JP4424290B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which an image is formed on a sheet of paper and the sheet of paper on which the image is formed is placed on a placement unit in the order of image formation. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a display unit that displays information about a cut sheet placed on a placement unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a cut sheet, and a placement unit on which the cut sheet on which the image is formed is placed in the image forming unit. It is considered. In this type of image forming apparatus, an image can be formed on a cut sheet by an image forming unit, and the cut sheet on which the image is formed can be placed on the placing unit in the order of image formation.

However, in such an image forming apparatus, when the cut sheets on which images corresponding to a plurality of different jobs are sequentially placed on the loading unit, the work of sorting the cut sheets for each job is performed. It becomes very troublesome. Therefore, a multistage placement unit is provided in one image forming apparatus, and the cut sheet after image formation is placed on a different placement unit for each job, and the job is displayed on a display unit provided in each placement unit. It has been proposed to display information regarding (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-263889 A

  However, if a multistage mounting portion is provided in one image forming apparatus, it is difficult to reduce the size of the image forming apparatus. In particular, in recent years, an increasing number of cases where an image forming apparatus such as a printer is placed on a desk or the like is used, and it is avoided as much as possible to increase the size of the image forming apparatus in the height direction by providing multiple mounting portions. There must be. In addition, when the image forming apparatus has a plurality of functions such as a facsimile function and a copy function, the image forming apparatus is increased in size similarly to the case where the placement unit is provided for each function. In view of the above, the present invention makes it easy for a single sheet to be printed for each job or function even when the sheet sheets on which images corresponding to a plurality of different jobs or functions are formed are sequentially stacked. It was made for the purpose of providing an image forming apparatus capable of sorting.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a cut sheet, and a mounting unit on which the cut sheet on which the image is formed is mounted in the image forming order. The image forming apparatus includes a plurality of sheets , each of which forms an image on a sheet of paper continuously for each job, and the sheet of paper on which an image corresponding to each job is formed is placed on the same placement unit. in so that the, a controllable control means said image forming means, counting means for counting in association the number of single-cut sheet on which the image is formed on the job by the image forming means, is counted by the regimen number means was based on the number of single-cut sheet paper, and display means for displaying the correspondence between the page number and the job as placement order of the single-cut sheet placed on the loading portion, it is displayed on the display unit Canceling means for canceling the number of pages in units of jobs, and canceling by the canceling means Except for the number corresponding to the job, based on the number of single-cut sheets counted by said counting means, and re-displaying means for re-displaying the corresponding relation between the page number and the job, as comprising the Yes.

In the present invention configured as described above, the control unit continuously forms an image on the cut sheet for each job, and the cut sheet on which the image corresponding to each job is formed is placed on the same above-described placement unit. controlling the image forming means so that is placed. Then, the image forming unit sequentially forms images corresponding to the job on the cut sheet according to the control, and sequentially places them on the same placement unit. At this time, the counting means counts the number of cut sheets on which the image is formed by the image forming means in association with the job, and based on the counted number of cut sheets, the display means The correspondence between the number of pages as the placement order of the cut sheet placed on the job and the job is displayed.

  Thus, in the present invention, the display unit displays the correspondence between the number of pages as the placement order of the cut sheets placed on the placement unit and the job. For this reason, even when cut sheets on which images corresponding to a plurality of different jobs are sequentially stacked on a single placement unit, the cut sheets can be easily sorted for each job. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to easily take out a sheet of paper on which an image corresponding to a desired job is formed without providing a placement unit for each job, thereby reducing the operability of the apparatus. It is possible to reduce the size without making it.

In addition, according to the present invention, when the user takes out only the cut sheet on which the image corresponding to the specific job is formed, the display of the number of pages related to the taken out cut sheet is canceled by the canceling unit. Can do. Accordingly, even after the cut sheet on which an image corresponding to a specific job is formed is extracted, the cut sheet on which an image corresponding to another desired job is formed can be easily extracted.

Further, when only single-cut sheet on which an image is formed which corresponds to a specific job is retrieved, by the re-display means, the correspondence between the number of pages, except the number of single-cut sheet and jobs taken out again Is displayed. Therefore, even after a cut sheet on which an image corresponding to a specific job is formed, a cut sheet on which an image corresponding to another desired job is formed can be extracted more easily.
In the present invention, the canceling unit may cancel the number of pages displayed on the display unit on a job basis in accordance with a user's input. For a single job according to input, the correspondence between the number of pages as the order of placement of the cut sheets placed on the placement section and the job is displayed, and the canceling means displays the display For the job displayed on the means, the number of pages displayed on the display means may be canceled for each job.

Further, the present invention has at least a plurality of functions including a facsimile function and a copy function, and an image forming unit that forms an image on a cut sheet based on a designated function, and an image is formed on the image forming unit An image forming apparatus including a placement unit on which the cut sheets are placed in the order of image formation, wherein images are formed on the cut sheet continuously for each function, and an image corresponding to each function in so that single-cut sheet that is formed is placed the mounting section on the same, a controllable control means said image forming means, the number of single-cut sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming means the Counting means for counting in association with functions, the number of pages as the order of placement of the cut sheets placed on the placement section based on the number of cut sheets counted by the counting means, and the above functions relationship display means for displaying the number of pages displayed on said display means and The correspondence between the number of pages and the function based on the number of cut sheets counted by the counting means, excluding the number of sheets corresponding to the function canceled by the canceling means and the canceling means canceled by the function unit And a re-display means for re-displaying .

In the present invention configured as described above, the control unit continuously forms an image on a sheet of paper for each function, and the sheet of paper on which an image corresponding to each job is formed is placed on the same above-described placement unit. controlling the image forming means so that is placed. Then, the image forming means sequentially forms images on the cut sheet according to the above control based on the designated function, and sequentially places them on the same placement unit. At this time, the counting means counts the number of cut sheets on which the image is formed by the image forming means in association with the function, and based on the counted number of cut sheets, the display means The correspondence between the number of pages as the placement order of the cut sheet placed on the screen and the above function is displayed.

  Thus, in the present invention, the correspondence between the number of pages and the function as the placement order of the cut sheets placed on the placement portion is displayed by the display means. For this reason, even when cut sheets on which images corresponding to a plurality of different functions are sequentially stacked on one placement unit, the cut sheets can be easily sorted by function. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to easily take out a sheet of paper on which an image corresponding to a desired function is formed without providing a placement unit for each function, thereby reducing the operability of the apparatus. It is possible to reduce the size without making it.

In addition, according to the present invention, when the user takes out only the cut sheet on which the image corresponding to the specific function is formed, the display of the number of pages related to the taken out cut sheet is canceled by the canceling unit. Can do. Therefore, even after a cut sheet on which an image corresponding to a specific function is formed is taken out, the cut sheet on which an image corresponding to another desired function is formed can be easily taken out.

Further, when only single-cut sheet on which an image is formed which corresponds to a specific function is retrieved by re-display means, the correspondence between the number of pages, except the number of single-cut sheets picked and features re Is displayed. Therefore, even after the cut sheet on which the image corresponding to the specific function is formed is extracted, the cut sheet on which the image corresponding to the other desired function is formed can be extracted more easily.

  In the present invention, the correspondence relationship is displayed so that the number of pages of a cut sheet on which an image is formed by a facsimile function and the number of pages of a cut sheet on which an image is formed by another function can be distinguished. Also good. A fax may be sent at a timing unintended by the user. Therefore, when at least the number of pages of a cut sheet on which an image is formed by the facsimile function can be distinguished from the number of pages of a cut sheet on which an image is formed by another function, a more remarkable effect can be obtained. can get.

  Furthermore, in each of the above-described inventions, the number of the above-described placement portions may be one. When the number of the mounting portions is one, the image forming apparatus can be further miniaturized, and the effect of providing the display unit as described above is more remarkable.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a multifunction machine 1 as an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 1 includes an image reading unit 100 disposed on the upper side of an image forming unit 2 having a main body casing 3, and has a facsimile function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a printer function. Further, as will be described in detail later, the multifunction machine 1 is an in-body discharge type, and a discharge tray 46 (see FIG. 2) is provided between the units 2 and 100. In the following description, the depth direction of the multifunction device 1 is the X direction (the front side is + X), the width direction (the left front side in FIG. 1 is + Y) is the Y direction, and the height direction is the Z direction ( It is assumed that the upper side in FIG. First, the image forming unit 2 will be described, and then the image reading unit 100 will be described.

<Image forming unit>
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 1. The image forming unit 2 has a sheet feeding feeder section 4 disposed on the bottom side of the main casing 3 and an image forming section 5 for image formation disposed above the feeder section 4.

  The feeder unit 4 includes a feeding roller 11, a paper feeding roller 8, a pinch roller 10, and a registration roller 12 on the front side of the paper feeding cassette 6 having a thin tray shape, and a sheet of cut paper is fed from the paper feeding cassette 6. After being pulled out to the front side one by one, the direction is changed to the back side of the main casing 3 and sent out to the conveyance path (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2).

  Note that most of the transport path from the upper end of the paper feed roller 8 to the image forming position P1 is due to the paper guide member 51 formed on the main body side of the multifunction machine 1 and the bottom surface of the process unit 17. Is formed.

  The feed roller 8 has a larger diameter than various rollers such as a photosensitive drum 27 and a fixing roller 41 described later (for example, the diameter of the photosensitive drum 27 is 24 mm and the fixing roller 41 has a diameter of 25 mm). The diameter of the paper feed roller 8 is 33 mm). If the diameter of the paper feed roller 8 is set relatively large and the curvature of the paper is reduced in this way, the paper is fed by the paper feed roller 8 even when the paper is thick, such as postcards. Can be satisfactorily conveyed without bending.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed cassette 6 includes a paper pressing plate 7. The sheet pressing plate 7 is cantilevered with respect to the sheet feeding cassette 6, and an end portion closer to the sheet feeding roller 8 can swing up and down. The paper pressing plate 7 is provided with a spring (not shown) and is urged upward so that the upper surface of the front end of the paper placed on the paper feed cassette 6 is always in contact with the feeding roller 11.

  The separation pad 9 is attached to the lower part of the paper feed roller 8 so as to be pressed toward the paper feed roller 8 by a spring 13 and prevents a plurality of papers from being fed into the transport path in a state of being overlapped. To function. That is, the sheet sent by the feed roller 11 contacts the paper feed roller 8 and the separation pad 9, but at this time, an appropriate frictional force is applied between the separation pad 9 and the sheet. Even if a plurality of sheets are sent to the separation pad by the delivery roller 11, sheets other than the uppermost sheet are locked by the separation pad 9. Therefore, a sheet is supplied from the sheet feed roller 8 for each sheet. Reference numeral 50 denotes a paper dust removing roller for removing paper dust from the supplied paper.

  The registration roller 12 is composed of a pair of rollers, and the drive and stop operations are controlled based on the detection timing of the position sensor 64 disposed in the vicinity of the paper feed roller 8. This control corrects the skew of the sheet. That is, the registration roller 12 is driven when the paper is conveyed by the paper supply roller 8, and is stopped when the position sensor 64 detects the leading edge of the paper. When the sheet comes into contact with the registration roller 12 and becomes loose, the registration roller 12 is driven again to send the sheet to the image forming unit 5.

  The position sensor 64 is a mechanical sensor, and is configured to be displaced from a predetermined position before the paper comes into contact when pressed in contact with the paper. Further, a manual paper feed port 14 for feeding paper directly from the front side of the multifunction machine 1 to the position of the registration roller 12 is formed slightly above the paper feed roller 8. The paper can be supplied to the transport path without storing the paper.

  The image forming unit 5 includes a scanner unit 16, a process unit 17, and a fixing device 18. The scanner unit 16 is provided in an upper portion of a process unit 17 to be described later in the main body casing 3, a laser light emitting unit 210 (see FIG. 3), a polygon mirror 19 rotated by a polygon motor 25, and lenses 20, 21, Reflective mirrors 22 and 23 are provided. Then, the scanner unit 16 passes or reflects the laser beam emitted from the laser emitting unit 210 in the order of the polygon mirror 19, the lens 20, the reflecting mirror 22, the lens 21, and the reflecting mirror 23, and is indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. Through the path, the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 in the process unit 17 is irradiated with high-speed scanning.

  The process unit 17 includes a drum cartridge 26 and a developing cartridge 28 and is detachably attached to the main body casing 3. That is, the main body casing 3 is formed with an accommodating portion 84 that is located between the scanner portion 16 and the paper feed cassette 6 and accommodates the process unit 17. The housing portion 84 can be moved in and out by an operation from the (+ X side).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the drum cartridge 26 of the process unit 17 includes a photosensitive drum 27, a scorotron charger 29, and a transfer roller 30. On the other hand, the developing cartridge 28 includes a developing roller 31, a toner box 34, and the like, and is detachably attached to the drum cartridge 26.

  The toner box 34 is filled with toner. Then, the toner in the toner box 34 is agitated by the rotation of the agitator 36 supported by the rotation shaft 35 provided at the center of the toner box 34 in the arrow direction (clockwise direction), and is provided in the toner box 34. Released from the toner supply port 37.

  A toner supply roller 33 is disposed at a side position (a rear side position) of the toner supply port 37 so as to be able to rotate counterclockwise, and a developing roller 31 is opposed to the toner supply roller 33. It is arranged to be rotatable counterclockwise. The toner supply roller 33 and the developing roller 31 are in contact with each other in a state where they are compressed to some extent.

  In addition, a layer thickness regulating blade 32 is disposed in the vicinity of the developing roller 31. The layer thickness regulating blade 32 includes a pressing portion 40 having a semicircular cross section made of insulating silicone rubber at the tip of a blade body made of a metal leaf spring material. 28, the pressing portion 40 is configured to be pressed against the developing roller 31 by the elastic force of the blade body.

  The toner discharged from the toner supply port 37 is supplied to the developing roller 31 by the rotation of the toner supply roller 33. At this time, the toner is positively frictionally charged between the toner supply roller 33 and the developing roller 31, and the toner supplied onto the developing roller 31 further rotates with the rotation of the developing roller 31. Between the pressing portion 40 and the developing roller 31, where it is further sufficiently frictionally charged and carried on the developing roller 31 as a thin layer having a constant thickness.

  The photosensitive drum 27 is disposed at a side position of the developing roller 31 so as to be able to rotate in the clockwise direction so as to face the developing roller 31. The photosensitive drum 27 has a drum body grounded and a surface portion formed of a positively chargeable photosensitive layer made of polycarbonate or the like. The photosensitive drum 27 is configured to be rotated by power from the main motor 220 (see FIG. 3).

  The scorotron charger 29 is disposed at a predetermined interval so as not to contact the photosensitive drum 27. The scorotron charger 29 is disposed approximately 30 degrees above the horizontal direction in the radial direction of the photosensitive drum 27. The scorotron charger 29 is a positively charged scorotron charger that generates corona discharge from a charging wire such as tungsten, and uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 to a positive polarity. It is configured as follows.

  The surface of the photosensitive drum 27 is first uniformly charged positively by the scorotron charger 29 as the photosensitive drum 27 rotates, and then exposed by high-speed scanning of the laser beam from the scanner unit 16. Then, an electrostatic latent image based on predetermined image data is formed.

  Next, the electrostatic charge formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 when the positively charged toner carried on the developing roller 31 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 27 by the rotation of the developing roller 31. The latent image, that is, the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 that is uniformly positively charged, is supplied to an exposed portion that is exposed to a laser beam and the potential is lowered, and is visualized by being selectively carried. Thereby, reversal development is achieved.

  The transfer roller 30 is disposed below the photosensitive drum 27 so as to face the photosensitive drum 27, and is supported by the drum cartridge 26 so as to be able to rotate counterclockwise. The transfer roller 30 is configured such that a metal roller shaft is covered with a roller made of an ion conductive rubber material, and a transfer bias (transfer forward bias) is applied during transfer. For this reason, the visible image carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 is transferred to the sheet while the sheet passes between the photosensitive drum 27 and the transfer roller 30 (image forming position P1).

  A fixing device 18 including a fixing roller 41 and a pressing roller 42 is provided on the downstream side (back side) in the paper transport direction from the process unit 17. The fixing roller 41 includes a metal tube whose surface is coated with a fluororesin, and a halogen lamp for heating in the metal tube, and is rotated by a main motor 220.

  The pressing roller 42 is disposed below the fixing roller 41 so as to press the fixing roller 41. The pressing roller 42 is configured by covering a metal roller shaft with a roller made of a rubber material, and is driven to rotate in accordance with the rotational driving of the fixing roller 41.

  In the fixing device 18, the toner transferred onto the sheet at the transfer position is thermally fixed while the sheet passes between the fixing roller 41 and the pressing roller 42. The sheet on which the toner is fixed is conveyed to a paper discharge path (formed by the sheet guide members 52 and 53) extending in the vertical direction toward the upper surface of the main body casing 3. The sheet conveyed to the sheet discharge path is redirected again by a sheet discharge roller 45 provided on the upper side thereof and discharged from the sheet discharge port 24, and is recessed in the central portion of the upper surface wall 43 of the main body casing 3. Are placed on the paper discharge tray 46 in the order of image formation.

  The discharge tray 46 is gently curved from the back side to the front side (from the −X side to the + X side), and has a shape in which the front end portion of the tray is slightly lowered, and the bottom wall of the image reading unit 100 described below. A sheet take-out port 82 is formed between the printer 105 and the printer 105. As a result, for example, when an image is formed on A4 size paper, the paper after image formation is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 46 in such a manner that its leading end protrudes from the paper outlet 82. As a result, the user can easily take out the paper after image formation from the paper take-out port 82.

  The image reading unit 100 is of a flat bed type and includes an upper casing 101 that can cover the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 46. The upper casing 101 has a box shape that opens upward, and the upper surface is closed by a platen glass 107 for placing a document in a state where the image sensor 115 is accommodated therein. The image sensor 115 is a line-type sensor extended in the X-axis direction in FIG. 2, supported by the guide shaft 117, and advanced and retracted along the guide shaft 117 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface (in the Y-axis direction). It is possible.

  In this image sensor 115, a plurality of photodiodes (not shown) are arranged in the extending direction, and reflected light when a strong light is applied to the document from a light source (not shown) is received by each photodiode. The light intensity (brightness) of the reflected light is converted into an electric signal for each pixel. In the image reading unit 100, this is converted into digital data by an A / D converter (not shown), whereby an image formed on the document can be read as image data. A neutralizing brush 135 is provided at a position near the rear end (end on the back side) of the lower surface wall 105 of the upper casing 101. The neutralizing brush 135 includes a holder portion 135b and a brush portion 135a held by the holder portion 135b. The brush portion 135a is configured to approach or abut over the entire width of the paper when the paper is discharged. Yes.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, on the upper surface of the image reading unit 100, an operation panel 121 having an operation touch panel 125, a display 126, and the like is arranged on the front side (+ X side), and along with this, an ADF is arranged. A document cover 140 having a mechanism 145 is disposed.

  The document cover 140 is formed to have a size capable of covering the upper surface of the platen glass 107, and the upper portion of the document cover 140 is connected to the upper portion of the upper casing 101 via a second hinge shaft J2 (see FIG. 2). The casing 101 is rotatably connected.

  As a result, the document cover 140 is always in a position covering the top of the platen glass 107. However, when the document is set, the document cover 140 is moved from the front side (+ X side) to the second hinge axis J2. The platen glass 107 can be exposed by rotating around the center. Although detailed description of the ADF mechanism 145 is omitted, without moving the above-described image sensor 115, the original document is taken from the original supply tray 147 one by one and passed over the image sensor 115, where an image from the original is displayed. Is to read.

Further, the first hinge axis J1 shown in FIG. 2 connects the image reading unit 100 to the image forming unit 2. On the lower surface wall 105 of the upper casing 101 and below the operation panel 121, a handle portion 105B for rotating operation is provided so as to project inward of the upper casing 101. When the handle 105B is placed and operated upward, the image reading unit 100 is rotated about the first hinge axis J1, and the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 46 can be opened.
<Control system configuration and control>
Next, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the multifunction machine 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 200 for controlling the multifunction device 1 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a CPU 201, a ROM 202, and a RAM 203 as main parts. The laser light emitting unit 210, the main motor 220, and the polygon described above. The motor 25 and the image reading unit 100 are connected. Also connected to the control device 200 are a modem 230 that transmits and receives FAX data via a communication line such as a telephone line, and an interface (I / F) 240 for receiving print data from other computers. Furthermore, a touch panel 125 and a display 126 provided on the operation panel 121 are also connected. The control device 200 is connected to actuators such as various motors and various sensors in addition to the illustrated ones, but the description thereof is omitted here because it is not directly related to the processing described below.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a main routine of processing executed by the control device 200. This process is repeatedly executed after the power to the multifunction device 1 is turned on. When the process is started, first, a page creation process is executed in S10 (S represents a step: the same applies hereinafter).

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the details of the page creation process. In this process, first, in S51, it is determined whether or not FAX data is received via the modem 230. If FAX data has not been received (S11: N), it is determined in S12 whether print data (hereinafter also referred to as PC print data) has been received from another computer via the interface 240. If no PC print data has been received (S12: N), it is determined in S13 whether there has been a copy request from the user based on the operation state of the touch panel 125. If there is no copy request (S13: N) The process proceeds to S11 described above. The control device 200 waits until any of FAX data reception, PC print data reception, or copy request is received by repeating the processes of S11 to S13 at the beginning of the page creation process.

  If FAX data is received and an affirmative determination is made in S11, the process proceeds to S15, and FAX reception processing is performed in which the FAX data is received via the modem 230 and written in a predetermined area of the RAM 203. In the subsequent S16, page information indicating the resolution, paper size, etc. of the data is created based on the FAX data received in S15. In S17, the image data of each page to be actually recorded on the paper is created. This page data is created. Further, in the subsequent S18, the created page information and page data are registered in the page management unit 203a provided in a predetermined area of the RAM 203, and the process proceeds to the recording process of S30 (see FIG. 4).

  Also, when the PC print data is received during the standby (S11 to S13) (S12: Y), the PC print data is similarly received via the interface 240 and written to a predetermined area of the RAM 203 (S21). ), Page information is created based on the PC print data (S22), and page data is created based on the PC print data (S23). Further, the created page information and page data are registered in the page management unit 203a (S24), and the process proceeds to the recording process of S30.

  When a copy request is made by the user via the touch panel 125 during the standby (S11 to S13) (S13: Y), a reading process for reading a document via the image reading unit 100 is executed (S25). . Subsequently, page information is created based on the read data (S26), and page data is created (S27). Further, the created page information and page data are registered in the page management unit 203a (S28), and the process proceeds to the recording process of S30 (see FIG. 4).

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the registration data 500 registered in the page management unit 203a by the processes of S18, S24, and S28. As shown in FIG. 6, the registration data 500 includes a set of page information 501 and page data 502 for each page unit. Exists for the number of pages. The page information 501 includes a tray (XOffset that indicates a shift in the scanning direction of the image with respect to the paper, a YOffset that indicates a shift in the sub-scanning direction of the image with respect to the paper, a tray that specifies the paper size, the paper type, and the paper discharge tray 46. In this embodiment, there is only one discharge tray 46, which is meaningless), setting / non-setting of toner save mode, job function type (type such as Fax, Printer), job serial number (No.), etc. Is recorded.

  When such data is registered in the page management unit 203a (S18, S24, S28), the recording process of S30 is executed as described above. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing this recording process in detail. In this process, first, it is determined in S31 whether there is page data. When this process is first performed, page data for at least one page has been created. Therefore, an affirmative determination is made and the process proceeds to S32, and the page is registered in the print queue. The print queue is an area in the RAM 203 that stores the registration data to be recorded on the paper as a queue.

  In S33, the main motor 220 and the like are driven by instructing the image forming unit 5 to start the operation. In S34, a video signal is output to the laser light emitting unit 210 in accordance with the page data, whereby an image is printed on the sheet. Is recorded. In S35, the sheet on which the image is recorded is discharged to the discharge tray 46. In S36, the page counter 203b provided for each function of FAX, print, and copy and divided for each job number is updated. Is done. For example, when a sheet of paper on which an image corresponding to FAX data is recorded is discharged, the page counter corresponding to the FAX job number is incremented by one, and the total number of sheets and the total FAX number are incremented by one. .

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of the page counter. The page counter 203b of the RAM 203 stores the total number of sheets for each function of FAX, print, and copy, and the number of output sheets for each job number. And the output order is stored.

  When the process of S36 is completed, the process again proceeds to S31, and it is determined whether there is page data that has not been recorded yet. If there is page data (S31: Y), the processing of S32 to S36 described above is executed, and when all the page data has been recorded and there is no page data (S31: N), the processing is the number of discharged sheets in S50. The process proceeds to the display process (see FIG. 4).

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing in detail the number of discharged sheets display process. In this process, first, in S51, the process waits until a predetermined discharge information key (for example, # key) on the touch panel 125 is input. When a paper discharge information key is input (S51: Y), paper discharge information relating to the paper discharged to the paper discharge tray 46 is displayed on the display 126. FIG. 10A is an example of one display of the paper discharge information. There are 15 pages of paper on which images are recorded by the facsimile function, 70 pages of paper on which images are recorded by other functions, and the total number of jobs is as follows. 5 is indicated. These displays are performed based on the values stored in the page counter 203b shown in FIG.

  In the next S53, the process waits until the number key on the touch panel 125 is input. When the number key is input (S53: Y), the job information corresponding to the job number is displayed in S54. FIG. 10B is a display example of job information. This display indicates that the second job is based on the facsimile function and has 3 pages and exists on the 10th page from the top (that is, from the 10th page to the 12th page). This is calculated based on the number of sheets and the output order for each job number stored in the page counter 203b. If it is determined in S53 that the number key “2” has been input, the job information corresponding to the second job is displayed in this way. When another number key is input, the same display is made according to the number based on the value stored in the page counter 203b.

  In subsequent S55, it is determined whether or not a clear key is input on the touch panel 125. If there is no input (S55: N), it is determined whether or not a number key is input in S56. If there is a number key input (S56: Y), the process proceeds to S54 described above. If no number key is input (S56: N), the process proceeds to S55 described above.

  That is, when the job information as shown in FIG. 10B is displayed, if the job is a desired job, the user takes out the paper corresponding to the job number and inputs the clear key. I do. If the job is not a desired job, the number key corresponding to another job number is input again. Therefore, in S55 and S56, the process waits until either the clear key or the number key is input. When the number key is input (S56Y :), job information corresponding to the job number is displayed. (S54).

  On the other hand, if the clear key is input during the standby in S55 and S56 (S55: Y), the process proceeds to S57, and the counter for the number of pages of the job is updated. That is, information such as the number of pages and the output order corresponding to the job number displayed in S54 is deleted from the page counter 203b provided for each function and divided for each job number as described above, and the total total The number of sheets, FAX total number of sheets, and output order are recalculated and updated. That is, the information corresponding to the job number 2 stored in the page counter 203b is deleted, and the numerical value 3 is subtracted and updated for the total number of sheets and the FAX total number. Further, the output order is incremented by one and updated for the output order n + 1 or less. Accordingly, at this time, as shown in FIG. 10C, the display 126 displays that the job (job 2 in the example of FIG. 10) has been cleared. In subsequent S58, the aforementioned paper discharge information is displayed again, and the process proceeds to S10 (see FIG. 4). FIG. 10D illustrates the screen re-displayed on the display 126 by the process of S58. In this screen, since three pages of sheets on which images by the facsimile function are formed are taken out, the number of sheets on which images by the facsimile function are formed based on the values stored in the page counter 203b is shown in FIG. The page 10 is changed to page 7 as shown in FIG.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the user inputs the paper discharge information key, the number of pages of the paper on which the image is formed by the facsimile function, the number of pages of the paper on which the image is formed by another function, and the job The total number is displayed. When the user inputs a number corresponding to a desired job, the number of pages of the job and the page number of the first page are displayed. Therefore, even when sheets on which images are formed corresponding to a plurality of different jobs and functions are sequentially stacked on the discharge tray 46, the first page and the number of pages of the sheets can be grasped for each job and each function. This makes it easy to sort the paper by job or function. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to easily take out a sheet on which an image corresponding to a desired job or function is formed without providing a multi-stage sheet discharge tray, and to reduce the size without deteriorating the operability of the apparatus. Can be realized.

  In addition, in this embodiment, when a sheet on which an image corresponding to a specific job and function is formed is taken out and a clear key is input, the page counter 203b corresponding to the job and function is updated, and each job And the page number of the function is redisplayed. Therefore, even after a sheet on which an image corresponding to a specific job and function is formed is taken out, a sheet on which an image corresponding to another desired job or function is formed can be easily taken out.

  Moreover, in the present embodiment, as the paper discharge information, the number of pages of the paper on which the image is formed by the facsimile function and the number of pages of the paper on which the image is formed by another function are displayed so as to be distinguishable. Since the fax may be sent at a timing not intended by the user, such a display can provide a more remarkable effect. Further, in the present embodiment, since the display as described above is adopted for the multi-function device 1 having only one paper discharge tray 46, the multi-function device 1 can be further reduced in size, and more remarkable. An effect is obtained.

In the above embodiment, the image forming unit 5 is the image forming unit, the paper discharge tray 46 is the loading unit, the processing of S31 to S35 is the control unit, the processing of S36 is the counting unit, and the processing of S52 and S54. The processing and display 126 corresponds to display means, the processing of S57 and the clear key correspond to cancellation means and recalculation means, and the processing of S58 and display 126 correspond to redisplay means, respectively.
<Other embodiments>
Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in this embodiment, if an affirmative determination is made during any of the processes in S11 to S13, the process is continuously executed until the number of discharged sheets display process (S50). The display process may be performed when the recording process (S30) is not performed for a fixed time. Even when page data creation (S17, S23, S27), recording processing (S30), or the like is performed for one job, other data reception or reading by a copy function (S15, S21, S25) is performed. In this case, the processing may be executed with priority in the order of the facsimile function, copy function, and print function.

  Furthermore, the display form on the display 126 is not limited to that of the above embodiment, and various forms can be considered. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a modification of display on the display 126. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 11A, the display 126 indicates from what page to what page each sheet has a sheet for each function, and the sheet is taken out and a clear key is input. In such a case, it may be simply erased by a strikethrough as in the example of “print” in FIG. In this case, processing such as updating the counter is not necessary. Further, in the example of FIG. 11A, for each function, “◯” is displayed when the paper has not been taken out, and “X” is displayed when the paper is taken out.

  Further, in the example of FIG. 11B, numbers 1, 2, 3,... Are assigned in units of jobs, and the number of pages corresponding to each job exists from what page to what page. Whether it corresponds to is displayed. This is displayed based on the number of output sheets and the output order stored in the page counter 203b. 11A and 11B, the display form illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B requires a display 126 larger than the display form illustrated in FIG. 10 as it is. However, the display 126 is provided with a scroll function or the like. For example, the present invention can be applied to a small display 126.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a multifunction machine to which the present invention is applied. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing an internal configuration of the multifunction machine. FIG. It is a block diagram showing the structure of the control system of the multifunction machine. It is a flowchart showing the main routine of the process performed with the control system. It is a flowchart showing the page creation process in the process in detail. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the structure of the registration data produced by the page creation process. It is a flowchart showing the recording process in the said process in detail. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of 1 structure of the page counter in the said control system. It is a flowchart showing the discharge sheet number display process in the above process in detail. It is explanatory drawing showing the display on the display by the paper discharge number display process. It is explanatory drawing showing the modification of the display in a display.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... MFP 5 ... Image forming part 46 ... Paper discharge tray 100 ... Image reading unit 125 ... Touch panel 126 ... Display 200 ... Control device 230 ... Modem 240 ... Interface 500 ... Registration data 501 ... Page information 502 ... Page data

Claims (6)

Image forming means for forming an image on a cut sheet;
A sheet paper on which an image is formed on the image forming means is placed in the order of image formation;
An image forming apparatus comprising:
Are images in succession for each job in the single-cut sheet is formed, the so that single-cut sheet on which an image is formed corresponding to each job is placed the mounting section on the same, capable of controlling the image forming means and Do control means,
A counting means for counting the number of cut sheets on which an image is formed by the image forming means in association with a job;
Based on the number of cut sheets counted by the counting means, display means for displaying the correspondence between the number of pages as the order of placement of the cut sheets placed on the placement section and the job;
Canceling means for canceling the number of pages displayed on the display means in units of jobs;
Re-display means for re-displaying the correspondence between the number of pages and the job based on the number of cut sheets counted by the counting means, excluding the number corresponding to the job canceled by the canceling means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: It said cancellation means, in response to user input, the number of pages displayed on the display means, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anti-score taken for each job. The display means displays the correspondence between the number of pages as the placement order of the cut sheets placed on the placement section and the job for a single job according to a user input. ,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the canceling unit cancels the number of pages displayed on the display unit in units of jobs for the job displayed on the display unit . An image forming means having a plurality of functions including at least a facsimile function and a copy function, and forming an image on a cut sheet based on a designated function;
A sheet paper on which an image is formed on the image forming means is placed in the order of image formation;
An image forming apparatus comprising:
Continuously for each of the feature images in single-cut sheet is formed, and so that a cut sheet paper on which an image is formed corresponding to each function is placed the mounting section on the same, controls the image forming means Possible control means;
A counting means for counting the number of cut sheets on which images are formed by the image forming means in association with the function;
Based on the number of cut sheets counted by the counting means, display means for displaying the correspondence between the number of pages as the order of placement of the cut sheets placed on the placement section and the above functions;
Canceling means for canceling the number of pages displayed on the display means in units of functions;
Re-display means for re-displaying the correspondence between the number of pages and the function based on the number of cut sheets counted by the counting means, excluding the number corresponding to the function canceled by the canceling means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The correspondence relationship is displayed such that the number of pages of a cut sheet on which an image is formed by a facsimile function and the number of pages of a cut sheet on which an image is formed by another function can be distinguished from each other. Item 5. The image forming apparatus according to Item 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said mounting portion is one.

Images