JP6880994B2 - Information processing equipment, information processing systems, information processing methods, and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

In printing operations such as production printing, a large-capacity paper ejection device called a stacker may be used to store a large amount of printed matter. The print job created by the user is printed on paper by the printing apparatus and loaded on the stacker.

Further, there is known a technique that allows a user to select whether or not to eject the printed matter of the next print job to the same stacker while the printed matter of the preceding print job is loaded on the stacker (for example). See Patent Document 1).

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, when printing is performed on papers having different paper sizes in one printing job, printed matter having different paper sizes is loaded on the stacker. For this reason, the printed matter loaded on the stacker may collapse.

For example, when printing on paper having a paper size of A4 and printing on paper having a paper size of A3 are performed in one print job, a bundle of printed matter of A3 loaded on the printed matter of A4. Sometimes collapsed.

For this reason, it may take a lot of time to sort the printed matter, or a jam (paper jam) may occur.

One embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to support prevention of mixing of print medium sizes.

In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing device connected to a terminal device and an image processing device, and is a print target indicating one page of electronic data included in the electronic data to be printed. For each page, has the receiving means for receiving the print target page from the terminal device and the output destination device of the print medium on which the print target page is printed have changed when the print target page is received by the receiving means? When at least one of the paper ejection destination device and the medium size is changed by the determination means for determining whether or not and whether or not the medium size of the print medium has changed, and the image processing apparatus. On the other hand, the requesting means for requesting the determination as to whether or not the output destination device allows the mixture of the different medium sizes and the result of the determination by the requesting means show that the medium size is different from the output destination device. When it indicates that mixing is not allowed, it has a display means for displaying a predetermined warning screen.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to support the prevention of mixing of print medium sizes.

It is a figure which shows the system configuration of an example of the printing system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of an example of the control device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of an example of the printing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of an example of a control device, a printing device, and a terminal device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the whole process for printing by the printing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the page table to be printed. It is a figure which shows an example of a warning screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a print page table. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the transmission determination processing of the stacker use request which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the creation process of the stacker use response which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the mixing possibility table which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows another example of the whole process for printing by the printing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the processing after removing the printed matter from the stacker of a paper discharge destination when a warning screen is displayed. It is a sequence diagram which shows another example of the process after removing the printed matter from the stacker of a paper discharge destination when a warning screen is displayed. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of an example of a control device, a printing device, and a terminal device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the creation process of the stacker use response which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the mixing possibility table which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the setting process of a reference value. It is a figure which shows an example of a reference value setting screen. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of an example of a control device, a printing device, and a terminal device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the update process of the mixture possibility table. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the whole process for printing by the printing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the stacker use determination processing.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<System configuration>
First, the system configuration of the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an example of the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a control device 10, a printing device 20, one or more stackers 30, and one or more terminal devices 40. Here, the control device 10 and the terminal device 40 are communicably connected via a network 50 such as a LAN (Local Area Network). Further, the control device 10 and the printing device 20 are communicably connected via a dedicated line 60.

The control device 10 is, for example, a DFE (Digital Front End) or the like, and is an information processing device that performs RIP (Raster Image Processor) processing or the like. That is, the control device 10 receives a print request for the print target page from the terminal device 40 as a print job. Then, the control device 10 RIP-processes the print target page included in the print request to create a print page.

The print target page is data (page data) for one page included in the print target electronic data specified by the user. The print data is raster image data or the like created by performing RIP processing on the page to be printed.

At this time, in the case where the output destination of the printed matter is the same stacker 30, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment has, for example, the paper size of the print target page of the N-1th page and the print target of the Nth page. Determine if the page size is different. Then, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment displays a predetermined warning screen when these paper sizes are different and the stacker 30 which is the output destination of the printed matter does not allow the mixture of different paper sizes. It is displayed on the control device 10 or the terminal device 40. The predetermined warning screen may be displayed on both the control device 10 and the terminal device 40.

As described above, in the control device 10 according to the present embodiment, when the stacker 30 which does not allow the mixture of different paper sizes is the output destination and the mixture of different paper sizes occurs. , Display a warning screen in advance. As a result, the user can prevent printed matter of different paper sizes from being mixed by, for example, removing the printed matter from the stacker 30 or canceling the print job.

The printing device 20 is, for example, a multifunction device, a digital printing machine, or the like, and is an image forming device that prints a print page created by RIP processing or the like of the control device 10 on a printing medium such as paper. The printing device 20 discharges the printed matter created by printing the printed page on the printing medium to the stacker 30 connected to the printing device 20.

Further, the printing device 20 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the stacker 30, which is the output destination of the printed matter, allows mixing of different paper sizes in response to a request from the control device 10. ..

The printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment will be described as creating a printed matter using paper such as paper as a printing medium and discharging the printed matter to the stacker 30, but the printing medium is not limited to paper. The printing device 20 may be, for example, a sheet material such as cloth or resin, plastic, copper foil, prepreg, or the like as the printing medium. Therefore, the printing apparatus 20 may discharge the printed matter produced by printing on these printing media to the stacker 30.

The terminal device 40 is an information processing device for a notebook PC (personal computer), a desktop PC, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, or the like operated by a user. The user can create a print job by operating the terminal device 40, for example, by giving a print instruction to desired electronic data.

The printing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example and may have another configuration. For example, the printing system 1 may be configured not to have the terminal device 40. Further, for example, the printing system 1 may have a configuration having a plurality of control devices 10 and a plurality of printing devices 20.

<Hardware configuration>
Next, the hardware configuration of the control device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of an example of the control device 10 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 10 includes an input device 11, a display device 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 14, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 15. .. Further, the control device 10 has an external I / F 16, a communication I / F 17, a dedicated I / F 18, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 19. Further, each of these hardware is connected to each other by a bus B1.

The input device 11 is a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, or the like, and is used for inputting various operations. The display device 12 is a display or the like, and displays various processing results. At least one of the input device 11 and the display device 12 may be connected to the bus B1 and used when necessary.

The RAM 13 is a volatile semiconductor memory that temporarily stores programs and data. The ROM 14 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory capable of holding data even when the power is turned off. The CPU 15 is an arithmetic unit that reads programs and data from the HDD 19 and the ROM 14 and the like onto the RAM 13 and executes various processes.

The external I / F 16 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes, for example, a recording medium 16a such as a CD (Compact Disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an SD memory card, and a USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory). The control device 10 can read or write the recording medium 16a via the external I / F 16.

The communication I / F 17 is an interface for connecting the control device 10 to the network 50. The control device 10 can receive a print job start request, a print request for a print target page, and the like from the terminal device 40 via the communication I / F17.

The dedicated I / F 18 is an interface for connecting the control device 10 to the dedicated line 60. The control device 10 can transmit a print request for a print page or the like to the print device 20 via the dedicated I / F 18.

The HDD 19 is a non-volatile memory for storing programs and data. The programs and data stored in the HDD 19 include an OS (Operating System), which is basic software for controlling the entire control device 10, and various application programs running on the OS.

The control device 10 according to the present embodiment can realize various processes described later by the hardware configuration shown in FIG. The terminal device 40 has the same hardware configuration as the control device 10 except that it does not have a dedicated I / F18.

Next, the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of an example of the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the printing apparatus 20 includes a RAM 21, a ROM 22, a CPU 23, a dedicated I / F 24, an external I / F 25, an operation panel 26, an HDD 27, and a plotter 28. Each of these hardware is connected to each other by bus B2.

The RAM 21 is a volatile semiconductor memory that temporarily stores programs and data. The ROM 22 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory capable of holding data even when the power is turned off. The CPU 23 is, for example, an arithmetic unit that reads programs and data from the HDD 27, ROM 22 and the like onto the RAM 21 and executes various processes.

The dedicated I / F 24 is an interface for connecting the printing device 20 to the dedicated line 60. The printing device 20 can receive a printing request for a print page or the like from the control device 10 via the dedicated I / F 24.

The external I / F 25 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes, for example, a recording medium 25a such as a CD, a DVD, an SD memory card, or a USB memory. The printing device 20 can read or write to the recording medium 25a via the external I / F 25.

The operation panel 26 is an input / output device including a touch panel for inputting various operations and a display for displaying various processing results.

The HDD 27 is a non-volatile memory for storing programs and data. The programs and data stored in the HDD 27 include an OS which is basic software for controlling the entire printing device 20, various application programs running on the OS, and the like.

The plotter 28 includes an image forming unit, and forms an output image on a print medium such as paper. Examples of the method for forming the output image include an electrophotographic method and an inkjet method.

The printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment can realize various processes described later by the hardware configuration shown in FIG.

<Functional configuration>
Next, the functional configurations of the control device 10, the printing device 20, and the terminal device 40 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of an example of the control device 10, the printing device 20, and the terminal device 40 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal device 40 according to the present embodiment includes an input receiving unit 401, a job processing unit 402, a display control unit 403, and a communication unit 404. Each of these functional units is realized by a process of causing the CPU 15 to execute one or more programs installed in the terminal device 40.

The input receiving unit 401 receives input of various operations from the user. For example, the input receiving unit 401 accepts an input of an operation (printing instruction operation) indicating a printing instruction for electronic data.

When the print instruction operation is received by the input reception unit 401, the job processing unit 402 creates a print job for printing the electronic data for which the print instruction has been given (that is, the electronic data to be printed). Then, the job processing unit 402 transmits a job start request via the communication unit 404, and also transmits a print request for page data (that is, a print target page) included in the electronic data to be printed.

The display control unit 403 displays various screens. For example, the display control unit 403 displays a warning screen for preventing printed matter of different paper sizes from being mixed in the stacker 30 in response to a request from the control device 10.

The communication unit 404 transmits and receives various data to and from the control device 10. For example, the communication unit 404 transmits a job start request to the control device 10. Further, for example, the communication unit 404 transmits a print request for the print target page to the control device 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a communication unit 101, a drawing unit 102, a usage request processing unit 103, and a UI control unit 104. Each of these functional units is realized by a process of causing the CPU 15 to execute one or more programs installed in the control device 10.

Further, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment has a print target page table storage unit 105. The storage unit can be realized by using, for example, HDD 19. The storage unit may be realized by using, for example, a storage device connected to the control device 10 via the network 50.

The communication unit 101 transmits and receives various data to and from the terminal device 40 and the printing device 20. For example, the communication unit 101 receives a job start request and a print request of the print target page from the terminal device 40. Further, for example, the communication unit 101 transmits a stacker use request and a print page print request, which will be described later, to the printing device 20.

When the drawing unit 102 receives the print request of the print target page via the communication unit 101, the drawing unit 102 RIP-processes the print target page included in the print request to create a print page.

Further, the drawing unit 102 creates a print target page table 1000 for each print target page included in the print request of the print target page received from the terminal device 40, and stores the print target page table 1000 in the print target page table storage unit 105. The print target page table 1000 is a table in which information about the print target page (for example, job ID, page ID, output destination stacker 30, paper size, etc.) is stored.

The use request processing unit 103 performs a process for transmitting a stacker use request and a process after receiving a response to the stacker use request (stacker use response). Here, the use request processing unit 103 includes a request determination unit 111, a request creation unit 112, a result determination unit 113, and a display request unit 114.

The requirement determination unit 111 determines whether or not to transmit the stacker use request to the printing apparatus 20. Here, the requirement determination unit 111 refers to the print target page table 1000 and determines whether or not the stacker 30 at the output destination is different and whether or not the paper size of the print target page is different, thereby determining whether or not the stacker is different. It is determined whether or not the usage request is transmitted to the printing device 20.

That is, the request determination unit 111 determines whether or not the stacker 30 of the output destination is different between the print target page of the nth page and the print target page of the n-1th page, where n is an integer of 2 or more, and the paper. Determine if the sizes are different. As a result, the requirement determination unit 111 determines whether or not to transmit the stacker use request to the printing device 20.

When the request determination unit 111 determines that the stacker use request is transmitted to the printing device 20, the request creation unit 112 creates a stacker use request. Here, the stacker use request is a request for using the stacker 30 according to the stacker use request, and includes information for identifying the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination and the paper size of the printed matter to be ejected to the stacker 30. Is included.

The result determination unit 113 determines the response result of the stacker use response. That is, the result determination unit 113 determines whether the stacker use response is "continuation" indicating that the use of the stacker 30 is permitted or "holding" indicating that the use of the stacker 30 is not permitted.

As will be described later, when the printing device 20 receives the stacker use request, it determines whether or not the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination allows the mixing of paper sizes, and depending on the determination result, determines whether or not the stacker 30 is allowed to be mixed. Send a stacker usage response indicating "continue" or "hold".

When the result determination unit 113 determines that the response result of the stacker use response is "pending", the display request unit 114 transmits a warning screen display request for displaying a predetermined warning screen on the terminal device 40. .. As a result, the terminal device 40 displays a warning screen for preventing printed matter of different paper sizes from being mixed in the stacker 30.

The print target page table storage unit 105 stores the print target page table 1000 for each print target page. The details of the print target page table 1000 will be described later.

The UI control unit 104 receives inputs for various operations from the user and displays various screens. For example, the UI control unit 104 displays a predetermined warning screen when the result determination unit 113 of the usage request processing unit 103 determines that the response result of the stacker use response is "pending". As a result, the control device 10 displays a warning screen for preventing printed matter of different paper sizes from being mixed in the stacker 30.

As shown in FIG. 4, the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment includes a communication unit 201, a usage response processing unit 202, a printing processing unit 203, and a stacker monitoring unit 204. Each of these functional units is realized by a process of causing the CPU 23 to execute one or more programs installed in the printing device 20.

Further, the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment has a printing page table storage unit 205 and a mixing possibility table storage unit 206. Each of these storage units can be realized by using, for example, the HDD 27.

The communication unit 201 transmits and receives various data to and from the control device 10. For example, the communication unit 201 receives a stacker use request and a print page print request from the control device 10. Further, for example, the communication unit 201 transmits a stacker use response to the control device 10.

The use response processing unit 202 performs a process for transmitting a stacker use request. Here, the use response processing unit 202 has a response determination unit 211 and a response creation unit 212.

The response determination unit 211 determines whether to create a stacker use response indicating a response result of "continue" or "hold". That is, the response determination unit 211 allows the stacker 30 of the paper ejection destination to be different and the stacker 30 of the paper ejection destination to allow the mixing of paper sizes with reference to the print page table 2000 and the mixing possibility table 3000 described later. Judge whether or not. As a result, the response determination unit 211 determines whether to create a stacker use response indicating the response result of "continue" or "hold".

The response creation unit 212 creates a stacker use response indicating either a “continue” or “hold” response result, depending on the determination result by the response determination unit 211.

When the print processing unit 203 receives the print request of the print page via the communication unit 201, the print processing unit 203 prints the print page included in the print request on the print medium to create a printed matter. Then, the print processing unit 203 controls so that the created printed matter is discharged to the stacker 30 at the paper discharge destination.

Further, the print processing unit 203 creates a print page table 2000 for each print page included in the print request of the print page received from the control device 10, and stores the print page table 2000 in the print page table storage unit 205. The print page table 2000 is a table in which information about print pages (for example, job ID, page ID, stacker 30, paper size, etc.) is stored.

The stacker monitoring unit 204 monitors the state of the stacker 30. By monitoring the state of the stacker 30, the stacker monitoring unit 204 detects, for example, that the printed matter loaded on the stacker 30 has been removed.

The print page table storage unit 205 stores the print page table 2000 for each print page. The details of the print page table 2000 will be described later.

The mixing possibility table storage unit 206 stores the mixing possibility table 3000 that manages whether or not the stacker 30 allows mixing of paper sizes. The details of the mixing possibility table 3000 will be described later.

<Details of processing>
Next, the details of the processing of the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the process of printing on the printing device 20 by the user operating the terminal device 40 to create a print job will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an overall process for printing with the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment.

The input receiving unit 401 of the terminal device 40 receives the input of the print instruction operation by the user (step S501). In addition, for example, in various applications installed in the terminal device 40, the user can perform a print instruction operation by designating electronic data desired to be printed and then performing a print start operation.

Next, the job processing unit 402 of the terminal device 40 creates a print job for printing the electronic data specified by the user when the print instruction operation is received by the input reception unit 401 (step S502).

Next, the job processing unit 402 of the terminal device 40 transmits a job start request to the control device 10 via the communication unit 404 (step S503). Then, the terminal device 40 receives a response to the job start request from the control device 10 via the communication unit 404.

After that, the terminal device 40 sequentially transmits print requests to the control device 10 for each print target page included in the electronic data designated by the user. That is, for example, when the electronic data specified by the user includes the print target page of N pages, the terminal device 40 extends from the print request of the print target page of the first page to the print request of the print target page of the N page. Are sequentially transmitted to the control device 10. Hereinafter, a case where the terminal device 40 transmits a print request for the print target page on the n (1 ≦ n ≦ N) page to the control device 10 will be described.

The job processing unit 402 of the terminal device 40 transmits a print request for the print target page of the nth page to the control device 10 via the communication unit 404 (step S504). The print request of the print target page includes the print target page of the nth page and information related to the print target page (for example, job ID, page ID, stacker 30, paper size, etc.).

When the drawing unit 102 of the control device 10 receives the print request of the print target page via the communication unit 101, the drawing unit 102 creates the print target page table 1000 based on the information about the print target page included in the print request. Then, the drawing unit 102 stores the created print target page table 1000 in the print target page table storage unit 105 (step S505).

Here, the page table 1000 to be printed will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the page table 1000 to be printed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the print target page table 1000 includes data items such as a job ID, a page ID, a used output tray, and a paper size. The job ID is information for identifying a print job created by the terminal device 40. The page ID is information (for example, a page number, etc.) that identifies a print target page included in the print target electronic data. The paper ejection tray used is information (for example, ID of the stacker 30) indicating the stacker 30 of the output destination of the printed matter. The paper size is the size of the print medium (for example, A4, A3, etc.).

In addition to the above, the print target page table 1000 may include various data items. That is, the print target page table 1000 includes, for example, a data item indicating whether or not double-sided printing is performed, a data item indicating whether or not test printing is performed, a data item for setting text processing (edge smoothing, etc.), and the like. You may. Further, the print target page table 1000 may include, for example, a data item indicating whether or not to perform aggregate printing, a data item for setting post-processing (binding, punching, etc.), and the like.

As described above, when the control device 10 according to the present embodiment receives the print request of the print target page of the nth page, the control device 10 creates the print target page table 1000 corresponding to the print target page of the nth page and prints. It is stored in the target page table storage unit 105. As a result, the print target page table storage unit 105 stores the print target page table 1000 for each print target page included in the print target electronic data.

Next, the requirement determination unit 111 of the control device 10 determines whether or not to transmit the stacker use request to the printing device 20 (step S506).

That is, the request determination unit 111 refers to the print target page table 1000 to determine whether or not the stacker 30 of the paper ejection destination is different between the print target page of the nth page and the print target page of the n-1th page. And determine whether the paper size is different. As a result, the requirement determination unit 111 determines whether or not to transmit the stacker use request to the printing device 20. The details of the stacker use request transmission determination process in this step will be described later.

The requirement creation unit 112 of the control device 10 creates a stacker use request when the request determination unit 111 determines that the stacker use request is transmitted to the printing device 20 (step S507). Here, the request creation unit 112 creates a stacker use request including the used output tray and the paper size of the print target page table 1000 created in step S505.

Next, the request creation unit 112 of the control device 10 transmits a stacker use request to the printing device 20 via the communication unit 101 (step S508).

As described above, in the control device 10 according to the present embodiment, whether or not the stacker 30 of the paper ejection destination is different between the print target page of the nth page and the print target page of the n-1th page, and the paper size are different. Determine if they are different. Then, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment is a stacker when the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination is different, or when the stacker at the paper ejection destination is the same and the paper size is different, depending on the determination result. The usage request is transmitted to the printing device 20.

Next, when the response determination unit 211 of the printing device 20 receives the stacker use request via the communication unit 201, it determines whether to create a stacker use response indicating a response result of "continue" or "hold". To do.

That is, the response determination unit 211 determines whether or not the used output tray (stacker 30 at the output destination) included in the stacker use request allows a mixture of paper sizes, and whether the printed matter on the n-1th page and the output destination are printed. It is determined whether or not the stackers 30 are different. As a result, the response determination unit 211 determines whether to create a stacker use response indicating the response result of "continue" or "hold".

Then, the response creation unit 212 of the printing device 20 creates a stacker use response according to the determination result of the response determination unit 211 (step S509). The process of creating the stacker use response in this step will be described later.

Next, the response creation unit 212 of the printing device 20 transmits the stacker use response to the control device 10 via the communication unit 201 (step S510).

Next, when the result determination unit 113 of the control device 10 receives the stacker use response via the communication unit 101, it determines whether the stacker use response is “continue” or “hold” (step S511). ).

When it is determined in step S511 that the stacker use response is "pending", the UI control unit 104 of the control device 10 displays a warning screen for preventing printed matter of different paper sizes from being mixed in the stacker 30. (Step S512). When the warning screen is displayed, the UI control unit 104 sets the display flag indicating that the warning screen is displayed to "ON".

Next, when the UI control unit 104 of the control device 10 displays the warning screen, the UI control unit 104 transmits a job execution interruption request to the terminal device 40 (step S513). When the job processing unit 402 of the terminal device 40 receives the job execution interruption request, the job processing unit 402 interrupts the transmission of the print request of the print target page. As a result, in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the printing execution can be interrupted while the warning screen is displayed on the control device 10.

Here, the warning screen G100 displayed by the UI control unit 104 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the warning screen G100.

As shown in FIG. 7, on the warning screen G100, a message G110 for warning that printed matter of different paper sizes are mixed in the stacker 30 is displayed. As a result, the user can prevent printed matter of different paper sizes from being mixed in the stacker 30 by removing the printed matter from the stacker 30.

The warning screen G100 also includes a job cancel button G120 for canceling the print job. The user can cancel the print job by pressing the job cancel button G120.

Further, the warning screen G100 shown in FIG. 7 may be displayed on the terminal device 40 as described later.

Return to FIG. When it is determined in step S511 that the stacker use response is "continuation", the drawing unit 102 of the control device 10 RIP-processes the print target data included in the print request received in step S505 and prints. Create a page (step S514).

Next, the drawing unit 102 of the control device 10 transmits a print request for the print page to the printing device 20 via the communication unit 101 (step S515). Here, the print request of the print page includes the print page created in step S515 above and information about the print page (for example, job ID, page ID, stacker 30, paper size, etc.). Is printed. Information about the print page is created from, for example, various information included in the print target page table 1000.

When the print processing unit 203 of the printing device 20 receives the print request of the print page via the communication unit 201, the print page table 2000 is created based on the information about the print page included in the print request. Then, the print processing unit 203 stores the created print page table 2000 in the print page table storage unit 205 (step S516).

Here, the print page table 2000 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the print page table 2000.

As shown in FIG. 8, the print page table 2000 includes data items such as a job ID, a page ID, a used output tray, and a paper size. These data items are the same as those of the print target page table 1000.

In addition to the above, the print page table 2000 may include various data items. That is, the print page table 2000 may include, for example, a data item indicating a paper feed tray to be used, a data item indicating whether or not to print on both sides, a data item indicating the data size of print data, and the like. Further, the print page table 2000 may include, for example, a data item indicating the data size of print data for each CMYK.

As described above, when the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment receives the print request for the print page of the nth page, it creates the print page table 2000 corresponding to the print page of the nth page and stores the print page table. Store in part 205. As a result, the print page table storage unit 205 stores the print page table 2000 for each print target page included in the electronic data to be printed.

Next, the print processing unit 203 of the printing apparatus 20 creates a printed matter in which the print data is printed on the print medium according to the paper size, the used output tray, and the like included in the information regarding the print data. Then, the print processing unit 203 of the printing apparatus 20 controls so that the created printed matter is ejected to the stacker 30 at the output destination (step S517).

As a result, in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, a printed matter is created, and the printed matter is discharged and loaded on the stacker 30. When the creation and ejection of the printed matter are completed, the print processing unit 203 of the printing device 20 transmits a notification indicating that the printing of the print target page of the nth page is completed to the control device 10.

The printing system 1 according to the present embodiment executes the processes of steps S504 to S517 described above for each n (1 ≦ n ≦ N) th page to be printed. Then, when the processes of steps S504 to S517 described above are executed for the print target pages of all the pages, the control device 10 transmits a job end notification to the terminal device 40 (step S518).

As described above, the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment can print the print target data of each page included in the print target electronic data. At this time, in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the paper size of the printed matter is different between the nth page and the n-1th page, and the stacker 30 at the output destination allows the mixing of the paper sizes. If not, a predetermined warning screen is displayed.

As a result, the user can prevent printed matter of different paper sizes from being mixed in the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination.

Here, the transmission determination process of the stacker use request in step S506 of FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the transmission determination process of the stacker use request according to the present embodiment.

First, the request determination unit 111 determines whether or not the print target page is the first page (step S901). That is, the request determination unit 111 determines whether or not the print target page is the first page by referring to the page ID of the print target page table 1000 created in step S505 of FIG. 5, for example.

When it is determined in step S901 that the print target page is not the first page, the request determination unit 111 acquires the print target page table 1000 of the nth page and the n-1th page from the print target page table storage unit 105. (Step S902). That is, the request determination unit 111 acquires the print target page table 1000 corresponding to the print target page of the nth page and the print target page table 1000 corresponding to the print target page of the n-1th page.

Next, the request determination unit 111 determines whether or not the used paper ejection tray is different between the nth page and the n-1th page (step S903). That is, the request determination unit 111 determines whether or not the used output tray of the print target page table 1000 on the nth page and the used output tray of the print target page table 1000 on the n-1th page are different.

If it is determined in step S903 that the used output trays are the same between the nth page and the n-1th page, the request determination unit 111 determines whether the paper size is different between the nth page and the n-1th page. Whether or not it is determined (step S904). That is, the request determination unit 111 determines whether or not the paper size of the print target page table 1000 on the nth page and the paper size of the print target page table 1000 on the n-1th page are different.

If it is determined in step S904 that the paper sizes do not differ between the nth page and the n-1th page, the requirement determination unit 111 determines that transmission of the stacker use request is unnecessary (step S905). In this way, the request determination unit 111 determines that transmission of the stacker use request is unnecessary when the used output tray and the paper size are the same between the print target pages of the nth page and the n-1th page.

On the other hand, when the page to be printed is the first page, the output trays used are different between the nth page and the n-1th page, or the paper size is different between the nth page and the n-1th page. The request determination unit 111 determines that it is necessary to transmit the stacker use request (step S906). In this way, the requirement determination unit 111 uses the stacker 30 for the first time, or when either the output tray or the paper size used differs between the print target pages of the nth page and the n-1th page. , Judge that it is necessary to send a stacker usage request.

As described above, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment can determine whether or not it is necessary to transmit the stacker use request. The control device 10 according to the present embodiment transmits the stacker use request to the printing device 20 according to the determination result in the stacker use request transmission determination process of FIG. 9, but is not limited to this. The control device 10 may transmit a stacker use request to the printing device 20 for each print target page of each page, for example.

Next, the process of creating the stacker use response in step S509 of FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a stacker use response creation process.

First, the response determination unit 211 determines whether or not at least one print page table 2000 is stored in the print page table storage unit 205 (step S1001). In other words, the response determination unit 211 determines whether or not the print target page is the first page.

When it is determined in step S1001 that the print page table 2000 is stored, the response determination unit 211 acquires the print page table 2000 of the latest page from the print page table storage unit 205 (step S1002). That is, the response determination unit 211 acquires, for example, the print page table 2000 having the largest page number set in the page ID from the print page table storage unit 205.

Next, the response determination unit 211 determines whether or not the used output tray included in the stacker use request received from the control device 10 is different from the used output tray of the print page table 2000 acquired in step S1002 above. Determine (step S1003).

When it is determined in step S1003 that the used paper discharge trays are different, the response determination unit 211 acquires the mixing possibility table 3000 from the mixing possibility table storage unit 206 (step S1004).

Here, the mixing possibility table 3000 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the mixing possibility table 3000 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the mixing possibility table 3000, output tray information including information (“TRUE” or “FALSE”) indicating whether or not to allow mixing of paper sizes is stored for each stacker 30. ing.

That is, in the mixing possibility table 3000, for example, the output tray information in which the output tray 1 indicating the stacker 30-1 and the TRUE indicating that the paper sizes are allowed to be mixed is stored is stored. Similarly, the mixing possibility table 3000 stores, for example, the output tray information associated with the output tray 2 indicating the stacker 30-2 and the FALSE indicating that the paper sizes are not allowed to be mixed.

As described above, in the mixing possibility table 3000, the discharge tray information associated with the information indicating whether or not the stacker 30 allows the mixing of paper sizes is stored for each stacker 30.

Return to FIG. The response determination unit 211 refers to the mixing possibility table 3000 and determines whether or not the used paper discharge tray (that is, the stacker 30 at the paper discharge destination) included in the stacker use request received from the control device 10 allows the paper size to be mixed. (Step S1005).

If it is determined in step S1005 that mixing of paper sizes is not allowed, the response creation unit 212 creates a stacker use response indicating that the response result is "pending" (step S1006). As described above, in the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment, the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination does not differ between the nth page and the n-1th page, and the stacker 30 allows the paper sizes to be mixed. If not, create a stacker-use response with a response result of "pending".

On the other hand, if the page to be printed is the first page, the stacker 30 at the output destination is different, or the stacker 30 at the output destination allows a mixture of paper sizes, the response creation unit 212 produces a response result. Create a stacker use response indicating "continue" (step S1007). As described above, the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment allows the stacker 30 of the paper ejection destination to be different between the nth page and the n-1th page, or the stacker 30 of the paper ejection destination to be mixed in paper size. If so, create a stacker-use response with a response result of "continue".

As described above, when the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment receives the stacker use request, it allows whether or not the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination is different, and allows the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination to mix the paper sizes. Judge whether or not it is. As a result, the printing device 20 according to the present embodiment can transmit the stacker use response according to the determination result to the control device 10.

Here, a process for displaying a warning screen for preventing printed matter of different paper sizes from being mixed in the stacker 30 on the terminal device 40 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the overall processing for printing with the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment. Since the processes of steps S501 to S511 and steps S514 to S518 of FIG. 12 are the same as those of FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted.

When it is determined in step S511 that the stacker use response is "pending", the display request unit 114 of the control device 10 transmits a warning screen display request to the terminal device 40 via the communication unit 101 (step). S1201). When the display request unit 114 transmits a display request for the warning screen to the terminal device 40, the display requesting unit 114 sets the display flag indicating that the warning screen is displayed on the terminal device 40 to "ON".

When the display control unit 403 of the terminal device 40 receives the display request of the warning screen via the communication unit 404, the display control unit 403 displays a warning screen for preventing printed matter of different paper sizes from being mixed in the stacker 30 (step). S1202). At this time, the job processing unit 402 of the terminal device 40 interrupts the transmission of the print request of the print target page while the warning screen is displayed. As a result, in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the printing execution can be interrupted while the warning screen is displayed on the terminal device 40.

As described above, in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the paper size of the printed matter is different between the nth page and the n-1th page, and the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination allows the mixed paper size. If not, a predetermined warning screen may be displayed on the terminal device 40.

Here, when the warning screen G100 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the control device 10 as a result of the processing in step S512 of FIG. 5, see FIG. 12 for the processing when the printed matter is removed from the stacker 30. I will explain while. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing after removing the printed matter from the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination when the warning screen G100 is displayed.

For example, when the printed matter loaded on the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination is removed by the user, the stacker monitoring unit 204 detects that the printed matter loaded on the stacker 30 has been removed (step S1301).

Next, when the stacker monitoring unit 204 detects that the printed matter loaded on the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination has been removed, the stacker monitoring unit 204 creates a stacker use response indicating that the response result is “continuation”. Then, the stacker monitoring unit 204 transmits the created stacker use response to the control device 10 via the communication unit 201 (step S1302).

When the UI control unit 104 of the control device 10 receives the stacker use response indicating that the response result is "continuation" via the communication unit 101, the display of the warning screen G100 shown in FIG. 7 is canceled (step S1303). When the display of the warning screen is canceled, the UI control unit 104 sets the display flag to "OFF".

Next, when the UI control unit 104 of the control device 10 cancels the display of the warning screen, the UI control unit 104 transmits a job execution restart request to the terminal device 40 (step S1304). When the job processing unit 402 of the terminal device 40 receives the request to resume job execution, the process of step S504 is executed. As a result, the terminal device 40 can transmit the print target page of the next page.

As described above, the terminal device 40 according to the present embodiment can temporarily suspend the print job by suppressing the transmission of the print target page while the warning screen is displayed on the control device 10.

Here, as a result of performing the process of step S1202 of FIG. 12, when the warning screen G100 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the terminal device 40, the process when the printed matter is removed from the stacker 30 is referred to FIG. I will explain while. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing another example of processing after removing the printed matter from the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination when the warning screen G100 is displayed. Since the processes of steps S1301 to S1302 in FIG. 14 are the same as those in FIG. 13, the description thereof will be omitted.

Following step S1302, when the display request unit 114 of the control device 10 receives the stacker use response indicating that the response result is "continuation" via the communication unit 101, the display request unit 114 transmits a release request for the warning screen to the terminal device 40. (Step S1401). When the display request unit 114 receives the stacker use response indicating that the response result is "continue", the display request unit 114 may send a warning screen release request to the terminal device 40 when the display flag is "ON". .. Further, when the display request unit 114 transmits a release request for the warning screen to the terminal device 40, the display request unit 114 sets the display flag to "OFF".

Then, when the display control unit 403 of the terminal device 40 receives the warning screen release request, the display of the warning screen G100 shown in FIG. 7 is released (step S1402). As a result, in the terminal device 40, the process of step S504 is executed, and the print target page of the next page can be transmitted.

As described above, the terminal device 40 according to the present embodiment can temporarily suspend the print job by suppressing the transmission of the print target page while the warning screen is displayed.

As described above, in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, while the warning screen is displayed on the control device 10 or the terminal device 40, the print job is temporarily interrupted, so that printed matter having different paper sizes is stacked on the stacker 30 ( It is possible to prevent a situation in which the stackers 30), which do not allow the mixing of paper sizes, are mixed.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, a case where the print job is temporarily interrupted when the stacker 30 having different paper sizes and which does not allow the mixture of paper sizes is the output destination has been described. However, for example, in a printing operation in which the paper size is frequently switched, the operation of removing the paper in the stacker 30 frequently occurs, which may reduce the efficiency of the printing operation.

Therefore, in the third embodiment, a case where the print job is not interrupted will be described when the difference from the paper size on the previous page is within a predetermined reference value even if the paper sizes are different.

In the second embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the parts having substantially the same functional configuration as the first embodiment and substantially the same processing will be executed. The description of the parts to be described will be omitted as appropriate.

<Functional configuration>
First, the functional configurations of the control device 10, the printing device 20, and the terminal device 40 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of an example of the control device 10, the printing device 20, and the terminal device 40 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 15, the use response processing unit 202 of the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment has a response determination unit 211A. The response determination unit 211A refers to the print page table 2000 and the mixing possibility table 3000A, which will be described later, and further determines whether or not the difference from the paper size on the previous page is within a predetermined reference value.

Further, the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment further has a setting unit 207. The setting unit 207 updates the output tray information stored in the mixing possibility table 3000A stored in the mixing possibility table storage unit 206 in response to the request from the control device 10. Here, the output tray information stored in the mixing possibility table 3000A according to the present embodiment includes information indicating a reference value of the paper width and information indicating a reference value of the paper length, as will be described later. Is done. Hereinafter, the reference value of the paper width and the reference value of the paper length are also simply referred to as "reference values".

As shown in FIG. 15, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment further includes a setting request unit 106. The setting request unit 106 transmits, for example, a setting request for setting a reference value of the paper width and a reference value of the paper length to the printing apparatus 20.

<Details of processing>
Next, the details of the processing of the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, step S507 (process for creating a stacker use response) of FIGS. 5 and 12 is different from the first embodiment. Therefore, the process of creating the stacker use response according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a stacker use response creation process according to the present embodiment. Since the processes of steps S1001 to S1003 and steps S1006 to s1007 of FIG. 16 are the same as those of FIG. 10, the description thereof will be omitted.

When it is determined in step S1003 that the used paper discharge trays are different, the response determination unit 211A acquires the mixing possibility table 3000A from the mixing possibility table storage unit 206 (step S1601).

Here, the mixing possibility table 3000A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the mixing possibility table 3000A according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 17, in the mixing possibility table 3000A, information (“TRUE” or “FALSE”) indicating whether or not mixing of paper sizes is allowed for each stacker 30 and information indicating a reference value of the paper width are shown. And the output tray information including the information indicating the reference value of the paper length is stored.

That is, in the mixing possibility table 3000A, for example, the output tray 1 indicating the stacker 30-1, TRUE indicating that the paper size is allowed to be mixed, the paper width reference value "x1", and the paper length reference value are displayed. The output tray information associated with "y1" is stored. Similarly, in the mixing possibility table 3000A, for example, the output tray 2 indicating the stacker 30-2, the FALSE indicating that the mixing of the paper sizes is not allowed, the reference value “x2” of the paper width, and the paper length The output tray information associated with the reference value "y2" is stored.

As described above, in the mixing possibility table 3000A, for each stacker 30, information indicating whether or not the stacker 30 allows mixing of paper sizes, information indicating a reference value of the paper width, and a reference value of the paper length are displayed. The output tray information associated with the indicated information is stored.

Return to FIG. The response determination unit 211A refers to the mixing possibility table 3000A and determines whether or not the used paper discharge tray included in the stacker use request received from the control device 10 allows the mixing of paper sizes (step S1602).

If it is determined in step S1602 that the paper sizes are allowed to be mixed, the response determination unit 211A proceeds to step S1007. In this case, a stacker usage response indicating "continue" is created.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S1602 that the mixing of paper sizes is not allowed, the response determination unit 212A refers to the mixing possibility table 3000A, and the paper width difference is included in the stacker use request of the used paper ejection tray. Judge whether it is larger than the paper width reference value. (Step S1603). Here, the paper width difference is the difference between the width of the paper size included in the stacker use request and the width of the paper size included in the print page table 2000 acquired in step S1002.

If it is determined in step S1603 that the paper width difference is larger than the paper width reference value, the response determination unit 212A proceeds to step S1006. In this case, a stacker usage response indicating "pending" is created.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S1603 that the paper width difference is equal to or less than the paper width reference value, the response determination unit 212A refers to the mixing possibility table 3000A, and the paper length difference is included in the stacker use request. It is determined whether or not the paper length of the output tray is larger than the standard value. (Step S1604). Here, the paper length difference is the difference between the paper size length included in the stacker use request and the paper size length included in the print page table 2000 acquired in step S1002.

If it is determined in step S1604 that the paper length difference is larger than the paper length reference value, the response determination unit 212A proceeds to step S1006. In this case, a stacker usage response indicating "pending" is created.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1602 that the paper length difference is equal to or less than the paper length reference value, the response determination unit 212A proceeds to step S1007. In this case, a stacker usage response indicating "continue" is created.

As described above, when the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment receives the stacker use request, it further determines whether the difference from the paper size on the previous page is within a predetermined reference value. As a result, the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment indicates "continuation" when the difference from the paper size on the previous page is within a predetermined reference value even if the paper sizes are different. The stacker use response can be transmitted to the control device 10.

Next, the process of setting the reference value of the output tray information stored in the mixing possibility table 3000A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the reference value setting process.

First, the UI control unit 104 of the control device 10 displays a reference value setting screen for setting a reference value (step S1801). The UI control unit 104 may display the reference value setting screen when, for example, a display operation for displaying the reference value setting screen is performed by the user.

Here, the reference value setting screen G200 displayed by the UI control unit 104 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the reference value setting screen G200.

As shown in FIG. 19, in the reference value setting screen G200, the reference value setting button G210 and the reference value change buttons G221 and G222 are associated with each output tray. Each time the user presses the reference value setting button G210, the user can switch between setting the paper width reference value and setting the paper length reference value. Then, the user can change the paper width reference value or the paper length reference value by pressing the reference value change button G221 or G222.

Each time the reference value change button G221 is pressed, the paper width reference value or the paper length reference value increases by a predetermined value. On the other hand, each time the reference value change button G222 is pressed, the paper width reference value or the paper length reference value is reduced by a predetermined value.

Further, the reference value setting screen G200 includes an ENTER button G230. By pressing the ENTER button G230, the user can perform a reference value setting operation for reflecting the setting of the reference value. On the reference value setting screen G200, in addition to the reference value, it is possible to set whether or not to allow or disallow the mixing of paper for each output tray.

Next, the UI control unit 104 of the control device 10 accepts the reference value setting operation by the user (step S1802).

When the UI control unit 104 receives the reference value setting operation, the setting request unit 106 of the control device 10 transmits the reference value setting request to the printing device 20 (step S1803). The request for setting the reference value includes the output tray No. for identifying the output tray and the reference value (paper width reference value and paper length reference value) for the output tray.

When the communication unit 201 receives the reference value setting request, the setting unit 207 of the printing device 20 updates the output tray information stored in the mixing possibility table 3000A (step S1804). That is, the setting unit 207 updates the reference value of the output tray information corresponding to the output tray No. included in the setting request with the reference value included in the setting request.

As described above, in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the reference values (paper width reference value and paper length reference value) of each output tray are updated to the values set by the user.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, the third embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, whether or not the paper sizes are different, whether or not the stacker 30 at the output destination allows mixing of paper sizes, and the difference from the paper size on the previous page are the criteria. The case where the printing apparatus 20 determines whether or not the value is within the value has been described. In the third embodiment, a case where these determinations are performed by the control device 10 will be described.

In the third embodiment, the differences from the second embodiment will be mainly described, and the parts having substantially the same functional configuration as the second embodiment and substantially the same processing will be executed. The description of the parts to be described will be omitted as appropriate.

<Functional configuration>
First, the functional configurations of the control device 10, the printing device 20, and the terminal device 40 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of an example of a control device, a printing device, and a terminal device according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 20, the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment does not have the use response processing unit 202. In addition, the printing device 20 according to the present embodiment further has a notification unit 208. The notification unit 208 notifies the control device 10 of the output tray information stored in the mixing possibility table 3000A, for example, when the printing device 20 is started or when the mixing possibility table 3000A is updated.

As shown in FIG. 20, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment does not have the use request processing unit 103. Further, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment further includes a table update unit 107, a use determination processing unit 108, and a mixing possibility table storage unit 109.

The table update unit 107 updates the mixability table 4000 stored in the mixability table storage unit 109 with the output tray information notified from the printing device 20.

The use determination processing unit 108 performs processing for using the stacker 30. Here, the use determination processing unit 108 includes a use determination unit 121 and a display request unit 114. The use determination unit 121 determines whether or not the paper sizes are different, whether or not the stacker 30 at the output destination allows mixing of paper sizes, and whether or not the difference from the paper size on the previous page is within the reference value. Etc. are judged.

The mixing possibility table storage unit 109 stores the mixing possibility table 4000. The mixing possibility table 4000 is updated by the table updating unit 107 to synchronize with the mixing possibility table 3000A stored in the mixing possibility table storage unit 206 of the printing apparatus 20.

<Details of processing>
Next, the details of the processing of the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. First, the process of synchronizing the mixing possibility table 4000 stored in the mixing possibility table storage unit 109 of the control device 10 and the mixing possibility table 3000A stored in the mixing possibility table storage unit 206 of the printing device 20 is shown in FIG. It will be described with reference to 21. FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the update process of the mixing possibility table 4000. The update process shown in FIG. 21 is executed, for example, when the printing device 20 is started or when the mixing possibility table 3000A is updated.

First, the notification unit 208 of the printing device 20 notifies the control device 10 of the paper ejection tray information stored in the mixing possibility table 3000A stored in the mixing possibility table storage unit 206 by the communication unit 201 (step S2101). ).

When the output tray information is notified by the communication unit 101, the table update unit 107 of the control device 10 updates the mixability table 4000 stored in the mixability table storage unit 109 with the output tray information. (Step S2102).

The printing device 20 and the control device 10 execute the processes of steps S2101 and S2102 described above for all the output tray information stored in the mixing possibility table 3000A. Note that, for example, by including a flag in the above notification indicating that the output tray information is the last output tray information stored in the mixing possibility table 3000A, the table update unit 107 can perform the final ejection. It can be detected that the information is paper tray information. Alternatively, for example, when the output tray No. included in the output tray information is a predetermined value, the table update unit 107 may detect that it is the last output tray information.

As a result, the mixing possibility table 4000 stored in the mixing possibility table storage unit 109 of the control device 10 and the mixing possibility table 3000A stored in the mixing possibility table storage unit 206 of the printing device 20 are synchronized.

Next, a process of printing on the printing device 20 by the user operating the terminal device 40 to create a print job will be described with reference to FIG. 22. FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an overall process for printing with the printing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment. Since the processes of steps S501 to S505 and steps S514 to S518 of FIG. 22 are the same as those of FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted.

Following step S505, the use determination unit 121 of the control device 10 determines whether or not to continue discharging the paper to the stacker 30 (step S2201). That is, the use determination unit 121 determines whether the paper sizes are different, whether the stacker 30 at the output destination allows mixing of paper sizes, and whether the difference from the paper size on the previous page is within the reference value. Judge whether or not. The details of the stacker use determination process in this step will be described later.

In step S2201, when the determination result of the stacker use determination process is "pending", the UI control unit 104 of the control device 10 displays a warning screen in the same manner as in step S512 of FIG. 5 (step S2202).

Here, the stacker use determination process in step S2201 of FIG. 22 will be described with reference to FIG. 23. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the stacker use determination process.

First, the usage determination unit 121 determines whether or not the print target page is the first page (step S2301). That is, the usage determination unit 121 determines whether or not the print target page is the first page by referring to the page ID of the print target page table 1000 created in step S505 of FIG. 22, for example.

When it is determined in step S2301 that the print target page is not the first page, the use determination unit 121 acquires the print target page table 1000 of the nth page and the n-1th page from the print target page table storage unit 105. (Step S2302). That is, the use determination unit 121 acquires the print target page table 1000 corresponding to the print target page of the nth page and the print target page table 1000 corresponding to the print target page of the n-1th page.

Next, the use determination unit 121 determines whether or not the used paper discharge tray is different between the nth page and the n-1th page (step S2303). That is, the use determination unit 121 determines whether or not the used output tray of the print target page table 1000 on the nth page and the used output tray of the print target page table 1000 on the n-1th page are different.

In step S2303, when it is determined that the used output trays are not different between the nth page and the n-1th page, the use determination unit 121 determines whether the paper size is different between the nth page and the n-1th page. Whether or not it is determined (step S2304). That is, the usage determination unit 121 determines whether or not the paper size of the print target page table 1000 on the nth page and the paper size of the print target page table 1000 on the n-1th page are different.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2303 that the used paper discharge tray is different between the nth page and the n-1th page, the use determination unit 121 proceeds to step S2310. In this case, a determination result indicating "continuation" is created.

When it is determined in step S2304 that the paper sizes are different between the nth page and the n-1th page, the use determination unit 121 acquires the mixing possibility table 4000 from the mixing possibility table storage unit 109 (step S2305).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2304 that the paper sizes do not differ between the nth page and the n-1th page, the use determination unit 121 proceeds to step S2310. In this case, a determination result indicating "continuation" is created.

Next, the use determination unit 121 determines whether or not the used output tray included in the print target page table 1000 on the nth page allows the mixture of paper sizes with reference to the mixing possibility table 4000 (step S2306). ).

When it is determined in step S2306 that the mixing of paper sizes is not allowed, the usage determination unit 121 refers to the mixing possibility table 4000 and determines whether the paper width difference is larger than the paper width reference value of the used paper output tray. Judge whether or not. (Step S2307). Here, the paper width difference is the difference between the width of the paper size included in the print target page table 1000 on the nth page and the width of the paper size included in the print target page table 1000 on the n-1th page.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2306 that the paper sizes are allowed to be mixed, the use determination unit 121 proceeds to step S2310. In this case, a determination result indicating "continuation" is created.

If it is determined in step S2307 that the paper width difference is larger than the paper width reference value, the use determination unit 121 proceeds to step S2309. In this case, a determination result indicating "hold" is created.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S2307 that the paper width difference is equal to or less than the paper width reference value, the use determination unit 121 refers to the mixing possibility table 4000, and the paper length difference is the paper length of the used paper output tray. Judge whether it is larger than the reference value. (Step S2308). Here, the paper length difference is the difference between the length of the paper size included in the print target page table 1000 on the nth page and the length of the paper size included in the print target page table 1000 on the n-1th page.

When it is determined in step S2308 that the paper width difference is larger than the paper width reference value, the use determination unit 121 creates a determination result indicating "hold" (step S2309).

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S2309 that the paper length difference is equal to or less than the paper length reference value, the use determination unit 121 creates a determination result indicating "continuation" (step S2310).

As described above, in the control device 10 according to the present embodiment, whether or not the paper sizes are different, whether or not the stacker 30 at the paper ejection destination allows mixing of paper sizes, and the difference from the paper size on the previous page. Can be determined whether or not is within the reference value.

<Summary>
As described above, in the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment, when printed matter of different paper sizes is discharged to the stacker 30 which does not allow the mixture of paper sizes, a predetermined size is specified. The warning screen is displayed on the control device 10 and the terminal device 40 to interrupt the printing process. As a result, according to the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment, it is possible to prevent a situation in which printed matter of different paper sizes are mixed in the stacker 30.

Therefore, according to the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment, for example, it is possible to prevent an increase in the burden of the user's sorting work of printed matter due to the mixture of printed matter of different paper sizes in the stacker 30. Further, according to the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment, for example, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of jam due to the mixture of printed matter of different paper sizes in the stacker 30.

Further, in the printing system 1 according to the second embodiment, even if printed matter of different paper sizes is discharged to the stacker 30 which does not allow the mixture of paper sizes, the previous page. If the difference from the paper size of is within a predetermined reference value, the printing process is not interrupted. Thereby, in the printing system 1 according to the second embodiment, it is possible to prevent the efficiency of the printing business from being lowered in the printing business in which the paper size is frequently switched.

Further, in the printing system 1 according to the third embodiment, whether or not the paper sizes are different, whether or not the stacker 30 at the output destination allows mixing of paper sizes, and the difference from the paper size on the previous page are the criteria. The control device 10 can determine whether or not the value is within the value. As a result, in the printing system 1 according to the third embodiment, the communication load between the control device 10 and the printing device 20 can be reduced.

The communication unit 101 is an example of the receiving means. The request determination unit 111 is an example of determination means. The request creation unit 112 is an example of request means. The UI control unit 104 is an example of display means. The drawing unit 102 is an example of the creating means.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications are made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. And can be changed.

1 Printing system 10 Control device 20 Printing device 30 Stacker 40 Terminal device 101 Communication unit 102 Drawing unit 103 Usage request processing unit 104 UI control unit 105 Print target page table storage unit 111 Request judgment unit 112 Request creation unit 113 Result judgment unit 114 Display Request unit 201 Communication unit 202 Use response processing unit 203 Print processing unit 204 Stacker monitoring unit 205 Print page table storage unit 206 Mixability table storage unit 211 Response judgment unit 212 Response creation unit 401 Input reception unit 402 Job processing unit 403 Display control unit 404 Communication unit

Japanese Patent No. 4277201

Claims (10)

A terminal device that makes a print request for each print target page indicating one page of electronic data included in the print target electronic data, and print data indicating the electronic data after the print target page has been RIP-processed are used as print media. An information processing device that is connected to an image processing device to be printed and RIP-processes the print target page to create the print data .
For each print target page, a receiving means for receiving a print request including the print target page from the terminal device, and
When the print request is received by the receiving means, the print medium when the page number of the print target page included in the print request and the print data after the print target page is RIP-processed are printed by the image processing apparatus. A means for creating a print target page table including information indicating the output destination device to which is output and information indicating the medium size of the print medium .
A first print target page table including the page number of the print target page included in the print request received by the receiving means and a second print target page table including the page number immediately before the page number are provided. With reference to, a determination means for determining whether or not the paper ejection destination device has changed and whether or not the medium size has changed.
When at least one of the discharge destination device and the medium size is determined to have changed by the determination unit, to the image processing apparatus, whether or not the discharge destination device is changed, and the sheet discharge A requesting means for requesting a determination as to whether or not the prior device allows a mixture of different medium sizes, and
When the result of the determination by the requesting means indicates that the paper ejection destination device has not changed and the paper ejection destination device does not allow the mixture of different medium sizes, a predetermined warning screen is displayed. Display control means to display
Information processing device with. The requesting means
Further, a determination is made as to whether or not the difference between the changes when the medium size changes is within a predetermined reference value.
The display control means
The results of the determination further, if the difference does not indicate that is within a predetermined reference value, causes displaying the warning screen, the information processing apparatus according to claim 1. Before Symbol display control means,
When the result of the determination by the requesting means indicates that the paper ejection destination device has not changed and the paper ejection destination device does not allow the mixture of different medium sizes, a predetermined warning screen is displayed. with make Show, to interrupt the transmission of the print request to the terminal device, the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The requesting means
Includes information indicating a paper ejection destination device to which a print medium is output when the print data after the print target page is RIP-processed is printed by the image processing device, and information indicating the medium size of the print medium. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , which requests the determination by transmitting the request to the image processing device. The display control means
A claim that displays the warning screen on a display device included in the information processing device, a display device included in the terminal device, or both a display device included in the information processing device and a display device included in the terminal device. The information processing device according to any one of 1 to 4. The image processing device is a production printer.
The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the paper ejection destination device is a stacker device. A terminal device that makes a print request for each print target page indicating one page of electronic data included in the print target electronic data, and print data indicating the electronic data after the print target page has been RIP-processed are used as print media. An information processing system including an image processing device for printing and a control device for RIP processing the print target page to create the print data.
For each print target page, a receiving means for receiving a print request including the print target page from the terminal device, and
When the print request is received by the receiving means, the print medium when the page number of the print target page included in the print request and the print data after the print target page is RIP-processed are printed by the image processing apparatus. A means for creating a print target page table including information indicating the output destination device to which is output and information indicating the medium size of the print medium .
A first print target page table including the page number of the print target page included in the print request received by the receiving means and a second print target page table including the page number immediately before the page number are provided. With reference to, a determination means for determining whether or not the paper ejection destination device has changed and whether or not the medium size has changed.
When at least one of the discharge destination device and the medium size is determined to have changed by the determination unit, to the image processing apparatus, whether or not the discharge destination device is changed, and the sheet discharge A requesting means for requesting a determination as to whether or not the prior device allows a mixture of different medium sizes, and
When the result of the determination by the requesting means indicates that the paper ejection destination device has not changed and the paper ejection destination device does not allow the mixture of different medium sizes, a predetermined warning screen is displayed. Display control means to display
Information processing system with. A terminal device that makes a print request for each print target page indicating one page of electronic data included in the print target electronic data, and print data indicating the electronic data after the print target page has been RIP-processed are used as print media. An information processing device that is connected to an image processing device to be printed and that RIP-processes the print target page to create the print data .
For each of the printed page, receiving means for receiving a print request that contains the page to be printed from the terminal device,
When the print request is received by the receiving means, the print medium when the page number of the print target page included in the print request and the print data after the print target page is RIP-processed are printed by the image processing apparatus. A means for creating a print target page table including information indicating a paper ejection destination device to which is output and information indicating the medium size of the print medium .
A first print target page table including the page number of the print target page included in the print request received by the receiving means and a second print target page table including the page number immediately before the page number are provided. A determination means for determining whether or not the paper ejection destination device has changed and whether or not the medium size has changed.
When at least one of the discharge destination device and the medium size is determined to have changed by the determination unit, to the image processing apparatus, whether or not the discharge destination device is changed, and the sheet discharge A requesting means for requesting determination as to whether or not the prior device allows a mixture of different medium sizes.
When the result of the determination by the requesting means indicates that the paper ejection destination device has not changed and the paper ejection destination device does not allow the mixture of different medium sizes, a predetermined warning screen is displayed. Display control means to display
A program to function as. A terminal device that makes a print request for each print target page indicating one page of electronic data included in the print target electronic data, and print data indicating the electronic data after the print target page has been RIP-processed are used as print media. An information processing method used in an information processing system including an image processing device for printing and a control device for RIP processing the print target page to create the print data.
For each print target page, a reception procedure for receiving a print request including the print target page from the terminal device, and
When the print request is received by the reception procedure, the print medium when the page number of the print target page included in the print request and the print data after the print target page is RIP-processed are printed by the image processing apparatus. A creation procedure for creating a print target page table including information indicating the output destination device to which is output and information indicating the medium size of the print medium, and
The first print target page table including the page number of the print target page included in the print request received by the reception procedure and the second print target page table including the page number immediately before the page number are displayed. With reference to the determination procedure for determining whether or not the paper ejection destination device has changed and whether or not the medium size has changed.
If the determination at least one of the discharge destination device and the media size by the procedure is determined to have changed, to the image processing apparatus, whether or not the discharge destination device is changed, and the sheet discharge A request procedure that requests a determination as to whether or not the preceding device allows a mixture of different medium sizes, and
When the result of the determination according to the request procedure indicates that the paper ejection destination device has not changed and the paper ejection destination device does not allow the mixture of different medium sizes, a predetermined warning screen is displayed. Display control procedure to display
Information processing method having. A terminal device that makes a print request for each print target page indicating one page of electronic data included in the print target electronic data, and print data indicating the electronic data after the print target page has been RIP-processed are used as print media. An information processing device that is connected to an image processing device to be printed and RIP-processes the print target page to create the print data .
For each print target page, a receiving means for receiving a print request including the print target page from the terminal device, and
When the print request is received by the receiving means, the print medium when the page number of the print target page included in the print request and the print data after the print target page is RIP-processed are printed by the image processing apparatus. A means for creating a print target page table including information indicating the output destination device to which is output and information indicating the medium size of the print medium .
A first print target page table including the page number of the print target page included in the print request received by the receiving means and a second print target page table including the page number immediately before the page number are provided. With reference to the first determination means for determining whether or not the output destination device has changed and whether or not the medium size has changed.
If at least one of the discharge destination device and the media size by the first determination means is determined to have changed, whether the discharge destination device is changed, and the said discharge device have different A second determination means for determining whether or not to allow a mixture of medium sizes, and
When the result of the determination by the second determination means indicates that the output destination device has not changed and the output destination device does not allow the mixture of different medium sizes, it is predetermined. and display control means for creating display a warning screen,
Information processing device with.

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