from the image data stored in the RAM 153 and waits for printing.

In step S1005, CPU 151 determines whether or not a cancel instruction has been received from the administrator device (external device 600A). The administrator device (external device 600A) has a display function of acquiring from the printer 100 a list of image data being printed or waiting to be printed by the printer 100 and displaying it on the screen in a user-selectable manner. Furthermore, the administrator device (external device 600A) accepts a user input of an instruction to cancel printing of image data selected by the user from the obtained list of image data being printed or waiting to be printed, and accepts an instruction to transmit the instruction to the printer 100. have a function. When the CPU 151 receives a print cancel instruction from the administrator device (external device 600A) (YES in step S1005), the CPU 151 stops printing the image data for which the print cancel instruction has been issued, and proceeds to step S1007. On the other hand, if the CPU 151 does not receive a print cancel instruction from the administrator device (external device 600A) (NO in step S1005), the process proceeds to step S1006.

In step S1007, the CPU 151 issues an error notification indicating that printing has been canceled by the administrator device (external device 600A), and sends an error notification to the source (external device 600B or external device) of the image data for which the print cancellation instruction was issued in step S1005. 600C). After that, this process is terminated.

In step S1006, the CPU 151 determines whether or not the waiting for printing of the image data started in step S1004 has ended. If the print standby has not ended (NO in step S1006), the process returns to step S1005. On the other hand, if the print standby has ended (YES in step S1006), the process advances to step S1008.

In step S1008, the CPU 151 executes print processing in which print data is created by the print control unit 154 from the image data temporarily stored in the RAM 153 in step S1003 and printed, and this processing ends.

In this embodiment, while image data received from non-administrator devices (external devices 600B and 600C) is being printed by the printer 100, the user A uses the external device 600A to print the image data or print the image data from the standby non-administrator device. You can cancel printing of image data. In other words, user A, who has installed the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the printer 100, can cancel the printing of data other than the image data he has sent to the printer 100. FIG. Therefore, for example, when printer 100 receives a large amount of image data from external device 600B or external device 600C, user A can cancel the printing at external device 600A. As a result, it is possible to prevent a large amount of the ink ribbon 210 from being consumed contrary to user A's intention.

Next, setting of the print mode of the printer 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. FIG.

FIG. 11 is a setting screen of the printer 100 displayed on the external device 600. As shown in FIG. FIG. 11A shows a setting screen of the printer 100 displayed on the external device 600A set as the administrator device, and FIG. 11B shows the external device 600 not set as the administrator device (here, This is a setting screen of the printer 100 displayed on the external device 600B).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of print processing executed in printer 100, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the result of image combination executed in step S1204 of FIG.

All of the external devices 600A, 600B, and 600C connected to the printer 100 can change or refer to the settings of the printer 100. FIG. As shown in FIG. 11A, the settings of the printer 100 include print mode 1101, surface finish 1104, and automatic correction 1007 items. In the external device 600A set as the administrator device, normal printing 1102 and combined printing 1103 are displayed as print modes 1101 so that the user can select them. FIG. 11A shows a state in which the combined printing 1103 is selected by the user in the external device 600A. User A has selected the combined printing 1103 by thickening the frame line of the combining printing 1103. FIG. can recognize The setting of the print mode 1101 selected by the user in the external device 600A is transmitted from the external device 600A to the printer 100 and set in the printer 100. FIG. Also, the printer 100 transmits the setting of the print mode 1101 to all the external devices 600 . Details of the combined printing 1103 will be described later.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11B, on the setting screens of the external devices 600B and 600C that are not set as administrator devices, the print mode 1101 (here, combined printing 1103) set and sent by the printer 100 is changed. It cannot be done and is fixed. However, the external devices 600B and 600C can refer to the print mode 1101 set in the printer 100 . For example, in the setting screen of the printer 100 displayed on the external device 600B when the combined printing 1103 is selected by the user on the external device 600A shown in FIG. 11B, the normal printing 1102 is grayed out and cannot be selected by the user. . Therefore, on the setting screen in FIG. 11B, user B cannot change the print mode 1101 to normal printing, but it can be seen that the current print mode 1101 is set to combined printing 1103 .

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the surface finish 1104 is the gloss 1105 or Semigloss 1106 can be selected/changed. Similarly, in the automatic correction 1007, ON 1108 or OFF 1109 can be selected/changed for both the external device 600A set as the administrator device and the external devices 600B and 600C not set as the administrator device. . That is, when the settings of the surface finish 1104 and automatic correction 1007 are changed in one of the external devices 600A to 600C, the changed settings are sent to the printer 100 and set by the printer 100. FIG. Also, the printer 100 transmits the set surface finish 1104 and automatic correction 1007 settings to all the external devices 600 . Therefore, the settings after the change are displayed on the setting screens of all the external devices 600 .

Next, the combined printing 1103 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of print processing in FIG.

When the user presses the power button 101 to turn on the power of the printer 100, the CPU 151 reads a program from the ROM 152 and starts executing print processing based on the read program.

In step S<b>1201 , when CPU 151 receives image data from external device 600 via communication unit 156 , CPU 151 stores the data in RAM 153 .

In step S<b>1202 , the CPU 151 determines whether the setting of the print mode 1101 of the printer 100 is combined printing 1103 .

As a result of the determination in step S1202, if the setting of the print mode 1101 of the printer 100 is normal print 1102 instead of combined print 1103 (NO in step S1202), the process advances to step S1205. In step S1205, the CPU 151 creates print data in the print control unit 154 based on the image data received in step S1201, executes print processing for printing, and ends the process.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S1202 is that the print mode 1101 of the printer 100 is combined printing 1103 (YES in step S1202), the process advances to step S1203. In step S1203, the CPU 151 determines whether or not the image data received in step S1201 is the specified number of image data. Note that the prescribed number of sheets is the number of sheets of image data to be combined and printed 1103, and the prescribed number of sheets is set by the user in the external device 600A set as the administrator device.

As a result of the determination in step S1203, if the number of image data received by the printer 100 is less than the specified number (NO in step S1203), the process returns to step S1201. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S1203, if the number of image data received by the printer 100 has reached the prescribed number (YES in step S1203), the process advances to step S1204.

In step S<b>1204 , the CPU 151 combines images based on the image data stored in the RAM 153 . The image combination processing when the prescribed number of sheets is four will be described below. FIGS. 13A and 13B show an example of the result of combining images when the specified number of sheets is set to four. Images 1301 and 1304 are images received from external device 600A, image 1302 is an image received from external device 600B, and image 1303 is an image received from external device 600C. When the printer 100 receives the image data of the four images 1301 to 1304, which is the prescribed number of sheets, from any of the external devices 600A to 600C, the printer 100 arranges the images 1301 to 1304 in an arbitrary layout, and prints all the received images 1301 to 1304. coalesce. Thus, one sheet of image data is created. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13A, one sheet of image data is created in which all images 1301 to 1304 are arranged in the same size. It should be noted that a layout different from the layout shown in FIG. 13A may be changed by the user using the external device 600A set as the administrator device. For example, the image of the image data received last (here, image 1304) is arranged large in the upper row, and the remaining images 1301 to 1303 are arranged in the lower row in small order from the left in the order of reception (Fig. 13(b)). 600A may be made user-changeable.

In step S1205, the CPU 151 executes print processing in which the print control unit 154 creates print data from the image data created by combining the images in step S1204, transmits the data to the printing unit, and prints the data. finish.

As described above, in this embodiment, the setting of the print mode 1101 of the printer 100 can be changed only in the external device 600A set as the administrator device, and the print mode 1101 can be changed in the external devices 600B and 600C that are not set as the administrator device. made it impossible to change. Specifically, users B and C are prevented from changing combined printing 1103 set in the print mode 1101 of the printer 100 by the user A with the external device 600A to normal printing 1102 with the external devices 600B and 600C. Here, in the combined printing 1103, four image data require one ink ribbon 210, but in normal printing, one image requires one ink ribbon 210. will be consumed. That is, the setting of the print mode 1101 of the printer 100 can be changed only for the external device 600 set as the administrator, thereby avoiding the consumption of a large amount of the ink ribbon 210 against the intention of the user A. be able to.

Next, details of print processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 14 is a flow chart of a print processing subroutine executed in step S1008 of FIG. 10 and step S1205 of FIG.

In step S1401, when the printing unit starts reading (receiving) the print data generated by the print control unit 154, the display unit 102 starts blinking display indicating the print data reading state. When the printing unit has finished reading the print data, the CPU 151 changes the display on the display unit 102 from blinking to lighting, and proceeds to step S1402.

In step S1402, the CPU 151 starts paper feeding. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the paper feed roller 130 is rotated clockwise by a driving source (not shown) in a state of contact with the paper 300, and the paper 300 is moved through the printer 100. Carry inwards. As a result, the paper 300 comes into contact with the separation plate 131 provided in the printer 100, and the leading edge of the paper 300 pushes up the paper guide 132. As shown in FIG. As a result, only the topmost sheet of the paper 300 is conveyed by the paper feed roller 130 .

In step S1403, the CPU 151 determines whether or not the paper feed port sensor 141 has detected the paper 300 that has been fed in step S1402. As a result of the determination in step S1403, if the sheet 300 is detected by the paper feed slot sensor 141 (YES in step S1403), the process proceeds to step S1404. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S1403, if the sheet 300 is not detected by the paper feed slot sensor 141 within the specified time (NO in step S1403), the process proceeds to step S1405. In step S1405, the CPU 151 determines that the paper 300 is not loaded in the paper stacking unit 106 of the printer 100, and notifies the external device 600 of the error content to the effect that the paper 300 could not be fed. exit.

In step S1404, the CPU 151 stops the rotation of the paper feeding roller 130 to temporarily stop the paper feeding operation, and then proceeds to step S1406.

In step S 1406 , the CPU 151 starts the cueing operation of the yellow dye 211 of the ink ribbon 210 . Specifically, the CPU 151 causes the winding bobbin 205 arranged in the ink ribbon cassette 200 to engage with an engaging portion provided in the printer 100, and rotates the winding bobbin 205 by a driving source (not shown). Rotate counterclockwise. As a result, the ink ribbon 210 wound around the supply bobbin 204 is wound around the take-up bobbin 205 . As shown in FIG. 4, a marker 215 is provided at the head of each color of the ink ribbon 210, and two markers 215 are provided at the head of the yellow dye 211 in particular. The CPU 151 detects the marker 215 by the ink ribbon sensor 150 (FIG. 6), which is a reflective optical sensor, while the ink ribbon 210 is being wound. At this time, if the ink ribbon sensor 150 continuously detects two markers 215 within the specified time (YES in step S1407), the process proceeds to step S1408. In step S1408, the CPU 151 determines that the cueing of the yellow dye 211 has been completed, and proceeds to step S1410. On the other hand, if the two markers 215 are not continuously detected within the predetermined time after the start of winding the ink ribbon 210 (NO in step S1407), the process proceeds to step S1409. . In step S1409, the CPU 151 determines that there is no ink ribbon 210 remaining in the ink ribbon cassette 200 loaded in the printer 100, and causes the display section 102 to blink. Further, the CPU 151 notifies the external device 600 of the error content indicating that there is no ink ribbon 210 remaining in the ink ribbon cassette 200, and terminates this process.

In step S1410, the CPU 151 restarts paper feeding. Specifically, the paper feeding roller 130 is rotated clockwise toward FIG. 6 by a driving source (not shown) to restart the paper feeding operation. The paper 300 is conveyed in the arrow D direction by the rotation of the paper feed roller 130 . At this time, since the transport roller 160 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. It enters the nip position and is further conveyed in the arrow D direction. When the paper 300 is nipped by the transport roller 160 and the driven roller 161 and transported in the direction of arrow D, the paper feed roller 130 stops rotating and is pushed up to the retracted position shown in FIG. 6(c). After the conveying roller 160 stops rotating, it is rotated clockwise in the figure by a drive source (not shown) to convey the paper 300 in the arrow E direction. At this time, since the paper guide 132 is pushed down to the position shown in FIG. After starting paper feeding in step S1410, the CPU 151 detects the position of the leading end of the paper 300 in the conveying direction with the paper feed port sensor 141, conveys the paper 300 by the paper feed roller 130 by a specified distance, and then starts the conveyance. Stop and proceed to step S1411. In step S1411, the CPU 151 determines that the paper 300 has stopped at the print start position shown in FIG. 7A, completes the paper feeding operation, and proceeds to step S1412.

In step S1412, the CPU 151 performs yellow printing. Specifically, the CPU 151 rotates the head arm 111 to stop the thermal head 110 at the printing position shown in FIG. . After that, the CPU 151 causes the heating element of the thermal head 110 to generate heat according to the print signal given from the print control unit 154 while conveying the paper 300 in the direction of the arrow D by the conveying roller 160 . As a result, the yellow dye 211 on the ink ribbon 210 is thermally transferred to the paper 300 to perform yellow printing. While yellow printing is being performed, the ink ribbon 210 is transported in the direction of arrow D at the same transport speed as the paper 300 while being wound by the winding bobbin 205 rotated by a driving source (not shown).

When the yellow printing in step S1412 is completed, the CPU 151 proceeds to step S1413 to perform the return operation in order to perform magenta printing next. Specifically, first, the CPU 151 rotates the head arm 111 to release the pressure contact between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120, and stops the thermal head 110 at the intermediate position shown in FIG. 6(c). After that, the CPU 151 transports the paper 300 in the direction of arrow E to the print start position shown in FIG. At the same time, the CPU 151 starts rotating the take-up bobbin 205. When the ink ribbon sensor 150 detects the marker 215 provided at the head of the magenta dye 212, the CPU 151 stops the rotation of the take-up bobbin 205 and aligns the magenta dye 212. to complete. As a result, the CPU 151 determines that the return operation has been completed, and advances to step S1414.

In step S1414, the CPU 151 performs magenta printing. Specifically, the CPU 151 executes magenta printing in the same manner as the above-described yellow printing. That is, the CPU 151 rotates the head arm 111 to stop the thermal head 110 at the printing position shown in FIG. After that, the CPU 151 causes the heating element of the thermal head 110 to generate heat according to the print signal given from the print control unit 154 while conveying the paper 300 in the direction of the arrow D by the conveying roller 160 . As a result, the magenta dye 212 on the ink ribbon 210 is thermally transferred to the paper 300 to perform magenta printing. While magenta printing is being performed, the ink ribbon 210 is conveyed in the direction of arrow D at the same conveying speed as the paper 300 while being wound by the winding bobbin 205 rotated by a driving source (not shown).

After completing the magenta printing in step S1414, the process advances to step S1415, and the CPU 151 performs the same return operation as in step S1413. Specifically, first, the CPU 151 rotates the head arm 111 to release the pressure contact between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120, and stops the thermal head 110 at the intermediate position shown in FIG. 6(c). After that, the CPU 151 transports the paper 300 in the direction of arrow E to the print start position shown in FIG. At the same time, the CPU 151 starts rotating the take-up bobbin 205. When the ink ribbon sensor 150 detects the marker 215 provided at the head of the cyan dye 213, the CPU 151 stops the rotation of the take-up bobbin 205 and moves the cyan dye 213 to the top. to complete. As a result, the CPU 151 determines that the return operation has been completed, and advances to step S1416.

In step S1416, the CPU 151 performs cyan printing. Specifically, the CPU 151 executes cyan printing in the same manner as the above-described yellow printing. That is, the CPU 151 rotates the head arm 111 to stop the thermal head 110 at the printing position shown in FIG. After that, the CPU 151 causes the heating element of the thermal head 110 to generate heat according to the print signal given from the print control unit 154 while conveying the paper 300 in the direction of the arrow D by the conveying roller 160 . As a result, the cyan dye 213 on the ink ribbon 210 is thermally transferred to the paper 300 to perform cyan printing. During cyan printing, the ink ribbon 210 is conveyed in the direction of arrow D at the same conveying speed as the paper 300 while being wound by the winding bobbin 205 rotated by a driving source (not shown).

Next, the CPU 151 performs three-color printing of yellow, magenta, and cyan on the paper 300 in steps S1412 to S1416, and then reduces deterioration of the image printed on the paper 300 due to external factors. Perform overcoat printing. Therefore, in step S1417, the CPU 151 first performs a return operation similar to that in step S1413. Specifically, first, the CPU 151 rotates the head arm 111 to release the pressure contact between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120, and stops the thermal head 110 at the intermediate position shown in FIG. 6(c). After that, the CPU 151 transports the paper 300 in the direction of arrow E to the print start position shown in FIG. At the same time, the CPU 151 starts rotating the winding bobbin 205 , and when the ink ribbon sensor 150 detects the marker 215 provided at the top of the overcoat layer 214 , stops the rotation of the winding bobbin 205 and the overcoat layer 214 . Complete cueing. As a result, the CPU 151 determines that the return operation has been completed, and advances to step S1418.

In step S1418, the CPU 151 performs overcoat printing. Specifically, the CPU 151 executes overcoat printing in the same manner as the above-described yellow printing. That is, the CPU 151 rotates the head arm 111 to stop the thermal head 110 at the printing position shown in FIG. After that, the CPU 151 conveys the paper 300 in the direction of the arrow D by the conveying roller 160 and causes the heating element of the thermal head 110 to generate heat according to the print signal given from the print control unit 154 . As a result, the overcoat layer 214 on the ink ribbon 210 is thermally transferred to the paper 300, and overcoat printing is performed. While overcoat printing is being performed, the ink ribbon 210 is transported in the direction of arrow D at the same transport speed as the paper 300 while being taken up by the take-up bobbin 205 rotated by a driving source (not shown).

In step S1419, the CPU 151 performs a paper ejection operation after overcoat printing is completed. Specifically, the CPU 151 first rotates the transport roller 160 counterclockwise in the drawing to eject the paper 300, and the paper 300 is removed from the nip between the transport roller 160 and the driven roller 161 as shown in FIG. Carry it to the indicated position. At this time, since the paper 300 is in a state of being detected by the paper exit sensor 142 , the CPU 151 turns on the display unit 102 and notifies the external device 600 to remove the printed paper 300 . After that, the user removes the printed paper 300, and when the CPU 151 detects that the paper 300 has been removed by the paper ejection port sensor 142, it determines that the paper ejection operation is completed, and ends this processing.

(Second embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIG.

It should be noted that the same reference numerals and names are used for the same configurations as those of the first embodiment of the present invention, and redundant explanations are omitted.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of administrator device setting processing according to the present embodiment. In the printer 100, when the administrator setting signal is transmitted from the external device 600, the CPU 151 starts executing the administrator device setting process of FIG.

In step S1501, the CPU 151 uses the ink cassette detector 155 to determine whether the ink ribbon cassette 200 is attached to the printer 100 or not. When the ink ribbon cassette 200 is detected by the ink cassette detector 155 and the CPU 151 determines that the ink ribbon cassette 200 is attached to the printer 100, the process advances to step S1506. In step S1506, the CPU 151 notifies the external device 600 of an error indicating that a new administrator device cannot be set because the ink ribbon cassette 200 is attached to the printer 100, and ends this processing. On the other hand, if the ink ribbon cassette 200 is not detected by the ink cassette detection unit 155 within the specified time from the start of the processing in FIG. move on. In step S1502, the CPU 151 notifies the external device 600 to load the ink ribbon cassette 200 into the printer 100, and proceeds to step S1503.

In step S<b>1503 , the CPU 151 uses the ink cassette detector 155 to determine whether the ink ribbon cassette 200 has been attached to the printer 100 . That is, it is determined whether or not the state of the ink cassette detection unit 155 has changed from the state in which the ink ribbon cassette 200 is not detected to the state in which the ink ribbon cassette 200 is detected. When the CPU 151 determines that the ink ribbon cassette 200 is attached to the printer 100 (YES in step S1503), the process proceeds to step S1504. On the other hand, if the ink ribbon cassette 200 cannot be detected within the specified time by the ink cassette detection unit 155, the process advances to step S1506. In step S1506, the CPU 151 notifies the external device 600 of an error indicating that the administrator device cannot be set because the ink ribbon cassette 200 is not loaded in the printer 100, and ends this processing.

In step S1504, the CPU 151 sets the external device 600 as the administrator device and notifies the external device 600 that it has been set as the administrator device.

In step S1505, the CPU 151 locks the ink ribbon cassette 200 so that it cannot be removed from the printer 100. FIG. Specifically, the CPU 151 moves the thermal head 110 from the standby position shown in FIG. 6(a) to the intermediate position shown in FIG. 6(b). Therefore, the thermal head 110 comes to a position where it interferes with the second bridge portion 201B of the ink ribbon cassette 200, and the ink ribbon cassette 200 can be prevented from being removed from the printer 100. FIG. After performing this lock, this processing is terminated.

According to this process, after setting the administrator's device, the ink ribbon cassette 200 is locked from being attached to or detached from the printer 100 . This prevents a user other than the administrator from removing the ink ribbon cassette 200 from the printer 100 and starting the administrator device setting process of FIG. 15 again. Specifically, even if a user other than the administrator tries to start the administrator device setting process of FIG. This process ends immediately after starting. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a new administrator device from being set after the administrator device has been set.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist. For example, in the first and second embodiments, when the ink ribbon cassette 200 is switched from being attached to the printer 100 to being attached, one of the external devices 600 connected to the printer 100 is set as the administrator device. but not limited to. In other words, the paper 300 may be used instead of the ink ribbon cassette 200 as long as it is a consumable item for the printer 100 .

(Other embodiments)
In this embodiment, a program for realizing one or more functions may be supplied to a computer of a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and the system control unit of the system or apparatus may read and execute the program. It is feasible. The system controller may have one or more processors or circuits and may include separate system controllers or a network of separate processors or circuits for reading and executing executable instructions.

A processor or circuit may include a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Also, the processor or circuitry may include a digital signal processor (DSP), data flow processor (DFP), or neural processing unit (NPU).

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist.

100 Printer 101 Power Button 110 Thermal Head 120 Platen Roller 151 CPU
152 ROMs
153 RAM
154 print control unit 155 ink cassette detection unit 156 communication unit 200 ink ribbon cassette 210 ink ribbon 300 paper 600 external device

Claims (13)

An image processing device connected to a plurality of external devices,
A setting for setting one of the plurality of external devices as an administrator device in response to detection of switching from a state in which consumables are not installed in the image processing apparatus to a state in which the consumable is installed. An image processing apparatus comprising: means. 2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said consumable item is at least one of ink and paper. After detecting the switching, the setting means controls a first external device, which is one of the plurality of external devices, to display the administrator setting, and then displays the administrator setting to the image processing apparatus. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first external device is set as said administrator device in response to a predetermined operation. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined operation is an operation of pressing a button provided on the image processing apparatus for a long time for a specified time or longer, or two successive operations. When the switching is detected within a specified time after the administrator setting signal is transmitted from one of the plurality of external devices, the setting means selects the external device that has transmitted the administrator setting signal. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus is set as the administrator's device. The setting means is characterized by notifying an error to the plurality of external devices if the switching is not detected after receiving an administrator setting signal from one of the plurality of external devices. 6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein The consumables are locked so that they cannot be removed from the image processing apparatus while one of the plurality of external devices is set as the administrator device by the setting means. Item 7. The image processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 6. 8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein one of the plurality of external devices set as the administrator device displays a print mode of the image processing apparatus in a user-selectable manner. 10. The image processing device according to claim 1. 9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus that is not set as the administrator apparatus among the plurality of external apparatuses is displayed with the print mode of the image processing apparatus fixed. One of the plurality of external devices set as the administrator device has a display function of displaying image data waiting to be printed in the image processing apparatus, and a user who gives instructions to cancel printing of the image data. 10. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising an instruction receiving function of displaying a screen for receiving input. When the print cancel instruction is received from one external device among the plurality of external devices set as the administrator device, a device not set as the administrator device among the plurality of external devices 11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein error notification is performed. A control method for an image processing device connected to a plurality of external devices, comprising:
A setting for setting one of the plurality of external devices as an administrator device in response to detection of switching from a state in which consumables are not installed in the image processing apparatus to a state in which the consumable is installed. A control method characterized by having a step. A computer-executable program that causes a computer to function as each step of the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

Images