JP7809986B2 - printing device - Google Patents

Description

The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a printing device that can be switched to a power-saving state that reduces power consumption.

Printing devices that can switch to a power-saving state to reduce power consumption by reducing the power supplied to the print engine, etc., are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a printing device that has a power-saving mode in which no power is supplied to the print engine and is capable of authentication printing, in which accumulated print data is printed after user authentication. The printing device switches to power-saving mode after a set period of time has elapsed without the printing device being used.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-47614

As disclosed in Patent Document 1, some printing devices require a login procedure to execute printing. In such cases, the printing device will not print until the login procedure is completed, so there is room for improvement in power saving of printing devices.

A printing device designed to solve this problem is a printing device comprising a print engine, a user interface, and a controller. The printing device has three states: a printing state in which printing is performed by the print engine, a standby state in which a first power is supplied to the print engine to prepare for printing, and a power-saving state in which less power is supplied to the print engine than in the standby state. The controller acquires user authentication information via the user interface and executes a login process to perform a login procedure using the acquired authentication information. When the login procedure is complete, the controller is able to cause the print engine to perform printing. Furthermore, after the login procedure is complete, if a logout instruction is received via the user interface, the controller executes a logout process to perform a logout procedure, and when the logout procedure is complete, a switching process to switch the state of the printing device to the power-saving state.

The printing device disclosed in this specification is capable of printing once the login procedure has been completed, and therefore cannot print once the logout procedure has been completed unless the login procedure is completed again. In other words, once the logout procedure has been completed, there is little need to prepare for printing. The printing device disclosed in this specification switches to a power-saving state once the logout procedure has been completed, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption after the logout procedure has been completed.

The control method, computer program, and computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program for realizing the functions of the above-mentioned printing device are also novel and useful.

The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a suitable technology for saving power on a printing device that is capable of printing when the login procedure has been completed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printing system of the present embodiment. 3A to 3C are explanatory diagrams showing examples of each state of the MFP. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure when a print job is received. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure when a user operation is accepted in a secure mode. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a login screen. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an operation screen. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure when a user operation is accepted in a storage mode. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure when a user operation is accepted in a storage mode. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a sleep time change process.

A multifunction peripheral (hereinafter referred to as "MFP") according to an embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses an MFP equipped with image processing functions, including a printing function, and a communication function.

As shown in FIG. 1, the MFP 1 of this embodiment has a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and memory 12. The MFP 1 also has a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13, a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, a print engine 15, and a scanner 16, all of which are electrically connected to the controller 10. The MFP 1 is an example of a printing device.

The CPU 11 executes various processes in accordance with programs read from the memory 12 and based on user operations. Note that the controller 10 in Figure 1 is a general term for the hardware and software used to control the MFP 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually present in the MFP 1.

The memory 12 of the MFP 1 in this embodiment stores various programs and data for realizing the functions of the MFP 1. The memory 12 is also used as a work area when various processes are executed. The buffer provided by the CPU 11 is also an example of memory. Note that examples of memory are not limited to ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the MFP 1, but may also be storage media that is readable and writable by the CPU 11. For example, external memory such as a USB memory or HDD connected to the MFP 1 via the communication IF 14, or memory or HDD provided in a device connected to the MFP 1 via the communication IF 14 are also examples of memory.

Computer-readable storage media are non-transitory media. In addition to the examples above, non-transitory media also include storage media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. Non-transitory media are also tangible media. On the other hand, electrical signals that carry programs downloaded from servers on the Internet are computer-readable signal media, which is a type of computer-readable medium, but are not included in non-transitory computer-readable storage media.

The user IF 13 includes hardware that displays a screen to notify the user of information, and hardware that accepts user operations. The MFP 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a touch panel 31 and an NFC (Near Field Communication) reader 32 as the user IF 13. The touch panel 31 has the function of displaying a screen and accepting operations, and is, for example, a liquid crystal panel including a backlight 311 and a touch sensor 312 that detects user operations. The touch panel 31 is an example of a display panel. The NFC reader 32 has the function of accepting a user operation such as bringing an ID card or the like close to the NFC reader 32, and reading information from the ID card or the like through short-range communication. The MFP 1 may also be equipped with hardware buttons.

The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with external devices such as the PC 100. Communication standards for the communication IF 14 include Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and USB. The MFP 1 may be equipped with multiple communication IFs 14 that support multiple communication standards.

The print engine 15 includes a configuration for printing an image on a print medium such as a sheet, for example, by electrophotography. The print engine 15 includes a heater 151 and a fan 152. The scanner 16 includes a configuration for reading an image from a document. The scanner 16 may also be equipped with an automatic document feeder.

Next, the operation of the MFP 1 will be described. Note that the following processes basically refer to the processing of the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program. That is, processes such as "determine," "extract," "select," "calculate," "decide," "identify," "acquire," "receive," and "control" in the following description represent the processing of the CPU 11. Processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the OS's API. In this specification, the operation of each program will be described without mentioning the OS. That is, in the following description, a statement to the effect that "Program B controls Hardware C" may also mean that "Program B controls Hardware C using the OS's API." Furthermore, the processing of the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program may be described in abbreviated terms. For example, it may be described as "performed by CPU 11." Furthermore, the processing of the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program may be described in abbreviated terms, such as "performed by Program A."

Note that "obtaining" is used as a concept that does not require a request. In other words, the process of CPU 11 receiving data without a request is also included in the concept of "CPU obtaining data." Furthermore, "data" in this specification is represented as a bit string that can be read by a computer. Data with the same substantial meaning but different formats will be treated as the same data. The same applies to "information" in this specification. Furthermore, "requesting" and "instructing" are concepts that refer to outputting information indicating a request or an instruction to the other party. Furthermore, information indicating a request or an instruction will also be referred to simply as a "request" or "instruction."

Furthermore, the process by CPU 11 to determine whether information A indicates event B may be conceptually described as "determining from information A whether it is event B." The process by CPU 11 to determine whether information A indicates event B or event C may be conceptually described as "determining from information A whether it is event B or event C."

The MFP 1 of this embodiment is capable of receiving a print job from an external device such as the PC 100 and executing printing based on the received print job. The operation of the MFP 1 when it receives a print job from an external device will be described with reference to the sequence diagram in Figure 3. Figure 3 shows the operation of the MFP 1 when it receives a print job while the MFP 1 is in a power saving state with the backlight 311 turned off.

When the controller 10 of the MFP 1 receives data from an external device via the communication IF 14, it determines whether the received data is a print job. If the received data is not a print job, the MFP 1 performs processing based on the received data, rather than the operations shown in the sequence diagram of Figure 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the controller 10 receives a print job (A01), it first supplies power to the touch panel 31 and turns on the backlight 311 of the touch panel 31 (A02). The power supplied to the touch panel 31 is an example of second power. This enables the touch panel 31 to display messages and buttons and to accept user operations on each displayed button. The controller 10 then causes the touch panel 31 to display a message indicating that data is being received (A03).

The controller 10 then acquires information about the mode set in the MFP 1 (A04). The MFP 1 has a secure mode and a non-secure mode, and accepts mode selection. The MFP 1 accepts mode setting instructions from an MFP 1 administrator or the like, for example, via the touch panel 31 or communication IF 14, and stores secure setting data 21 (see Figure 1) indicating the accepted mode in a non-volatile storage area of the memory 12.

Secure mode is a mode in which the MFP 1 accepts input of authentication information for login authentication, and after successful login authentication, can accept instructions for functions permitted for the logged-in user identified by the accepted authentication information. The permitted functions may differ for each logged-in user. The MFP 1 stores the user information of the logged-in user in association with the permitted functions. In secure mode, the MFP 1 will not accept user instructions, even for permitted functions, until the login procedure is complete.

The MFP 1 may also accept a setting for whether to enable the accumulated print function, separate from the mode setting. Alternatively, the MFP 1 may automatically enable the accumulated print function when set to secure mode. When the accumulated print function is enabled, the MFP 1 does not immediately start printing when it receives a print job from an external device such as the PC 100, but instead temporarily stores accumulated job data based on the received print job in storage such as the memory 12. Note that the MFP 1 may store accumulated job data only when the print job includes user information indicating a user who is authorized to use the accumulated print function. The MFP 1 then executes printing based on the stored accumulated job data after the login procedure by the user who is authorized to use the accumulated print function has been completed.

This specification describes an example in which the accumulated printing function is enabled when secure mode is set. In this case, secure setting data 21, which indicates whether secure mode or non-secure mode is set, is information indicating whether a received print job will be accumulated, and is an example of accumulation permission information. Secure setting data 21 is also information indicating whether a login procedure is enabled, and is an example of login permission information. In this way, MFP1 uses secure setting data 21 to determine whether a received print job will be accumulated as accumulated job data, or printed without accumulating it, thereby improving its convenience as a printing device.

If it is determined that secure mode is set (alt: [Secure Mode]), the controller 10 analyzes the print job being received and determines whether it contains appropriate user information (A12). The user information is, for example, a user ID. The user ID may also be a user name. A print job generated by the PC 100 or the like contains PJL data that indicates processing instructions for the MFP 1, and the user information is included in the PJL data. The PC 100 or the like may include the user ID of the user currently logged in to the PC 100 or the like in the PJL data as user information.

If it is determined that the appropriate user information is included (alt: [Yes]), the controller 10 associates the user information with the accumulated job data based on the received print job and accumulates it in storage (A13). A13 is an example of the accumulation process. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, accumulated job data 22 based on the received print job is accumulated in memory 12, for example. On the other hand, if it is determined that the print job does not include appropriate user information, the MFP 1 does not accumulate the data based on the received print job, but instead reads and discards it. Note that the PC 100, etc. may include the job name of the print job to be sent in the PJL data. In that case, the controller 10 may associate the accumulated job data based on the received print job with the job name and accumulate it in A13.

The storage for storing the accumulated job data may be a non-volatile storage area in memory 12, a volatile storage area such as RAM in memory 12, or an external storage such as a USB memory connected to MFP1. The accumulated job data 22 may be the received print job itself, or it may be data after processing such as rasterization based on the received print job. The MFP1 is capable of storing multiple pieces of accumulated job data 22, 23.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the mode is non-secure based on the secure setting data 21 stored in the memory 12 (alt: [non-secure mode]), the controller 10 causes the touch panel 31 to display a message indicating that printing is in progress (A21). In this embodiment, in non-secure mode, when the MFP 1 receives a print job, it executes printing based on the received print job.

The controller 10 supplies the necessary power to the print engine 15 and instructs the print engine 15 to execute printing based on the print job being received (A22). Upon receiving the print instruction, the print engine 15 performs warm-up for printing (A23), and executes printing once warm-up is complete (A25). Warming up includes, for example, heating the fixing device until it reaches a temperature at which printing can be executed.

In this embodiment, the MFP 1 has multiple states for the print engine 15, including a printing state, a standby state, and a power saving state, as shown in FIG. 2. The printing state is a state in which printing is being performed by the print engine 15. In the printing state, the MFP 1 supplies the necessary power to each part of the print engine 15, including the heater 151 and fan 152, and controls, for example, the fixing device of the print engine 15 to maintain an appropriate fixing temperature. The printing state is an example of a printing state.

In the standby state, the MFP1 supplies power to at least the heater 151 of the print engine 15 and controls the fixing device to a standby temperature that is lower than the temperature in the printing state but higher than room temperature. The power supplied to the print engine 15 in the standby state is an example of the first power. When a print instruction is received in the standby state and the MFP1 transitions to the printing state, the MFP1 warms up until the fixing device reaches the fixing temperature. During warm-up, the MFP1 performs, for example, heating using the heater 151 and stirring the toner. The temperature of the fixing device is higher in the standby state than in the power-saving state, and the time required for warm-up is shorter from the standby state than from the power-saving state.

In the power-saving state, the MFP 1 does not supply power to at least the heater 151 of the print engine 15. Therefore, for example, when a print instruction is received in the power-saving state and the MFP 1 transitions to the print-in-progress state, the MFP 1 supplies power to each component, including the heater 151, to warm up. The MFP 1 does not transition to the print-in-progress state or start printing until the warm-up has brought at least the fixing device to an appropriate fixing temperature. Note that in the power-saving state, the MFP 1 may completely cut off the power supply to the print engine 15. However, because it is preferable to control the fan 152 according to the temperature of the fixing device, the MFP 1 may continue to drive the fan 152 according to the temperature situation even after transitioning to the power-saving state.

When printing based on the print job being received is completed, the print engine 15 notifies the controller 10 of the completion of printing (A26). In response to receiving the notification of completion of printing, the controller 10 switches the state of the print engine 15 to a standby state (A27). Furthermore, after switching to the standby state, if the controller 10 determines that a predetermined engine sleep time stored in memory 12 has elapsed (alt: [engine sleep time elapsed]), it switches the state of the power supply to the print engine 15 to a power saving state (A28). The controller 10 stops the supply of power to the heater 151 of the print engine 15. Note that the controller 10 may instruct the print engine 15 to transition to the power saving state, and the print engine 15 may then perform the process of transitioning to the power saving state.

The engine sleep time is the standby time from when the MFP 1 switches to standby mode until it switches to power saving mode if the standby mode continues. The engine sleep time may be a fixed time set in advance in the MFP 1, or a variable time that can be set by user operation. The MFP 1 stores the engine sleep time in memory 12. A28 is an example of elapsed time switching processing. The engine sleep time is an example of a threshold time and an example of a first threshold time.

Furthermore, apart from the state of the print engine 15, the MFP 1 also has multiple states for power supply to the touch panel 31. Specifically, the MFP 1 has two states for power supply to the touch panel 31: an on state in which power is supplied to the backlight 311 and the backlight 311 is turned on, and an off state in which the backlight 311 is turned off and no power is supplied to the backlight 311.

After the controller 10 has finished storing the job being received at A13, or after receiving a notification of printing completion at A26, it determines whether a predetermined panel sleep time has elapsed while no operation is being accepted on the touch panel 31. The panel sleep time is the waiting time until the touch panel 31 switches to an off state when power is being supplied to the touch panel 31 and the display of the execution status is not required, and no operation is being accepted on the touch panel 31. A state in which the display of the execution status is required includes, for example, a state in which printing is in progress.

The panel sleep time may be a fixed time set in advance in the MFP 1, or a variable time that can be set by user operation. When the controller 10 determines that the set panel sleep time has elapsed (alt: [Panel sleep time elapsed]), it turns off the backlight 311 of the touch panel 31, entering an off state (A31).

Note that the engine sleep time and panel sleep time are set independently of each other, so they may be set to the same length, or one may be set longer than the other. In other words, A28 and A31 may be executed simultaneously, or either may be executed first.

In this embodiment, the MFP 1 notifies the user in A03 that a print job is being received. This allows a user near the MFP 1 to recognize that the MFP 1 is receiving data, reducing the possibility of erroneous operations such as turning off the MFP 1. In secure mode, the MFP 1 stores all received print jobs and accepts print execution instructions only after that. Therefore, when a print job is received, it is highly likely that the user who instructed printing on the PC 100 or the like will not be near the MFP 1. Therefore, the MFP 1 does not need to display that a print job is being received. In other words, if the MFP 1 is in secure mode, it does not need to perform A02 and A03. Even if the backlight 311 of the touch panel 31 is turned off, the MFP 1 still supplies power to the touch sensor 312 and can detect user operations.

Next, the procedure for printing stored job data stored in A13 of FIG. 3 on the MFP 1 when set to secure mode will be described with reference to the sequence diagram in FIG. 4. If the panel sleep time has elapsed between the time a print command is issued from the PC 100 or the like and the time the user operates the touch panel 31 of the MFP 1, the backlight 311 of the touch panel 31 will be turned off. FIG. 4 shows the operation of the MFP 1 when a user operation is accepted on the user IF 13 while the MFP 1 is in a power-saving state, the backlight 311 is turned off, and login by the user is not being accepted.

When a user operation (B01) is detected on either the touch panel 31 or a hardware button of the user IF 13 (B02), the controller 10 turns on the backlight 311 of the touch panel 31 (B03) and displays a login screen on the touch panel 31 (B04). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the controller 10 displays a login screen 51 including a field 511 for accepting input of authentication information for login and a login button 512 for accepting a login instruction. The user enters the authentication information in the login screen 51 and operates the login button 512 to enter a login instruction (B05).

Note that if the backlight 311 is not turned off when the procedure in Figure 4 begins, the login screen is displayed on the touch panel 31. In this case, the controller 10 skips B01 to B04 and accepts the login instruction at B05.

When the controller 10 receives a login instruction, it acquires the input authentication information (B06) and performs the login procedure (B07). B07 is an example of the login process. The authentication information is, for example, information including a user ID, and may be paired with a password. For example, the MFP 1 stores authentication information of users who are permitted to use the MFP 1 in memory 12, and compares the received authentication information with the stored information. Note that instead of performing the login procedure on the MFP 1, the MFP 1 may send the authentication information to an external device such as an authentication server and have the authentication server perform the login procedure.

The MFP1 enters a logged-in state by accepting a user's login instruction and completing the login procedure. In the logged-in state, the MFP1 stores information indicating the currently logged-in user as status information. On the other hand, when the MFP1 is in a logged-out state (not logged-in), it stores information indicating the logged-out state as status information. Note that the status information indicating the logged-out state may also be information indicating that a "public user" is logged in. A "public user" is a user that is conveniently set up to set functions that are permitted to be provided when no one is logged in. For example, in the factory default state, the MFP1 accepts print and copy instructions from a "public user." A "public user" is sometimes called a "guest user."

The MFP 1 is also capable of accepting login operations not only via operations on the touch panel 31, but also via the NFC reader 32, for example. The MFP 1 can also acquire authentication information by communicating with an ID card or mobile device, for example, that is presented within communication range via the NFC reader 32. The MFP 1 may also acquire authentication information based on information entered by scanning a fingerprint or palm print, for example. In these cases, instead of B01, the controller 10 first accepts a user's login operation (B05) and acquires authentication information (B06), then turns on the backlight 311 of the touch panel 31 (B03). Alternatively, the controller 10 may turn on the backlight 311 when the login procedure is complete.

When it is determined that the login procedure has been completed (alt: [Login successful]), the controller 10 switches the power supply state from the power saving state to the standby state (B11). As a result, power is supplied to the heater 151 of the print engine 15, and the temperature of the fixing device is controlled to the standby temperature. B11 is an example of post-login switching processing. Note that this specification describes an example in which the accumulated print function is enabled in secure mode, but if the accumulated print function is disabled, the power supply state may not be switched to the standby state even if login is successful.

The controller 10 also displays an operation screen on the touch panel 31 (B12). The operation screen is a screen including multiple buttons for accepting the selection of a function to be executed from among the multiple functions of the MFP 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the controller 10 displays an operation screen 52 including a logout button 521 for accepting a logout instruction, a stored print button 522 for accepting a stored print instruction, and a copy button 523 for accepting a copy instruction. When the login procedure is completed and the MFP 1 is in a logged-in state, it becomes possible to accept instructions for stored print, which is printing based on stored job data stored in storage, and instructions to perform copying, etc. In other words, in secure mode, the MFP 1 will not accept a print instruction unless the login procedure is completed.

The MFP 1 then accepts a user operation on the operation screen 52 displayed on the touch panel 31 (B13) and acquires information about the accepted operation (B14). For example, if the user operation is an operation on the Store Print button 522, Copy button 523, etc., and is an operation to select a function to be executed by the MFP 1, the MFP 1 accepts an instruction to select the function. In this case, B14 is an example of a function selection process.

Note that, for MFP1s that have functions other than the accumulated printing function, the login procedure may not be necessary when using functions other than the accumulated printing function. In this case, the MFP 1 may display, in B04, an operation screen such as that shown in FIG. 6 instead of the login screen 51. However, in this case, instead of the logout button 521 in FIG. 6, a login button that accepts login instructions or "Public User" is displayed.

When the MFP 1 receives an operation on the login button on the operation screen or when an IC card or the like is presented to the NFC reader 32 while the operation screen is displayed, the MFP 1 obtains authentication information and performs the login procedure (B06-B07). In this case, the operation screen displayed in B04 may include only buttons that accept the selection of functions that can be used without logging in. Alternatively, the MFP 1 may display an operation screen including the store print button 522 in B04, and request the input of login information when an instruction for store print is received on the operation screen. In this case, the MFP 1 skips B12-B14 and proceeds to B23. Note that the MFP 1 may request a user ID and password when a login instruction is received, and only the user ID when login information is requested in response to an instruction for store print.

If the received operation is an operation on the Stored Print button 522 and is determined to be an instruction to perform stored printing (alt: [Store Print]), the controller 10 extracts and acquires identification information for the stored job data stored in storage in association with the user information of the logged-in user, based on the user information of the logged-in user (B23). The identification information is, for example, the job name associated with the stored job data. For example, if one or more stored job data 22, 23 (see FIG. 1) for the logged-in user are stored in memory 12, the controller 10 displays a list of the extracted stored job data, such as a list of job names, on the user IF 13 (B24). The MFP 1 of this embodiment stores stored job data in association with user information, and after accepting login, only the stored job data of the logged-in user can be selected for printing. This allows stored job data to be managed for each user, ensuring high security of the stored job data.

The controller 10 then accepts the selection of a job to be printed and an instruction to print the selected job through user operation on the user IF 13. The controller 10 accepts the selection of a job to be printed (B27) through user operation on the list of accumulated job data displayed on the user IF 13 (B26). Based on the user's selection, the controller 10 reads the accumulated job data to be printed from storage such as the memory 12 (B28).

The controller 10 passes print data based on the accumulated job data read from storage to the print engine 15 and instructs it to print (B30). Upon receiving the print instruction, the print engine 15 performs warm-up (B31). In this case, because the print engine 15 is in standby mode in B11, the time required for warm-up is shorter than when it is in power-saving mode. Upon completion of warm-up, the print engine 15 enters a print-in-progress state and executes printing based on the received print data (B32). B32 is an example of accumulated print processing.

Then, when the print engine 15 has finished printing all the received print data, it notifies the controller 10 that printing has finished (B33). When the controller 10 receives the print completion information from the print engine 15, it may display a message indicating that printing has finished on the user IF 13. After printing has finished, the controller 10 switches the state of the print engine 15 to a standby state (B34). Furthermore, after passing the print instruction and print data to the print engine 15, the controller 10 may, for example, display an operation screen 52 on the user IF 13 to accept user operations.

When the login procedure is complete, the MFP1 of this embodiment is likely to accept a print command, such as an instruction to print stored data or an instruction to print copies or received fax data, as described below. Because the MFP1 of this embodiment switches to standby mode when the login procedure is complete, the time required for warm-up is shorter than when the MFP1 switches from power-saving mode to standby mode after accepting a print command, and it is likely to be able to start printing immediately.

Furthermore, after the accumulated printing is completed, the MFP1 can accept the selection of functions other than the accumulated printing function, such as copying. After printing based on the selected accumulated job data is completed, the MFP1 enters a standby state and can execute the processing of the function selected by the user, thereby increasing the convenience of the MFP1 in the logged-in state.

On the other hand, if the operation received in B13 is an operation on the logout button 521 and is determined to be a logout instruction (alt: [logout]), the controller 10 performs the logout procedure (B43). B43 is an example of the logout process. The controller 10 enters the logged-out state described above.

Note that the logout instruction is not limited to being received by the logout button 521 on the operation screen 52; for example, it may be received by a hardware button, or may be selected from a settings menu displayed by pressing a settings button. Alternatively, the MFP 1 may determine that a logout instruction has been received when, for example, the ID card of a logged-in user is touched to the NFC reader 32.

Furthermore, upon completion of the logout procedure, the controller 10 switches the power supply state to the print engine 15 to a power-saving state (B44). That is, the controller 10 stops supplying power to the heater 151 of the print engine 15 and does not control the temperature of the fixing device. B44 is an example of the switching process. When in secure mode and the accumulated print function is enabled, the MFP 1 can accept print instructions if the login procedure is completed. In other words, after logging out, the MFP 1 will not accept print instructions using the accumulated print function unless the login procedure is completed again. In this embodiment, the MFP 1 switches to a power-saving state upon completion of the logout procedure, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption after the logout procedure is completed.

In this embodiment, the MFP1 not only transitions to the power-saving state in response to logout, but also transitions to the power-saving state under other conditions. For example, even if the MFP1 is logged in, it will switch from the standby state to the power-saving state if the elapsed time in the standby state after entering the standby state in B11 or B34 exceeds a predetermined engine sleep time. The process of switching to the power-saving state in this case is also an example of the elapsed time switching process.

For example, if a user forgets to log out and leaves the MFP1, or if the standby state is maintained for a long period of time without logging out, unnecessary power consumption increases. In this embodiment, the MFP1 automatically switches to a power-saving state when the time elapsed since switching to the standby state exceeds the engine sleep time, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption. Furthermore, if the operation received by B13 after switching to the standby state is an instruction for a function other than printing, such as scanning or fax transmission, the period of operation based on that instruction may also be included in the time elapsed since switching to the standby state.

On the other hand, when the logout procedure is completed, the controller 10 transitions to a power-saving state regardless of whether the controller 10 is in a standby state or not, and regardless of whether the engine sleep time has elapsed in the standby state or not. For example, the MFP 1 may be able to accept a logout instruction even while printing is in progress. In that case, if the logout procedure is completed when printing is completed, the MFP 1 may transition from the printing in progress state to a power-saving state without transitioning to a standby state upon receiving a print completion notification (B33). Furthermore, the MFP 1 may automatically initiate a logout procedure and switch to a power-saving state if a predetermined amount of time has elapsed while the controller 10 is logged in and not accepting user operations.

Instead of accepting the selection of jobs to be printed in B26, the controller 10 may select all accumulated job data associated with the logged-in user's user information and stored in storage as the print target. Specifically, the controller 10 may omit B23 to B27 and obtain all accumulated job data for the logged-in user in B28. Automatically selecting all accumulated job data for the logged-in user as the print target can save the user the trouble of selecting the print target.

The controller 10 may also acquire identification information for all stored job data in B23, and display a list of the acquired identification information for all stored job data in B24. This provides great convenience, as logging in allows all stored job data to be selected for printing.

In addition, the MFP 1 may store in its storage not only stored job data based on print jobs received from the PC 100, etc., but also data based on received fax data, image data read from a USB memory, image data downloaded from an external server, etc. Even when this type of data is stored, in secure mode, after accepting login, the MFP 1 can accept instructions to execute printing within the scope of the functions permitted to the logged-in user.

For example, the MFP 1 may display a button on the operation screen 52 shown in FIG. 6 that accepts a print instruction for received data, etc., and when operation on that button is accepted, a list of stored received data, etc. is displayed in B24. The MFP 1 may then accept a selection of received data, etc. in B26, and perform printing based on the selected received data, etc. In this case as well, the MFP 1 accepts a logout instruction, and upon completion of the logout procedure in B43, switches the power supply state to the print engine 15 to a power-saving state in B44.

If a function other than the storage printing function is selected by the user's operation in B13, the controller 10 controls each section of the MFP 1 to execute the function based on the selected instruction. For example, when operation of the copy button 523 is accepted, the MFP 1 performs a copy operation. In this case, instead of B23 to B28, the controller 10 causes the scanner 16 to read an image of the original to obtain image data, and in B30 instructs the print engine 15 to print based on the obtained image data. In this case, operation of the copy button 523 is an example of a print instruction, and B32 is an example of a print process. In this case as well, the MFP 1 accepts a logout instruction, and upon completion of the logout procedure in B43, switches the power supply state to the print engine 15 to a power-saving state in B44.

The controller 10 switches the power supply state to the print engine 15 to a power saving state and then waits for a predetermined time (B45). The predetermined time may be a fixed time of, for example, 0 to 5 seconds, the panel sleep time described above, or a time set by the user separately from the panel sleep time. After waiting for the predetermined time, the controller 10 turns off the backlight 311 of the touch panel 31 (B46). This returns the MFP 1 to the state it was in before starting the procedures shown in Figures 3 and 4.

When in secure mode, the MFP 1 may not accept any user operations other than login operations while in the logged-out state. In this case, there is little need to display the touch panel 31 after logging out. In this embodiment, the MFP 1 turns off the backlight 311 after logout is complete, thereby reducing power consumption in the logged-out state.

However, if the backlight 311 is turned off immediately after logging out, the user may mistakenly think that this is a malfunction of the MFP 1 and become anxious. In this embodiment, the MFP 1 waits a predetermined time after logging out before turning off the backlight 311, thereby reducing the likelihood of causing anxiety to the user. After logout is complete and before the predetermined time has passed, the MFP 1 may, for example, notify the user that the display on the touch panel 31 will be turned off, or may notify the user of the amount of time until the display is turned off. On the other hand, the MFP 1 reduces the power supplied to the print engine 15 immediately after logging out, resulting in a high level of power saving.

Next, we will explain another example of the timing for switching from the power saving state to the standby state after the login procedure. While Figure 4 shows the procedure for switching to the standby state immediately after the login procedure is completed, the timing for switching to the standby state is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 7, the standby state may be switched to when the accumulated printing function is selected after the login procedure is completed. In Figure 7, the same processes as in Figure 4 are assigned the same reference numerals, and only the parts that differ from Figure 4 are shown.

In this procedure, as in the procedure in Figure 4, the controller 10 accepts the user's operation for logging in and executes the login procedure (B01 to B07). If it determines that the login procedure is complete (alt: [Login successful]), the controller 10 does not switch to a standby state, but first displays the operation screen 52 shown in Figure 6 (B12) and accepts the user's operation (B13).

After acquiring information about the accepted operation (B14), if it is determined that the user's operation is an instruction to execute stored printing via operation on the stored printing button 522 (alt: [stored printing]), the controller 10 switches the power supply state to the print engine 15 from the power saving state to the standby state (B11). B11 in this case is an example of post-function selection switching processing. Thereafter, the controller 10 extracts and acquires the stored job data stored in storage in association with the user information (B23). Thereafter, the controller 10 executes processing based on the user's operation, similar to the procedure shown in FIG. 4.

Furthermore, if the controller 10 determines that the user operation in B14 is an instruction to execute a copy or an instruction to print received fax data, etc., it also switches the power supply state to the print engine 15 from the power saving state to the standby state (B11). B11 in this case is also an example of post-function selection switching processing. In other words, if the controller 10 determines that the user operation received in B13 is the selection of a function that uses the print engine 15, and the power supply state to the print engine 15 is in the power saving state, it switches to the standby state.

In secure mode, the MFP1 of this embodiment can accept various function instructions after the login procedure is completed. If the accepted function instruction is not a print instruction, the print engine 15 may not be used. If the MFP1 switches to standby mode when a function that uses the print engine 15, such as stored printing or copying, is selected, the likelihood of printing starting immediately without wasting power on the print engine 15 increases. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 4, if the MFP1 switches to standby mode when the login procedure is completed, the likelihood of printing starting immediately increases, for example, even if a print instruction is accepted immediately after logging in.

Next, we will explain another example of the timing for switching from the power saving state to the standby state. For example, as shown in Figure 8, the timing for switching to the standby state may be when the stored print function is selected and the logged-in user's stored job data is stored. In Figure 8, the same processes as in Figure 4 are assigned the same reference numerals, and only the parts that differ from Figure 4 are shown.

In this procedure, as in the procedure in Figure 4, the controller 10 accepts the user's login operation and executes the login procedure (B01 to B07). If it determines that the login procedure is complete (alt: [Login successful]), the controller 10 does not switch to a standby state, but first displays the operation screen 52 shown in Figure 6 (B12), and attempts to extract the accumulated job data stored in storage in association with the user information of the logged-in user (B23).

If it is determined that there is one or more stored job data items associated with the user information of the logged-in user (alt: [Job Present]), the controller 10 switches the power supply mode from the power saving state to the standby state (B11). B11 in this case is an example of switching processing when a job is present.

The controller 10 then accepts a user operation on the operation screen 52 displayed in B12 (B13) and acquires information about the accepted operation (B14). If the user operation is to select the stored print function (alt: [stored print]), the controller 10 causes the user IF 13 to display a list showing the stored job data extracted in B23 (B24). Thereafter, the controller 10 executes function processing in the same manner as the procedure shown in FIG. 4. Note that if stored job data associated with the user information of the logged-in user is not extracted in B23, the MFP 1 does not switch to a standby state and does not accept an instruction to perform stored print. If there is no stored job data for the logged-in user, the MFP 1 may not display the stored print button 522 on the operation screen 52.

In this embodiment of the MFP1, even if the login procedure is complete, accumulated printing cannot be performed if the logged-in user's accumulated job data is not stored, so there is a possibility that the print engine 15 will not be used. As shown in Figure 8, by switching to standby mode only when the logged-in user's accumulated job data is stored, the possibility of starting printing immediately without wasting power on the print engine 15 increases. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 4, if the MFP1 is switched to standby mode when the login procedure is complete, the possibility of starting printing immediately increases, for example, even if a print instruction other than the accumulated printing function is received.

Next, the procedure for the sleep time change process for temporarily changing the engine sleep time in the MFP 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 9. This sleep time change process is executed by the CPU 11 of the MFP 1, for example, when an instruction to execute printing is received. As mentioned above, the engine sleep time is the waiting time from when the MFP 1 switches to the standby state until when the MFP 1 transitions to the power saving state, and is stored in advance in the memory 12.

The CPU 11 determines whether the currently set mode is secure mode (S101). If it determines that the currently set mode is not secure mode (S101: NO), the CPU 11 terminates the sleep time change process. If the currently set mode is not secure mode, the CPU 11 does not change the engine sleep time.

If it is determined that the mode is secure (S101: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether the logout procedure has been completed (S102). If it is determined that the logout procedure has not been completed (S102: NO), the CPU 11 executes various other processes based on the user's operation (S103).

On the other hand, if the system is in secure mode and it is determined that the logout procedure has been completed (S102: YES), the CPU 11 sets the engine sleep time to a second time that is shorter than the engine sleep time stored in memory 12 (S105). The second time is, for example, half the length of the engine sleep time stored in memory 12. The second time is an example of a threshold time, and an example of a second threshold time.

As a result, if the power supply to the print engine 15 enters standby mode and the standby mode continues for a second time, the MFP 1 transitions to a power-saving mode. Because the second time is shorter than the engine sleep time stored in memory 12, the standby mode will not continue for a long time after the logout procedure is completed in secure mode. This increases the likelihood of reducing power consumption.

On the other hand, in non-secure mode, printing is performed when a print job is received from an external device, so even if printing of one print job is completed and the device switches to standby mode, there is a possibility that the next print job will be accepted immediately. In this embodiment, the MFP1 does not shorten the engine sleep time in non-secure mode, so there is little chance that the state will be switched frequently.

Then, the CPU 11 determines whether the MFP 1 has transitioned to the power saving state (S106). If it determines that the MFP 1 has not transitioned to the power saving state (S106: NO), the CPU 11 waits until the MFP 1 transitions to the power saving state. For example, if printing is in progress when the logout procedure is completed, the printing ends and the MFP 1 enters standby mode. If a second time has elapsed in the standby mode, the MFP 1 enters the power saving state.

If it is determined that the system has transitioned to the power saving state (S106: YES), the CPU 11 resets the engine sleep time to its original value (S107). As a result, the engine sleep time stored in memory 12 will be applied the next time you log in, even in secure mode. Note that while Figure 9 shows the procedure for changing the engine sleep time, the panel sleep time may also be changed in the same way.

As explained in detail above, when the MFP1 of this embodiment is set to secure mode, it is possible for the print engine 15 to print if the login procedure has been completed, but after the logout procedure has been completed, printing is not possible unless the login procedure is completed again. Therefore, there is little need to prepare for printing after the logout procedure has been completed. The MFP1 of this embodiment switches to a power-saving state when the logout procedure has been completed, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption after the logout procedure has been completed.

In particular, when the MFP1 of this embodiment is set to secure mode, even if it receives a print job, it only stores the accumulated job data based on the print job without printing it, and printing becomes possible after the login procedure is complete. Also, when the MFP1 is set to secure mode, it becomes possible to accept print instructions such as copy instructions after the login procedure is complete. Therefore, even if it switches to a power-saving state when the logout procedure is complete, delays in the start of printing can be reduced by switching to a standby state after the login procedure is complete.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the power supply mode is switched to standby mode when the login procedure is completed, when the stored print function is selected, or when the logged-in user's stored job data has been stored, so there is a high possibility that printing will begin immediately after a print instruction is received.

Note that this embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the technology disclosed in this specification can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the device that sends a print job to MFP1 is not limited to PC100, but can also be, for example, a smartphone or tablet computer. Furthermore, MFP1 may be any device that has at least a printing function, and is not limited to a multifunction peripheral, but may also be a printer, fax machine, etc. Furthermore, the print engine 15 of MFP1 is not limited to an electrophotographic system, but may also be an inkjet system.

The MFP 1 may also be a printer that performs accumulated printing for all received print jobs, i.e., a dedicated printer that performs only accumulated printing. In this case, the secure setting data 21 may not be necessary. In this case, the MFP 1 does not perform A04 or A21-A28 in Figure 3, and will accumulate accumulated job data based on a received print job if the print job contains user information, regardless of whether it is in secure mode or not.

Furthermore, the state of power supply to the print engine 15 is not limited to the three states of printing, standby, and power saving, and other states may also be included. For example, intermediate states may also be included. Furthermore, while the backlight 311 of the touch panel 31 is turned off when the touch panel 31 is turned off, it is sufficient to reduce the power supply to the touch panel 31, and it is also possible to simply reduce the brightness. Furthermore, the touch panel 31 may be a light-emitting element panel that does not have a backlight 311, such as an organic EL panel.

In addition, in this embodiment, power is supplied to the touch sensor 312 of the touch panel 31 even when the touch panel 31 is turned off, but this is not limited to this. For example, the MFP 1 may have a hardware key for turning on the touch sensor 312, in which case only the hardware key may be enabled and the touch sensor 312 may be turned off.

In addition, while the MFP 1 of this embodiment discards print jobs that do not contain user information in secure mode, this is not limited to this. For example, the MFP 1 may store print jobs that contain user information (A12-A13 in FIG. 3) and print print jobs that do not contain user information without storing them (if it determines that no user information is present in A12 in FIG. 3, it executes A21-A28). Alternatively, the MFP 1 may not perform the determination in A12 in FIG. 3, store print jobs that both contain user information and do not contain user information, and allow anyone to print print jobs that do not contain user information, regardless of the user information of the logged-in user.

In addition, while this embodiment has been described with an example in which the accumulated printing function is enabled in secure mode, there are cases in which the accumulated printing function is disabled even in secure mode. In this case, for example, when the MFP 1 receives a print job in secure mode, it executes A21 to A28 in FIG. 3 to print, and accepts operations on the touch panel 31 after logging in. However, the operation screen does not include the accumulated printing button 522 that accepts accumulated printing instructions, and in B13 in FIG. 4, the controller 10 does not accept accumulated printing instructions.

In addition, in this embodiment, the MFP 1 prints all received print jobs in non-secure mode. However, it may also be possible to add information to each print job indicating whether or not to store the print job. For example, in non-secure mode, the MFP 1 may store received print jobs that contain storage information such as a password, and print print jobs that do not. Alternatively, in non-secure mode, the MFP 1 may print print jobs that do not contain a password if printing by public users is permitted, and delete print jobs that do not contain a password without storing or printing them if printing by public users is not permitted.

Furthermore, in any of the flowcharts disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of multiple processes in any of the steps can be arbitrarily changed or can be executed in parallel, as long as no contradictions occur in the processing content.

Furthermore, the processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by hardware such as a single CPU, multiple CPUs, or an ASIC, or a combination of these. Furthermore, the processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various ways, such as a recording medium on which a program for executing the processes is recorded, or a method.

1 MFP
10 Controller 12 Memory 13 User IF
14 Communication IF
15 Printing Engine

Claims (14)

A print engine;
A user interface;
A controller;
A printing device comprising:
the printing device has a printing state in which printing is performed by the print engine, a standby state in which a first power is supplied to the print engine to prepare for printing, and a power saving state in which less power is supplied to the print engine than in the standby state;
the user interface includes a display panel;
In the standby state, the first power is supplied to the print engine to prepare for printing, and the second power is also supplied to the display panel;
In the power saving state, the power supplied to the print engine and the display panel is less than that in the standby state,
The controller
The system acquires user authentication information via the user interface, executes a login process using the acquired authentication information to perform a login procedure, and when the login procedure is complete, allows the print engine to perform printing.
The controller further comprises:
a logout process for performing a logout procedure when a logout instruction is received via the user interface after the log-in procedure is completed;
a switching process for switching the state of the printing device to the power saving state when the logout procedure is completed;
Run
In the switching process,
When switching the state of the printing device to the power saving state, the power supplied to the print engine is reduced in response to the completion of the logout procedure, and the power supplied to the display panel is reduced after a set predetermined time has elapsed since the completion of the logout procedure.
A printing device configured to: 2. The printing device according to claim 1,
The controller
When a print instruction is received via the user interface, a print process is executed to cause the print engine to perform printing, and when the login procedure has been completed, the print instruction can be received via the user interface.
1. A printing device configured to: 2. The printing device according to claim 1,
Memory and
a communication interface;
Equipped with
The controller
When a print job is received via the communication interface, a storage process is executed to store stored job data based on the received print job in the memory, and a plurality of stored job data can be stored in the memory;
The controller further comprises:
When the login procedure has been completed, an accumulated print process is executed to cause the print engine to perform printing based on the accumulated job data accumulated in the memory.
A printing device configured to: 4. The printing device according to claim 3,
Storage availability information indicating whether or not to store the received print job is set,
The controller further comprises:
When a print job is received via the communication interface,
If the storage permission information indicates that the received print job is to be stored, the storage process is executed without causing the print engine to perform printing based on the received print job;
If the storage permission information is set to not store the received print job, the storage process is not executed and the print engine is caused to perform printing based on the received print job.
A printing device configured to: 5. The printing device according to claim 3 or claim 4,
In the accumulation process,
The stored job data based on the received print job is stored in the memory in association with user information, and the received print job includes the user information;
In the accumulation printing process,
When the login procedure has been completed, the print engine is caused to perform printing based on the stored job data associated with the user information corresponding to the logged-in user, among the stored job data stored in the memory.
1. A printing device configured to: 6. The printing device according to claim 5,
In the accumulation printing process,
When the login procedure has been completed, the stored job data associated with the user information corresponding to the logged-in user is extracted from the stored job data stored in the memory, a selection of a print target is accepted from the extracted stored job data, and printing is performed based on the selected stored job data by the print engine.
1. A printing device configured to: 6. The printing device according to claim 5,
In the accumulation printing process,
When the login procedure has been completed, all of the stored job data stored in the memory that is associated with the user information corresponding to the logged-in user is set as print targets, and printing is performed on the basis of the stored job data to be printed by the print engine.
A printing device configured to: A printing device according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
The controller
When the login procedure is completed, if the stored job data associated with the user information corresponding to the logged-in user is stored in the memory, a job-presence switching process is executed to switch the state of the printing device to the standby state.
A printing device configured to: A printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The controller
When the login procedure is completed in the login process, a post-login switching process is executed to switch the state of the printing device to the standby state.
A printing device configured to: A printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The controller
a function selection process is executed to accept a selection of a function from among a plurality of functions possessed by the printing device, and when the login procedure is completed, the function selection process becomes executable, the plurality of functions include a function that uses the print engine, and after the function that uses the print engine is selected, a process based on the function that uses the print engine becomes executable;
The controller further comprises:
When the function using the print engine is selected in the function selection process and the state of the printing device is the power saving state, a post-function selection switching process is executed to switch the state of the printing device to the standby state.
A printing device configured to: 10. A printing device according to claim 1,
The controller
a function selection process is executed to accept a selection of a function from among a plurality of functions possessed by the printing device, and when the login procedure is completed, the function selection process becomes executable, the plurality of functions include a function that uses the print engine, and after the function that uses the print engine is selected, a process based on the function that uses the print engine becomes executable;
The controller further comprises:
the function selection process can be executed even after the process based on the function using the print engine has been executed, and when one function of the plurality of functions is selected, the process based on the selected one function is executed.
A printing device configured to: A printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The controller
When the elapsed time since the state of the printing device was switched to the standby state exceeds a threshold time, an elapsed time switching process is executed to switch the state of the printing device to the power saving state.
1. A printing device configured to: 13. The printing device according to claim 12,
The login permission information is set to indicate whether the login procedure is enabled or disabled.
The controller further comprises:
If the login permission information is set to enable the login procedure, the login process can be executed, and if the login procedure is completed, the print engine can be made to perform printing.
If the login permission information is set to not enable the login procedure, the print engine can be made to perform printing without executing the login process,
Furthermore, in the elapsed time switching process,
If the login permission information is set to not enable the login procedure, when the elapsed time since the state of the printing device was switched to the standby state exceeds a first threshold time, the state of the printing device is switched to the power saving state;
If the login permission information is set to enable the login procedure and the logout procedure has been completed, when the elapsed time since the state of the printing device was switched to the standby state exceeds a second threshold time that is shorter than the first threshold time, the state of the printing device is switched to the power saving state.
A printing device configured to: A print engine;
A user interface;
A controller;
A printing device comprising:
the printing device has a printing state in which printing is performed by the print engine, a standby state in which a first power is supplied to the print engine to prepare for printing, and a power saving state in which less power is supplied to the print engine than in the standby state;
Furthermore, login availability information is set to indicate whether the login procedure is enabled or not.
The controller further comprises:
If the login permission information is set to enable the login procedure, the login process can be executed, and in the login process, user authentication information is acquired via the user interface, the login procedure is performed using the acquired authentication information, and when the login procedure is completed, the print engine can be made to perform printing in accordance with instructions via the user interface.
If the login permission information is set to not enable the login procedure, the print engine can be made to perform printing in accordance with an instruction via the user interface without executing the login process,
The controller further comprises:
If the login permission information is set to not enable the login procedure, when the elapsed time since the state of the printing device was switched to the standby state exceeds a first threshold time, the state of the printing device is switched to the power saving state;
If the login permission information is set to enable the login procedure and if the logout procedure has been completed, when the elapsed time since the state of the printing device was switched to the standby state exceeds a second threshold time that is shorter than the first threshold time, the state of the printing device is switched to the power saving state.
1. A printing device configured to: