JP6915404B2 - Image forming device, print control method and print control program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention provides, for example, an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction digital multifunction device having functions such as a copy function, a printer function, a scanning function, and a facsimile function, a print control method, and a print control, which are called MFPs (Multi Function Peripheral). Regarding the program.

When printing is performed by an image forming apparatus such as an MFP as described above, conventionally, printing is started after the user sets the number of copies to be printed, layout, post-processing, and the like. These settings are indispensable in the conventional image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus operates the functions according to the settings.

In addition, some image forming devices have a function of schedule printing. This specifies the print end time in addition to the print settings including the number of copies to be printed, and is mainly used for commercial printing, and the purpose is to effectively utilize the resources of a large number of image forming devices. Even in scheduled printing, it is essential to set the number of copies to print before printing. Therefore, in order to surely finish the printing of the set number of copies, it is necessary to allow sufficient time for the printing end time.

On the other hand, for example, "finishing printing by the scheduled time" may be the highest priority. For example, an emergency press conference. The emergency press conference has a fixed start time, so printing must be completed by then. Setting items other than completing printing by a certain time have a lower priority than the printing end time.

However, among them, there are function settings that are desirable to have and function settings that do not matter, but these can only be discriminated by the user, and the image forming apparatus can only operate so as to satisfy all the set values.

For example, regarding the "number of copies to be printed", which is generally considered to be an indispensable set value, the set number of copies may not be important at an emergency press conference where the approximate number of people is known but the number of people is not fixed. Even in such a case, the image forming apparatus prompts the user to input the number of copies to be printed, treats the uniformly input setting value as a necessary setting, and starts printing.

A default value is provided for each setting, and even if the user does not perform an input operation, it is treated as a set value and printing is performed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-58344 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-192240 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-319648

As described above, in the conventional image forming apparatus, the number of copies to be printed is not important for the user, and even when the print end time is more important, the number of copies to be printed is an indispensable setting item. Before the start, each setting had to be made in consideration of both the number of copies to be printed and the print end time, which was troublesome.

In Patent Document 1, it is possible to specify the number of additional copies of a job during printing of the job, so that the user does not have to specify an additional print job again from the host after the job is completed. A device has been proposed.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a print end time is specified, and if one printer is not enough to print within that time, multiple printers perform simultaneous printing, and if there is a margin until the print end time, the printer outputs. The technology to wait for is proposed.

Further, in Patent Document 3, when it is determined from the waiting time of the specified printer whether the printing process can be completed within the desired printing end time, when the printing process can be completed or when it is determined that the printer designation is absolute. , A technique has been proposed in which a file is transferred to a specified printer to perform printing processing.

However, in all of the techniques described in Patent Documents 1-3, the setting of the number of copies to be printed is indispensable before the start of printing, and the setting of the number of copies to be printed is not important for the user, and the printing end time is used. Even if is important, it cannot provide a solution to the above-mentioned problem that each setting must be made in consideration of both the number of copies to be printed and the print end time before the start of printing. There wasn't.

The present invention has been made in view of such a technical background, and when the setting of the number of copies is not important for the user and the print end time is more important, the number of copies to be printed is set. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus, a print control method, and a print control program that can start printing without inputting a value.

The above problem is solved by the following means.
(1) A printing means, a printing control means for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and an end time receiving means for receiving an input of a printing end time before or during printing. A printing copy number calculation means for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time reception means, a notification means for notifying the user of the print copy number calculated by the print copy number calculation means, and a user's printing. The print control means includes a desired number of copies receiving means for receiving a desired number of copies, and the print control means sets the number of printed copies to the desired number of prints received by the desired number of copies receiving means by the printing end time received by the end time receiving means. When the number of copies is reached, the printing operation by the printing means is stopped, and when the desired number of copies to be printed received by the desired number of copies receiving means exceeds the number of printed copies calculated by the printing means for calculating the number of copies, the notification means prints. An image forming apparatus that notifies a user that printing is not completed by the end time.
(2) A printing means, a printing control means for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and an end time receiving means for receiving an input of a printing end time before or during printing. It is provided with a print number calculation means for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time receiving means, and a notification means for notifying the user of the print number calculated by the print copy number calculation means. The printing copy number calculation means recalculates the number of printable copies by the print end time when the printing setting value is changed to a new print setting value for shortening the printing time per copy, and the notification means is one copy. The user is notified of the new print setting value for shortening the printing time per print and the number of print copies recalculated by the print number calculation means, and the new print setting value notified by the notification means is used. When a change to the new print setting value is received by the change receiving means, the print control means changes the print setting value at a timing when the print setting value can be changed. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the printing means prints based on the new print setting value.
(3) The image forming apparatus according to item 2 above, wherein the notification means gives priority to notifying a change of a print setting value that has not been changed from an initial value to the new print setting value before printing.
(4) The method according to item 2 above, wherein the notification means gives priority to notifying the change of the print setting value changed from the initial value to the value that shortens the printing time to the new print setting value before printing. Image forming device.
(5) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 2 to 4 above, wherein the printing copy number calculating means calculates the printing copy number including the time required for changing to the new print setting value.
(6) If the change receiving means does not accept the change to the new print setting value for a certain period of time, the printing copy number calculating means recalculates the number of printed copies for each new set value, and the notification means The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 2 to 5 above, which notifies the user of the recalculated number of copies to be printed.
(7) An image scanning means for reading an image of a document is provided, and the new print setting value includes a reduction in the number of originals to be printed from among the documents read by the image scanning means. The image forming apparatus according to any one of.
(8) A printing means, a printing control means for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and an end time receiving means for receiving an input of a printing end time before or during printing. It is provided with a print number calculation means for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time receiving means, and a notification means for notifying the user of the print number calculated by the print copy number calculation means. The image forming apparatus, characterized in that the acceptance of the input of the printing end time by the end time receiving means is performed based on the schedule data registered in advance in the image forming apparatus or the external device.
(9) A printing means, a printing control means for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and an end time receiving means for receiving an input of a printing end time before or during printing. It is provided with a print number calculation means for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time receiving means, and a notification means for notifying the user of the print number calculated by the print copy number calculation means. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that the number of printed copies can be recalculated at the time of reprinting after the printing operation of the printing means is stopped.
(10) The image forming apparatus according to item 9 above, wherein the print control means stops the printing operation by the printing means when printing up to the last page of the part cannot be performed by the printing end time.
(11) A printing means, a printing control means for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and an end time receiving means for receiving an input of a printing end time before or during printing. The number of print copies calculation means for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time receiving means, the notification means for notifying the user of the number of print copies calculated by the print copy number calculation means, and the number of print copies. A printing number calculation means that calculates the cumulative number of prints within a certain period by the user who instructed the printing, including the planned number of prints for the number of prints calculated by the calculation means, and the calculated cumulative printing within a certain period by the user. As a result of comparison between the number of sheets and the upper limit of the number of printable sheets set for the user within a certain period and the comparison by the comparison means, the cumulative number of prints for the user within a certain period is set for the user. When the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period is exceeded, the number of prints of the exceeded portion is allocated from the number of printable sheets given to the user within the next period after a certain period of time. An image forming apparatus comprising.
(12) The image forming apparatus according to any one of the preceding items 1 to 11, wherein the print control means stops the printing operation by the printing means when the printing end time accepted by the end time receiving means is reached.
(13) The image forming apparatus according to any one of the preceding items 1 to 12, wherein the print control means stops the printing operation by the printing means when the number of printed copies reaches the number of printed copies calculated by the printing means for calculating the number of copies. ..
(14) An image forming apparatus provided with a printing means accepts a print control step for starting printing by the printing means without determining a value of the number of copies to be printed, and an input of a printing end time before or during printing. Notification to notify the user of the end time reception step, the print number calculation step for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time reception step, and the print number calculated by the print number calculation step. The step and the desired number of copies reception step for receiving the desired number of prints by the user are executed, and in the print control step, the number of prints is increased by the desired number of copies reception step by the print end time received by the end time reception step. When the number of printed copies received is reached, the printing operation by the printing means is stopped, and the number of printed copies received by the desired number of copies receiving step exceeds the number of printed copies calculated by the printing number of copies calculation step. Is a print control method for notifying the user that printing is not completed by the print end time in the notification step.
(15) An image forming apparatus provided with printing means accepts a print control step for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and input of a printing end time before or during printing. Notification to notify the user of the end time reception step, the print number calculation step for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time reception step, and the print number calculated by the print number calculation step. In the step of calculating the number of copies to be printed, the number of copies that can be printed by the print end time is calculated again when the new print setting value for shortening the printing time per copy is changed. In the notification step, the user is notified of the new print setting value for shortening the printing time per copy and the number of prints recalculated by the print number calculation step, and the notification step notifies the user. When a change acceptance step for accepting a change to the new print setting value by the user is executed and a change to the new print setting value is accepted by the change acceptance step, the print setting is performed in the print control step. A print control method comprising causing the printing means to print based on the new print setting value changed at a timing at which the value can be changed.
(16) An image forming apparatus provided with a printing means accepts a print control step for starting printing by the printing means without determining a value of the number of copies to be printed, and an input of a printing end time before or during printing. Notification to notify the user of the end time reception step, the print number calculation step for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time reception step, and the print number calculated by the print number calculation step. A printing control method, characterized in that the steps and the operation are executed, and the input of the print end time by the end time reception step is received based on the schedule data registered in advance in the image forming apparatus or the external device.
(17) An image forming apparatus provided with a printing means accepts a print control step for starting printing by the printing means without determining a value of the number of copies to be printed, and an input of a printing end time before or during printing. Notification to notify the user of the end time reception step, the print number calculation step for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time reception step, and the print number calculated by the print number calculation step. A printing control method comprising performing steps and recalculating the number of copies to be printed in the step of calculating the number of copies to be printed at the time of reprinting after the printing operation of the printing means is stopped.
(18) An image forming apparatus provided with a printing means accepts a print control step for starting printing by the printing means without determining a value of the number of copies to be printed, and an input of a printing end time before or during printing. Notification to notify the user of the end time reception step, the print number calculation step for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time reception step, and the print number calculated by the print number calculation step. The step, the number of prints calculation step for calculating the cumulative number of prints within a certain period by the user who instructed the printing, including the planned number of prints for the number of prints calculated by the step for calculating the number of prints, and the calculated number of prints by the user. As a result of the comparison step comparing the cumulative number of prints within a certain period with the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period set for the user and the comparison by the comparison step, the cumulative prints by the user within a certain period If the number of sheets exceeds the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period set by the user, the number of printable sheets in the excess portion is given to the user within the next period after a certain period of time. A print control method characterized by executing an allocation step of allocating from the number of sheets.
(19) A print control program for causing a computer of an image forming apparatus provided with printing means to execute the print control method according to any one of items 14 to 18 above.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph (1), printing by the printing means is started without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and the user can set the printing end time before or during printing. Then, the number of printable copies is calculated by the accepted print end time, and the user is notified.

In this way, when the number of copies to be set is not important to the user and the end time to print is more important, printing is started without inputting the set value of the number of copies to print, and before printing is started. Alternatively, since the user can set the print end time during printing, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that each setting must be made in consideration of both the number of copies to be printed and the print end time before the start of printing. Moreover, since printing is started without inputting a set value for the number of copies to be printed, printing can be started immediately, and many prints can be performed by the print end time. In addition, the user can recognize the number of printed copies by being notified of the calculated number of printed copies.
Further, when the calculated number of copies that can be printed by the print end time is insufficient for the user, the user's desired number of prints is accepted, and when the desired number of prints is reached by the print end time, the printing means. Since the printing operation is stopped, the user can obtain the desired number of printed matter to be printed by the printing end time.
In addition, when the number of copies desired to be printed by the accepted user exceeds the calculated number of copies to be printed, the user is notified that printing will not be completed by the print end time, so that the user can print the desired number of copies. It is possible to recognize that it will not be in time by the end time, and if it is not in time, it is possible to take measures such as changing the desired number of copies to be printed.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 12 ), when the accepted print end time is reached, the printing operation by the printing means is stopped, so that wasteful printing is performed beyond the print end time set by the user. Can be prevented.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 13 ), when the number of printed copies reaches the calculated number of printed copies, the printing operation by the printing means is stopped, so that the user can recognize that the number of printed copies has been reached.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 2 ), the number of printable copies per copy is calculated again by the printing end time when the printing value is changed to a new fixed value for shortening the printing time per copy. The user is notified of the new print setting value for shortening the printing time and the recalculated number of copies. When the user instructs to change to the new print setting value notified, this is accepted, and printing is performed based on the new print setting value changed at the timing when the print setting value can be changed. , The user can change the print settings and the number of copies to print.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 3 ), the user is notified with priority given to the change of the print setting value which has not been changed from the initial value to the new print setting value before printing.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 4 ), the change of the print setting value changed from the initial value to the value that shortens the printing time to the new print setting value is preferentially notified before printing.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 5 ), the number of copies to be printed is recalculated including the time required for changing to a new print setting value.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 6 ), if the change to the new print setting value is not accepted for a certain period of time, printing cannot be performed during that time, so that the number of copies to be printed is increased for each new set value. Recalculated and notified to the user. Therefore, even if the change to the new print setting value is not accepted for a certain period of time, the number of copies to be printed can be recalculated with high accuracy.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 7 ), the new print setting value includes reduction of the number of originals to be printed from the originals read by the image reading means.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 8 ), the printing end time can be set based on the schedule data registered in advance.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 9 ), the number of copies to be printed is recalculated at the time of reprinting after the printing operation of the printing means is stopped.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 10 ), if the printing to the last page of the copy cannot be performed by the printing end time as a result of the recalculation, the printing operation by the printing means is stopped, so that the number of copies is less than one. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of unnecessary printing as much as possible.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 11 ), the cumulative number of prints within a certain period by the user who instructed the printing is calculated and set for the user, including the calculated number of prints for the number of copies to be printed. It is compared with the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period. As a result of comparison, if the cumulative number of prints by the user within a certain period exceeds the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period set by the user, the number of prints of the excess portion will be after the lapse of a certain period. Since it is allocated from the number of printable sheets given to the user within the next period, even if the cumulative number of printable sheets within a certain period by the user exceeds the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period set by the user. , You can run to the end without stopping printing.

According to the invention described in the previous section ( 14 ), when the setting of the number of copies is not important for the user and the print end time is more important, the set value of the number of copies to be printed does not need to be input. Since printing is started and the user can set the print end time before or during printing, each setting must be made in consideration of both the number of copies to be printed and the print end time before the start of printing. The inconvenience can be eliminated.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 19 ), printing by the printing means is started without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and the user can set the print end time before or during printing, and further accept the print end time. It is possible to cause the computer of the image forming apparatus to execute a process of calculating the number of printable copies and notifying the user by the print end time.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the input screen of the number of prints. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the image forming apparatus when printing is started without setting the value of the number of copies to be printed. It is a figure which shows the setting screen of a print end time. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a determination process of determining whether or not the print end condition in step S04 of FIG. 3 has been reached. This is a display screen for the calculated number of printable copies. It is a figure which shows the printable number of copies change screen when the number of printable copies is less than or equal to the printable number of copies. It is a figure which shows the printable number of copies change screen when the number of printable copies is larger than the printable number of copies. It is a flowchart which shows the determination process of whether or not the print end condition in step S04 of FIG. 3 is reached when the printable number of copies is changed to the print desired number of copies. 9 is a flowchart showing the content of the process of changing the desired number of copies to be printed in step S24 in the flowchart of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the process which presents the change candidate of the print setting value of step S34 in the flowchart of FIG. It is a figure which shows the screen which displayed the change candidate of a print setting value. It is a figure which shows the state which selected one of the displayed change candidates. It is a figure which shows the selection screen for selecting the manuscript to be reduced. It shows another embodiment of this invention, and is the flowchart which shows the operation of the image forming apparatus when printing is stopped due to the trouble such as a paper jam during printing. It is a figure which shows the screen which is displayed when the printing is stopped and the printing is not finished within the printing end time. It shows still another embodiment of this invention, and is the block diagram of the printing system. It is a figure which shows the selection screen of the event which is schedule-managed by the management server. Another embodiment of the present invention is shown, and is a diagram showing a screen displayed when the cumulative number of prints of a user for a certain period exceeds the upper limit of the number of printable sheets set by the user.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As the image forming apparatus 1, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned MFP, which is a multifunctional digital multifunction device having functions such as a copy function, a printer function, a scanning function, and a facsimile function, is used. In the following description, the image forming apparatus is also referred to as an MFP.

As shown in FIG. 1, the MFP 1 includes a control unit 100, a fixed storage device 110, an image reading device 120, an operation panel 130, an image output device 140, a printer controller 150, a network interface (network I / F) 160, and a wireless communication interface. (Wireless communication I / F) 170, an authentication unit 180, and the like are provided, and they are connected to each other via a system bus 175.

The control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, an S-RAM (Static Random Access Memory) 103, an NV-RAM (Non Volatile RAM) 104, a clock IC 105, and the like.

The CPU 101 comprehensively controls the entire MFP 1 by executing an operation program stored in the ROM 102 or the like. For example, the copy function, the printer function, the scan function, the facsimile function, and the like are controlled to be executable. Further, in this embodiment, printing is started without fixing the value of the number of copies to be printed at the time of printing, the print end time setting input by the user is accepted before or during printing, and the accepted print end time is accepted. Processing such as calculating the number of printable copies can be performed by now, but the details will be described later.

The ROM 102 stores a program executed by the CPU 101 and other data.

The S-RAM 103 serves as a work area when the CPU 101 executes a program, and temporarily stores the program, data when the program is executed, and the like.

The NV-RAM 104 is a non-volatile memory backed up by a battery, and stores various settings and the like related to image formation.

The clock IC 105 measures the time and functions as an internal timer to measure the processing time and the like.

The fixed storage device 110 is composed of a hard disk or the like, and stores programs, various data, and the like.

The image reading device 120 includes a scanner or the like, scans a document set on the platen glass, scans the document, and converts the scanned document into image data.

The operation panel 130 is used when the user gives instructions such as a job to the MFP 1 and makes various settings, and includes a reset key 131, a start key 132, a stop key 133, a display unit 134, a touch panel 135, and the like.

The reset key 131 is used to reset the settings, the start key 132 is used for a start operation such as scanning, and the stop key 133 is pressed when the operation is interrupted. Is.

The display unit 134 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display device and displays a message, various operation screens, and the like. The touch panel 135 is formed on the screen of the display unit 134 and detects a user's touch operation.

The image output device 140 prints a copy image generated from the image data of the original read by the image reading device 120 and the print data transmitted from the terminal device 3 on the paper and outputs it as a printed matter. Functions as a means.

The printer controller 150 generates a copy image from the print data received by the network interface 160.

The network I / F 160 functions as a communication means for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device such as a server 2 via the network 4, and the wireless communication I / F 170 communicates with the external device by short-range wireless communication. Interface.

The authentication unit 180 acquires the authentication information of the user who logs in, compares and collates this authentication information with the verification information stored in the fixed storage device 110 or the like in advance, and performs authentication. The user's authentication information and the verification information may be compared and collated by an external authentication server, and the authentication unit 180 may receive the authentication result from the authentication server to perform the authentication.

Next, the operation of MFP1 when executing a print job will be described. In this embodiment, a case where the print job is a copy job will be described.

In this embodiment, the MFP 1 can start printing (copying) without the user inputting a value of the number of copies to be printed (the number of copies). That is, after the original is set in the image reading device 120, the user sets print settings such as paper size, color / monochrome, and resolution on the display unit 134 of the operation panel 130. Regarding the setting of the number of copies, FIG. The screen shown in is displayed on the display 134. On this screen, the characters "not specified" and the check box are displayed together with the input field for the number of copies to be printed (the initial value 1 is displayed in FIG. 2). The character "Not specified" and the check box are for starting printing without setting the value of the number of copies to be printed. When the user checks the check box and presses the start key 132, the MFP 1 starts printing without fixing the value of the number of copies to be printed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the MFP 1 when printing is started without setting the value of the number of copies to be printed. The operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 and the subsequent figures is executed by operating the CPU 101 of the MFP 1 according to an operation program stored in the ROM 102 or the like.

The CPU 101 determines in step S01 whether or not the start key 132 is pressed, and if it is not pressed (NO in step S01), the CPU 101 stays in step S01. When the start key 132 is pressed (YES in step S01), it is determined in step S02 whether or not the number of copies is not specified, and if the number of copies is not specified (YES in step S02), printing is started in step S03. Then, it is checked whether or not the print end condition is reached in step S04. If it has not been reached (NO in step S04), the process returns to step S03 and printing is continued. When it reaches (YES in step S04), printing ends.

If the number of copies is not specified in step S02 (NO in step S02), printing is started in step S05, and it is checked whether or not the set number of copies has been reached in step S06. If it has not been reached (NO in step S06), the process returns to step S05 and printing is continued. When it reaches (YES in step S06), printing ends.

In order to set the print end condition in step S04, the print end time is input in this embodiment. That is, the MFP 1 displays the print end time setting screen shown in FIG. 4 on the display unit 134 before the start of printing or during printing so that the user can input the print end time. In the example shown in FIG. 4, there are a time setting field 134a and a print time setting field 134b as the print end time, and the user selects either one (in the example of FIG. 4, the time setting field 134a is selected) and the set value. When you enter and press the "OK" button, the print end time is set and the print end condition is set.

The flow chart of FIG. 5 shows the process of determining whether or not the print end condition in step S04 of FIG. 3 has been reached.

In step S11, the printing time required for printing per copy is calculated from the current print setting value, and then it is determined in step S12 whether or not the printing end time has been input. If the print end time is input (YES in step S12), the number of printable copies (number of print copies) is calculated in step S13. The number of printable copies is calculated by (print end time-print start time) / print time per copy. Next, in step S14, it is determined whether or not the number of copies for which printing has been completed has reached the number of printable copies, and if so (YES in step S14), the print end condition has been reached in step S04 (YES in step S04). to decide.

If the number of copies for which printing has been completed has not reached the number of printable copies in step S14 (NO in step S14), it is determined in step S15 whether or not the current time has reached the print end time. If it has been reached (YES in step S15), it is determined that the print end condition has been reached in step S04 (YES in step S04). If it has not been reached (NO in step S15), it is determined that the print end condition has not been reached in step S04 (NO in step S04).

If the print end time is not input in step S12 (NO in step S12), it is checked in step S16 whether or not a certain time has elapsed from the start of printing. The fixed time is predetermined as a default value. When a certain time has elapsed from the start of printing (YES in step S16), it is determined that the print end condition has been reached in step S04 (YES in step S04). If the fixed time has not elapsed (NO in step S16), it is determined that the print end condition has not been reached in step S04 (NO in step S04).

As shown in FIG. 6, the number of printable copies calculated in step S13 is displayed on the display unit 134 together with the print end time (15:00 in the example of FIG. 6) input by the user and notified to the user. On the screen of FIG. 6, the message "I plan to print 18 copies by 15:00" is displayed together with the copy number change button 134c and the print setting change button 134d.

In this way, when the number of copies to be set is not important to the user and the end time to print is more important, printing is started without inputting the set value of the number of copies to print, and before printing is started. Alternatively, since the user can input the print end time during printing, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that each setting must be made in consideration of both the number of copies to be printed and the print end time before the start of printing. Moreover, since printing is started without inputting a set value for the number of copies to be printed, printing can be started immediately, and many prints can be performed by the print end time. In addition, the user can recognize the number of printed copies by being notified of the calculated number of printed copies.

When the displayed printable number of copies is different from the number of copies desired by the user on the screen of FIG. 6, when the user presses the number of copies change button 134c, the screen transitions to the number of copies change screen of FIG. On this screen, the desired number of copies to be printed can be changed and entered in the number of printable copies input field 134e, and if the desired number of copies to be printed is less than or equal to the number of printable copies, the scheduled time to complete printing of the entered desired number of prints is set. It is displayed together with the "OK button" and the "Cancel button". When the user presses the "OK" button, the set value of the number of copies to be printed is changed from the number of printable copies to the desired number of copies to be printed. Click the "Cancel" button to return to the screen shown in FIG.

On the other hand, when the input desired number of prints is larger than the number of printable copies, the number of prints cannot be finished by the print end time set by the user unless the print setting value is changed. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a screen displaying the "print setting change" button 134f is displayed together with the message "setting change is required to print the desired number of copies by 15:00". NS. From this display, the user can recognize that printing is not completed by the print end time, and the desired number of copies to be printed can be changed to a value smaller than the number of printable copies and input again. Further, when the user presses the "change print setting" button 134f without changing the desired number of copies to be printed, the MFP 1 extracts candidates for changeable print setting values and causes the user to select them. This point will be described later.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process of determining whether or not the print end condition in step S04 of FIG. 3 is reached when the printable number of copies is changed to the desired number of copies to be printed.

In step S21, the print time required for printing per copy is calculated with the current print settings, and then it is determined in step S22 whether or not the print end time has been input. If the print end time is input (YES in step S22), the number of printable copies (number of print copies) is calculated in step S23. Next, in step S24, a process of changing to the desired number of copies to be printed is performed. The process of changing to the desired number of copies to be printed will be described later. Then, in Tep S25, it is determined whether or not the number of copies for which printing has been completed has reached the printable number of copies, and if it has reached (YES in step S25), the print end condition has been reached in step S04 (YES in step S04). Judge.

If the number of copies for which printing has been completed has not reached the number of printable copies in step S25 (NO in step S25), it is determined in step S26 whether or not the current time has reached the print end time. If it has been reached (YES in step S26), it is determined that the print end condition has been reached in step S04 (YES in step S04). If it has not been reached (NO in step S26), it is determined that the print end condition has not been reached in step S04 (NO in step S04).

If the print end time is not input in step S22 (NO in step S22), it is checked in step S27 whether or not a certain time has elapsed from the start of printing. When a certain time has elapsed from the start of printing (YES in step S7), it is determined that the print end condition has been reached in step S04 (YES in step S04). If the fixed time has not elapsed (NO in step S27), it is determined that the print end condition has not been reached in step S04 (NO in step S04).

The content of the process of changing the desired number of copies to be printed in step S24 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

In step S31, it is determined whether or not the user has input the desired number of copies to print. If there is no input (NO in step S31), this process ends and the process returns to step S24 in FIG. If there is an input (YES in step S31), it is determined in step S32 whether the desired number of copies to print is equal to or less than the printable number of copies, and if it is less than or equal to (YES in step S32), the desired number of copies to print can be printed in step S33. The number of copies is set, and the process proceeds to step S25 in FIG. Therefore, in this case, printing is stopped when the desired number of copies to be printed is reached.

When the desired number of copies to be printed is larger than the number of printable copies (NO in step S32), the number of copies to be printed cannot be completed unless the print setting value is changed. The extracted change candidates are displayed on the display unit 134 and presented to the user.

Next, in step S35, it is determined whether or not the change of the print setting value is instructed by the user selecting one of the presented print setting value change candidates. If not instructed (NO in step S35), this process ends and the process proceeds to step S25 in FIG. If instructed (YES in step S35), the print setting value is updated to the changed print setting value in step S36, and then the print time per copy with the current print setting value is calculated in step S37. do.

Next, in step S38, the number of printable copies (second number of copies to be printed) is calculated, and then the process returns to step S24 in FIG. The number of printable copies is calculated by the number of copies completed, which is the number of copies that have already been printed + (printing end time-current time) / printing time per copy. The MFP1 stops printing with the current print setting value and starts new printing based on the changed print setting value and the number of printable copies. The newly calculated printable number is notified to the user on a screen similar to the screen shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the content of the process of presenting the change candidate of the print setting value in step S34 in the flowchart of FIG.

In step S41, it is checked whether or not there is a set value that can shorten the printing time per copy by changing one function (setting item) from the current print setting value. If it exists (YES in step S41), the print time per copy in the case of change is calculated in step S42, and then stored as a change candidate of the set value in step S43, and then the process proceeds to step S44. Even if there is no set value that can shorten the printing time per copy by changing from the current print setting value in step S41 (NO in step S41), the process proceeds to step S44.

In step S44, it is checked whether or not the investigation has been completed for all the functions (all setting items), and if it is not completed (NO in step S44), the process returns to step S41. When completed (YES in step S44), change candidates of the set value are displayed on the display screen in step S45.

At this time, for each candidate, the number of printable copies may be calculated from the obtained print time per copy, and the calculation result may be displayed together with the candidates. In addition, when calculating the number of printable copies, it is possible to print by taking into account the time required for the user to make a decision to select each candidate and the time required for changing to the selected print setting value. The number of copies may be calculated.

Further, the candidate for the print setting value selected by the user may be one or two or more.

Further, the display order when displaying the candidates may be based on the number of printable copies, for example, in the order in which the number of printable copies increases. Alternatively, the print setting value before the change may be displayed with priority given to the value that has not been changed from the initial value that the MFP1 has by default. If the print setting value before the change is changed from the initial value, it is highly likely that the setting value is indispensable for the user, so it is possible that the user does not select the setting value that is further changed. be. Alternatively, the print setting value before the change may be preferentially displayed if the value is changed from the initial value that the MFP1 has by default to a value that shortens the printing time per copy. It is in line with the user's intention that the print setting value before the change is changed from the initial value to the value that shortens the print time per copy to the value that further shortens the print time. This is because it is considered to be acceptable to the user.

FIG. 12 shows a screen on which change candidates for print setting values are displayed. In this example, by changing the staple processing set to on to off, the number of printable copies increases from 18 to 25, and single-sided printing (double-sided off) is changed to double-sided printing (double-sided on). The number of printable copies has increased from 18 to 21 and the number of printable copies has increased from 18 to 24 by changing from no intensive printing (1 up) to aggregate printing on one sheet of two originals (2 up). It is displayed that the number of printable copies will increase by selecting to reduce the number of originals. Note that reducing the number of originals means reducing the number of copies per print by reducing the number of read originals, and when the user inputs the reduced number of copies, the number of printable copies is calculated and displayed. ..

When the user selects at least one of the candidates and presses the "OK" button as shown in FIG. 13, the selection becomes effective. The hatches in FIG. 13 show the selected candidates. When the reduction of the number of originals is selected, the screen transitions to the original selection screen to be reduced in FIG. On this screen, the images of the read original are displayed, and the user can select and delete the number of images that he / she wants to reduce.

In addition, the user's change candidate selection operation is not performed while the screen of FIG. 12 is displayed, and the time required for the user to determine each candidate, which is considered when calculating the printable number of copies, is exceeded. In that case, the printable number of copies may be recalculated, the screen of FIG. 12 may be updated, and the recalculated printable number of copies may be notified to the user again.

FIG. 15 shows another embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing the operation of the MFP 1 when printing is stopped due to a trouble such as a paper jam during printing.

In step S51, it is determined whether or not printing is stopped. If printing is not stopped (NO in step S51), the process stays in step S51. If printing is stopped (YES in step S51), in step S52, it is checked whether or not the current time has reached the printing end time. If it has not been reached (YES in step S52), it is checked whether printing is restarted in step S53, and if it is not restarted (NO in step S53), the process returns to step S52. If printing is resumed (YES in step S53), the number of printable copies is recalculated in step S54 by the formula of the number of printed copies + (printing end time-current time) / printing time per copy.

In step S52, if the current time has reached the print end time (NO in step S52), printing is stopped in step S55.

The recalculated number of printable copies may be displayed on a screen similar to the screen shown in FIG. 6 and presented to the user. Also in this case, the number of printable copies may be changed to the number of copies desired by the user by pressing the "change number of copies" button 134c. When the desired number of copies to be printed exceeds the number of printable copies, the change candidate of the print setting value is displayed on the display unit 134 and presented to the user in the same manner as described in the flowchart of FIG. 11, and can be selected by the user. The print setting value may be changed based on the above.

Further, if the printing is not completed within the printing end time, in other words, if the printing up to the last page of the part cannot be completed until the printing end time, the printing may be stopped. In this case, the screen shown in FIG. 16 may be displayed on the display unit 134, and printing may be stopped based on the user operation. On the screen shown in FIG. 16, a message indicating that a trouble such as a jam has occurred, that printing is not completed by the specified end time even if the trouble is resolved, and that the print job is deleted, is displayed. It is displayed with the "OK" button. When the user presses the "OK" button, printing is stopped and the print job is deleted.

FIG. 17 shows still another embodiment of the present invention, and is a block diagram of a printing system. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the print end time is set based on the schedule of the logged-in user instead of being input by the user.

That is, the MFP 1 is connected to the management server 2 that manages the schedule of each user via the network 4. Each user can access the management server 2 from his / her own terminal device 3 and input an event such as his / her own meeting or press conference. Instead of determining whether or not the print end time of step S12 in the flowchart of FIG. 5 has been input, the CPU 101 of the MFP 1 inquires the server 2 about the presence or absence of the latest event of the logged-in user, and prints the start time of the event if there is any. If it is not accepted as the end time, it is determined in step S16 whether or not a certain time has elapsed from the print start time. When there are a plurality of logged-in user events, the MFP 1 acquires the event information from the management server 2 and displays the event selection screen as shown in FIG. 18 based on the acquired information. May be selected. On the selection screen of FIG. 17, the title and start time of each event are displayed. When the user selects one of the events, the start time of that event is accepted as the print end time. The schedule data may be registered and managed in the MFP 1 instead of the management server 2.

In this way, since the reception for setting the print end time is performed based on the schedule data registered in advance, printing can be surely finished by the start time of the event.

FIG. 19 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which an upper limit of the number of printable sheets is set for each user for a certain period of time, for example, every month.

Since the MFP1 knows the planned number of prints during printing, the cumulative number of prints of the user within a certain period including the planned number of prints is within the range of the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period set for the user. Determine if there is. If the cumulative number of printable sheets exceeds the upper limit of the number of printable sheets, the printable number of sheets is insufficient, and the screen as shown in FIG. 19 is displayed on the display unit 134. On the screen shown in FIG. 19, the user wants to print and the scheduled print end time when printing the desired number of copies, and the printable number of copies and the scheduled print end time when printing the printable number of copies are displayed, and "this month". The desired number of copies cannot be printed with the available number of sheets in. ”“ Do you want to continue printing using 20 sheets from the available number of sheets next month? ”And the“ YES ”and“ NO ”buttons are displayed. ing.

When the user presses the "YES" button, the shortage is allocated from the available number of sheets next month and used, and the user's desired number of copies is printed. When the user presses the "NO" button, the printable number of copies is printed.

In this way, when the cumulative number of prints by the user within a certain period exceeds the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period set by the user, the number of prints of the exceeded portion is after the lapse of a certain period. Since it is allocated from the number of printable sheets given to the user within the next period, even if the cumulative number of prints within a certain period by the user exceeds the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period set by the user. , You can run to the end without stopping printing.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, although the printing instruction to the MFP 1 is given from the operation panel 130 of the MFP 1, it may be given from a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like.

Further, although the case where the print is a copy has been described, the print of the print target data transmitted from the external device, the print by calling the data stored in the MFP 1, and the like are included.

1 Image forming device 100 Control unit 101 CPU
102 ROM
103 RAM
110 Fixed storage device 120 Image reader 130 Operation panel 134 Display unit 140 Image output device

Claims (19)

Printing means and
A printing control means for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and
An end time reception means that accepts input of the print end time before or during printing,
A printing copy number calculating means for calculating the number of printable copies by the printing end time received by the end time receiving means, and a printing copy number calculating means.
A notification means for notifying the user of the number of print copies calculated by the print copy number calculation means, and
The means for receiving the desired number of copies to be printed by the user, and the means for receiving the desired number of copies.
With
The print control means stops the printing operation by the printing means when the number of printed copies reaches the desired number of copies received by the desired number of copies receiving means by the printing end time received by the end time receiving means. ,
When the desired number of copies to be printed received by the desired number of copies receiving means exceeds the number of copies to be printed calculated by the means for calculating the number of printed copies, the notification means notifies the user that printing is not completed by the printing end time. An image forming apparatus characterized in that. Printing means and
A printing control means for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and
An end time reception means that accepts input of the print end time before or during printing,
A printing copy number calculating means for calculating the number of printable copies by the printing end time received by the end time receiving means, and a printing copy number calculating means.
A notification means for notifying the user of the number of print copies calculated by the print copy number calculation means, and
With
The printing copy number calculating means recalculates the number of printable copies by the printing end time when the printing setting value is changed to a new printing setting value for shortening the printing time per copy.
The notification means notifies the user of the new print setting value for shortening the printing time per copy and the number of prints recalculated by the print number calculation means.
A change receiving means for accepting a change by the user to the new print setting value notified by the notification means is provided.
When a change to the new print setting value is received by the change receiving means, the print control means is based on the new print setting value changed at a timing when the print setting value can be changed. An image forming apparatus characterized by having the printing means perform printing. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the notification means gives priority to notifying a change of a print setting value that has not been changed from an initial value to the new print setting value before printing. The image forming according to claim 2 , wherein the notification means gives priority to notifying the change of the print setting value changed from the initial value to the value that shortens the printing time to the new print setting value before printing. Device. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4 , wherein the printing copy number calculation means includes the time required for changing to the new print setting value, and calculates the print copy number. If the change receiving means does not accept the change to the new print setting value for a certain period of time, the printing copy number calculating means recalculates the number of printed copies for each new set value.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5 , wherein the notification means notifies the user of the recalculated number of copies to be printed. Any of claims 2 to 6 , which includes an image scanning means for reading an image of a document, and the new print setting value includes a reduction in the number of originals to be printed from among the documents read by the image scanning means. The image forming apparatus described in Crab. Printing means and
A printing control means for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and
An end time reception means that accepts input of the print end time before or during printing,
A printing copy number calculating means for calculating the number of printable copies by the printing end time received by the end time receiving means, and a printing copy number calculating means.
A notification means for notifying the user of the number of print copies calculated by the print copy number calculation means, and
With
The completion of reception of input of print end time by the time receiving unit, an image forming apparatus, characterized in that it is performed based on the schedule data registered in advance in the image forming apparatus or an external device. Printing means and
A printing control means for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and
An end time reception means that accepts input of the print end time before or during printing,
A printing copy number calculating means for calculating the number of printable copies by the printing end time received by the end time receiving means, and a printing copy number calculating means.
A notification means for notifying the user of the number of print copies calculated by the print copy number calculation means, and
With
An image forming apparatus , characterized in that the number of printed copies can be recalculated at the time of reprinting after the printing operation of the printing means is stopped. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein if printing up to the last page of the part cannot be performed by the printing end time, the printing control means stops the printing operation by the printing means. Printing means and
A printing control means for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and
An end time reception means that accepts input of the print end time before or during printing,
A printing copy number calculating means for calculating the number of printable copies by the printing end time received by the end time receiving means, and a printing copy number calculating means.
A notification means for notifying the user of the number of print copies calculated by the print copy number calculation means, and
A printing number calculation means for calculating the cumulative number of prints within a certain period by the user who instructed the printing, including the planned number of prints for the number of prints calculated by the print number calculation means.
A comparison means for comparing the calculated cumulative number of prints made by a user within a certain period with the upper limit of the number of printable sheets set for that user within a certain period.
As a result of comparison by the comparison means, when the cumulative number of prints within a certain period by the user exceeds the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period set by the user, the number of prints of the exceeded portion is fixed. Allocation means to allocate from the number of printable sheets given to the user within the next period after the period elapses,
An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising a. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the print control means stops the printing operation by the printing means when the printing end time accepted by the end time receiving means is reached. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the print control means stops the printing operation by the printing means when the number of printed copies reaches the number of printed copies calculated by the printing means for calculating the number of copies. An image forming apparatus equipped with a printing means
A print control step for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and
An end time reception step that accepts input of the print end time before or during printing,
A print number calculation step for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time reception step, and a print copy number calculation step.
A notification step for notifying the user of the number of printed copies calculated by the step for calculating the number of printed copies, and a notification step.
The desired number of copies reception step for accepting the user's desired number of copies to print,
And
In the print control step, when the number of printed copies reaches the desired number of prints received by the desired number of copies reception step by the print end time received by the end time reception step, the printing operation by the printing means is stopped. ,
When the desired number of prints received by the desired number of copies reception step exceeds the number of print copies calculated by the print number calculation step, the user is notified that printing is not completed by the print end time in the notification step. A printing control method characterized by this. An image forming apparatus equipped with a printing means
A print control step for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and
An end time reception step that accepts input of the print end time before or during printing,
A print number calculation step for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time reception step, and a print copy number calculation step.
A notification step for notifying the user of the number of printed copies calculated by the step for calculating the number of printed copies, and a notification step.
And
In the printing copy number calculation step, the number of printable copies that can be printed by the print end time when the new print setting value is changed to shorten the print time per copy is calculated again.
In the notification step, the user is notified of the new print setting value for shortening the printing time per copy and the number of prints recalculated by the print number calculation step.
The change acceptance step for accepting the user's change to the new print setting value notified by the notification step is executed.
When a change to the new print setting value is received by the change acceptance step, the print control step is based on the new print setting value changed at a timing when the print setting value can be changed. A printing control method characterized by having the printing means perform printing. An image forming apparatus equipped with a printing means
A print control step for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and
An end time reception step that accepts input of the print end time before or during printing,
A print number calculation step for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time reception step, and a print copy number calculation step.
A notification step for notifying the user of the number of printed copies calculated by the step for calculating the number of printed copies, and a notification step.
And
A print control method characterized in that the reception of input of a print end time by the end time reception step is performed based on schedule data registered in advance in an image forming apparatus or an external device. An image forming apparatus equipped with a printing means
A print control step for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and
An end time reception step that accepts input of the print end time before or during printing,
A print number calculation step for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time reception step, and a print copy number calculation step.
A notification step for notifying the user of the number of printed copies calculated by the step for calculating the number of printed copies, and a notification step.
And
A printing control method comprising recalculating the number of printed copies in the step of calculating the number of printed copies at the time of reprinting after the printing operation of the printing means is stopped. An image forming apparatus equipped with a printing means
A print control step for starting printing by the printing means without determining the value of the number of copies to be printed, and
An end time reception step that accepts input of the print end time before or during printing,
A print number calculation step for calculating the number of printable copies by the print end time received by the end time reception step, and a print copy number calculation step.
A notification step for notifying the user of the number of printed copies calculated by the step for calculating the number of printed copies, and a notification step.
The number of prints calculation step for calculating the cumulative number of prints within a certain period by the user who instructed the printing, including the planned number of prints for the number of prints calculated by the step for calculating the number of prints.
A comparison step that compares the calculated cumulative number of prints by the user within a certain period with the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period set for that user.
As a result of comparison by the comparison step, when the cumulative number of prints within a certain period by the user exceeds the upper limit of the number of printable sheets within a certain period set by the user, the number of prints of the exceeded portion is fixed. Allocation steps to allocate from the number of printable sheets given to the user within the next period after the period has passed, and
A print control method characterized by executing. A print control program for causing a computer of an image forming apparatus including printing means to execute the print control method according to any one of claims 14 to 18.

Images