JP5834631B2 - Printing apparatus and printing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing system for storing a print job in a storage unit of the printing apparatus and printing the print job upon receiving a print instruction from a user.

  Conventionally, a print job is transmitted from a terminal device such as a PC or a mobile phone to the printing device, and the printing device stores and waits for the print job, and then the user instructs the printing device to print the print job. There is remote printing technology that starts printing when it is done. As a document disclosing the remote printing technique, for example, there is Patent Document 1.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-216915

  However, the above-described conventional remote printing technology has the following problems. That is, since the user moves to the printing apparatus and issues a print instruction, it is necessary to remember where the printing apparatus stores the print job. However, the user does not always give a print instruction immediately after storing the print job in the printing apparatus, and may forget the location of the printing apparatus that prints the print job. In addition, the user may mistakenly remember the location of the printing apparatus. In such a case, the user is confused by not knowing the true location of the printing apparatus that prints the print job.

  The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the above-described conventional remote printing technology. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing system that can easily confirm the location of a printing apparatus that prints a desired print job.

  A printing apparatus designed to solve this problem includes a storage unit that stores a print job, a printing unit that prints a print job that has received a print instruction among print jobs stored in the storage unit, From an extraction unit that extracts a print execution device that is a printing device that has an opportunity to print a print job to be printed, an acquisition unit that acquires position information of the print execution device, and the position information acquired by the acquisition unit, The image forming apparatus includes a creation unit that creates a layout diagram indicating the layout of the print execution apparatus, and an output unit that outputs the layout map created by the creation unit.

  The printing apparatus according to the present invention stores a print job in a storage unit, and prints the print job when a print instruction for the print job is received. In addition, the printing apparatus of the present invention extracts a print execution apparatus for a print job to be printed, further acquires position information of the print execution apparatus, and outputs a layout diagram indicating the layout of the print execution apparatus. In addition to the printing device that stores the print job to be printed, the print execution device accepts the transfer of the print job to be printed, and has a proxy function that prints the transferred print job on behalf of the transfer source device It may be a device. Further, the acquired position information may be a physical position or a relative position viewed from the own apparatus. Further, the output of the layout diagram may be printing on a sheet, or transmission of data of the layout diagram to another device.

  That is, in the printing apparatus of the present invention, by outputting a layout diagram showing a layout of a print execution apparatus that has an opportunity to print a print job to be printed, the user can perform a desired print job while viewing the layout map. The location of the printing device for printing can be easily confirmed. Therefore, it can be expected to reduce the situation where the location of the print job is unknown and the user is confused.

  In addition, the creation unit may indicate the position of the own device in the layout drawing. By adding the position of the own apparatus to the layout diagram, the user can easily grasp the positional relationship between the own apparatus (that is, the position of the user operating the own apparatus) and the print execution apparatus.

  The creation unit may increase the display magnification of the layout diagram as the distance between the print execution apparatus and the self apparatus decreases. When the display magnification is the same, as the distance between the print execution apparatus and the own apparatus is closer, more information outside the apparatus that is information other than information between the print execution apparatus and the own apparatus is displayed. This inter-device information is less necessary to find a print execution device from the layout diagram. Therefore, by increasing the display magnification, the inter-device information is not displayed, and further, the inter-device information, which is information between the print execution device and its own device, is enlarged, so that the user can display the information on the layout diagram. This makes it easier to visually recognize the information being displayed.

  Further, the creation unit may show the expected printing time required for completing the printing of the print job to be printed in the layout diagram. In addition to the time required to print the print job to be printed, the expected print time includes the time required to print the print job if there is a print job with a higher priority than the print job. It is. By checking the expected printing time, for example, when there are a plurality of printing execution apparatuses, the user can grasp which apparatus can obtain the printed matter at the earliest time.

  Furthermore, the creation unit may indicate an expected movement time required for moving from the own apparatus to the print execution apparatus in the layout diagram. Since the estimated travel time can be confirmed, for example, when there are a plurality of printing execution apparatuses, the user can more accurately know which apparatus can arrive at the earliest time. In addition, the time from the start of movement to the completion of printing can be grasped more accurately by showing it together with the expected printing time.

  Further, the creating unit may not show a printing apparatus other than the printing execution apparatus except the own apparatus in the layout drawing. By hiding printing apparatuses other than the printing execution apparatus, the number of printing apparatuses shown in the layout diagram is reduced, and the position of the printing target apparatus can be more easily confirmed.

  The creation unit may show the appearance of the print execution apparatus in the layout drawing. By adding the appearance of the print execution device (for example, photographs and illustrations) to the layout drawing, the user can more easily find the print execution device.

  The printing apparatus of the present invention further includes a setting unit that sets a selection condition for the print execution device, and the creation unit sets a print execution device that matches the selection condition set in the setting unit in the setting unit. It is preferable to create a layout drawing highlighted in comparison with a print execution apparatus that does not meet the specified conditions. The selection conditions include, for example, the distance from the own apparatus, printing time, specific specifications, and presence / absence of a print job. Examples of highlighting include enlarging the font, using bold and underline, changing the color, and enclosing in a circle. By emphasizing the print execution apparatus that matches the selection condition as in this configuration, it becomes easier to grasp the printing apparatus desired by the user.

  In addition, the creation unit may show a mark indicating the first direction, which is the direction of the user when the user performs an input operation on the own device, in the layout drawing. By indicating the mark indicating the first direction, the user can easily understand which direction the print execution apparatus is. As a result, it is easy to find a print execution device.

  Further, the output unit prints the layout drawing on a sheet, and the creation unit prints the layout drawing so that the first direction matches one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction of the paper. It is good to create. When the user holds the printed layout map, the orientation of the layout map and the first direction shown in the layout map can be made coincident with each other. It is easy to match the direction and the first direction depicted in the layout diagram, and it is easy to grasp the direction toward the print execution apparatus. As a result, it is easy to find a print execution device.

  Further, the output unit prints the layout drawing on a sheet, and the creation unit selects one of a second direction that is a direction from its own apparatus toward the print execution apparatus, and a vertical direction and a horizontal direction of the sheet. It is preferable to create the layout diagram so that one of them matches. When the user looks at the layout diagram, the orientation of the paper and the direction toward the print execution apparatus match, so the user can easily understand what is in the direction toward the print execution apparatus. As a result, it is easy to find a print execution device.

  Further, the output unit prints the layout drawing on a sheet, and the creation unit increases the display magnification of the layout drawing as the distance between the print execution device and the own device is shorter, and further from the own device. The layout drawing may be created so that a second direction, which is a direction toward the print execution device, and a diagonal direction of the paper coincide with each other. By displaying the own device and the print execution device on opposite diagonals, the display magnification can be increased when changing the display magnification according to the distance from the own device to the print execution device. And the inter-device information between the printer and the print execution device can be displayed in more detail. As a result, it is easy to find a print execution device.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus including a plurality of printing apparatuses including a storage unit that stores a print job and a printing unit that prints a print job that has received a print instruction among print jobs stored in the storage unit. An extraction unit that extracts a print execution device that is a printing device that has an opportunity to print a print job to be printed, an acquisition unit that acquires position information of the print execution device, and the acquisition unit A creation unit that creates a layout diagram indicating the layout of the print execution device from position information, and the printing device includes an output unit that acquires the layout map created by the creation unit and outputs the layout map. A printing system characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, a printing apparatus and a printing system that can easily confirm the location of a printing apparatus that prints a desired print job are realized.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the operation | movement outline | summary of the printing system concerning embodiment. It is a figure which shows the output image of a layout drawing. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of registered job printing processing according to the embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the layout drawing output process concerning embodiment. It is a figure which shows an output condition setting screen. FIG. 6 is a layout diagram when “automatic magnification” is set as an output option. FIG. 10 is a layout diagram when “automatic magnification” and “appearance” are set as output options. FIG. 5 is a layout diagram when “automatic magnification”, “time”, and “movement distance” are set as output options. FIG. 10 is a layout diagram when “automatic magnification”, “time”, “movement distance”, and “user orientation” are set as output options. FIG. 10 is a layout diagram when “non-printable non-display” is set as an output option. It is a figure which shows an emphasis condition setting screen. FIG. 6 is a layout diagram when emphasis conditions are set. It is a figure which shows a printing condition setting screen. FIG. 10 is an arrangement diagram when “align user orientation and vertical direction” is set as a print option. FIG. 10 is an arrangement diagram when “align target device direction and diagonal direction” is set as a print option.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a printing apparatus according to the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a printer connected to a plurality of printers via a network.

[Printer configuration]
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 (an example of a printing apparatus) according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 30 including a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, and an NVRAM (Non Volatile RAM) 34. The control unit 30 is electrically connected to the image forming unit 10 that prints an image on a sheet, an operation panel 40 that displays an operation status and accepts an input operation by a user, a network interface 37, and a USB interface 38. It is connected to the.

  The ROM 32 stores firmware, which is a control program for controlling the printer 100, various settings, initial values, and the like. The RAM 33 and the NVRAM 34 are used as work areas from which various control programs are read, or as storage areas for temporarily storing image data.

  The CPU 31 (an example of an extraction unit, an acquisition unit, a creation unit, and a setting unit) stores each processing result in the RAM 33 or the NVRAM 34 in accordance with a control program read from the ROM 32 and signals sent from various sensors, and each component of the printer 100. Control elements.

  The network interface 37 and the USB interface 38 are interfaces that enable communication with other devices. The printer 100 receives a print job transmitted from another device via these interfaces. In this embodiment, the printer 100 can communicate with a personal computer (PC) 200, a server 300, and other printers 101, 102, and 103 via the network interface 37. In this embodiment, the printer 100, the PC 200, the server 300, and the printers 101, 102, and 103 constitute a printing system 900.

  The image forming unit 10 (an example of a printing unit) only needs to be able to print an image on paper, and the image forming method may be an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method. Also, color printing may be possible, or monochrome printing may be dedicated.

  The operation panel 40 also has various buttons that accept user input and a display unit that displays character information. Examples of the various buttons include a button for instructing execution of printing and a cancel button for instructing cancellation of the printing operation. The display unit is a touch panel type liquid crystal screen and has an input function in addition to a display function.

[Configuration of printing system]
Next, the configuration and operation of the printing system 900 including the printer 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the printing system 900 is configured by only the printers 100, 101, 102, 103, and the PC 200 for the sake of simplification. However, the printing system 900 is not limited to these apparatuses, and other configurations are also possible. A device may be connected. The printers 101, 102, and 103 need not have the same specifications as the printer 100.

  In the printing system 900, when the PC 200 receives a print instruction from a user, the printer driver 210 incorporated in the PC 200 creates a print job. Then, a print job is input from the PC 200 to a desired printer (in this description, the printer 100). In addition to the print data to be printed, the print job includes information for identifying each print job and information for identifying the user who inputs the job.

  When the printer 100 receives a print job, the printer 100 stores the print job in a memory area 110 (an example of a storage unit) reserved for storing the print job. The memory area 110 is configured by the RAM 33, the NVRAM 34, or both. If an external memory such as a USB memory or an external HDD is connected, a memory area secured in the external memory may be included in the memory area 110.

  After storing the print job in the memory area 110, the printer 100 waits for an input of a print instruction for the print job. That is, the printer 100 does not start printing the print job when it receives the print job.

  After a print job is input to the printer 100, the user moves to a place where the printer 100 is installed. Then, the user operates the operation panel 40 of the printer 100 to input a print instruction for the print job. Upon receiving the print instruction, the printer 100 searches for a print job stored in the memory area 110 and starts printing the print job owned by the user.

  In the printing system 900, at least one printer (referred to as the printer 100 in this embodiment) has an output function for outputting a layout diagram of the printers that make up the printing system 900. The printer 100 has a database that stores the positions of the other printers 101, 102, and 103, and creates a printer layout as shown in FIG. 3 based on the position information. The printer position information can be acquired by using a known position measurement technique such as user input or GPS.

  Further, when outputting the layout diagram, the printer 100 inquires the other printers 101, 102, and 103 about the capability and state, and the job registration status. Then, for a print job desired by the user, a printer having an opportunity to print and a printer having no opportunity to print are identified. Then, the printer 100 creates an arrangement diagram that can distinguish between a printer that has a printing opportunity and a printer that has no printing opportunity.

For example, FIG. 3 is a layout diagram that displays position information of all the printers constituting the printing system 900. In FIG. 3, a thick line means a road (passage). A square block means a printer. In FIG. 3, “Printer A” is the name assigned to the printer 100 that is the current location of the user, “Printer B” is the name assigned to the printer 101, “Printer C” is the name assigned to the printer 102, “Printer “D” is a name assigned to the printer 103. In the following description, it is assumed that a desired print job is stored in the printer 101 (printer B). In the layout diagram shown in FIG. 3, a character string “job exists” is displayed for the printer 101 (printer B) that has an opportunity to print, and a character string “job exists” for the printer 103 (printer D) that has no opportunity to print. Is not displayed. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish between a printer having a printing opportunity and a printer having no printing opportunity. The printer 102 (printer C) has a function of accepting transfer of a print job. In this case, the printer 102 (printer C) can print the print job on behalf of the printer 101 (printer B) that stores the print job. Therefore, for the printer 102 (printer C) capable of such proxy printing, the character string of “proxy possible” is displayed, and the user can grasp that the printer has an opportunity to print.

[Printer Control]
Next, registered job printing processing for realizing the operation of the printer 100 described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The registered job print processing is executed by the control unit 30 when a print job print instruction stored in the printer 100 is received.

  The printer 100 identifies the user based on the user identification information input by the user operating the operation panel 40 (S101). Then, the printer 100 searches for the print job owned by the user specified in S101 from the print jobs stored in its own memory area 110 (S102).

  Next, it is determined whether or not a print job has been retrieved in S102 (S103). If a print job is found (S103: YES), the printer 100 selects the print job (S104) and prints the selected print job (S105). Thereafter, the registered job printing process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the print job is not searched (S103: NO), the printer 100 determines that the user specified in S101 among other printers constituting the printing system 900, that is, the printers 101, 102, and 103, is the printer 100. A message is displayed on the operation panel 40 to confirm to the user whether or not to output a layout diagram indicating the position information of the printer that stores the owned print job (S111).

  If the user does not wish to output the layout map (S112: NO), the registered job printing process is terminated as it is. If the user wishes to output a layout map (S112: YES), a layout map output process for creating the layout map and outputting the layout map is executed (S113). Thereafter, the registered job printing process is terminated.

[Layout plan output process]
Next, the layout map output processing procedure of S113 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In the layout drawing output process, first, the other printers 101, 102, and 103 constituting the printing system 900 are inquired about the capability and state, and the job registration status (S121). In S121, an inquiry may be made directly to each printer, or if the server 300 has information on each printer, the server 300 may be inquired. The printer 100 receives the responses output from the other printers 101, 102, and 103, thereby acquiring information on the other printers 101, 102, and 103, that is, the capabilities, states, and job registration statuses of the respective printers. .

  Next, position information of other printers 101, 102, 103 is acquired (S122, an example of an acquisition unit). The position information is stored in a database owned by the printer 100 itself. The position obtained from the position information may be a physical position or a relative position viewed from the printer.

  The printer 100 creates a template indicating the positional relationship between the printer 100 and the other printers 101, 102, and 103 based on the position information acquired in S122 (S123, an example of a creating unit). The template here is a layout before setting output options and emphasis conditions described later, and is data for storing an image as shown in FIG. 3, for example. In addition, the printer 100 adds a character string “current location” for the printer in the template.

  Next, for the print job owned by the user, in order to distinguish between a printer that has a printing opportunity and a printer that has no printing opportunity on the layout diagram, the printer 100 registers the job registration status of each printer acquired in S121. Based on the above, a printer having an opportunity to print is extracted (S124, an example of an extraction unit). Then, the extraction result is reflected in the template. For example, the printer 100 adds a character string “job present” to the printer 101 that has an opportunity to print on the template created in S123.

  Further, for example, the printer 102 has a transfer acquisition function for receiving transfer of a print job. Therefore, the printer 102 does not have a print job, but can print the print job on behalf of the printer 101 that owns the print job. Therefore, the printer 102 is also extracted as a printer that has an opportunity to print. Then, in the layout diagram, a character string of “substituting is possible” is added for the printer 102 capable of printing. The fact that the printer 102 has a transfer acquisition function can be acquired in S121, for example. Hereinafter, printers that have an opportunity to print, including substitute printers, are referred to as print execution devices.

  Next, the display contents of the layout map are adjusted according to the user's preference. In the printer 100 according to this embodiment, the user can set the output condition, the emphasis condition, and the printing condition before creating the layout drawing. Therefore, first, the printer 100 determines whether an output option is set (S125).

  If the printer 100 determines that the output option is set (S125: YES), the printer 100 reflects the output option set in advance in the printer 100 in the layout diagram (S126). After S126 or when it is determined that the output option is not set (S125: NO), the process proceeds to S127.

  Here, the output options reflected in S126 will be described. FIG. 6 shows an output condition setting screen 411 for setting output options of the printer 100. The output condition setting screen 411 is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 41 of the operation panel 40. In this embodiment, output options include “automatic magnification”, “time”, “movement distance”, “appearance”, “user orientation”, and “non-printable non-display”. The user may not set any output option, or may set one or more output options.

  Each output option is described below. The “automatic magnification” is an option for automatically changing the display magnification to the maximum magnification on the condition that the own printer and all print execution apparatuses are displayed. For this reason, the closer the distance between the printer and the farthest print execution apparatus, the higher the display magnification. By setting “Auto Scale”, printers that do not have printing opportunities and are located farther away from the print execution device are hidden, and information on the area between the printer and the print execution device is automatically expanded. Will be displayed. Therefore, the user can easily visually recognize the information up to the print execution apparatus shown in the layout drawing.

  “Time” is an option for displaying the movement time from the printer that is the current location to each print execution device and the print time of each print execution device. The printing time is the time required for printing the job, and is estimated from the printer capability and the number of printed sheets. If a job having a higher priority than the corresponding job is registered, the print time of the job is also added. By setting “time”, the user can accurately grasp the time from the start of movement to the completion of printing.

  “Movement distance” is an option for displaying the distance from the printer that is the current location of the user to each print execution apparatus. The movement distance is calculated using, for example, the position information acquired in S122. By setting the “movement distance”, the user can accurately grasp the movement from the current printer to each printer having a printing opportunity.

  “Appearance” is an option for displaying an external photograph or illustration of the printing execution apparatus. Appearance data, for example, may be acquired from the server 300. Of course, the printer 100 may have the same. Setting the “appearance” makes it easier for the user to find the print execution device.

  “User orientation” is an option that indicates the direction of the printer 100 that is the current location of the user with an arrow. By setting “user orientation”, the user can easily identify the direction of the print execution device by comparing his / her direction with the arrow shown in the layout diagram, and can easily find the print execution device. Become.

  “Hide-not-printing non-display” is an option that does not display a printer having no printing opportunity on the layout drawing. By setting “non-printable non-display”, printers other than the print execution apparatus other than the own printer are hidden, and only the print execution apparatus is displayed. As a result, the number of printing apparatuses displayed in the layout diagram is reduced, and the user can more easily confirm the position of the printing execution apparatus.

  A display example when the output option is set will be described below. Here, based on the layout diagram shown in FIG. 3, a layout diagram for setting the output option will be described. FIG. 3 is a layout diagram in which no output option is selected.

  For example, FIG. 7 is a layout diagram when “automatic magnification” is set as an output option. As shown in FIG. 7, the printer 100 (printer A) that is the current location of the user, the printer 101 (printer B) that displays “job present” having a print job, and the substitute printer 102 (printer C) are all present. The maximum magnification to be displayed is set. A printer that does not have an opportunity to print, for example, the printer 103 (printer D) is out of the display range when the set display magnification is set, and is not displayed.

  Further, when an output option of “appearance” is set in addition to “automatic magnification”, as shown in FIG. 8, “job present” having a print job is displayed based on the layout shown in FIG. An illustration of the appearance of the printer 101 (printer B) and an illustration of the appearance of the substitute printer 102 (printer C) are also displayed in the layout drawing. The appearance of the printer may be a photograph in addition to an illustration.

  For example, FIG. 9 is an arrangement diagram when “automatic magnification” is set as an output option, and “time” and “movement distance” are also set. As shown in FIG. 9, from the printer 100 (printer A), which is the current location of the user, to the printer 101 (printer B) that displays “job present” having a print job, and the substitute printer 102 (printer C). Distance, travel time, and printer printing time are also displayed.

  Further, for example, when “user orientation” is also set as an output option based on the layout shown in FIG. 9, as shown in FIG. 10, the printer 100 (printer A), which is the current location of the user, is displayed. An arrow indicating the direction of the user is displayed on the layout drawing. The user only has to confirm the layout of the printer according to the arrows shown in the layout diagram.

  Further, for example, FIG. 11 is an arrangement diagram when “printing disabled / non-display” is set as an output option. As shown in FIG. 11, only the printer 100 (printer A) that is the current location of the user, the printer 101 (printer B) that displays “job present” having a print job, and the substitute printer 102 (printer C) are arranged. A printer that has no other printing opportunity, for example, the printer 103 (printer D) is not displayed.

  Returning to the description of the flowchart of FIG. 5, the printer 100 then determines whether or not the emphasis condition is set by the user (S 127). When the printer 100 determines that the emphasis condition is set (S127: YES), the printer 100 reflects the emphasis condition set in advance in the printer 100 in the layout diagram (S128). After S128, or when it is determined that the emphasis condition is not set (S127: NO), the process proceeds to S129.

  Here, the emphasis condition reflected in S128 will be described. FIG. 12 shows an emphasis condition setting screen 412 (an example of a setting unit) for setting emphasis conditions for the printer 100. The emphasis conditions in this embodiment include “printing time”, “image quality”, and “movement time”. The printer 100 highlights the printer that meets the conditions desired by the user, for example, enlarges the font, uses bold or underline, changes the color, circles, etc., and displays it on the layout drawing.

  “Printing time” is the printing time of each printing execution apparatus, and “movement time” is the movement time from the printer at which the user is present to each printing execution apparatus. Enter "Printing time" and "Movement time" in units of 1 second. “Image quality” represents a print image quality that can be supported by the print execution apparatus, and is selected from “low”, “medium”, and “high”. The user may not set one of these enhancement conditions, or may set one or a plurality of enhancement conditions.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the user sets “printing time” within 50 seconds and “movement time” within 60 seconds as emphasis conditions. If the printer 101 satisfies this emphasis condition, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, the printer 101 (printer B) is highlighted in a circle and displayed on the layout drawing. Note that an emphasis method such as enclosing a circle may be selectable.

  Returning to the description of the flowchart of FIG. 5, finally, the printer 100 determines whether or not to print out (S129). Whether or not to print out can be determined by whether or not “print” is selected in advance by the output method of the output condition setting screen 411. When printing out (S129: YES), the printer 100 reflects the printing options set in advance in the printer 100 in the layout diagram (S130).

  FIG. 14 shows a print condition setting screen 413 for setting print options. The print option represents the relationship between the user orientation and the layout drawing printing direction, or the target device orientation and the layout drawing printing direction. Printing options of this embodiment include: “Align user orientation and vertical direction”, “Align user orientation and horizontal direction”, “Align target device orientation and vertical direction”, “Target device orientation and horizontal direction” Can be selected from “Align the target device and the diagonal direction”.

  When “Align user orientation and vertical direction” is set, the layout drawing is printed out in the vertical direction of the printing paper, and the arrow indicating the user orientation is also aligned in the vertical direction of the printing paper. Similarly, when “align user direction and horizontal direction” is set, the layout drawing is printed out in the horizontal direction of the printing paper, and the arrow indicating the user direction is also aligned in the horizontal direction of the printing paper.

  When “align target device direction and vertical direction” is set, the layout drawing is printed out in the vertical direction of the printing paper, and the direction of the printer 100 that is the current location of the user and the printer 101 that is the print execution device. The relationship is also aligned in the vertical direction of the printing paper. Similarly, when “align target device direction and vertical direction” is set, the layout drawing is printed out in the horizontal direction of the printing paper, and the printer 100 that is the current location of the user and the printer 101 that is the print execution device. Is also aligned in the horizontal direction of the printing paper. By aligning the paper direction with the user orientation or the target device orientation, the user can easily grasp the position of the print execution device.

  When “align target device orientation and diagonal direction” is set, the target device orientation, which is the orientation to the print execution device viewed from the printer, is aligned with the diagonal direction of the printing paper. In this case, the layout drawing may be printed out in the vertical direction of the printing paper or in the horizontal direction. By aligning the orientation of the target device in the diagonal direction of the paper, the distance between the printer and the print execution device on the paper can be maximized, and as a result, the maximum display magnification can be obtained. Information between the two can be displayed in detail.

  For example, FIG. 15 is an arrangement diagram when “align user orientation and vertical direction” is set as the print option. As shown in FIG. 15, the layout drawing is printed out in the vertical direction of the printing paper, and the arrow indicating the user orientation is also aligned in the vertical direction of the printing paper.

  For example, FIG. 11 is also an arrangement diagram when “align target device direction and horizontal direction” is set as the print option. As shown in FIG. 11, the layout diagram is printed out in the horizontal direction of the printing paper, and the directional relationship between the printer 100 (printer A) as the current location of the user and the printer 101 (printer B) as the print execution device. Are also aligned in the horizontal direction of the printing paper.

  Further, for example, FIG. 16 is an arrangement diagram when “align target device direction and diagonal direction” is set as a print option. As shown in FIG. 16, the layout drawing is printed out in the vertical direction of the printing paper, and the directional relationship between the printer 100 (printer A), which is the current location of the user, and the printer 101 (printer B), which is the print execution apparatus, is also shown. , Aligned in the diagonal direction of the printing paper.

  Then, after S130, the layout drawing is printed (S131, an example of an output unit). Thereafter, the layout drawing output process ends. On the other hand, when the printer 100 does not print out (S129: NO), the printer 100 outputs the layout drawing as a file (S141, an example of an output unit), and then ends the layout drawing output processing. The file created in S141 may be stored by the printer 100 itself, or may be transmitted to a designated PC, a PC that has registered a job, or a designated smartphone.

  As described above in detail, the printer 100 according to the present embodiment can output a layout diagram showing the layout of print execution apparatuses that have an opportunity to print a print job to be printed. The user can easily confirm the location of the printing apparatus that prints a desired print job while looking at the layout. As a result, it can be expected that the situation where the location of the print job is unknown and the user is confused is reduced.

  Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the printer is not limited as long as it has a printing function, and can be applied even to a multifunction machine or a copying machine. Further, the information processing apparatus that inputs the print job to the printer is not limited to the PC, and may be a mobile apparatus such as a smartphone.

  In the embodiment, the printer itself stores the position information of other printers, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the server 300 manages the position information of each printer constituting the printing system 900, the server 300 may be inquired to acquire the position information of other printers.

  In the embodiment, the printer 100 itself has the position information in the database. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the position information may be acquired from the server 300 if the server 300 has the position information. Further, it may be acquired from responses of other printers.

  In the embodiment, the printer 100 outputs the layout diagram on the condition that there is no user print job in its own apparatus, but the output condition of the layout diagram is not limited to this. For example, a button for outputting a layout map may be provided on the operation panel 40, and the layout map may be output on condition that the button is pressed. Further, the layout map may be output on condition that the layout map output command transmitted from the PC 200 is received.

  In the embodiment, when “time” of the output option is set, both the moving time and the printing time are displayed, but only one of them may be displayed.

  Further, in the embodiment, the printer 100 that outputs the layout diagram performs extraction of the print execution device, acquisition of the position information of the print execution device, creation of the layout diagram of the print execution device, and output of the layout diagram. However, these processes are not necessarily performed by the printer 100, and at least one of these processes may be performed by another device (for example, the server 300).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming part 30 Control part 40 Operation panel 100,101,102,103 Printer 200 PC
900 printing system

Claims (11)

A storage unit for storing print jobs;
A print unit that prints a print job that has received a print instruction among print jobs stored in the storage unit;
An extraction unit that extracts a print execution device that is a printing device that has an opportunity to print a print job to be printed;
An acquisition unit for acquiring position information of the print execution device;
A creation unit for creating a layout diagram indicating the layout of the print execution device from the position information acquired by the acquisition unit;
An output unit for outputting the layout created by the creation unit;
Equipped with a,
The creation unit
The location of the device is shown in the layout diagram,
Wherein the closer the closer the distance between the print execution device and the own device, the printing apparatus according to claim higher to Rukoto the display magnification of the layout. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the creation unit shows an expected printing time required to complete printing of the print job to be printed in the layout diagram. In the printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the creation unit shows an expected movement time required for moving from the own apparatus to the printing execution apparatus in the layout diagram. In the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the creating unit does not show a printing apparatus other than the printing execution apparatus other than the own apparatus in the layout diagram. In the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The printer is characterized in that the creation unit shows the appearance of the print execution device in the layout drawing. A storage unit for storing print jobs;
A print unit that prints a print job that has received a print instruction among print jobs stored in the storage unit;
An extraction unit that extracts a print execution device that is a printing device that has an opportunity to print a print job to be printed;
An acquisition unit for acquiring position information of the print execution device;
A creation unit for creating a layout diagram indicating the layout of the print execution device from the position information acquired by the acquisition unit;
An output unit for outputting the layout created by the creation unit;
A setting section for setting selection conditions for the print execution device ;
With
The creation unit creates a layout drawing that highlights a print execution device that matches the selection condition set in the setting unit in comparison with a print execution device that does not match the condition set in the setting unit. Characteristic printing device. A storage unit for storing print jobs;
A print unit that prints a print job that has received a print instruction among print jobs stored in the storage unit;
An extraction unit that extracts a print execution device that is a printing device that has an opportunity to print a print job to be printed;
An acquisition unit for acquiring position information of the print execution device;
A creation unit for creating a layout diagram indicating the layout of the print execution device from the position information acquired by the acquisition unit;
An output unit for outputting the layout created by the creation unit;
With
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the creation unit shows a mark indicating a first direction, which is a direction of the user when the user performs an input operation on the apparatus, in the layout drawing. The printing apparatus according to claim 7 ,
The output unit prints the layout on paper;
The printing apparatus is characterized in that the creation unit creates the layout drawing so that the first direction matches one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction of the paper. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
The output unit prints the layout on paper;
The creation unit creates the layout drawing so that a second direction, which is a direction from its own device toward the print execution device, matches one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction of the paper. Characteristic printing device. A storage unit for storing print jobs;
A print unit that prints a print job that has received a print instruction among print jobs stored in the storage unit;
An extraction unit that extracts a print execution device that is a printing device that has an opportunity to print a print job to be printed;
An acquisition unit for acquiring position information of the print execution device;
A creation unit for creating a layout diagram indicating the layout of the print execution device from the position information acquired by the acquisition unit;
An output unit for outputting the layout created by the creation unit;
With
The output unit prints the layout on paper;
The creation unit increases the display magnification of the layout drawing as the distance between the print execution apparatus and the self apparatus decreases, and further, a second direction that is a direction from the self apparatus toward the print execution apparatus, and the paper The printing apparatus is characterized in that the layout drawing is created so that the diagonal directions coincide with each other. A storage unit for storing print jobs;
A print unit that prints a print job that has received a print instruction among print jobs stored in the storage unit;
In a printing system having a plurality of printing devices comprising:
An extraction unit that extracts a print execution device that is a printing device that has an opportunity to print a print job to be printed;
An acquisition unit for acquiring position information of the print execution device;
With
At least one printing device of the plurality of printing devices is
A creation unit for creating a layout diagram indicating the layout of the print execution device from the position information acquired by the acquisition unit ;
An output unit that obtains the layout created by the creation unit and outputs the layout ;
Equipped with a,
The creation unit
The location of the device is shown in the layout diagram,
The closer the distance between the print execution device and the own device, the printing system characterized by high to Rukoto the magnification of the layout.

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