JP2024048941A - Image forming apparatus, image forming system, image forming method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes: a printer that prints POP data received from a server in cooperation with another device;
[Solution] A printing device 102 (image forming device) connected to a server device 101 registers setting information for a printing device 104 that is not connected to the server device 101. The printing device 102 acquires POP data for printing, including product data related to products and layout data for the product data, from the server device 101. The printing device 102 determines whether the POP data for printing meets predetermined conditions by comparing the POP data for printing with the setting information for the printing device 104. If the printing device 102 determines that the predetermined conditions are met, it controls the printing device 104 (another image forming device) to make a printing request based on the POP data for printing.
[Selection] Figure 13

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, an image forming method, and a program.

In stores, it is common to use notices such as POPs to inform customers of product information such as product names and prices. In the case of a chain of stores with many stores, a system exists in which the headquarters of the chain creates POP data related to product descriptions for all stores at once and distributes it to each store. In such a POP data distribution system, the information processing server at the headquarters updates the POP data periodically, and an information processing device installed in each store accesses the information processing server at the headquarters to obtain the POP data required for each store. Then, a printing device installed in each store prints the POP data obtained by the information processing device on paper, and the completed printout is displayed in the store as a POP. Patent Document 1 describes a printing device in which an application for printing POP data is installed. This application obtains the POP data from the information processing server and prints it.

JP 2021-73119 A

Even if multiple printing devices are installed in a store, if an application such as that described in Patent Document 1 is installed on only one printing device, the printing device that prints the POP data is limited to that printing device. Therefore, there is an issue that when that printing device prints POP data, that printing device will be occupied by printing POP data for a while.

The present invention aims to print POP data received from a server in cooperation with other devices.

The image forming device of the present invention is an image forming device connected to a server, and is characterized by having a registration means for registering setting information of other image forming devices not connected to the server, an acquisition means for acquiring print data including product data related to products and layout data of the product data from the server, and a print control means for determining whether the print data meets a predetermined condition by comparing the print data with the setting information, and for controlling the other image forming device to print the print data when it is determined that the predetermined condition is met.

According to the present invention, printing of POP data received from a server can be performed in cooperation with other devices.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image forming system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing data constituting POP data. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a server device. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of a server device. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a printing apparatus. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of a printing apparatus. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the server device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the printing device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the printing device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing data stored in a printing device. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the server device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the printing device. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a process executed in the image forming system. 10 is a flowchart showing the overall process of POP printing. 13 is a flowchart showing a print destination determination process. 4 is a flowchart showing a printing process. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a POP print list. 10 is a flowchart showing a process executed by another printing device.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that identical components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an image forming system according to this embodiment. In the image forming system according to this embodiment, a printing device 102 acquires and prints POP data distributed by a server device 101. In this embodiment, POP (Point of Purchasing Advertising) data is data that is used to generate image data of printed matter (hereinafter referred to as POP print data) related to descriptions of products (product names, prices, etc.) in the sales floor of a store. The printing device 102 generates POP print data from the POP data. Printed matter printed based on the POP print data is used as an item for presenting product information to customers who visit the store.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system includes a server device 101, printing devices 102, 104, 111, and 112, and an information processing device 103. The server device 101 and the printing devices 102, 111, and 112 are connected to a network 120, and the server device 101 exchanges information with the printing devices 102, 111, and 112 via the network 120. The server device 101 is installed at the headquarters of a chain store or the like. The printing devices 102, 111, and 112 are installed in different stores. In the example of FIG. 1, the printing device 102 is installed in store A, the printing device 111 is installed in store B, and the printing device 112 is installed in store C. The printing devices 102, 111, and 112 obtain POP data required for each store from the server device 101 and print. A store ID is assigned to the printing devices 102, 111, and 112 of each store.

Store A is equipped with multiple printing devices 102 and 104 and an information processing device 103. Of the printing devices installed in store A, printing device 102 can access server device 101 via network 120, but printing device 104 other than printing device 102 is not connected to network 120 and cannot directly access server device 101. Printing devices 102, 104, and information processing device 103 are connected by a local network within the store and exchange information with each other.

The server device 101 registers POP data. In this embodiment, the server device 101 also functions as a data server that stores the registered POP data, but may be connected to a separate data server. The server device 101 transmits the registered POP data to the printing devices 102, 111, and 112 installed in each store via the network 120. Note that since the headquarters often does not specifically manage information such as the model of the printing device at each store, in this embodiment, the server device 101 operates regardless of information such as the model of the printing device.

The printing device 102 inquires of the server device 101 whether there is POP data addressed to the printing device 102, and if there is POP data, acquires the POP data from the server device 101. The printing device 102 then generates POP print data from the acquired POP data, and can provide the generated POP print data to the printing device 104 to make a print request. The printing device 104 then performs printing based on the POP print data provided by the printing device 102. Note that the printing device 102 can also perform printing based on POP print data generated from POP data. Hereinafter, printing based on POP print data will be referred to as POP printing. The printing devices 111 and 112 have the same configuration as the printing device 102.
The information processing apparatus 103 exchanges information with the printing apparatus 102 and is capable of checking the status of the printing apparatus 102 and performing various settings.

Figure 2 is a diagram explaining a method for generating POP print data from POP data. The POP data DB 200 is a DB (database) that holds POP data. The POP data DB 200 includes a project data table 201, a variable data table 202, a frame data table 203, and a category data table 206.

The project data table 201 is a data table that holds information related to product sales projects. In this embodiment, project data having a "project ID," "project name," "period," and "frame data ID" is registered in the project data table 201. The "project ID" is a unique number assigned to each piece of project data, and is data for linking the project data with the product data. The "project name" indicates the name of the project. The "period" indicates the period during which the project will be used. The "frame data ID" is information that identifies the frame data of the POP to be used for the project.

The variable data table 202 is a data table that holds information about products and the history of POP printing of the products. In this embodiment, the variable data table 202 has records registered therein that have a "product ID", a "product name", a "category ID", a "price", a "project ID", and a "printing status". The "product ID" is a unique number assigned to each record in the variable data table 202. The "product name" indicates the name of the product. The "category ID" is information indicating the category to which the product belongs. The category ID is an example of category information. The "price" indicates the price of the product. The data consisting of the above "product ID", "product name", "category ID", and "price" is called product data. The "project ID" is information that identifies the project data that handles the product. The "printing status" is information indicating whether the POP print data for the product in the project has been printed or not, and is updated when the print result is received from the printing device to which the POP data for printing is distributed. The "printing status" may be linked to a store ID and managed for each store.

The frame data table 203 is a data table that holds layout data related to the layout of the POP print data. In this embodiment, frame data having a "frame data ID," a "frame name," and "template data" is registered in the frame data table 203. The "frame data ID" is a unique number assigned to each frame data. The "frame name" indicates the name of the frame. The "template data" indicates the storage destination of the frame image data, which is an image of the overall design of the POP print data.

As shown in the figure, the frame image data 204 is a background image with, for example, the frame name placed on it. The frame image data 204 also includes layout information indicating where information such as the "product name" and "price" of the product data are to be placed. By combining (synthesizing) the frame image data 204 with the product data registered in the variable data table 202, POP print data 205, which is different for each piece of product data, is generated. In this embodiment, the printing device 102 acquires information on the product data registered in the variable data table 202 and the frame image data registered in the frame data table 203, and generates POP print data by performing a synthesis process on the acquired information.

The category data table 206 is a data table that holds information about product categories. In this embodiment, category data having a "category ID" and a "category name" is registered in the category data table 206. The "category ID" includes an ID that represents a major category and an ID that represents a subcategory that is a subdivision of the major category. In this embodiment, the category ID uses a department code (food, medical, etc.) assigned to each sales floor that handles products. The "category name" indicates the name of the category. The category data table 206 in FIG. 2 shows an example of a list of categories registered in the server device 101.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 101.
The server device 101 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a storage 304, a communication unit I/F 307, an operation unit I/F 305, and a display unit I/F 306. Each of these pieces of hardware 301 to 307 is connected via a data bus 308, and exchanges information with each other.

The CPU 301 is responsible for the overall control of the server device 101. The CPU 301 executes a control program stored in the ROM 302 to realize various functions of the server device 101 shown in FIG. 4 and various processes shown in sequence diagrams and flowcharts described below. The ROM 302 is a storage device that stores the control program executed by the CPU 301 and various data. The RAM 303 is used to temporarily store data. The storage 304 is a storage device that stores the POP data DB 200 shown in FIG. 2, various data such as frame image data, and various programs. In this embodiment, the storage 304 is assumed to be a hard disk, but it may also be a non-volatile storage device such as an SSD, or an external data server.

The communication unit I/F 307 is a network I/F for performing wired LAN communication such as Ethernet and wireless LAN communication. The CPU 301 connects to the network 120 via the communication I/F 307 and exchanges information with the printing devices 102, 111, and 112 connected to the network 120. The communication I/F 307 may be a USB-LAN I/F or the like. The operation unit I/F 305 is an I/F for connecting the operation unit 310 such as a keyboard and mouse to the server device 101. The display unit I/F 306 is an I/F for connecting the display unit 311 such as a liquid crystal monitor to the server device 101. In this embodiment, the server device 101 is connected to an external operation unit and an external display unit, but the operation unit and the display unit may be built into the server device 101.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the server device 101.
4 as a result of the CPU 301 executing a control program stored in the ROM 302 or the like. The server device 101 has the functions of a frame image data registration unit 401, a product data registration unit 402, a category data registration unit 403, a sending data generation unit 404, a data transmission request receiving unit 405, and a POP data transmission unit 406.

The frame image data registration unit 401 generates frame image data, and registers and manages the frame image data. Frame image data 204 in Fig. 2 is an example of data generated by the frame image data registration unit 401. A frame data table 203 in Fig. 2 shows an example of data managed by the frame image data registration unit 401.
The product data registration unit 402 generates product data, and registers and manages the generated product data as character data. The product data registration unit 402 manages the product data using the variable data table 202 in Fig. 2. The product data includes text information to be combined with the frame image data.
The category data registration unit 403 registers and manages the category data. Specifically, the category data registration unit 403 adds and deletes the category data registered in the category data table 206.

The sending data generating unit 404 obtains data required for printing the printed matter (POP) required for each store from the frame image data registering unit 401, the product data registering unit 402, and the category data registering unit 403, and generates POP data for printing for each store. The POP data for printing includes information on the product data and frame image data. The POP data for printing is an example of data for printing.
The data transmission request receiving unit 405 manages store ID and password information, receives the store ID and password from the printing devices 102, 111, and 112 installed in each store, performs authentication processing, and receives a transmission request for POP data for printing from each store. When the data transmission request receiving unit 405 receives a transmission request for POP data for printing, the sending data generating unit 404 generates POP data for printing for the store in which the printing device that requested the transmission is installed.

The POP data transmission unit 406 transmits the data generated by the sending data generation unit 404 to the printing device that has made the transmission request. The data transmission request reception unit 405 can also receive requests to transmit various types of data, such as category data managed by the server device 101, in addition to print data. When the data transmission request reception unit 405 receives a request to transmit various types of data, the sending data generation unit 404 acquires the necessary data from a data registration unit that manages the requested data (for example, the category data registration unit 403 for category data). The POP data transmission unit 406 transmits the data acquired by the sending data generation unit 404 to the printing device that has made the request. In this embodiment, the data transmission request reception unit 405 receives a request from an external device connected to the network 120 using a predetermined communication protocol (for example, HTTP). At that time, the type of data requested (POP data for printing, category data, etc.) is specified using a URL query parameter or POST.

5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the printing device 102. The printing devices 104, 111, and 112 also have a similar configuration.
The printing device 102 includes a CPU 501, an eMMC 502, a DRAM 503, a storage device 504, an operation unit 505, a recording unit 506, an image processing unit 507, and a communication unit 508. Each of these pieces of hardware 501 to 508 is connected via a data bus 509 and exchanges information with each other.

The CPU 501 is responsible for the overall control of the printing device 102. The CPU 501 reads out a program stored in the eMMC 502, expands it into the DRAM 503, and executes it to realize various functions of the printing device 102 shown in FIG. 6 and various processes shown in the sequence diagrams and flowcharts described below. The eMMC 502 is configured as a flash memory, and stores programs that can be executed by the CPU 501. In this embodiment, a POP printing application program is stored in the eMMC 502. The DRAM 503 is a volatile memory that can temporarily store various data.

The storage device 504 is a storage device such as an HDD, and is a non-volatile memory that stores various data. In this embodiment, POP data for printing received from the server device 101, POP print data generated from the POP data for printing, etc. are stored. The operation unit 505 is a touch panel display that displays information within the device, and accepts touch operations from the user. The recording unit 506 is a device that prints image data on recording paper. In this embodiment, the recording unit 506 places toner on the recording paper and fixes the toner to the recording paper by applying pressure with a heated fixing device. The printing method of the recording unit 506 may be an inkjet method.

The image processing unit 507 synthesizes and draws image data, and performs encoding and decoding processing of the binary image data. In this embodiment, under the control of the CPU 501, the image processing unit 507 performs synthesis processing on the product data and frame image data received from the server device 101 to generate POP print data. The communication unit 508 is connected to the network 120 and the local network within the store, and under the control of the CPU 501, exchanges information with devices connected to each network. In this embodiment, the communication unit 508 also has a web server function, and performs various settings based on programs stored in the eMMC 502.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the printing apparatus 102.
6 as a result of the CPU 501 executing a program stored in the eMMC 502 or the like. The printing device 102 has the functions of a print image generation unit 601, a print control unit 602, a POP printing application 603, and a Web server 604.

The print image generation unit 601 generates POP print data from the POP data for printing received from the server device 101 via the communication unit 508. In this embodiment, the print image generation unit 601 uses the image processing unit 507 to synthesize the product data and the frame image data to generate different POP print data for each product data.
The print control unit 602 determines the print destination of the POP data for printing received from the server device 101 via the communication unit 508. Then, the print control unit 602 controls the printing of the POP print data generated by the print image generation unit 601 to be distributed to the determined print destinations. In this embodiment, the print control unit 602 determines the print destination for each item of product data based on the category ID of the item data. When the print destination is determined to be the own device, the print control unit 602 prints the item data using the recording unit 506, and when the print destination is determined to be another printing device, the print control unit 602 requests the other printing device to print the item data. When the print control unit 602 requests printing from another printing device, the print control unit 602 receives the print result from the requested printing device.

The POP printing application 603 has various functions for creating a printout (POP) on which product descriptions such as product names and prices are displayed using the printing device 102. The POP printing application 603 performs UI control via the operation unit 505 and Web server 604, and communication control with the server device 101 via the communication unit 508. The POP printing application 603 also generates POP print data using a print image generation unit 601, and performs POP printing using a print control unit 602.
The Web server 604 operates as a Web server, displays various screens (to be described later) in response to requests from a Web browser installed in the information processing apparatus 103 , and performs various settings related to the POP printing application 603 .

Figure 7 shows an example of a screen displayed when the server device 101 performs various registrations. The various screens shown in Figure 7 are displayed on the display unit 311 via the display unit I/F 306 under the control of the CPU 301. The registration screen 700 is a screen for registering project data in the project data table 201. Area 701 is an area for inputting the project name. Area 702 is an area for inputting the period of the project. Area 703 is an area for inputting the frame data ID selected from the frame data table 203. When the registration key 704 is pressed, the CPU 301 generates a new project ID and saves the project ID and the information entered in areas 701 to 703 as project data in the storage 304 of the server device 101.

The registration screen 710 is a screen for registering frame data in the frame data table 203. Area 711 is an area for inputting the frame name. Area 712 is an area for inputting the save destination of the frame image data. When the registration key 713 is pressed, the CPU 301 generates a new frame data ID, and saves the frame data ID and the information entered in areas 711-712 as frame data in the storage 304 of the server device 101. The frame data ID of the frame data registered by this process becomes selectable in area 703 of the registration screen 700.

The registration screen 720 is a screen for registering product data in the variable data table 202. Area 721 is an area for inputting the product name. Area 722 is an area for inputting the category name to which the product belongs. Area 723 is an area for inputting the price of the product. When the registration key 724 is pressed, the CPU 301 generates a new product ID and obtains from the category data table 206 the category ID that corresponds to the category name entered in area 722. The product ID, the obtained category ID, and the information entered in areas 721 and 723 are then saved as product data in the storage 304 of the server device 101.

The registration screen 730 is a screen for registering category data in the category data table 206. Area 731 is an area for inputting a category ID. Area 732 is an area for inputting a category name. When the registration key 733 is pressed, the CPU 301 stores the information input in areas 731-732 as category data in the storage 304 of the server device 101.

Figure 8 shows an example of a login information registration screen 800 that is displayed when registering login information required for the printing device 102 to access the server device 101. The printing device 102 can obtain POP data for printing from the server device 101 by logging in to the server device 101. The login information registration screen 800 is a screen for registering login information. The login information registration screen 800 may be displayed on the screen of a web browser of the information processing device 103 under the control of the CPU 501, or may be displayed on the operation unit 505 of the printing device 102. Area 801 is an area for inputting address information (URL) of the server device 101. Area 802 is an area for inputting a store ID. Area 803 is an area for inputting an authentication password. When the registration key 804 is pressed, the CPU 501 saves the information input in areas 801 to 803 in the DRAM 503 of the printing device 102 as login information for the server device 101.

9A is an example of a forwarding printer registration screen 900 on which the printing device 102 registers other printing devices in the same store. Here, the printing device to be registered is assumed to be the printing device 104. The printing device 102 uses the forwarding printer registration screen 900 to register the setting information of the printing device 104. When performing POP printing, the printing device 102 reads the setting information of the printing device 104 registered in the forwarding printer registration screen 900, and if the setting information satisfies a predetermined condition, transfers the print image to the printing device 104 and requests POP printing. Note that if there are multiple other printing devices in the same store, the printing device 102 registers the setting information for each of the multiple printing devices using the forwarding printer registration screen 900. The forwarding printer registration screen 900 and the own printing category registration screen 940 described next may be displayed on the screen of the web browser of the information processing device 103 under the control of the CPU 501, or may be displayed on the operation unit 505 of the printing device 102.

An area 901 is an area for inputting the name of the printing device 104. An area 902 is an area for inputting the IP address of the printing device 104.
The area 903 is an area for inputting the priority category of the printing device 104. The priority category is a category ID that prioritizes POP printing by the printing device 104. The printing device 102 registers the information input in the area 903 as setting information of the priority category of the printing device 104. Note that the setting information of the priority category may include a plurality of category IDs. The printing device 102 determines whether the category ID included in the product data matches the priority category, and if it determines that the category ID matches the priority category, requests the printing device 104 to print the product data having the category ID. For example, the department code of the sales floor in the store where the printing device 104 is installed is used as the priority category. As a result, only POP print data whose category ID matches the priority category is assigned to the printing device 104, so that it is possible to assign the printing destination to each sales floor and perform POP printing.
The area 904 is an area for inputting the priority size of the printing device 104. The priority size is a print size for which priority is given to POP printing by the printing device 104. The printing device 102 registers the information input in the area 904 as the setting information of the priority size of the printing device 104. Note that the setting information of the priority size may include a plurality of sizes. The printing device 102 determines whether the print size matches the priority size, and if it determines that the print size matches the priority size, requests the printing device 104 to print the POP print data. For example, the size of the recording paper set in the printing device 104 is used as the priority size. As a result, only POP print data whose print size matches the priority size is distributed to the printing device 104, so that POP printing can be performed with the recording paper setting of the printing device 104 fixed.
In this embodiment, if there is a printing device that matches both the priority category and the priority size, the printing device 102 issues a print job based on the POP print data to that printing device to perform a print request.

Area 905 is an area for inputting whether the setting information of the printing device 104 is valid or invalid. If you have registered the setting information of the printing device 104 but do not want to perform POP printing with the printing device 104, you can set it to invalid and the printing device 104 will not perform POP printing. The printing device 102 also displays a list of registered printing devices on the operation unit 505 of the printing device 102, and the setting information of each listed printing device can be changed to valid or invalid by user operation. When the registration key 906 is pressed, the CPU 501 saves the information entered in areas 901 to 905 in the DRAM 503 of the printing device 102 as setting information of a printing device to which data can be transferred.

Figure 9 (b) is an example of a self-device print category registration screen 940 for registering a category ID for which POP printing is performed on the own device (printing device 102). The printing device 102 uses the self-device print category registration screen 940 to register a category ID for which POP printing is performed on the own device (printing device 102). Areas 941 to 944 are areas for inputting category IDs. Multiple category IDs can be registered on the own-device print category registration screen 940. When the registration key 945 is pressed, the CPU 501 stores the information input in areas 941 to 944 in the DRAM 503 of the printing device 102 as a category ID for which POP printing is prioritized on the own device (printing device 102). The printing device 102 performs POP printing on product data having a category ID registered on the own-device print category registration screen 940, even if setting information of a printing device that can transfer data is registered.

Figure 10 shows an example of the configuration of the DRAM 503 of the printing device 102 of this embodiment. The own machine print category 1001 is an area that stores the category ID registered on the own machine print category registration screen 940. The print list 1003 is an area that stores a list of POP print data generated from POP data for printing (POP print list). An example of a POP print list stored in the print list 1003 is shown in Figure 17. The forwarding printer 1 information 1010 is an area that stores the setting information of the printing device registered on the forwarding printer registration screen 900.

The transfer printer 1 information 1010 has areas for storing the printer name 1011, IP address 1012, priority category 1013, size 1014, and validity 1015. The printer name 1011 stores the information entered in the area 901 in FIG. 9(a). The IP address 1012 stores the information entered in the area 902 in FIG. 9(a). The priority category 1013 stores the information entered in the area 903 in FIG. 9(a). The size 1014 stores the information entered in the area 904 in FIG. 9(a). The validity 1015 stores the information entered in the area 905 in FIG. 9(a). The printing device 102 can register multiple pieces of printing device setting information according to the number (N) of other printing devices in the same store. Therefore, the setting information for multiple (N) printing devices is stored consecutively in the DRAM 503, such as transfer printer 1 information 1010 and transfer printer 2 information 1020.

Fig. 11 shows an example of a screen displayed when the server device 101 registers POP data for printing to be distributed to each store. Each screen shown in Fig. 11 is displayed on the display unit 311 via the display unit I/F 306 under the control of the CPU 301. The registration process using the screen shown in Fig. 11 is mainly executed under the control of the sending data generation unit 404.
The frame image selection screen 1100 is a screen for selecting frame image data to be distributed to a store. When a frame data ID is selected in area 1103, the CPU 301 displays the storage destination of the frame image data (template data in the frame data table 203) in area 1101, and displays a preview of the frame image data in area 1102. The CPU 301 then accepts the selection of size information of the POP print data in size 1104. When a selection key 1105 is subsequently pressed, the CPU 301 registers the selected frame image data and size information as data to be distributed to the store selected on the product selection screen 1110.

Product selection screen 1110 is a screen for selecting product data to be distributed to a store. The selected store is displayed in area 1111, and the selected product data is displayed in table format in area 1112. When registration key 1113 is then pressed, CPU 501 registers the product data selected in area 1112 as data to be distributed to the store selected in area 1111. In this way, server device 101 registers POP data for printing to be distributed to each store by specifying a combination of frame image data, size information, and product data.

Figure 12 shows the transition of screens displayed on the operation unit 505 of the printing device 102 when performing POP printing. The CPU 501 displays a home screen 1201. On the home screen 1201, a COPY key for instructing the user to call the COPY function, a FAX key for instructing the user to call the FAX transmission function, and a POPPrint key 1202 for instructing the user to call the POP printing application are displayed. When the POPPrint key 1202 is pressed, the CPU 501 starts the POP printing application and displays a POP printing screen 1211. On the POP printing screen 1211, a latest acquisition key 1212 for instructing the user to obtain the latest registration information from the server device 101, a category designation key 1213 for designating a category ID for POP printing on the device itself, and a key 1214 for returning to the home screen are displayed. When the category designation key 1213 is pressed, the CPU 501 displays the own machine print category registration screen 940 (FIG. 9B). When the return to home screen key 1214 is pressed, the CPU 501 displays the home screen 1201.

When the latest acquisition key 1212 is pressed, the CPU 501 accesses the server device 101 using the login information and acquires the latest POP data from the server device 101. The CPU 501 then displays the POP printing screen 1221 including the acquired POP data. At the top of the POP printing screen 1221, an unprinted key 1222 that instructs the display of unprinted product data and a printed key 1223 that instructs the display of printed product data are displayed. When the latest acquisition key 1212 or the unprinted key 1222 is pressed, the CPU 501 displays a list of unprinted product data in the center of the POP printing screen 1221. Check boxes 1224 are displayed in association with each product data, and when the user selects the check box 1224 of the product data that he or she wants to print and presses the print key 1225, the CPU 501 performs POP printing of the selected product data. In this embodiment, the CPU 501 determines the print destination based on whether the category ID of the selected product data matches a priority category, and controls the POP printing of the product data to be performed at the determined print destination.

The CPU 501 controls to display the print destination notification screen 1231 to inform the user of the print destination of the product data. The print destination notification screen 1231 displays the printing device (print destination) that will perform printing and the product name in association with each other. In the example of FIG. 12, area 1233 displays that "Sake" will be printed by MF5550. Area 1234 displays that "Cabbage" will be printed by LBP111. Area 1235 displays that "Yogurt" will be printed by the own device (printing device 102). MF5550 and LBP111 are printer names, and the CPU 501 displays the information saved in the printer name 1011 (FIG. 10). The process of displaying the print destination notification screen 1231 before the CPU 501 performs printing is an example of a process of notifying the user of the product data and the information of the printing device that will print the product data. When the confirmation key 1232 is pressed, the CPU 501 performs POP printing in cooperation with other printing devices (MF5550, LBP111) and then displays the POP printing screen 1211. When the Printed key 1223 is pressed on the POP printing screen 1221, the CPU 501 displays a list of the printed product data. By selecting the check box of the printed product data, it is possible to reprint in a similar manner.

13 is a sequence diagram showing processes executed by the server device 101, the printing device 102, and the printing device 104. The printing device 102 is an example of an image forming device. The printing device 104 is an example of another image forming device that is not connected to the server.
In S301, the server device 101 displays a registration screen 730 on the display unit 311, and registers category data by operating the operation unit 310. The registered information is stored in the storage 304.
In S302, the server device 101 displays various registration screens 700, 710, 720 on the display unit 311, and registers various types of information such as project data, frame data, and product data through operation of the operation unit 310. The registered information is stored in the storage 304.

In S303, the printing apparatus 102 registers login information for the server apparatus 101 using the login information registration screen 800. The registered information is stored in the DRAM 503.
In S304, the server device 101 registers POP data for printing to be distributed to each store. Specifically, the server device 101 displays each screen shown in Fig. 11 on the display unit 311, and registers information specifying a combination of frame image data, size information, and product data as POP data for printing, linking it to the store ID.
In S305, when the printing apparatus 102 detects pressing of the POPPrint key 1202 on the home screen 1201, the printing apparatus 102 performs a login process to the server apparatus 101 using the login information registered in S303, and displays a POP print screen 1211.

In S306, when the printing apparatus 102 detects that the latest acquisition key 1212 on the POP print screen 1211 has been pressed, the printing apparatus 102 makes a request to acquire POP data for printing addressed to the printing apparatus 102 itself.
In S307, the printing device 102 acquires the POP data for printing addressed to the printing device 102 that has been newly registered in the server device 101. The server device 101 holds notification information of POP data for each login, and can provide the printing device 102 with only unnotified POP data.
In S308, the printing apparatus 102 displays a POP printing screen 1221 on which the product data included in the POP data for printing acquired in S307 is displayed as a list.

In S309, when the printing device 102 detects that product data has been selected on the POP printing screen 1221 and the print key 1225 has been pressed, it determines the printing device to print each of the product data instructed to be printed. In this embodiment, the printing device 102 determines the printing device to print by comparing the category ID and size information of the product data instructed to be printed with the setting information of the printing device that can transfer the data. The size information is included in the POP data for printing acquired in S307. Here, the printing device 102 reads the priority category and priority size of the printing device 104 from the DRAM 503 and determines whether the category ID of the product data instructed to be printed matches the priority category and whether the size information matches the priority size. If both the priority category and the priority size match, the printing device 102 determines to print the product data on the printing device 104, and if any one of them does not match, it determines to print the product data on its own device. Additionally, for product data that has a category ID registered on the self-printing category registration screen 940, the printing device 102 decides to print the product data on its own device, regardless of the results of the above determination.

In S310, the printing device 102 displays a printing destination notification screen 1231. The printing destination notification screen 1231 displays the printing device (printing destination) that is scheduled to print the product data instructed to be printed in S309 in association with the product name of the product data.
In S311, the printing device 102 generates POP print data by combining the product data instructed to be printed with the frame image data. The POP print data is different for each piece of product data. The frame image data is included in the POP data for printing acquired in S307.

When requesting the printing apparatus 104 to perform POP printing, in S312 the printing apparatus 102 sends a print job of the POP print data generated in S311 to the printing apparatus 104 to perform the print request.
In S313, the printing apparatus 104 that has received the print request prints the print job.
In S314, when the printing is completed, the printing apparatus 104 transmits a print result notification to the printing apparatus 102, and the printing apparatus 102 receives the print result notification from the printing apparatus 104. The print result is information on whether printing was successful or unsuccessful.
If POP printing is to be performed by the printing apparatus 102 itself, in S315 the printing apparatus 102 performs printing based on the POP print data generated in S311.
In S316, the printing device 102 transmits the print result to the server device 101. Note that, when a print request is made to the printing device 104, the printing device 102 transmits the print result to the server device 101 based on the print result notification received from the printing device 104 in S314. The server device 101 that receives the print result registers the print result in the variable data table 202.
In this manner, the series of processes in the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 13 is completed.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of POP printing processing performed by the printing device 102 in cooperation with the printing device 104.
In S401, the CPU 501 displays the home screen 1201 and determines whether or not it has detected pressing of the POPPrint key 1202. The CPU 501 waits in S401 until it detects pressing of the POPPrint key 1202, and if it determines that pressing of the POPPrint key 1202 has been detected, the process proceeds to S402.
In S402, the CPU 501 accesses address information (URL) stored as login information for the server device 101, and performs login processing using the store ID and the authentication password.
In S403, the CPU 501 determines whether the login process has been successful. If the CPU 501 determines that the login process has failed, the process returns to S401, and if the CPU 501 determines that the login process has been successful, the process proceeds to S404.
In S<b>404 , the CPU 501 starts a POP printing application and displays a POP printing screen 1211 .

In S405, the CPU 501 determines whether or not it has detected pressing of the Get Latest Key 1212 on the POP print screen 1211. If the CPU 501 has not detected pressing of the Get Latest Key 1212, the process returns to S401, and if the CPU 501 has determined that pressing of the Get Latest Key 1212 has been detected, the process proceeds to S406.
In S406, the CPU 501 requests the server apparatus 101 to acquire the latest POP data for printing that is registered in association with the store ID of the own apparatus.
In S<b>407 , the CPU 501 acquires the latest POP data for printing addressed to the own machine from the server apparatus 101 .
In S408, the CPU 501 displays the POP print screen 1221 on which the product data included in the POP data for printing acquired in S407 is displayed. In the POP print screen 1221, the product names and prices of the unprinted product data are displayed in a list, and the product data to be printed can be selected/cancelled by touching the check boxes associated with each product data.

In S409, the CPU 501 adds/deletes a check in response to the touch operation on the check box.
In S410, the CPU 501 determines whether or not it has detected pressing of the print key 1225. Unless the CPU 501 detects pressing of the print key 1225, the process returns to S409, and if it determines that pressing of the print key 1225 has been detected, the checked product data is treated as product data instructed to be printed, and the process proceeds to S411.

In S411, the CPU 501 performs a print destination determination process. The print destination determination process is a process for determining a print destination for each product data instructed to be printed, and will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 15. In the print destination determination process, the CPU 501 generates a list of POP print data (POP print list) generated from the product data instructed to be printed, and saves it in the DRAM 503. In the POP print list, records are registered in which product data (product ID, product name, category ID), a print destination, and a print status are associated with each other, as shown in FIG. 17.
In S412, the CPU 501 displays the print destination notification screen 1231. The print destination notification screen 1231 displays the printing device (print destination) that is scheduled to perform POP printing in association with the product data instructed to be printed in S410. The CPU 501 waits in S412 until it detects pressing of the confirmation key 1232 on the print destination notification screen 1231, and if it determines that pressing of the confirmation key 1232 has been detected, the process proceeds to S413.

In S413, the CPU 501 determines whether or not there is a record whose print status is unprinted in the POP print list. If the CPU 501 determines that there is an unprinted record, the process proceeds to S414, and if the CPU 501 determines that there is no unprinted record (all records have been printed), the process proceeds to S415.
In step S414, the CPU 501 executes a print process. The print process is a process for performing POD printing by distributing the print job to the print destination determined in the print destination determination process. Details will be described with reference to FIG.
In S415, the CPU 501 transmits the print result to the server apparatus 101 based on the print status stored in the POP print list. After that, the series of processes in the flowchart of FIG.

According to the processing of the flowchart in Figure 14 as described above, even if there is only one printing device that can obtain POP data from the server device 101, that one printing device can perform POP printing in cooperation with other printing devices in the same store.
In S412, the confirmation key 1232 is displayed on the print destination notification screen 1231, but a print start key, a change print destination key, or a cancel key may be displayed instead of the confirmation key 1232. The change print destination key is a key that instructs changing the print destination determined in S411 to another printing device. In response to the operation of the change print destination key, the printing device 102 changes the printing device that will print the product data for each product data. The cancel key is a key that instructs cancellation of POP printing. In this case, if the CPU 501 determines that pressing of the print start key has been detected, the process proceeds to S413.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the print destination determination process in S411 of FIG.
In S501, the CPU 501 generates a print list (POP print list) for the product data instructed to be printed in S410, and stores it in the DRAM 503. FIG. 17 shows an example of the POP print list. In the POP print list, records having a print ID 1701, product data 1702 (product ID, product name, category ID, price), print destination 1703, and print status 1704 are registered. The print ID 1701 is a number assigned to each POP print data. The product data 1702 corresponds to the product data instructed to be printed. The print destination 1703 is information (e.g., printer name) indicating the printing device determined to print the POP print data. The print status 1704 is information indicating whether the POP print data has been printed or not. The print status 1704 is initially set to not be printed.

In S502, the CPU 501 sets the top record of the POP print list as the target.
In S503, the CPU 501 reads out the category ID of the target record, and determines whether or not the read category ID matches the category ID registered on the own machine print category registration screen 940. If the CPU 501 determines that the category ID matches the category ID registered on the own machine print category registration screen 940, the process proceeds to S512, and if the CPU 501 determines that the category ID does not match the category ID registered on the own machine print category registration screen 940, the process proceeds to S504.
In S504, the CPU 501 targets the first printing apparatus to which data can be transferred, and reads the setting information of the first printing apparatus from the DRAM 503. Here, the information stored in the transfer printer 1 information 1010 is read and set.

In S505, the CPU 501 determines whether or not the setting information of the target printing device is registered. Here, the CPU 501 determines whether or not there is registration in the transfer printer 1 information 1010. If the CPU 501 determines that the setting information of the target printing device is registered, the process proceeds to S506, and if it determines that the setting information is not registered, the process proceeds to S510.
In S506, the CPU 501 determines whether the validity of the target printing device (here, the information stored in the validity 1015) indicates validity. If the CPU 501 determines that the validity is indicated, the process proceeds to S507, and if the CPU 501 determines that the invalidity is indicated, the process proceeds to S510.

In S507, the CPU 501 determines whether or not the category ID of the target record matches the priority category of the target printing device (here, the information stored in the priority category 1013). If the CPU 501 determines that the category ID matches the priority category, the process proceeds to S508, and if the CPU 501 determines that the category ID does not match the priority category, the process proceeds to S510.
In S508, the CPU 501 determines whether or not the size information included in the POP data for printing acquired in S407 matches the preferred size of the target printing device (here, the information stored in size 1014). If the CPU 501 determines that the size information matches the preferred size of the target printing device, the process proceeds to S509, and if the CPU 501 determines that the size information does not match the preferred size, the process proceeds to S510.
In step S509, the CPU 501 determines the print destination of the POP print data corresponding to the first record in the POP print list to be the target print device. Specifically, the CPU 501 sets the printer name of the target print device in the print destination 1703 of the first record in the POP print list.

In S510, the CPU 501 determines whether there is another printing device to which data can be transferred. If the CPU 501 determines that there is another printing device, the process proceeds to S511. If the CPU 501 determines that there is no other printing device, the process proceeds to S512.
In S511, the CPU 501 targets the next printing device to which data can be transferred and reads the setting information for the next printing device from the DRAM 503. Here, information saved in the transfer printer 2 information 1020 is read and set. Processing then proceeds to S505, where the CPU 501 performs processing to determine whether the newly targeted printing device satisfies the conditions to be a printing destination. After completing the confirmation processing for all printing devices to which data can be transferred in this manner, processing proceeds to S510, and if the CPU 501 determines that there are no other printing devices to which data can be transferred, processing proceeds to S512.

In S512, the CPU 501 determines the print destination of the POP print data corresponding to the first record in the POP print list to be the own machine. Specifically, the CPU 501 sets information about the own machine in the print destination 1703 of the first record in the POP print list.
In S513, the CPU 501 determines whether or not the next record exists in the POP print list. If the CPU 501 determines that the next record exists, the process proceeds to S514. If the CPU 501 determines that the next record does not exist, the process ends with the print destinations determined for all records.
In S514, the CPU 501 sets the next record as the target, and the process proceeds to S503. The CPU 501 then performs the same process of determining the print destination of the target record.

In the above print destination determination process, if a printing device that satisfies the first condition that the category ID of the product data is the priority category and the second condition that the print size is the priority size is registered, the printing device is determined as the printing destination for the product data. In this embodiment, if a printing device that satisfies both the first and second conditions is registered, the printing device is determined as the printing destination, but a printing device that satisfies either the first or second condition may be determined as the printing destination. Also, in this embodiment, even if the setting information of a printing device is registered, if the setting information is set to invalid, the CPU 501 does not select the printing device as the printing destination. Also, in this embodiment, even if the setting information of a printing device is registered, if the category ID of the product data is a category that is printed by the own machine, the CPU 501 determines the own machine as the printing destination for the product data.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing the printing device of S414 in FIG.
In S601, the CPU 501 sets the top record of the POP print list as the target.
In S602, the CPU 501 generates POP print data corresponding to the target record. Specifically, as described in Fig. 2, the POP print data is generated by combining (combining) the product data of the target record with the frame image data. The frame image data is included in the POP data for printing acquired in S407. The CPU 501 then converts the generated POP print data into a printable print image.
In step S603, the CPU 501 determines whether the print destination 1703 of the target record is the own device. If the CPU 501 determines that the print destination 1703 is the own device, the process proceeds to step S604. If the CPU 501 determines that the print destination 1703 is another printing device, the process proceeds to step S606.

In step S604, the CPU 501 controls the printing unit 506 of the printing apparatus 102 to print the print image generated in step S602.
In step S605, the CPU 501 saves the print result in step S604 in the print status 1704 of the target record. The saved content is either "printed" or "print error (print failure)".
In S606, the CPU 501 acquires the IP address of the printing device as the print destination. Specifically, the CPU 501 reads from the DRAM 503 the IP address of the printer name set in the print destination 1703 of the target record, and sets the read IP address as the transmission destination of the print image.

In step S607, the CPU 501 transmits a print request together with the print image generated in step S602 to the IP address acquired in step S606.
In step S608, the CPU 501 determines whether or not a print result notification has been received in response to the print request. The CPU 501 waits until a print result notification has been received, and if it determines that a print result notification has been received, the process proceeds to step S609.

In S609, the CPU 501 saves the print result in association with the POP print data corresponding to the print image requested to be printed, based on the print result notification received in S608 (here, "Print OK" or "Print Unable"). Specifically, if the print result notification contains "Print OK", the CPU 501 sets the print status 1704 of the target record to "Printed", and if the print result notification contains "Print Unable", the CPU 501 sets the print status 1704 of the target record to "Print error (print failure)". Note that if the print result notification is not received within a certain period of time in S608, it determines that some problem has occurred at the print destination, and sets the print status 1704 of the target record to "Communication error".
In S610, the CPU 501 determines whether or not the next record exists in the POP print list. If the CPU 501 determines that the next record exists, the process proceeds to S611. If the CPU 501 determines that the next record does not exist, the process ends with all records having been printed.
In S611, the CPU 501 sets the next record as the target, and the process proceeds to S602. The CPU 501 then generates POP print data for the target record in the same manner, and controls printing of the generated POP print data.

In the above printing process, the printing device connected to the server distributes the print data to other printing devices in the same store according to the determined print destination, and performs POP printing. Note that in the flowchart in FIG. 16, when printing is completed, the process proceeds to S610 regardless of the print result. As a variation, when a print request is made to another printing device, for records in which a print error or communication error is set in the print status 1704, the CPU 501 may control the device to reprint the data. This makes it possible to avoid a state in which printing is not possible.

Figure 18 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the other printing device 104. In the following, the hardware configuration of the other printing device 104 will be described using the names and symbols of each component in Figure 5, assuming that the hardware configuration of the other printing device 104 is the same as that of the printing device 102.

When the other printing device 104 is started, in S801, the CPU 501 of the printing device 104 determines whether or not a print request has been received from the printing device 102 via the communication unit 508. The process waits until the CPU 501 determines that a print request has been received, and if it determines that a print request has been received, the process proceeds to S802.
In step S<b>802 , the CPU 501 of the printing apparatus 104 stores in the DRAM 503 the print image and the IP address of the print request source received together with the print request.
In step S<b>803 , the CPU 501 of the printing apparatus 104 causes the recording unit 506 to print the print image.

In S804, the CPU 501 of the printing apparatus 104 determines whether or not the printing was successful. If the CPU 501 determines that the printing was successful, the process proceeds to S805. If the CPU 501 determines that the printing was unsuccessful, the process proceeds to S806.
In step S805, the CPU 501 of the printing apparatus 104 transmits a print result notification of "Printing OK" to the IP address of the requester saved in step S802. After that, the process of the flowchart in FIG.
In step S806, the CPU 501 of the printing apparatus 104 transmits a print result notification of "printing not possible" to the IP address of the requester saved in step S802. The CPU 501 of the printing apparatus 104 also displays a message indicating "printing not possible" on the operation unit 505. Thereafter, the process of the flowchart in FIG. 18 ends.

As described above, according to the image forming system of this embodiment, when the information included in the POP data for printing provided by the server device 101 matches the setting information of the printing device 104, the printing device 102 can request the printing device 104 to print the POP data. As a result, even if there is only one printing device installed with an application that receives POP data from the server and prints it, it is possible to perform POP printing in cooperation with other printing devices in the store according to the category information and print size of the product data. Therefore, even if there is only one printing device installed in the store that can receive POP data, it is possible to avoid a situation where that printing device is occupied by printing POP data. In addition, by allocating the printing destination based on the category information of the product data, it is possible to perform the POP printing required for each sales floor according to the sales floor where the printing device is installed, and operational convenience is improved.

Other Embodiments
The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

The disclosure of each of the above-described embodiments includes the following configurations and methods.
(Configuration 1)
An image forming apparatus connected to a server,
a registration means for registering setting information of another image forming apparatus that is not connected to the server;
an acquisition means for acquiring print data including product data relating to products and layout data of the product data from the server;
a print control means for determining whether a predetermined condition is satisfied by comparing the print data with the setting information, and when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, controlling the other image forming device to print the print data;
An image forming apparatus comprising:
(Configuration 2)
The registration means registers category information as the setting information,
The image forming apparatus described in configuration 1, characterized in that the printing control means controls the other image forming apparatus to print the printing data when category information of the product data included in the printing data matches category information registered by the registration means.
(Configuration 3)
The registration means registers category information as the setting information,
The image forming apparatus described in configuration 1, wherein the printing control means requests the other image forming apparatus to print product data for which category information of the product data included in the printing data matches the category information registered by the registration means, and prints product data for which category information of the product data included in the printing data does not match the category information registered by the registration means using the own apparatus.
(Configuration 4)
the registration means registers category information for each of a plurality of other image forming apparatuses not connected to the server;
The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that the printing control means requests printing of the product data from the other image forming apparatus in which category information matching the category information of the product data included in the printing data is registered.
(Configuration 5)
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control means controls the image forming apparatus to print the print data on its own machine when it is determined that the predetermined condition is not satisfied.
(Configuration 6)
The registration means registers size information of recording paper as the setting information,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that the printing control means controls the other image forming apparatus to print the printing data when the size of the printing data matches the size information registered in the registration means.
(Configuration 7)
The registration means registers category information and size information as the setting information,
The image forming device described in any one of configurations 1 to 6, characterized in that the printing control means controls the other image forming device to print the printing data when category information of the product data included in the printing data matches category information registered in the registration means and when the size of the printing data matches size information registered in the registration means.
(Configuration 8)
The registration means registers category information for printing by the own device,
The image forming device described in any one of configurations 1 to 7, characterized in that the printing control means controls the printing of the printing data on its own device when category information of the product data contained in the printing data matches category information registered by the registration means, even if setting information of the other image forming device is registered.
(Configuration 9)
the registration unit registers whether the setting information of the other image forming apparatus is valid or invalid;
The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, characterized in that, when the registration of the setting information is invalid, the printing control means controls the printing data to be printed by an image forming apparatus other than the other image forming apparatus.
(Configuration 10)
The image forming device described in any one of configurations 1 to 9, characterized in that the printing control means generates a print image relating to a product description by combining the product data and the layout data, and transmits the print image to the other image forming device that performs printing.
(Configuration 11)
The image forming device described in any one of configurations 1 to 10, characterized in that the printing control means notifies the product data contained in the printing data and information about the image forming device that will print the product data before printing.
(Configuration 12)
12. The image forming apparatus according to configuration 11, wherein the print control means, after notifying the user, changes the image forming apparatus that prints the product data in response to a user operation.
(Configuration 13)
13. The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 12, wherein the print control unit receives a print result from the other image forming apparatus that performed printing, and transmits the received print result to the server.
(Configuration 14)
The image forming apparatus described in any one of configurations 1 to 13, characterized in that the printing control means receives a printing result from the other image forming apparatus that performed printing, and controls the apparatus to reprint on its own machine if the received printing result indicates that printing has failed.
(Configuration 15)
An image forming system including a server and an image forming apparatus connected to the server,
The image forming apparatus includes:
a registration means for registering setting information of another image forming apparatus that is not connected to the server;
an acquisition means for acquiring print data including product data relating to products and layout data of the product data from the server;
a print control means for determining whether a predetermined condition is satisfied by comparing the print data with the setting information, and when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, controlling the other image forming device to print the print data;
An image forming system comprising:
(Configuration 16)
15. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 14.
(Method 1)
An image forming method of an image forming apparatus connected to a server, comprising:
a registration step of registering setting information of another image forming apparatus that is not connected to the server;
an acquisition step of acquiring print data including product data related to the product and layout data of the product data from the server;
a print control step of determining whether a predetermined condition is satisfied by comparing the print data with the setting information, and controlling the other image forming device to print the print data when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied;
An image forming method comprising the steps of:

101: Server device, 111, 112, 102, 104: Printing device (corresponding to image forming device), 103: Information processing device

Claims (17)

An image forming apparatus connected to a server,
a registration means for registering setting information of another image forming apparatus that is not connected to the server;
an acquisition means for acquiring print data including product data relating to products and layout data of the product data from the server;
a print control means for determining whether a predetermined condition is satisfied by comparing the print data with the setting information, and when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, controlling the other image forming device to print the print data;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The registration means registers category information as the setting information,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the printing control means controls the other image forming apparatus to print the printing data when category information of the product data contained in the printing data matches category information registered by the registration means. The registration means registers category information as the setting information,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the printing control means requests the other image forming apparatus to print product data for which the category information of the product data included in the printing data matches the category information registered by the registration means, and prints the product data for which the category information of the product data included in the printing data does not match the category information registered by the registration means using the own apparatus. the registration means registers category information for each of a plurality of other image forming apparatuses not connected to the server;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the printing control means requests printing of the product data to the other image forming apparatus in which category information matching the category information of the product data included in the printing data is registered. The image forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that the print control means controls the device to print the print data when it is determined that the specified condition is not satisfied. The registration means registers size information of recording paper as the setting information,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the printing control means controls the other image forming apparatus to print the printing data when the size of the printing data matches the size information registered in the registration means. The registration means registers category information and size information as the setting information,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the printing control means controls the other image forming apparatus to print the printing data when category information of the product data contained in the printing data matches category information registered in the registration means and when the size of the printing data matches size information registered in the registration means. The registration means registers category information for printing by the own device,
The image forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that the printing control means controls the printing of the printing data on its own device when category information of the product data contained in the printing data matches category information registered by the registration means, even if setting information of the other image forming device is registered. the registration unit registers whether the setting information of the other image forming apparatus is valid or invalid;
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit controls the printing of the print data to be performed by an image forming apparatus other than the other image forming apparatus when the registration of the setting information is invalid. The image forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that the print control means generates a print image relating to a product description by combining the product data and the layout data, and transmits the print image to the other image forming device that performs printing. The image forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that the print control means notifies the product data contained in the print data and information about the image forming device that will print the product data before printing. The image forming device according to claim 11, characterized in that the print control means, after sending the notification, changes the image forming device that prints the product data in response to a user operation. The image forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that the print control means receives the print result from the other image forming device that performed printing, and transmits the received print result to the server. The image forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that the print control means receives a print result from the other image forming device that performed printing, and controls the device to reprint if the received print result indicates that printing has failed. An image forming system including a server and an image forming apparatus connected to the server,
The image forming apparatus includes:
a registration means for registering setting information of another image forming apparatus that is not connected to the server;
an acquisition means for acquiring print data including product data relating to products and layout data of the product data from the server;
a print control means for determining whether a predetermined condition is satisfied by comparing the print data with the setting information, and when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, controlling the other image forming device to print the print data;
An image forming system comprising: An image forming method of an image forming apparatus connected to a server, comprising:
a registration step of registering setting information of another image forming apparatus that is not connected to the server;
an acquisition step of acquiring print data including product data related to the product and layout data of the product data from the server;
a print control step of determining whether a predetermined condition is satisfied by comparing the print data with the setting information, and controlling the other image forming device to print the print data when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied;
An image forming method comprising the steps of: The computer of the image forming apparatus connected to the server is
a registration unit for registering setting information of another image forming apparatus that is not connected to the server;
an acquisition means for acquiring print data including product data relating to products and layout data of the product data from the server;
A program characterized by operating as a print control means that determines whether the print data meets specified conditions by comparing the print data with the setting information, and when it is determined that the specified conditions are met, controls the other image forming device to print the print data.

Images