JP4872018B2 - Printing control apparatus, printing apparatus, control method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus, a print apparatus, a control method thereof, and a storage medium storing a control program for realizing the control method.

  A conventional printing apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1) generally includes the following mechanism. In other words, a printing unit that performs printing processing on paper, a plurality of paper feeding cassettes in which paper to be fed to the printing unit is mounted, and information such as failure information that occurs during printing and information for handling failures are displayed. A display unit for performing the operation, and an operation unit for the user to perform some operation based on the information displayed on the display unit.

  In addition, in this type of printing apparatus, in addition to instructing what kind of image is to be printed on the paper, instructing what kind of processing is to be performed on the paper on which the image is printed. It is also possible. As the processing, for example, clean writing, stapling, punching, double-sided, etc. can be considered.

  When there is no paper in the paper cassette that is currently feeding paper, another paper cassette is displayed on the display unit, and printing is continued by allowing the user to select an appropriate paper cassette from these. You can also.

JP 09-267537 A

    However, in the above-described conventional printing apparatus, when there is not enough paper necessary for printing and the user selects a paper feed cassette, the other paper feed cassette is simply displayed on the display unit. Information about whether or not processing can be performed on a scheduled sheet can be presented to the user if the sheet is loaded. For this reason, there is a problem that an inappropriate sheet is selected and appropriate processing is not executed.

  In view of the above-described conventional problems, the present invention allows the user to select another paper cassette and continue printing when the printing process is temporarily interrupted due to the absence of paper from the currently used paper cassette. At this time, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing control apparatus, a printing apparatus, a control method, and a storage medium that can select a cassette in which a sheet capable of performing appropriate processing is mounted.

In order to achieve the above object, the printing control apparatus of the present invention includes a printing unit that performs printing on a sheet based on image information, a processing unit that performs a processing process on the sheet printed by the printing unit, and the printing A printing control apparatus that controls a printing apparatus that includes a plurality of paper feed stages loaded with paper to be fed to a copy unit, the information indicating the type of paper loaded in each of the plurality of paper feed stages; Based on the recorded paper type recording means and the information obtained from the paper type recording means, it is determined whether or not the processing by the processing means can be executed for the paper loaded in which paper feed stage. And paper that is determined to be executable by the processing means by the processing availability determination means when there is no paper in the paper feed stage in use for the printing process using the processing means. Feed tray A control means for selectably controlling as an alternative paper feed cassette, the paper feed to be displayed on the display unit the paper feed cassette information about the sheet feed tray for loading the paper sheet determined to be executing the processing by the processing permission determination means Stage display means, wherein the control means controls to select the alternative paper feed stage from the paper feed stage information displayed on the display unit .

  According to the present invention, when the printing process is temporarily interrupted due to the absence of paper from the currently used paper feed tray, the user can select another paper feed tray to continue printing. This makes it possible to present to the user only the paper feed tray in which the paper that can execute the process is set, and by selecting an inappropriate paper, the appropriate process is not executed on the paper. It becomes possible to prevent.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic cross section which shows the structure of the engine part of a laser beam printer. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a paper discharge device connected to a main body of the printing apparatus. FIG. It is a figure which shows the content of the printing mode table. It is a flowchart which shows the process of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart continued from FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a flowchart continued from FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a flowchart continued from FIG. 6. It is a figure which shows the content of a cassette information table. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of 4th Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement of 5th Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The printing apparatus includes, for example, a laser beam printer 1030 and is connected to a host computer 1001 via a communication line 1002.

  In the laser beam printer 1030, a laser beam printer controller 1031 that controls the operation of the entire printer is installed.

  The printer controller 1031 controls the operation of the printer controller 1031 and the input / output buffer 1033 for transmitting / receiving data from / to the control code and each communication means through the host I / F unit 1032 that controls input / output with the host computer 1001. A CPU 1034 for executing, a program ROM 1035 in which a program for describing the operation of the CPU 1034 is incorporated, a RAM 1036 used as a work memory for interpreting the control codes and data, calculating necessary for printing, and processing print data A bitmap image transfer unit 1038 that develops an image object into a bitmap image and transfers the developed bitmap image to the printing device engine, a printing device engine unit 1039 that actually prints on paper, and a printer controller 1031. Engine I / F unit 1040, an operation panel 1037 for operating the printing apparatus, a panel I / F unit 1042 connecting the printer controller 1031 and the operation panel 1041, and storing print data and information on various printing apparatuses. It comprises an external memory 1043 to be used, a memory I / F unit 1044 that connects the printer controller 1031 and the external memory 1043, an input / output port 1051 that is connected to various sensors and the like, and a system bus 1045 that connects each unit. ing.

  Also, in the program ROM 1035, an image information generation unit 1037 that generates various image objects based on data settings received from the host computer 1001, and print pages and single-side / double-side information of all documents such as interrupted / interrupted documents. Each program of the document information management unit 1060 for managing various information of the printed document such as address management to the object and the page scheduling unit 1061 for determining the printing order of the single-sided / double-sided, interrupted / interrupted document is incorporated. .

  Output signals of the various sensors are read into the CPU 1034 via the input / output port 1051. The various sensors include, for example, a sheet presence / absence sensor 1052 that detects the presence / absence of printing paper in the paper feeding cassette, a size detection mechanism that electrically detects the size of printing paper in the paper feeding cassette, and the like.

  The printing apparatus engine unit 1039 includes an engine control unit 1046 that performs control related to each printing process process (for example, paper feeding process) by each mechanism of the engine, and the paper discharge unit 1047 is provided in the main body of the printing apparatus. When a paper discharge device is connected and used, the operation of the paper discharge device is managed.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the engine unit 1039 of the laser beam printer described above.

  The laser beam printer 1030 includes a casing 2001. The casing 2001 includes an engine that controls each mechanism for configuring the engine 1039 and each print process process (for example, a paper feed process) by the mechanism. A control unit 1046 and a control board storage unit 2003 that stores a printer controller 1031 (shown in FIG. 1) are incorporated.

  As each mechanism for constituting the engine unit 1039, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photosensitive drum by operating a laser beam, the electrostatic latent image is visualized, and the visible image is transferred to a printing sheet. There are an optical processing mechanism, a fixing processing mechanism for fixing the toner image transferred to the printing paper, a printing paper feed processing mechanism, and a printing paper transport processing mechanism.

  The optical processing mechanism includes a laser driver 2006 that turns on and off laser light emitted from a semiconductor laser (not shown) in accordance with image data supplied from the printer controller 1031 in the laser scanner unit 2022. Laser light emitted from the laser is swung in the scanning direction by a rotating polygon mirror 2007. The laser beam swung in the main scanning direction is guided back to the photosensitive drum 2005 via the reflection mirror 2008, and exposes the photosensitive drum 2005 in the main scanning direction.

  At that time, an electrostatic latent image is formed by scanning exposure with a laser beam on the photosensitive drum 2005 uniformly charged by the primary charger 2023 in advance, and the latent image is a toner supplied from the developing device 2020. (In this embodiment, K (black) toner is used as the toner), and the toner image is visualized.

  The toner image on the photosensitive drum 2005 is transferred by the transfer charger 2025 to the printing paper 2027 fed in synchronization with the sub-scanning direction by the paper feed processing mechanism. Note that the photosensitive drum 2005 and the developing device 2020 are housed in a drum unit 2004 that is detachable from the housing 2001.

  The reflection mirror 2008 is a transflective mirror, and a beam detector 2009 is disposed on the back side thereof. The beam detector 2009 detects a laser beam, and a detection signal is given to the printer controller 1031. The printer controller 1031 generates a horizontal synchronization signal that determines the exposure timing in the main scanning direction based on the detection signal of the beam detector 2009, and the horizontal synchronization signal is output to the printer controller 1031. A cleaner 2024 removes toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 2005. Reference numeral 2021 denotes a pre-exposure lamp that neutralizes the photosensitive drum 2005.

  On the other hand, the fixing processing mechanism is provided with a heater for overheating the toner image transferred to the printing paper. The heater is temperature-controlled by a signal from the engine control unit 1046 so that a predetermined fixing temperature is obtained (note that control for reducing the power is also performed during printing standby). The printing paper feeding mechanism is configured to selectively feed the printing paper in the cassette 2010 and the paper feeding tray 2019 that accommodates the printing paper 2027 and the printing paper in the reverse feeding unit 2011. .

  The cassette 2010 is mounted in a housing 2001, and the cassette 2010 electrically detects the size of the printing paper according to the movement position of the partition plate (not shown) in addition to the paper presence sensor 1052 described above. A size detection mechanism is provided.

  The printing paper in the cassette 2010 is conveyed from the uppermost paper to the paper feeding roller 2013 by the rotational driving of the cassette paper feeding clutch 2012 in units of one sheet. The cassette paper feed clutch 2012 is composed of a cam that is intermittently rotated by a driving means (not shown) for each paper feed, and one print sheet is fed each time the cam rotates once.

  The paper feeding roller 2013 conveys the printing paper to a position where the leading end thereof corresponds to the registration shutter 2014, and the registration shutter 2014 presses and releases the fed printing paper to stop feeding the printing paper. Release it. The operation of the registration shutter 2014 is controlled so as to be synchronized with the sub-scanning of the laser beam. The cassette 2010 is configured such that a predetermined number of optional cassettes (not shown) can be stacked and mounted according to size. On the other hand, the manual feed tray 2019 is provided in the housing 2001, and the printing paper loaded on the manual feed tray 2019 by the user is fed toward the registration shutter 2014 by the paper feed roller 2015.

  On the other hand, the printing paper conveyance processing mechanism forms a conveyance roller 2016 that conveys the printing paper released from the press by the resist shutter 2014 toward the photosensitive drum 2005, and a printing paper discharged from the fixing device 2017 on the top of the casing 2001. Each flapper 2030, 2031 for guiding to the discharged paper discharge tray FD, each conveyance roller 2032, 2033, and driving means (not shown) for driving each conveyance roller 2032, 2033 are provided. By switching this, the flapper 2031 can switch the discharge destination of the discharge tray FD formed on the top of the casing 2001 and the discharge tray FU formed on the side surface of the casing 2001, and face down. Is printed (printed with the surface of the young page of the document after printing down), the paper is discharged to the paper output tray FD, and face-up printing (the surface of the young page of the document is When printing is performed, the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray FU.

  It is also possible to perform double-sided printing by switching the flapper 2030. Reference numeral 2011 denotes a reversal paper feeding unit, which includes engine transport rollers 2034, 2035, 2036, and a flapper 2037.

  When performing double-sided printing and printing face-down (printing on the paper discharge tray FD so that the front side is the bottom in the figure and the back side is the top in the figure), the printing paper 2027 is first printed from the back side. When the sheet is fed from 2010 (arrow Y1), the back side is printed (arrow Y2) and guided to the reverse sheet feeding unit 2011 by the flapper 2030 via the transport rollers 2038 and 2034 (arrows Y3 and Y4).

  When a sensor (not shown) detects the trailing edge of the printing paper 2027, the printing paper 2027 rotates the conveyance roller 2034 in the reverse direction, and the flapper 2037 is switched. They are stored in parallel (arrows Y5, Y6, Y7). At this time, the surface (back surface) printed on the printing paper faces upward.

  Next, when the reversal paper feeding unit 2011 is designated as the paper feeding destination, the surface is printed again through the transfer charging device 2025 and the fixing device 2017 (arrow Y9) through the conveying roller 2036 and the paper feeding roller 2013 (arrow Y8). By switching the flappers 2030 and 2031, the paper discharge tray FD (arrow Y 10) is discharged.

  In addition, when performing double-sided printing and printing face up (when the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray FU, the front side is printed in the lower side in the figure and the back side is in the upper side in the figure), the front side is printed first. The paper is discharged to the reverse paper feeding unit 2011, printed on the back side, and discharged from the reverse paper feeding unit 2011 to the paper discharge tray FU (arrow Y11).

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a paper discharge device connected to the main body of the printing apparatus having the above configuration.

  The paper discharge device 3001 can be attached to and detached from the portion indicated by FU (FIG. 2) of the housing 2001. The paper discharge device 3001 is a paper discharge bin (1) 3002 for holding printed paper, A bin (2) 3003, a discharge bin (3) 3004, a discharge bin (4) 3005, a discharge bin (5) 3006, and a discharge bin (6) 3007; This is a transport roller for discharging the fed paper to each bin.

  Reference numerals 3050 to 3055 are flappers for switching the transport direction of the paper on which printing has been completed. For example, when the flappers 3050 and 3054 are switched as indicated by dotted lines, the conveyed printing paper is guided face-up to the paper discharge bin (3).

  The paper discharge bin (6) is used as a bin when discharging special paper such as thick paper and OHT, and the paper discharge bins (1) to (5) are similarly face-down by sending printing paper to the bin. It is also possible to discharge the paper. In this case, when the flappers 3050 and 3051 are first set as indicated by solid lines, the paper is once sent to the paper discharge bin (6). Then, after the sheet passes through the flapper 3051, the conveyance roller 3022 is rotated in the reverse direction to return the sheet. Further, the flapper 3051 is set as indicated by a dotted line so that the sheet is turned upside down, and the flapper 3054 is indicated by a dotted line. By switching to, printing can be performed face down. In this way, by operating each flapper, it is possible to perform face-up and face-down printing on each of the paper discharge bins (1) to (6).

  In the paper discharge bins (1) to (6), stapling devices 3010, 3001, 3012, 3013, and 3014 capable of stapling the documents discharged to the respective paper discharge bins are arranged. Each stapling apparatus has a structure that does not affect the case of discharging to other paper discharge bins because the staple is directly performed by each paper discharge bin.

  In addition, an operation panel 2002 for constituting the panel unit 1041 is attached to the housing 2001. The operation panel 2002 is provided with a switch group for instruction input operation, an LED display for displaying information, and an LCD display. Further, an external memory unit 2040 for constituting an external memory unit 1043 used for storing print data and the like by the printer controller 1031 is attached.

  Next, the operation of the printer controller 1031 having the above configuration will be described.

  When execution of printing is designated by the user from the host computer 1001, control codes and data transmitted from the host computer 1001 via the communication line 1002 are sent, and via the host I / F unit 1032. The data is stored in the RAM 1036 via the input buffer 1033.

  The CPU 1034 processes data in the image information generation unit 1037 in accordance with a program described in the program ROM 1035, and generates image information for each image object such as graphics, characters, and image data. At this time, the document information management unit 1061 manages documents sent from the host computer 1001 for each document, recognizes data of interrupted documents and interrupted documents, and manages the printing state of those data.

  Then, the page scheduling unit 1062 considers which page is to be printed next in accordance with the information of the document information management unit 1060, and converts the image information of all the image objects in one page to be printed next into a bitmap image. The development transfer unit 1038 develops a bitmap image to be actually printed. The developed bitmap image is sent to the printing apparatus engine unit 1039 and is discharged from the designated paper discharge port.

  When performing face-down printing in the case of double-sided printing, the image on the back side is first developed into a bitmap image to be actually printed by the bitmap image development transfer unit 1040. The developed bitmap image on the back side is sent to the printing apparatus engine unit 1036, fed from the cassette, and discharged to the reverse feeding unit 2011 in FIG. Subsequently, the front surface image is developed into a bitmap image to be actually printed by the bitmap image development / transfer unit 1038, and the developed front side bitmap image is sent to the printing apparatus engine unit 1039 and supplied from the reversal paper feeding unit 2011. The paper is then discharged to the paper discharge port FD in FIG.

  Needless to say, the printer applied to the present invention is not limited to a laser beam printer, and may be a printer of another printing method.

  Hereinafter, an operation for continuing the printing process by instructing a substitute sheet from the user when the optimum type of paper is insufficient when the printing process is performed during the printing process will be described. .

  In the present embodiment, when the user is instructed to substitute paper, control is performed so that a type of paper that cannot properly continue the instructed printing process cannot be selected. As the paper type, two factors of paper size and paper type are considered. The paper size indicates the size of the paper and is handled with names such as A4 and A3. The paper type indicates the material of the paper, and plain paper, OHP paper, second original drawing paper, etc. are often used. In the present embodiment, a paper type called reused paper is also used as an example. Reusable paper is printed on one side of the paper, but is no longer needed, so only one side that is not printed is reused to eliminate waste.

  In printing, in addition to an instruction as to what image is to be printed on the paper, there is a case where an instruction is given as to how to process the paper on which the image is printed. Here, the description will proceed with the designation as a processing type. As a specific example of the processing type, there can be considered a clean book, a staple, a punch, and double-sided.

  When the user instructs printing, the above-described three elements, that is, the paper size, the paper type, and the processing type are usually designated. These three elements are collectively referred to as a print mode.

  Even if a certain print mode is designated, the designation is not always feasible. The designated processing type may not be executed with the designated paper size or paper type due to mechanical restrictions such as the stapling apparatus 3010 or paper type restrictions. When the printing process is executed or when there is a shortage of paper, the executable print mode is checked, and the paper used for printing is selected according to the result.

  For this purpose, based on the paper size and paper type as shown in FIG. 4, information that summarizes whether each processing type can be realized is stored in the program ROM 1035, and this information is referred to. . In the present embodiment, this information is referred to as a print mode table and will be described. Further, since the description is made assuming that the print mode table is stored in the program ROM 1035, the contents thereof do not change. However, the print mode table does not have to exist in the ROM 1035 and can be arranged in the RAM 1036. For example, since the information on the processing type that can be executed is affected by the type of the paper discharge device 3001, the contents of the print mode table are changed according to the type of the paper discharge device 3001 used by the user, and the content is stored in the RAM 1036. It is also possible to do.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the contents of the print mode table.

  Whether each processing type can be realized is summarized for each paper size and paper type. Since information indicating whether or not the processing type can be realized can be expressed with 1 bit, the information is stored as 1 when it can be realized and 0 when it cannot be realized. For example, all processing types can be executed when the paper type is plain paper, whereas stapling and duplexing cannot be executed when the second original drawing paper is used. When expressed in binary numbers, the former is “11111” and the latter is “11010”. When the paper type is plain paper and the paper size is A3, it is necessary to satisfy both the plain paper condition and the A3 condition at the same time. Therefore, two AND conditions of the plain paper condition “11111” and the A3 condition “11101” are obtained, and the result “11101” is obtained, and it can be understood that the punch process cannot be executed finally.

  Next, specific processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. The following control method can be realized by storing and operating the program according to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 to 8 in the program ROM 1035 in the printer controller 1031 or the like.

  In this example, description will be made assuming that there are five cassettes 2010 and each of the cassettes 2010 has a type of paper as shown in FIG. When printing is instructed by specifying A4 as the paper size and plain paper as the paper type, the paper is fed from the first cassette 2010 and printing is started. However, an operation in the case where the sheets placed in the first cassette 2010 are used up before printing is completed will be described.

  First, in step S501, it is checked whether the page to be printed is the first page of the print job. If it is the first page, the process proceeds to step S502. If not, the process proceeds to step S503.

  In step S502, information on which stage of cassette 2010 paper is fed and printed is cleared, and the process proceeds to step S504. Since this information is stored in the RAM 1036, the information can be set and cleared at an arbitrary timing.

  In step S503, it is checked whether the print mode has been changed between the previously printed page and the page to be printed. If it has been changed, the process proceeds to step S502. If not, the process proceeds to step S504. When the process proceeds to step S502, as described above, the information on which stage of the cassette 2010 the paper is fed from is cleared, and from which stage the paper is newly fed is determined.

  In step S504, it is checked whether or not information on which stage of cassette 2010 paper is to be fed is determined at the time of printing. If so, the process proceeds to step S505. If not, the process proceeds to step S506. . The location where this information is stored is the same as that cleared in step S502. As a result, if step S502 is executed, the process proceeds to step S506, and step S502 must be executed. If so, the process proceeds to step S505.

  In step S505, it is checked whether or not there is a sheet in the cassette 2010 to be fed. If it is, the process proceeds to step S701 in FIG. 7 via C, and if not, the process proceeds to step S601 in FIG. . If there is no sheet even if the cassette 2010 to be fed is determined by executing the process of step S505, another appropriate cassette 2010 is selected by executing the processes after step S601. It can be corrected and fed.

  On the other hand, in step S506, it is checked whether or not the designated print mode can be executed for the page to be printed. If possible, the process proceeds to step S601 in FIG. move on. In order to make this determination, the information in the print mode table in FIG. 4 is referred to.

  For example, if the designated print mode is A4, plain paper, and staple, the AND of the A4 value “11111” and the plain paper value “11111” is “11111”, and the bit indicating staple is set to 1. It turns out that stapling can be executed. Therefore, in this case, the process proceeds to step S601. On the other hand, if the instructed print mode is A4, OHP paper, and staple, the AND of the A4 value “11111” and the OHP paper value “11000” is “11000”, and the staple bit is set to 0. It turns out that stapling cannot be executed. Therefore, in this case, the process proceeds to step S507.

  In step S507, the determination made in step S506 reveals that printing cannot be continued any more, so the remaining data is deleted, and the process proceeds to step S508. In step S508, the fact that printing has been interrupted and data has been deleted is recorded in the printing process history, and the process ends. This print processing history can be recorded in the RAM 1036 and erased when the power is turned off, or is recorded in a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or flash ROM (not shown) and retained even after the power is turned off. It is also possible.

  By performing the control described so far, when a print mode that cannot be realized is instructed, unnecessary printing is not performed, data is deleted, and that fact can be recorded as a print processing history.

  In step S601 and subsequent steps in FIG. 6, a cassette 2010 that feeds paper to be used for a page to be printed is determined.

  In step S601, in order to examine each cassette 2010 one by one, the first stage cassette 2010 is selected as the first investigation object, and the process proceeds to step S602. In step S602, information on the cassette 2010 to be investigated is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S603. In order to acquire the information of the cassette 2010, the description will be made assuming that the information shown in FIG. 9 is read from the RAM 1036. This information is called a cassette information table.

  It is assumed that the contents of the cassette information table are rewritten at an appropriate timing when the size or type of the paper loaded in each cassette 2010 is changed. Therefore, in order to check what paper is loaded in each cassette 2010, information in this cassette information table may be read. For example, if the cassette 2010 to be investigated is the first stage, information A4 can be obtained at A4. However, the method of checking the type of paper loaded in each cassette 2010 using the cassette information table is only one example for realizing the present invention, and the present invention is also a method in which each cassette 2010 is directly inquired. It is not a condition for prescribing the present invention that it is feasible and how it is investigated.

  In step S603, the paper information stored in the investigation target cassette 2010 acquired in step S602 is compared with the contents of the print mode designated for the page to be printed. Make a decision. If it is not the optimum cassette 2010, the process proceeds to step S604, and if it is the optimum cassette, the process proceeds to step S606. For example, if the instructed print mode is A4, plain paper, and staple, the A4 plain paper can be fed if the cassette 2010 to be investigated is the first stage, and the process proceeds to step S606. On the other hand, if the cassette 2010 to be investigated is the second stage, A3 plain paper is loaded, and the process proceeds to step S604.

  In step S604, the cassette 2010 to be investigated is changed to the next one, and the process proceeds to step S605. In step S605, it is checked whether or not the cassette 2010 to be investigated actually exists. If it exists, the process returns to step S602. If it does not exist, the process returns to step S801 in FIG. Proceed to By repeating the processing from step S601 to step S605, it is possible to find the cassette 2010 in which the optimum sheet for the printing mode instructed for the page to be printed is loaded. If there is no cassette 2010 in which the optimum sheet is placed, the process proceeds to step S801 in FIG.

  On the other hand, in step S606, it is checked whether or not there is a sheet in the cassette 2010 in which the found optimum sheet is placed. If it is, the process proceeds to step S607, and if not, the process proceeds to step S604. By controlling in this way, even when the cassette 2010 containing the optimal sheet is found, if the sheet is not loaded, it can be operated to search for another cassette 2010.

  In step S607, information that paper feeding is to be performed from the cassette 2010 found in step S603 is written, and the process proceeds to step S701 in FIG. The area where the information is written is the same area as the area where the information is cleared in step S502 in FIG. 5 or is referenced in step S504.

  By performing the processing from step S601 onward as described above, paper can be fed from the cassette 2010 in which the optimal paper for printing is placed.

  In step S701 and subsequent steps in FIG. 7, the printing operation after the cassette 2010 to be fed is determined is performed.

  In step S701, printing is performed by feeding paper according to the information on which cassette 2010 has already been decided, and the process proceeds to step S702.

  In step S702, it is checked whether there is a page that still needs to be printed in the currently processed print job. If there is still a page to be printed, the process returns to step S503 in FIG. The process proceeds to step S703.

  In step S703, the fact that the printing process has been normally completed is recorded in the printing process history, and the process ends.

  By repeatedly executing the processing described above, all the print data included in the print job can be printed.

  Next, the processing after step S801 in FIG. 8 will be described.

  The control comes to step S801 when there is no optimum sheet for realizing the print mode designated for the page to be printed.

  In step S801, a message to forcibly select the cassette 2010 for feeding paper to the LCD portion of the operation panel 2002 is displayed, and the process proceeds to step S802. An example of the message to be displayed is shown in FIG. By displaying in this way, it is possible to notify the user that there is no optimal sheet for printing and to request the user to forcibly select an alternative sheet.

  In step S802, in order to check whether or not paper can be forcibly fed from each cassette 2010, first, the first stage cassette 2010 is set as an investigation target, and the process proceeds to step S803.

  In step S803, it is checked whether or not the processing type in the print mode instructed for the page to be printed can be executed on the paper in the cassette 2010 to be investigated, and if it can be executed, the process proceeds to step S804. If NO in step S805, the flow advances to step S805.

  In step S804, since the cassette 2010 to be investigated can be a target of forced selection, it is displayed as a selectable button on the LCD portion of the operation panel 2002, and the process proceeds to step S806.

  On the other hand, in step S805, since the cassette 2010 to be investigated cannot be a target of forced selection, it is displayed as an unselectable button on the LCD portion of the operation panel 2002, and the process proceeds to step S806.

  By performing the operations in steps S803, S804, and S805, the cassette 2010 is changed according to the type of paper in the cassette 2010 to be investigated and the print mode designated for the page to be printed. It is possible to check whether or not the object can be forcibly selected and reflect the result as a display on the LCD portion of the operation panel 2002. For example, it is assumed that stapling is instructed as the processing type in the designated print mode. In the case where the cassette 2010 to be investigated is the first stage, the AND of the A4 value “11111” and the plain paper value “11111” is “11111”, the staple bit is set to 1, and the staple can be executed. I understand. As a result, control proceeds to step S804, and the first stage cassette 2010 is displayed on the LCD portion of the operation panel 2002 as being forcibly selectable.

  On the other hand, when the cassette 2010 to be investigated is the fifth stage, if the AND of the numerical value “11111” of A and the numerical value “11010” of the second original drawing sheet is ANDed, it becomes “11010”, and the bit indicating staple becomes 0. It can be seen that cannot be executed. As a result, the control advances to step S805, and the fifth stage cassette 2010 is displayed on the LCD portion of the operation panel 2002 as being incapable of forced selection.

  Next, in step S806, the cassette 2010 to be investigated is changed to the next one, and the process proceeds to step S807. In step S807, it is checked whether or not the cassette 2010 to be investigated actually exists. If it exists, the process returns to step S803, and if it does not exist, the process proceeds to step S808.

  By repeating the processing from step S803 to step S807, it is possible to check whether or not all cassettes 2010 can be subjected to forced selection. For example, it is assumed that A4, plain paper, and punch processing are designated as the print mode of a page to be used for printing. Normally, printing is performed by feeding paper from the first cassette 2010, but when the first cassette 2010 runs out of paper, a cassette 2010 that contains other optimal paper is searched. However, in the case of the present embodiment, since the optimal sheet is not put in the cassette other than the first stage, the processing from step S801 is performed.

  Therefore, the AND of the size and type of the paper in each cassette is taken, and it is determined whether punch processing can be executed on the paper in each cassette. The calculation results for the determination are shown in the table of FIG. According to this, it can be determined that the first, third, and fifth cassettes 2010 can be forcibly selected, and finally information as shown in FIG. 10C is displayed on the LCD portion of the operation panel 2002. . In this display, the second and fourth cassettes 2010 are displayed lightly, and the screen is controlled so as to be ignored even if these buttons are pressed. In this way, the first, third, and fifth cassettes 2010 can be selected, but the second and fourth cassettes cannot be selected.

  In step S808, the instruction for the forced selection of the cassette 2010 from the user is awaited, and the instruction is stored as it is as the cassette 2010 to be fed, and the process proceeds to step S505 in FIG. In this case, since the screen of FIG. 10C is displayed on the LCD portion of the operation panel 2002, the user can select one of the first, third, and fifth cassettes 2010.

  As described above, by performing the processing from step S801 to step S808, even if there is no cassette 2010 containing the optimum paper, the cassette 2010 containing the paper that can execute the designated processing type. Allows the user to select and continue the printing process. Further, by replenishing the first stage cassette 2010 with A4 plain paper, it is possible to continue printing so as to obtain a perfect print result as intended using a sheet optimal for printing.

  Also, by performing the processes shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 described so far, the user can select a cassette 2010 containing appropriate paper and continue printing even if the paper is present or the print mode changes. it can.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, an example in which only one type of processing mode in the print mode is specified has been described. In the present embodiment, an operation when a plurality of processing types are simultaneously specified will be described.

  When a plurality of processing types in the print mode are specified at the same time, if all the specified processing types can be executed, the printing process can be executed as a whole. For example, when the contents of the cassette information table are in the state of FIG. 9 and punching and clean-up are designated at the same time, the condition judgment as shown in the table of FIG. That is, it is checked whether punching and clean-up can be performed for each cassette 2010. If it is possible, 1 is set, and if it is not possible, 0 is set. By doing so, it can be determined that only the cassette in which both the punch and the book are 1 can simultaneously execute the two processing types of the punch and the book. According to the table of FIG. 11A, it can be seen that only the first and fifth cassettes can execute punching and clean-up simultaneously.

  This determination processing is executed in the steps S506 in FIG. 5 and step S803 in FIG. For example, in the case of the situation shown in FIG. 11A in step S803, the information shown in FIG. 11C is displayed on the LCD portion of the operation panel 2002. In this state, the user can select either the first or fifth cassette.

  As described above, the present invention can also be applied when a plurality of processing types are designated at the same time. In this embodiment, an example in which two processing types are specified at the same time has been described. However, the present invention can be applied even when three or more processing types are specified at the same time, and the number is not limited. .

[Third Embodiment]
In the first embodiment described above, a cassette containing a sheet that cannot execute the designated processing type when the cassette to be fed is forcibly selected in the processing described in the flowchart of FIG. Was controlled so that it could not be selected. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, an operation for forcibly selecting a cassette containing a sheet that cannot execute the designated processing type will be described.

  The overall processing flow is substantially the same as in the above embodiments, and the operations of the flowcharts of FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 12 are executed with reference to the various tables of FIGS. The only process different from the first embodiment is the process of step 805a in the flowchart of FIG. 12 used instead of FIG. In the first embodiment, when a cassette that cannot execute the designated processing type is displayed on the LCD portion of the operation panel 2002 in step S805, it is displayed as a non-selectable button. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the button is displayed as a selectable button in step S805a shown in FIG. 12, and the processing type specified to select the sheet in the cassette 2010 at the time of display is displayed. A mark indicating that execution cannot be performed is displayed together with the button.

  FIG. 13 shows a display example when punching is designated as the processing type.

  Since the punch process cannot be executed for A3 plain paper in the second cassette and A4 OHP paper in the fourth cassette, the screen shown in FIG. The mark “x” is marked for the eyes and the fourth stage cassette 2010. From this mark, the user can recognize that the punching process is not executed when the sheet feeding from these cassettes is instructed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to leave to the user a determination as to whether it is necessary to continue the printing by executing the designated processing, or to ignore the printing.

[Fourth Embodiment]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8 is controlled so as to select a cassette to be fed in order to continue printing. In the present embodiment, an operation for allowing the user to select to stop printing when there is no optimum sheet will be described.

  The overall process flow is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, and the operations of the flowcharts of FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 14 are executed with reference to the various tables of FIGS.

  The difference from the first embodiment is that the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 14 is performed instead of FIG. Since the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 14 is almost the same as that of FIG. 8, only the differences will be described.

  The same processing as the processing from step S801 to step S808 in FIG. 8 is performed, but a button 1501 on the screen displayed on the LCD portion of the operation panel 2002 can instruct “stop” as shown in FIG. Is provided.

  In step S1309, the selection contents of the user instructed in step S808 are checked. If the user selects “CANCEL”, the process proceeds to step S507 in FIG. 5 via F, and any of the cassettes other than “CANCEL” is selected. If so, the process proceeds to step S505 in FIG. In this way, the user can instruct to cancel printing instead of forcibly selecting the cassette 2010 and continuing printing.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when there is no optimal sheet for continuing printing, it is possible to control to interrupt printing instead of forcibly continuing printing with another sheet. .

  The present invention is not limited to the apparatus of the above-described embodiment, and may be applied to a system constituted by a plurality of devices or an apparatus constituted by one device. A storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus, and a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program codes stored in the storage medium. Needless to say, it will be completed by doing.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM should be used. Can do. In addition, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also the OS running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code performs the actual processing. It goes without saying that a case where the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized by performing part or all of the processing, is also included.

  Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written to the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is expanded based on the instruction of the next program code. It goes without saying that the functions of the embodiment described above are realized by performing some or all of the actual processing by the CPU or the like provided on the expansion board or expansion unit.

    The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media. This is a process in which a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program.

  The embodiment of the present invention can also be realized by executing software (program) acquired via a network or various storage media on a personal computer (CPU, processor).

1001 Host computer 1002 Communication line 1030 Laser beam printer 1031 Printer controller 1032 Host I / F unit 1033 Input / output buffer 1034 CPU
1035 Program ROM
1036 RAM
1037 Image information generation unit 1038 Bitmap image development / transfer unit 1039 Printing device engine unit 1040 Engine I / F unit 1041 Operation panel unit 1042 Panel I / F unit 1043 External memory unit 1044 Memory I / F unit 1046 Engine control unit 1052 Paper Presence sensor 1055 System bus 1060 Document information management unit 1061 Page scheduling unit 2001 Case 2002 Operation panel 2003 Control board storage unit 2004 Drum unit 2005 Photosensitive drum 2006 Laser driver 2007 Rotating polygon mirror 2008 Reflecting mirror 2009 Beam detector 2010 Cassette 2011 Reverse feeding unit 2012 Paper feed clutch 2013 Paper feed roller 2014 Registration shutter 2015 Paper feed roller 2016 Transport roller 2017 Fixing device 2019 Feed tray 2020 Developer 2021 Pre-exposure lamp 2022 Laser scanner unit 2023 Primary charger 2024 Cleaner 2025 Transfer charger 2027 Printing paper 2028 Registration shutter 2029 Feed roller 2030 Flapper 2031 Flapper 2032 Transport roller 2033 Transport roller 2034 Transport roller 2035 Transport roller 2036 Transport roller 2037 Flapper 2038 Paper feed roller 2040 External memory unit

Claims (16)

A printing unit that performs printing on a sheet based on image information, a processing unit that performs processing on the sheet printed by the printing unit, and a plurality of paper feed stages that are loaded with sheets to be fed to the printing unit; A printing control apparatus for controlling a printing apparatus comprising:
Paper type recording means for recording information indicating the type of paper loaded in each of the plurality of paper feed stages;
A process availability determination unit that determines, based on information obtained from the sheet type recording unit, which sheet of paper is loaded in the processing stage by the processing unit;
When there is no paper in the paper feed stage in use for the printing process using the processing means, the paper is loaded with the paper that is determined to be executable by the processing means by the processing availability determination means. Control means for controlling the paper tray to be selectable as an alternative paper feed tray;
Paper feed stage display means for displaying on the display section paper feed stage information relating to the paper feed stage loaded with the paper determined to be able to be processed by the process availability judgment means,
The printing control apparatus , wherein the control unit controls to select the alternative paper feed stage from the paper feed stage information displayed on the display unit. A printing unit capable of printing on paper, a plurality of paper feed stages loaded with paper to be fed to the printing unit, and a plurality of types of processing for the paper printed by the printing unit A printing control apparatus that controls a printing apparatus including processing means capable of performing any of the following:
A paper type recording means for recording what type of paper is loaded in each paper feed stage;
A processing availability recording means for recording a relationship between the type of paper and the type of processing that can be performed on the paper;
A process propriety judging means for judging which paper feed stage is capable of executing a predetermined processing based on information obtained from the paper type recording means and the processability recording means;
In the printing apparatus, when there is no paper in a paper feed stage in use for printing processing using the processing means, the paper determined to be able to execute the predetermined processing by the processing availability determination means is loaded. Control means for controlling the paper feed stage to be selectable as an alternative paper feed stage;
Paper feed stage display means for displaying on the display section paper feed stage information relating to the paper feed stage loaded with the paper determined to be able to be processed by the process availability judgment means,
The printing control apparatus , wherein the control unit controls to select the alternative paper feed stage from the paper feed stage information displayed on the display unit. Further, the printing apparatus includes an operation unit that receives an operation related to printing by a user,
3. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the user to select from the paper feed stage information displayed on the display unit as the alternative paper feed stage via the operation unit. 4 . The printing control apparatus described. The control means interrupts the printing process when the process availability determination means determines that a sheet capable of executing the predetermined processing is not loaded in any of the plurality of paper feed stages. the print control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,.   5. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a paper type or a paper size is used as a paper type recorded in the paper type recording unit. The print control apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a paper type or a paper size is used as a paper type recorded in the processing availability recording unit. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing that can be performed on the paper by the processing unit is a staple or a punch. A printing section having a duplex printing function and capable of printing on one or both sides of the paper based on image information;
A plurality of paper feed stages loaded with paper to be fed to the printing unit;
Paper type recording means for recording information indicating the type of paper loaded in each of the plurality of paper feed stages;
Based on the information obtained from the paper type recording means, a process propriety judging means for judging which paper feed stage is capable of executing the double-sided printing function by the printing unit;
Paper feed loaded with paper for which the double-sided printing function is determined to be executable by the processability determining unit when the paper feed stage in use for printing using the double-sided printing function runs out of paper Control means for controlling the stage to be selectable as an alternative paper feed stage;
Paper feed stage display means for displaying on the display section paper feed stage information relating to the paper feed stage loaded with the paper determined to be able to be processed by the process availability judgment means,
The printing apparatus is characterized in that the control means controls to select the alternative paper feed stage from the paper feed stage information displayed on the display unit. A printing apparatus having a duplex printing function and capable of printing on one or both sides of a sheet based on image information, and a plurality of sheet feeding stages loaded with sheets fed to the printing unit A printing control device for controlling
Paper type recording means for recording information indicating the type of paper loaded in each of the plurality of paper feed stages;
Based on the information obtained from the paper type recording means, a process propriety judging means for judging which paper feed stage is capable of executing the double-sided printing function by the printing unit;
Paper feed loaded with paper for which the double-sided printing function is determined to be executable by the processability determining unit when the paper feed stage in use for printing using the double-sided printing function runs out of paper Control means for controlling the stage to be selectable as an alternative paper feed stage;
Paper feed stage display means for displaying on the display section paper feed stage information relating to the paper feed stage loaded with the paper determined to be able to be processed by the process availability judgment means,
The printing control apparatus , wherein the control unit controls to select the alternative paper feed stage from the paper feed stage information displayed on the display unit. A printing unit that performs printing on a sheet based on image information, a processing unit that performs processing on the sheet printed by the printing unit, and a plurality of paper feed stages that are loaded with sheets to be fed to the printing unit; And a control method of a printing control apparatus that controls a printing apparatus comprising: a paper type recording unit that records information indicating a type of paper loaded in each of the plurality of paper feed stages,
Based on information obtained from the paper type recording means, a process propriety judgment step for judging which paper feed stage is capable of executing the processing by the processing means;
When there is no paper in the paper feed stage in use for the printing process using the processing means, the paper is loaded with the paper that has been determined to be able to be processed by the processing means in the process availability determination step. A control process for controlling the paper tray to be selectable as an alternative paper feed tray;
A paper feed stage display step for displaying, on a display unit, paper feed stage information relating to a paper feed stage for loading paper determined to be able to execute processing in the process availability determination step,
The control method is characterized in that control is performed so that the alternative paper feed stage can be selected from the paper feed stage information displayed on the display unit . A printing unit capable of printing on paper, a plurality of paper feed stages loaded with paper to be fed to the printing unit, and a plurality of types of processing for the paper printed by the printing unit Processing means capable of performing any of the above, a paper type recording means for recording what type of paper is loaded in each paper feed stage, and the type of paper and the paper A control method of a printing control apparatus for controlling a printing apparatus provided with processing availability recording means that records a relationship with the type of processing that can be performed,
A process availability determination step of determining, based on information obtained from the paper type recording means and the process availability recording means, whether a predetermined processing process can be executed for which paper sheet is loaded;
In the printing apparatus, when there is no paper in the paper feed stage in use for the printing process using the processing unit, the paper determined to be able to execute the predetermined processing by the process availability determination step is loaded. A control process for controlling the paper feed stage to be selectable as an alternative paper feed stage;
A paper feed stage display step for displaying, on a display unit, paper feed stage information relating to a paper feed stage for loading paper determined to be able to execute processing in the process availability determination step,
The control method is characterized in that control is performed so that the alternative paper feed stage can be selected from the paper feed stage information displayed on the display unit .   A storage medium storing a control program for causing a print control apparatus to execute the control method according to claim 10 or 11. A printing unit having a duplex printing function and capable of printing on one or both sides of a sheet based on image information, a plurality of paper feed stages loaded with paper to be fed to the printing unit, and the plurality of feeding units A control method for a printing apparatus having a paper type recording means for recording information indicating the type of paper loaded in each paper tray,
A process availability determination step of determining, based on information obtained from the paper type recording means, a paper feed stage in which a double-sided printing function by the printing unit can be executed;
Paper feed loaded with paper for which the double-sided printing function is determined to be executable by the processability determination step when the paper feed stage in use for printing using the double-sided printing function runs out of paper A control process for controlling the stage to be selectable as an alternative paper feed stage;
A paper feed stage display step for displaying, on a display unit, paper feed stage information relating to a paper feed stage for loading paper determined to be able to execute processing in the process availability determination step,
The control method is characterized in that control is performed so that the alternative paper feed stage can be selected from the paper feed stage information displayed on the display unit . A printing unit having a duplex printing function and capable of printing on one or both sides of a sheet based on image information, a plurality of paper feed stages loaded with paper to be fed to the printing unit, and the plurality of feeding units A control method of a print control apparatus for controlling a printing apparatus comprising a paper type recording unit that records information indicating the type of paper loaded in each paper tray,
A process availability determination step of determining, based on information obtained from the paper type recording means, a paper feed stage in which a double-sided printing function by the printing unit can be executed;
Paper feed loaded with paper for which the double-sided printing function is determined to be executable by the processability determination step when the paper feed stage in use for printing using the double-sided printing function runs out of paper A control process for controlling the stage to be selectable as an alternative paper feed stage;
A paper feed stage display step for displaying, on a display unit, paper feed stage information relating to a paper feed stage for loading paper determined to be able to execute processing in the process availability determination step,
The control method is characterized in that control is performed so that the alternative paper feed stage can be selected from the paper feed stage information displayed on the display unit .   A storage medium storing a control program for causing a printing apparatus to execute the control method according to claim 13.   A storage medium storing a control program for causing a printing control apparatus to execute the control method according to claim 14.

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