JP4148660B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having an electronic sort function for recording and holding image data, repeatedly reading out the image data, and outputting the image data.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a digital image forming apparatus having an electronic sort function that once records image data read from a document in a memory such as a hard disk, and repeatedly reads out and prints out the desired number of copies of the image data in an arbitrary order. It has been. With this electronic sort function, it is possible to repeatedly print based on the data that has been recorded once, so that it is possible to avoid the complexity of reading the document every time it is printed.
[0003]
However, in such a digital image forming apparatus equipped with an electronic sort function, even for a highly confidential document or a document that other people do not want to be known, the image data of this document is once recorded in the memory, and printing is completed. Sometimes data indicating these contents will remain in the memory, and the contents of highly confidential documents may be known to a third party until new data is overwritten in this memory. Therefore, it cannot be said that confidentiality and privacy are sufficiently secured.
[0004]
Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 9-223061 and 9-284572, a user can read a document containing contents to be deleted from the memory for reasons of confidentiality. A means for erasing the data of the document from the memory after completion of printing by arbitrarily selecting it is disclosed.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, if means such as those disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 9-223061 and 9-284572 are used, confidentiality and the like can be ensured, but the image data in the memory is erased or invalidated. In some cases, the memory cannot be accessed to perform processing such as reading of the next image data, and it is necessary to wait for the end of the erasing or invalidating operation when performing the printing processing.
[0006]
For this reason, a time loss occurs when printing is performed by the operation of erasing or invalidating the image data, and the efficiency of the printing operation is reduced.
[0007]
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of sufficiently ensuring confidentiality and privacy, and capable of preventing a decrease in work efficiency such as printing.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention has the following configuration.
[0009]
(1) reading means for reading image data of a document;
Image storage means for storing original image data;
Primary storage means for storing original line image data;
Image forming means for performing image forming processing based on image data;
Erasing / invalidating means for erasing, scramble processing, black solid overwriting processing, or partial deletion for image data stored in the image storage means;
Processing mode selection means for selecting either the first processing mode or the second processing mode as the operation mode of the apparatus main body;
With
In the first processing mode, the image data read by the reading unit is stored in the image storage unit, the image forming unit performs image forming processing based on the image data stored in the image storage unit, and In the processing mode in which the erasure / invalidation unit performs erasure, scramble process, black solid overwrite process, or partial deletion of the image data stored in the storage content of the image storage unit after completion of the image formation process. Yes,
In the second processing mode, the image data read by the reading unit is supplied to the image forming unit via the primary storage unit, and the image forming unit performs image forming processing based on the supplied image data. The processing mode selection means is configured to be able to select the first processing mode or the second processing mode based on an input from the user , and a confidential mark is displayed on the document. If it is, the second processing mode is selected .
[0010]
In this configuration, an erasing / invalidating unit having a so-called electronic sort function, and erasing or invalidating image data of a document read by a reading unit such as a scanner held by a storage unit such as a hard disk as necessary, In the image forming apparatus, the image processing apparatus has a first processing mode for erasing or invalidating image data held by the storage unit after output, and an image read by the reading unit in part or all of the storage unit Since there is a second processing mode in which image forming processing is performed without holding data, and a processing mode selection means for selecting at least one of the first processing mode or the second processing mode is provided, When priority is given to work efficiency, printing is performed using the electronic sort function, and when priority is given to confidentiality of the content of the document, the content of the document Since selective processing is performed such as printing is performed without holding all or a part in the storage means, that is, without using the electronic sort function, an elastic printing operation is performed, and the image in the storage means Even when the data is being erased or invalidated and the image data is not normally output from the storage means and the time loss cannot be avoided, the time loss in the printing operation can be reduced by using the second processing mode. Is prevented.
The processing mode selection means selects a processing mode to be applied based on an input from the user. Therefore, the processing mode is selected based on the user's judgment, and the printing work efficiency or the confidentiality of the contents of the document is kept. A process in accordance with the user's will is performed as to which of these is prioritized.
Further, since the processing mode selection means selects the processing mode to be applied based on the processing mode display that is information on the processing mode to be selected displayed on the document, for example, the first processing mode and If a processing mode display such as a symbol indicating each of the second processing modes is registered, the processing mode display corresponding to the nature of the content is attached to the original to be printed, so that it can be applied to the printing operation of the original. The processing mode to be done is automatically selected.
[0024]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0025]
FIG. 1 shows the main control flow of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. In the configuration of FIG. 1, an image reading unit 1, an electronic sort unit 2, and a printer unit 3 are connected in series, and among these, the electronic sort unit 2 is connected to an external I / F processing unit 5.
[0026]
Each of the image reading unit 1, the electronic sort unit 2, and the printer unit 3 is connected with a CPU circuit unit 4 that supervises these operations in a state where commands and data can be communicated bidirectionally. . Here, the image reading unit 1 includes a lens unit 11 that forms an image of reflected light from a document at a predetermined position, a photoelectric conversion element 12 that converts the formed image data into a predetermined analog electric signal, and a photoelectric conversion element. 12 is provided with an analog signal processing unit 13 that converts an analog electrical signal from 12 into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the electronic sort unit 2, so that an image of a document is read and converted into a predetermined digital signal to the electronic sort unit 2. Is output.
[0027]
Further, the external I / F processing unit 5 outputs image data input from an external device such as a computer or facsimile connected to the electronic sort unit 2.
[0028]
The printer unit 3 includes an electrophotographic or inkjet image forming unit, and performs image forming processing on a sheet based on image data sequentially sent from the electronic sort unit 2.
[0029]
The CPU circuit unit 4 includes a CPU 41, a ROM 42, and a RAM 43, and comprehensively controls the sequence of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, such as the image reading unit 1, the electronic sort unit 2, and the printer unit 3.
[0030]
Here, FIG. 2 shows a configuration of the electronic sort unit 2. In the figure, the electronic sort unit 2 includes a log conversion unit 21, a binarization unit 22, a control unit 23, a smoothing unit 24, a γ correction unit 25, and an image storage unit 26. At this time, the log conversion unit 21, the binarization unit 22, the control unit 23, the smoothing unit 24, and the γ correction unit 25 are connected in series, and the control unit 23 is connected to the external I / F processing unit 5. The image storage unit 26 is connected to an image storage unit 26. The image storage unit 26 includes a non-volatile storage element such as a hard disk 26a and a flash memory that are detachable from the apparatus main body.
[0031]
In this configuration, when a print command is issued in the first processing mode, the image data of the document converted into a digital signal in the image reading unit 1 is input to the log conversion unit 21, and the binarization unit 22 and the control unit 23 and stored in the hard disk 26 a in the image storage unit 26. The image data stored in the hard disk 26a is repeatedly output according to a desired number of printed sheets from a printing operation panel (not shown) or an external PC, and again passes from the control unit 23 via the smoothing unit 24 and the γ correction unit 25. And output to the laser scanner unit of the printer unit 3. At this time, when the image data stored in the hard disk 26a is copied, it is not necessary to read the same original again, and when the electronic sort function is used in this way, the efficiency of the printing work is excellent. It can be said.
[0032]
In the printer unit 3, image forming processing is performed based on the image data from the electronic sort unit 2. On the other hand, in the image storage unit 26 of the electronic sort unit 2 that has finished outputting the image data, the image is processed. In order to keep the data confidential, image data is erased or scrambled, overwritten with black or white, or partially invalidated. When erasing or invalidating the image data, for example, initialization of the hard disk 26a is performed. In such a method, about 0.7 seconds are required for erasing the image data of the A4 size document. As a result, during that time, the next printing is performed, so that the image data cannot be exchanged between the control unit 25 and the image storage unit 26, resulting in a loss of time in the printing operation.
[0033]
On the other hand, when a print command is issued in the second processing mode, the image storage unit 26 that is normally used in the first processing mode is not used, and is read by the image reading unit 1. The image data of the document is subjected to image processing by the log conversion unit 21, the binarization unit 22, the control unit 23, the smoothing unit 24, and the γ correction unit 25, and the contents thereof are directly stored in the printer unit 3 without being stored. Is output. For this reason, since image data to be deleted is not held in the image storage unit 26 at the end of the printing operation, time for operations such as erasing the image data is not required, and image data is kept confidential. The printing operation can be speeded up.
Further, as a variation of the second processing mode, when outputting image data, for example, the primary storage means having a small storage capacity corresponding to one line in the main scanning direction of the document is repeatedly used while being overwritten. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which image data is not stored and retained. At this time, during the output of the image data to the printer unit 3, the image data is erased in almost real time by first-in first-out of the output image data. However, the amount of image data to be erased is only about one line in the main scanning direction of the document at the end of the printing operation. The time required for the operation such as erasing of the image data becomes very small, and it is possible to speed up the printing operation while keeping confidentiality of the image data.
[0034]
However, in any case, since the electronic sort function is not used when printing in the second processing mode, it is necessary to input image data one by one, and even in the case of copying, the document is read every time one is copied. Since this is necessary, the efficiency of the printing operation is slightly reduced.
[0035]
However, considering the case where confidentiality is originally required, considering that the person who wants to copy is mostly intended to obtain a single copy on the spot by directly operating the copying machine, the first Compared to the processing mode, the second processing mode is effective for printing work by the image forming apparatus, considering that there is actually only a slight inconvenience due to the fact that it takes some time to print multiple copies compared to the processing mode. It can be said that it can be used.
[0036]
As described above, both the first processing mode and the second processing mode have advantages, and in the present invention, these processing modes can be arbitrarily selected, and the contents of an original and printing A configuration is adopted in which a more suitable processing mode is selected based on conditions such as the number of copies.
[0037]
Here, FIG. 3 shows an example of the embodiment of the present invention.
[0038]
When the printing operation is started, the CPU circuit unit 4 selects the selected processing mode based on the input of a command related to selection of the processing mode to be used from the operation panel provided on the front surface of the image forming apparatus by the user. Execute (s1).
[0039]
At this time, when the first processing mode is selected, the image data read by the image reading unit 1 is stored in the hard disk 26a in the image storage unit 26 (s2), and the printer unit is based on the stored image data. 3 is output (s3) and the printing operation is performed. Then, after a desired number of copies have been made on the original, the image data in the hard disk 26a is erased or invalidated (s4), and the printing operation is terminated.
[0040]
On the other hand, when the second processing mode is selected in the determination of the processing mode (s1), the image data is transferred to the printer unit 3 without storing the original image data in the hard disk 26a in the image storage unit 26 in principle. At the same time as this output, the image data read by the image reading unit 1 is erased in almost real time by first-in first-out, or when the image data is output, a small amount of storage capacity is provided. Printing is repeatedly performed while overwriting the primary storage means (s5), and the printing operation is terminated when a desired number of prints are completed.
[0041]
Here, FIG. 4 shows a configuration in which the print mode is selected based on the printing conditions in the CPU circuit unit 4 as an example of the embodiment of the present invention. In this configuration, when the processing mode is selected, it is determined whether the number of image forming processes to be performed on the document to be printed, that is, whether the number of copies is one or plural (s11). ). For example, when the number of print copies is one, printing is performed in the second processing mode (s5), and when the number of print copies is plural, printing is performed in the first processing mode (s2 to s2). s4). In the figure, the first processing mode and the second processing mode are the same as the first processing mode and the second processing mode in FIG. 3, and are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0042]
In this embodiment, it is also possible to employ a configuration in which information indicating a processing mode from a document is read as a determination material when selecting a processing mode (s9). Specifically, information such as a symbol indicating the first processing mode and information such as a symbol indicating the second processing mode are stored in the ROM 42 in the CPU circuit unit 4 in advance, and the symbol or the like displayed on the document is stored. Thus, it is determined whether to perform printing in the first processing mode or to perform printing in the second processing mode.
[0043]
For example, when a document indicating a high confidentiality such as a secret mark is displayed on the document, the second processing mode is selected, or the process to be selected by the number 1 or 2 displayed on the document. The mode can be determined.
[0044]
As shown in FIG. 5, the image storage unit 5 is provided with a plurality of hard disks 26a and 26b for storing image data in order to eliminate the loss of time in the printing operation while ensuring confidentiality of the image data of the document. May be. In this configuration, when the image data stored in the hard disk 26a is erased or invalidated, the hard disk 26b is used to store the original image data and the stored image data without using the hard disk 26a. Can be output.
[0045]
Further, when the image data stored in the hard disk 26a is erased or invalidated in the first processing mode, the next document may be printed in the second processing mode. That is, even when image data is erased or invalidated by the erasure / invalidation means in the hard disk 26a, the printing operation is interrupted during the image data erasure or invalidation operation by switching to the second processing mode. Can be eliminated.
[0046]
At this time, when the operation of erasing or invalidating the image data stored in the hard disk 26a in the first processing mode is completed during the execution of the printing operation in the second processing mode, the operation is performed at that time. The printing operation being performed may be switched from the second processing mode to the first processing mode as necessary.
[0047]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention,
(1) Equipped with a so-called electronic sort function, and an erasing / invalidating unit for erasing or invalidating image data of a document read by a reading unit such as a scanner held by a storage unit such as a hard disk as necessary. The image forming apparatus has a first processing mode for erasing or invalidating the image data held by the storage unit after output, and the image data read by the reading unit is stored in part or all of the storage unit. Since it has a second processing mode for performing image forming processing without holding it and has a processing mode selection means for selecting at least one of the first processing mode or the second processing mode, the printing work efficiency If priority is given to printing, the electronic sort function can be used for printing, and if priority is given to confidentiality of the contents of the original, Alternatively, it is possible to perform selective processing such as printing without holding a part in the storage means, that is, without using the electronic sort function, so that flexible printing work is possible and the storage means Even when the image data in the image data is being erased or invalidated and the image data is not normally output from the storage means and the time loss cannot be avoided, the printing process can be performed by using the second processing mode. Time loss can be prevented.
[0048]
Further, since the processing mode selection means selects the processing mode to be applied based on the processing mode display that is information on the processing mode to be selected displayed on the document, for example, the first processing mode and If a processing mode display such as a symbol indicating each of the second processing modes is registered, the processing mode display corresponding to the nature of the content is attached to the original to be printed, so that it can be applied to the printing operation of the original. The processing mode to be done can be automatically selected.
[0055]
Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can sufficiently ensure confidentiality and privacy and can prevent a reduction in work efficiency such as printing.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing control in a main part of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic sort unit according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic sort unit according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1-Image reading unit 2-Electronic sorting unit 3-Printer unit 4-CPU circuit unit 5-External I / F processing unit 26-Image recording unit

Claims (1)

Reading means for reading image data of a document;
Image storage means for storing original image data;
Primary storage means for storing original line image data;
Image forming means for performing image forming processing based on image data;
Erasing / invalidating means for erasing, scramble processing, black solid overwriting processing, or partial deletion for image data stored in the image storage means;
Processing mode selection means for selecting either the first processing mode or the second processing mode as the operation mode of the apparatus main body;
With
In the first processing mode, the image data read by the reading unit is stored in the image storage unit, the image forming unit performs image forming processing based on the image data stored in the image storage unit, and In the processing mode in which the erasure / invalidation unit performs erasure, scramble process, black solid overwrite process, or partial deletion of the image data stored in the storage content of the image storage unit after completion of the image formation process. Yes,
In the second processing mode, the image data read by the reading unit is supplied to the image forming unit via the primary storage unit, and the image forming unit performs image forming processing based on the supplied image data. The processing mode selection means is configured to be able to select the first processing mode or the second processing mode based on an input from the user , and a confidential mark is displayed on the document. If it is, the image forming apparatus is characterized in that the second processing mode is selected .

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