JP3419984B2 - Copier aggregation management device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a copier aggregation management apparatus used with a copier, a printer, a printing machine, a facsimile, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When one copying machine is used in a plurality of departments, for example, in an office, a copying machine totaling management device may be connected to the copying machine. The copier aggregation management device has a card insertion slot into which a storage medium such as a magnetic card or a memory card is inserted, and when the storage medium is set in this card insertion slot, the copier performs a copying operation. You can do it. Further, information such as the number of copies made by the copying machine is stored in the storage medium set in the copying machine totalizing management device.

Therefore, by having a storage medium in each department, it is possible to know the number of sheets of paper used for copying in each department, reduce wasteful copying, and reduce the cost of copying such as paper cost and toner cost. It can be reduced. Further, there is an advantage that it is possible to prevent an outsider from using the copying machine because copying cannot be performed without the storage medium.

[0004]

In recent years, color copying machines have come into widespread use. However, comparing the copying costs of a black-and-white copying machine and a color copying machine, the copying cost of the color copying machine is higher. Are known. Therefore, there is a concern that the cost of copying may be increased by making a color copy for personal use, or by making a color copy of a black and white copy. With the copier aggregation management device installed in a conventional color copier, it was possible to prohibit copying or set an upper limit for the number of copies for each department, but the type of copy (black and white or color) ) Each setting could not be set.

Further, many conventional copying machines are provided with an interrupt function so that, while a certain copy is being made, another copy can be taken on the way regardless of whether it is black and white or color. However, if a card, which is a storage medium, is removed from the copier totalization management device at the time of interrupt copying, there has been a problem that the copy conditions already set for the copier are cleared. As described above, even if the copier totalization management device is attached to the copier, the interlocking function between the interrupt function and the copier totalization management device is not considered, which is very inconvenient for the user.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and a copying machine totalizing management device capable of prohibiting copying depending on the type of copy and setting the upper limit number of sheets. The purpose is to provide.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a copier totalization management device which stores the copy conditions of the copier when the storage medium is taken out.

[0008]

The invention according to claim 1 is
Copy conditions stored from this storage medium to this storage medium
And the reading unit that reads the
If the above-mentioned copy condition is set to the preset prohibition condition,
If it is judged that it does not fall under the above prohibited items
First determining means for permitting the copying operation to the copying machine
And when the first judging means permits the copying operation,
Copying the above copy conditions read from the storage medium
Copy condition output means that outputs to the copier before
The entered copy conditions are
Permits copy operation under the above copy conditions depending on whether or not it matches
A second determining means for determining whether or not to
When it is judged that the judgment method of 2 does not correspond to the prohibition condition,
The copy operation is performed, and the first determination means and the second determination are performed.
If the copy conditions judged by the method correspond to the above prohibition conditions,
The feature is that the copy operation is prohibited in the case of

According to a second aspect of the invention, the copying machine is a unit.
Each time the copying operation of the
It is characterized by writing in a storage medium .

[0010]

[0011]

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a copying machine tabulation management apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, the copier totalization management device reads the stored information from the card at the card insertion slot 6 into which the card as a storage medium is inserted, and the side of the card insertion slot 6 or writes the information to the card. For reading /
The writing unit, the display unit 1 for displaying the department number and the number of copies stored in the magnetic card, the control unit, the switches 2 and 3 used for changing various settings of the copier aggregation management device, the copier and the printer, etc. It is composed of an I / F (interface) unit 10 used for exchanging data, an I / F unit 8 used for exchanging data with a personal computer and the like.

The copier and the total control device for the copier include an interface cable 9 connected to the power supply and the I / F unit 10.
Connected by. Power is supplied from the copier to the copier aggregation management device by a power cable. In addition,
It is also possible to operate the copier aggregation management device with a separate power source such as an AC adapter. As will be described later, this is because it is possible to count the number of copies on a personal computer at night when the power of the copying machine is turned off.

The interface cable 9 is interposed between the copying machine and the copying machine totalizing management device, and transfers data from the copying machine to the copying machine totaling management device or from the copying machine totaling management device to the copying machine. Used to interact. If there are a plurality of copying machines, the total number of copying machine management devices is required, and the copying machines are similarly connected.

The card inserted into the card insertion slot 6 has
Identification number, card number, copy condition or its registration N
o. Information such as the previous copy conditions and the number of copies is stored. Among these, the identification number is a code indicating whether the card is a card for the management device. Further, the card number is a code indicating a department, and when a plurality of cards are owned by the same department, the same number is set for all the cards. When a card in which such information is stored is inserted, the total number of copies taken with that card number and, depending on the setting, the number of remaining copies is displayed.

The copy conditions are conditions preset by the operator in the copying machine, such as the copy magnification and the number of copies. If the copy conditions are registered in the magnetic card, it is possible to automatically set the copy condition desired by the operator in any copying machine simply by inserting the magnetic card into the management device.

Further, when it is desired to keep the condition of the copying machine at a specific condition when the card is inserted, that is, when it is desired to keep the copying condition currently set in the copying machine, the copying machine or the total management of the copying machine is managed. By pressing a predetermined key on the apparatus, the setting of the copying machine at that time is sent from the copying machine to the copying machine totaling management apparatus, and the copying machine totaling management apparatus stores it in the card as a copy condition.

If the set copy condition of the copying machine is the same as the copy condition already registered in the storage device of the copying machine, the registration number that matches the copy condition. Should be stored in the card. The next time you insert a card into the copier totalization management device when you want to make a copy, the copier totalization management device will display the copy conditions or registration number. Read and transfer the information to the copier. The registration number transferred by the copying machine. On the basis of the above, the copy condition registered in the storage device of the copy machine is called, and the copy machine is automatically set under this copy condition.

Further, when not only the copying machine but also the copying machine totalizing management device is connected to, for example, a facsimile, it is possible to automatically set the reading condition of the original document by using a card as a storage medium. In addition, the destination information unique to the operator who uses the card is stored in the card that is the recording medium, and when the card is inserted into the copier total management device, the destination list specific to the operator is displayed. You can also In addition, the destination selected from the destination list stored in the card,
It can also be used for TTI transmission. The TTI is a function of printing the name of the transmission destination and the transmission date and time on the recording paper of the transmission destination of the facsimile.

When a copying machine to which the above-mentioned copying machine totalizing management device is connected is used, the copying cannot be performed, that is,
If the card is not inserted in the copier total management device,
The light emitting part of the start key in the operation part becomes red, and a message is displayed on the operation part to insert the card into the copier totalization management device. When the card is inserted into the copier total management device, the light emitting part of the start key in the operation part becomes green, and the copy is ready.

When copying is possible, that is, when the light emitting portion of the start key is green, the copying machine totalizing control device outputs a copying permission signal to the copying machine to permit the use of the copying machine. Depending on the presence / absence of this copy permission signal, the copying machine is set to a copy-enabled state or a copy-disabled state. For example, when a card is inserted into the copier totalization management device, a copy permission signal is output from the copier totalization management device to the copier, and the copier that has received the copy permission signal is in a copy ready state. When the card is taken out from the copier totalization management device, the output of the copy permission signal from the copier totalization management device to the copier is completed, and the copy machine is in the copy disabled state. When the output of the copy permission signal is completed, that is, when the copy permission signal is OFF, the copying machine enters the residual heat mode. It should be noted that it is also possible to set to cancel the residual heat when the copy permission signal is output again.

Next, other than the card insertion condition, a plurality of items for prohibiting the output of the copy permission signal are set. The various conditions are shown below. The following conditions are set in advance by the copy manager in the copier aggregation management device using a dedicated device, a magnetic card, a personal computer, or the like. ◎ All prohibition (Prohibition of all departments) ・ Prohibit copying of all departments. -The management device does not output the copy permission signal regardless of which card is inserted. ◎ Prohibition by card number (designated department prohibition) ・ Prohibit copying of specific departments.・ Do not output the copy permission signal only when the card with the preset number is inserted. ◎ Prohibition by copy type ・ Prohibit by the copy type signal sent from the copying machine. -The management device does not output the copy permission signal when the preset copy type signal is input from the copying machine. -Settings can be made only for all departments and designated departments. -For example, by not prohibiting only the design department and prohibiting color copying in other departments, it is possible to prevent color copying from being mischievous. ◎ Prohibition due to upper limit number of sheets ・ The control device remembers the number of count signals input from the copier for each copy type and copy mode, but when the number reaches the number set by the administrator, the copy permission signal Is not output. -Settings can be made for all departments, designated departments, and copy types. -For example, set if you want to limit the total number of copies per month or the number of color copies. ◎ Prohibition due to the number of repeat copies ・ When the operator inputs the number of copies on the operation unit of the copier, the data is sent from the copier to the copier total management device. When the number is larger than the preset number, the copy permission signal is not output.・ This is used when you want to use the printing machine when you want to make more than the specified number of repeat copies.

If even one of the above copy prohibition conditions is met, the copy permission signal is stopped and the copying machine is disabled.

In addition to the copy permission signal, a copy operation signal, a count signal, a copy type signal, a copy mode signal, a size signal, a paper type signal, a repeat copy number signal, and a copy condition signal from the copying machine during the copy operation. Are output. Among them, the copy operation signal is a signal indicating that the copy operation is in progress, and is turned on when the print key of the copying machine is pressed and the copy operation is started, and is turned off after the final transfer sheet is ejected.

The count signal is a signal used by the management device to count the number of copies, and is output for each copy when the copying machine feeds or discharges the transfer paper.

The copy type signal is a signal for identifying black-and-white copy, color copy, FAX reception, printer output, etc., and the copy machine totalization management device obtains the copy type signal immediately before starting the copy operation. The reason why the copy type signal is obtained immediately before the copy operation is started is that the operator changes the copy type many times until the copy operation is started.

The copy mode signal is a signal indicating one-sided copy or two-sided copy. Further, the size signal is a signal indicating the size of the transfer paper to be copied. Further, the paper type signal is a signal indicating the paper type such as plain paper or recycled paper. The paper type signal is used when the copy manager changes the copy fee depending on the paper type. Further, the repeat copy number signal is a signal indicating how many copies are to be made from one original. Output when the operator inputs the number of sheets. further,
The copy condition signal is a signal of a copy condition such as magnification, double-sided or single-sided, which is set in the copying machine by the operator.

Further, in the above-mentioned copying machine totaling management device, the copying conditions at the time of copying operation, information on the copying machine side such as how many copies are currently taken, and the like are recorded on the recording medium by the copying machine totaling management device when the card is removed. It is configured to write to a card. By doing so, it is not necessary for the operator to care about the operation of pressing the interrupt key to activate the interrupt function and the order in which the cards are replaced, so that the operability can be improved.

In the copying machine, each time the copying operation of one unit is completed, that is, every time the designated number of copies are completed, the copy condition at that time is output to the copying machine totalizing management device. On the copy machine total management device side, the copy conditions output from the copy machine are always saved, and the copy conditions are written to the card when the card is removed.

When the card is inserted into the copier totalization management device, the copy conditions are read and the copy conditions are output to the copier. Note that the copy condition is not output unconditionally, but the copy condition is not output when the setting on the copying machine side is in the interrupt state. When the interrupt is released on the copying machine side, the copy condition is output and the copying machine is automatically set according to the copy condition stored in the card. Further, when the card is replaced after the interruption is released, the copying machine is unconditionally set by the copy condition written in the card when the card is inserted. In addition to this case, the copying machine side may ignore the copy condition sent from the copying machine totalizing management device.

Further, in the copying machine totalizing management device, when the copying is completed by the copying machine, the copying conditions are automatically stored in the card, so that the copying operation is performed by another operator during copying. When the copy conditions of the copy machine are changed, after inserting the card into the copier total management device and pressing the job recall key, etc., the copy conditions stored in the card will be recalled, so the copy machine Copy conditions can be set again. Since the copy conditions are stored in the card, not on the main body of the copying machine, not only the copying machine that has been used until then, but also other copying machines, insert the card into the copier aggregation management device. You can quickly reset the copy conditions by pressing the job recall key.

Next, an operation example of the copying machine totalizing management device will be described. In FIG. 2, when the power of the copying machine and the aggregation management device of the copying machine is turned on, in the first step, it is checked whether the card is inserted in the aggregation management device of the copying machine. If a card is inserted, proceed to the next step. If no card is inserted, jump immediately after the start and loop until a card is inserted.

In the next step, the stored information, that is, the identification number, the card number, the copy condition, etc., is read from the inserted card. Based on this read information, it is checked in the next step whether or not the prohibited matter is met. As the check items of prohibited items, as described above, items such as all prohibition, prohibition by card number, prohibition by copy type, prohibition by upper limit number of sheets, prohibition by the number of repeat copies, etc. are checked. If even one of the plurality of prohibited items is applicable, the process jumps to the subroutine B to perform an appropriate error process, and then the process ends.

If the prohibited items are not met, the process proceeds to the next step, and it is checked whether or not the copy condition is designated on the card. When the copy condition is specified, the copy condition read from the card is output to the copying machine to automatically set the copying machine.

In the next step, it is checked whether the copy condition is input from the copying machine, that is, whether the setting of the copying condition is changed by the operation unit on the copying machine side.
When the copy condition setting is changed by the operation unit, it is checked whether the set copy condition corresponds to the prohibited matter. If the item corresponds to the prohibited item, the process jumps to the subroutine B to perform an appropriate error process, and then the process ends.

If the prohibited items are not met, the process proceeds to the next step. When the operator presses the start key of the copying machine and outputs a count signal from the copying machine, copy conditions such as copy type, mode, transfer paper type and size of the copying machine at that time are stored in the card. When the count signal is not input, the storage process of the copy condition in the card is omitted.

In the next step, it is checked whether the operation signal output from the copying machine is ON. If it is ON, the copying machine is in operation, and the process jumps to the label C immediately before the above-mentioned prohibited matter check processing. If it is not ON, it is checked whether the card is still inserted. If the card is still inserted,
Immediately before the step of checking whether the above-mentioned copy conditions are input from the copying machine, that is, jump to label A. If the card has been pulled out, the copy permission signal is turned off, and the process ends.

In the copying machine totalizing / managing apparatus having the above-mentioned structure, when the manager totalizes the number of copies, the managing apparatus is inserted by inserting a dedicated card (owned only by the copying machine manager) into the copying machine totaling / managing apparatus. Display the number of copies for each on the display
Data is collected by the administrator of the copying machine by transcribing it or outputting it to a printer.

After the data is collected, the number of copies stored in the copier aggregation management device is cleared to zero. When such an operation is completed for all the copier aggregation management devices, the manager charges each person or each department a copy expense. However, this method is good when the number of management devices (copiers) is small, but when the number is large, it takes a very long time. In addition, when it is in a remote place, it is necessary to have another person check the number of copies.

Therefore, it is possible to perform totaling by operating the personal computer by using the private branch line of the personal computer or connecting to each copying machine totalizing management device by using the public line in a remote place. Become. You can also specify the time for this tally. For example, when collecting data using a public line, it is preferable to specify nighttime when the telephone charge is low. In addition, the setting of the above management device (setting of the maximum number of sheets and prohibition of use) can be done by operating the personal computer.

According to the copying machine totalizing / managing apparatus having the above-mentioned structure, the upper limit number of copying can be set for each type of copying (for example, color or black and white). Therefore, for example, the managing apparatus is connected to the color copying machine. In this case, only the design department can make color and black-and-white copies, and the other departments can make black-and-white copies, but color copies cannot be made or the number of copies can be limited. It is possible to prevent the copy cost and reduce the copy cost.

Further, at the end of the copying operation, the copy conditions at that time of the copying machine are output to the copying machine totalizing management device and stored in the card, so that the interrupt function is activated or the mode clear function is activated. There is no need to set the copier from the beginning again, for example, by reinserting the card or pressing any key on the operation unit to call up the copy conditions from the card, and the copier is being used by the operator. You can quickly return to the settings you had when you played. Further, this greatly improves the operability.

[0043]

According to the present invention, since the copy permission signal can be switched according to the copy type signal output from the copying machine to permit copying or prohibit copying, wasteful copying is possible. It is possible to suppress the operation and reduce the copy cost. Further, the copy limit signal can be changed by the copy type signal output from the copying machine, and this also makes it possible to suppress useless copying operations and reduce copying costs.

Further, the copying machine outputs the copying condition at the end of copying, and since the output is stored in the storage medium, the copying condition is called from the card, and the copying machine is automatically set using this copying condition. Therefore, it is not necessary to reset the conditions on the copying machine side from the beginning, and the usability can be improved. Further, even when the interrupt function works and the mode clear functions, the copying machine can be set by using the copy condition of the card, which also improves the usability.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A and 1B are a front perspective view and a rear perspective view, respectively, showing an embodiment of a copier aggregation management apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the copying machine tabulation management device of the above.

Continuation of front page (56) Reference JP-A-4-256967 (JP, A) JP-A-3-255469 (JP, A) JP-A-7-319646 (JP, A) JP-A-2-48681 (JP , A) JP 3-31866 (JP, A) JP 6-317941 (JP, A) JP 7-212556 (JP, A) JP 3-64772 (JP, A) JP 2-310568 (JP, A) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 21/02-21/04 G03G 21/00 370-540

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. From a storage medium to this storage medium
The reading unit that reads the copy conditions and the above-mentioned copy conditions read by the reading unit.
It is judged whether the preset prohibition conditions are met or not.
If the prohibited items are not met, copy operation is performed on the copying machine.
The first judging means for permitting the work and the above-mentioned description when the first judging means permits the copying operation.
Before copying, copy the above copy conditions read from the storage medium.
Copying condition output means for outputting to the copying machine and prohibition in which copying conditions input from the copying machine are preset
Depending on whether or not the conditions are met, the copy operation is performed under the above copy conditions.
Second determination means for determining whether or not to permit the work
And determines that the second determination means does not correspond to prohibition condition
In this case, a copy operation is performed, and the first determination means and the second determination means
The copy condition judged by the judgment means of above corresponds to the above prohibition condition
A copying machine tabulation management device characterized by prohibiting copy operations in the event of a failure. 2. A copying machine records each time a copying operation for one unit is completed.
2. The copier totalization management device according to claim 1 , wherein the copy conditions at the time of copying to the storage medium are written in the storage medium .