JPH09272659A - Document printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to discharge paper sheets so as to satisfy users' various demand with regard to paper sheet discharge and to lighten a burden on the users at the time of taking out the paper sheets. SOLUTION: In case data taken out from a buffer is a job control data specifying a discharge mode (136 is affirmative) and if the discharge mode is a sorter mode, the bin number of a discharge paper bin named as discharge of a paper sheet under the sorter mode, among a plural number of discharge paper bins provided, is taken in (142) and if discharge paper bins as many as or more than the printed quantity are usable, discharge paper bins of the same number as the printer quantity is set as the discharge destination (146), but if the number of discharge paper bins are short, an electronic sorter mode is turned on (148). If the discharge paper mode is a mail box mode, process corresponding to the judgment of a specified configuration of the discharge destination and the specified configuration is performed (150 to 154) and discharge paper bins specified from among the discharge paper bins named as discharge paper sheets under the mail box mode are set as the discharge destination (156).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, and more particularly to a printing apparatus having a large number of storage units for storing sheets on which images are recorded.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an output device of an information processing device such as a workstation or a personal computer, an image representing a processing result (for example, a document) by the information processing device is recorded on a sheet. There is a known printer that outputs the output. In recent years, for the purpose of distributing information and load, a plurality of information processing devices such as workstations and personal computers can be connected to each other via a network, and various resources such as printers connected to the same network can be shared. Such information processing systems have become widespread, and user demands for printers are diversifying year by year.

Further, the printer connected to the network as described above is required to record an image on a sheet by an unspecified number of users, and records the image on each sheet in response to a request from each user. Therefore, if only a single bin is provided as a bin for accommodating the paper on which the image is recorded, different types of paper on which the image is recorded are placed on the single bin in response to requests from different users. When the user takes out the paper from the bin, it is necessary to perform complicated work such as sorting of the paper, which is likely to impose a great burden on the user.

Based on the above, in order to meet the diversifying demands of users and to reduce the burden on users such as sorting work, printers having a plurality of bins for accommodating sheets have recently appeared on the market. (For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-
306063, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-316137, etc.), it is clear that various bins can be equipped with a function for ejecting paper to meet various user requirements. Was not. Further, there has not been established a technique for reducing the user's burden such as paper sorting work when a function of discharging various bins in a plurality of bins is provided.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and it is possible to discharge a sheet so as to satisfy various user's requirements regarding sheet discharge, and the user's burden at the time of taking out the sheet is reduced. The purpose is to obtain a printing device that can do this.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 records the image on a sheet based on the input data, and the image is recorded by the recording means. A large number of accommodating units for accommodating sheets, an ejecting unit for ejecting the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording unit to the instructed accommodating unit, and an ejection mode desired by the user are recorded. Ejection mode determining means for determining whether a sorter mode in which a plurality of sheets are separately ejected into a plurality of accommodating sections or a mailbox mode in which a sheet on which an image is recorded is ejected to a specific accommodating section, and the plurality of accommodating sections are stored. A storage unit that stores information indicating whether each of the sets is used for discharging the sheet in the sorter mode or for discharging the sheet in the mailbox mode, and is stored in the storage unit. On the basis of the report, the accommodating section that can be used to eject the paper in the ejection mode determined by the ejection mode determining means is determined to determine the accommodating section that ejects the sheet, and the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording means is And a discharge control means for controlling the discharge means so that the discharge portion is discharged to the determined accommodating portion.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a large number of accommodating portions for accommodating sheets are provided, and the ejection mode desired by the user is such that a plurality of sheets are ejected by dividing them into a plurality of accommodating portions. Ejection mode determining means for determining whether the sorter mode for storing sheets or the mailbox mode for ejecting a sheet to a specific accommodation portion is provided, and the ejection control means is for each of the plurality of accommodation portions stored in the storage means. A storage unit that can be used to eject the paper in the ejection mode determined by the ejection mode determination means based on the information indicating whether to use the sheet ejection mode in the sorter mode or the mailbox mode. Is determined to determine the accommodating section for ejecting the sheet, and the ejecting unit is controlled so that the sheet on which the image is recorded is ejected to the determined accommodating section.

The determination of the discharge form by the discharge form determining means can be made based on the discharge form instruction from the user or the number of copies to be printed from the user. When the printing device according to the present invention is connected to different types of devices that output data representing an image to be recorded on a sheet, the data input from which device is used to record the image on the sheet. It is also possible to make the determination based on whether or not to do so.

As described above, when the discharge mode designating unit determines that the discharge mode desired by the user is the sorter mode, for example, when recording a predetermined number of images of a predetermined document including a plurality of pages on a sheet. In addition, since the paper on which the image of each page of a predetermined document is recorded is discharged in a predetermined number of storage units, it is not necessary for the user to sort the discharged paper.

Further, when the discharge mode designating means determines that the discharge mode desired by the user is the mailbox mode, for example, when recording the image of the predetermined document on the paper, the image of the predetermined document is printed. The sheet on which is recorded is discharged to a specific storage section. Here, for example, if a plurality of storage units are assigned in advance for each user or each group of users, the paper on which the image is recorded based on the data input by a specific user is always discharged to a fixed storage unit. Therefore, for example, the paper on which the image of the highly confidential document is recorded according to the instruction from the predetermined user,
It is possible to prevent inconvenience such as being exposed to the eyes of other users or other users in different groups.

In addition, in the mailbox mode, when the user is made to specify the storage unit as the discharge destination, for example, the user sets the discharge destination so that the discharge destination differs for each job or each type of document. It is also possible to specify the accommodation section of. In this case, the paper on which the image is recorded based on the data input as the different jobs by the same user is discharged to the different accommodating units for each job and each type of document. On the other hand, it becomes unnecessary for the user to sort each job or each document type.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the discharge form determining means for determining whether the discharge form desired by the user is the sorter mode or the mailbox mode is provided, and the sheet on which the image is recorded is determined as the discharge form determining means. Since the paper is discharged to the discharge unit corresponding to the discharge mode determined by the above, it is possible to discharge the paper so as to satisfy various user demands regarding the paper discharge as described above.

When the sort mode and the mailbox mode are provided as the discharge modes as described above, the discharge destination of the paper is simply determined according to the result of the discharge mode determination by the discharge mode designating means (sort mode or mailbox mode). However, if the paper is ejected, the paper ejected in different ejection forms may be mixed in the same accommodating portion.

On the other hand, according to the first aspect of the invention, the storage means stores information indicating whether each of the plurality of accommodating units is used for ejecting the sheet in the sorter mode or for ejecting the sheet in the mailbox mode. The discharge control unit determines the accommodating unit that can be used to discharge the paper in the discharge form determined by the discharge form determination unit based on the information stored in the storage unit, and discharges the paper. Since the accommodating section is determined, sheets ejected in different ejection modes are not mixed in a single accommodating section. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user when the paper is taken out from the storage section.

By the way, when it is fixedly set whether each of a large number of accommodating units is used for discharging the paper in the sorter mode or for discharging the paper in the mailbox mode, for example, in one mode. If the number of storage units assigned for paper ejection in one of the modes is small compared to the frequency of paper ejection, the paper ejection in one of the modes is not performed. Since a large number of sheets are stored only in the assigned storage section, the work of taking out the sheets from the storage section becomes complicated, and it is not possible to effectively use the plurality of storage sections.

Therefore, in the invention according to claim 2, in the invention according to claim 1, each of the plurality of accommodating portions is used for discharging the paper in the sorter mode, or the paper in the mailbox mode is used. It is further characterized by further comprising a changing means for changing whether to use for discharging according to the usage status of the sorter mode and the mailbox mode.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, whether to use each of the plurality of accommodating units for ejecting the sheet in the sorter mode or for ejecting the sheet in the mailbox mode depends on the sorter mode and the mailbox mode. Since it is changed according to the usage status, for example, the number of accommodating units allocated for paper ejection in the one mode is smaller than the frequency of paper ejection in the one mode. In such cases, the allocation of the storage units to each mode is changed so that the number of storage units used for discharging the paper in one of the above modes is increased, and a large number of storage units are installed. It can be used effectively.

On the other hand, in the mailbox mode, if the user is allowed to specify the storage unit as the discharge destination, before the user causes the printing apparatus according to the present invention to record an image on a sheet, It is necessary for the user to recognize in advance whether or not the storage section of the above is allocated for ejecting the sheet in the mailbox mode.
As described in, when changing each of the multiple storage units to discharge paper in the sorter mode or to discharge paper in the mailbox mode according to the usage status of each mode, Every time the user instructs the printing apparatus according to the present invention to execute a job for recording an image on a sheet and ejecting the sheet in the mail box mode, which storage unit is to eject the sheet in the mailbox mode. It is necessary for the user to confirm in advance whether or not it is assigned to, and the user's work is complicated.

Therefore, according to the invention of claim 3, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, when the discharge mode desired by the user is the mailbox mode, the discharge of the sheet in the mailbox mode is performed. The storage unit to which the paper is to be discharged is designated by an identification code that represents each storage unit belonging to the group of storage units used in the above in the physical arrangement order of the storage units, and the discharge control unit is configured to It is characterized in that the accommodating section for ejecting the sheet is determined based on the identification code indicating the accommodating section for ejecting the sheet.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the identification code is used to identify each accommodating unit belonging to the group of accommodating units used for ejecting sheets in the mailbox mode in the physical arrangement order of each accommodating unit. The ejection control unit determines the accommodating section that ejects the sheet based on the identification code that indicates the accommodating section that should eject the sheet. Thus, as an example, a large number of storage units are arranged along the predetermined direction, and the "second storage unit of a group of storage units used for discharging paper in the mailbox mode" is designated as the discharge destination. Then, in the case where the third, fourth, and sixth accommodating units of the plurality of accommodating units along the predetermined direction are groups of accommodating units used for ejecting sheets in the mailbox mode,
Of the plurality of storage units, the fourth storage unit along the predetermined direction is determined as the discharge destination.

As described above, according to the invention of claim 3, it is not necessary for the user to confirm in advance which storage unit is allocated for ejecting the sheet in the mailbox mode, and the above-mentioned identification code is used. Since the paper is automatically discharged to the corresponding storage unit among the storage units assigned for the discharge of the paper in the mailbox mode by specifying the discharge destination by using the It is possible to further reduce the burden on the user when performing a job for ejecting paper in the mailbox mode.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a printer 10 as a printing apparatus according to the present invention. The printer 10 includes a recording unit 14 that records an image on a sheet 12,
An image supply unit 16 that controls the operation of the recording unit 14 and the like is provided. The recording unit 14 and the image supply unit 16 operate when a predetermined DC or AC power is supplied from a power supply unit 18 connected to a commercial power supply (not shown).

The recording unit 14 is composed of a laser beam printer or the like, and various operation command signals 20 and an image signal 22 representing image data to be recorded are input from the image supply unit 16. Then, an image is recorded on one side or both sides of the sheet 12 according to the input image signal 22, and the sheet 12 on which the image is recorded is discharged to the outside. In addition, the recording unit 14 includes a status signal 24 indicating the status of each unit (for example, the size of a sheet accommodated in a cassette tray (not shown), whether or not the fixing unit (not shown) has reached the fixing temperature), and the image supply unit 1.
6, the synchronizing pulse 26 for synchronizing with the image supplying section 16
Output to

As shown in FIG. 4, the front surface of the main body of the printer 10 is provided with a plurality of keys for the operator to input commands and the like, and a display section for visually confirming the processing status. An operation panel 28 is provided. The operation panel 28 is connected to the image supply unit 16, and an instruction input by an operator operating a key of the operation panel 28 is input from the operation panel 28 to the image supply unit 16 as an instruction signal 30. Further, the image supply unit 16 outputs a response to the instruction signal 30 and an instruction signal 32 indicating information to be displayed on the display unit to the operation panel 28. A liquid crystal display (LCD), an LED, or the like can be used as the display unit.

Further, the printer 10 is configured so that a host such as a personal computer or a workstation can input print information to be output to the printer 10 in a plurality of systems when the printer 10 requests the printer 10 for printing. FIG. 1 shows an example in which print information can be input in two systems, and a host interface (I / F) terminal 34 and a network interface (I / F) terminal 36 are provided as terminals for inputting print information. Two terminals are provided. The print information is composed of text data, image data (bitmap data), vector data, and the like, which indicates the content of the document to be printed, the number of pages of the document to be printed, the number of copies, and the paper 12 to be printed. Job control data representing various specifications regarding printing such as size and discharge mode (corresponding to the discharge mode of the present invention),
It is comprised including.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a schematic configuration of the host with reference numeral 94. The host 94 is the CPU 94A,
It has a ROM 94B, a RAM 94C and an input / output port 94D, which are connected to each other via a bus. The input / output port 94D is connected to an external device such as a display 94E for displaying various kinds of information, a keyboard 94F for inputting various kinds of information, and the printer 10, directly or via a network, and controls communication with the outside. The control unit 94G is connected.

The host I / F terminal 34 is a terminal used when the printer 10 and the host are connected via a communication cable, and print information is input from a host such as a personal computer via a dedicated cable. Used in cases such as when Also, the network I / F terminal 3
6 is a printer 1 in a network in which a plurality of hosts such as personal computers and workstations are connected.
This is a terminal used when 0 is connected. Examples of networks connectable via the network I / F terminal 36 include a digital network such as ISDN and a LAN such as Ethernet. Network I /
When connected to the network via the F terminal 36,
Print information may be input from each of a plurality of hosts connected to the network.

As described above, the printer 10 has the host I / F.
There is a possibility that printing information may be input by requesting printing from a host such as various personal computers or workstations via the terminal 34 or the network I / F terminal 36. The content of the job control data included in the print information output from various hosts is not necessarily unified. For example, in a certain host, the size of the paper 12 and the size of characters can be finely specified by the job control data. On the other hand, another host may not be able to perform the above-mentioned designation depending on the job control data.

In consideration of the above case, the printer 10
Various input commands can be input via the operation panel 28. The operation panel 28 outputs various input commands to the image supply unit 16 as an instruction signal 30. Also, when various instructions are input as job control data from the host, it is possible to input various instructions separately via the operation panel 28. In this case, it is possible to always give priority to the instruction input from the host as job control data via the communication line, or to always give priority to the instruction input via the operation panel 28, and to input later in time. It is also possible to give priority to the given instruction. Further, various designations relating to printing may be preset and stored as defaults, and for example, among the various designations relating to printing, items not particularly designated may be printed using default values.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image supply unit 16 includes a CPU 40 that plays a central role in various controls.
The CPU 40 is connected to the system bus 42. A panel interface (I / F) circuit 44 is connected to the system bus 42. The panel I / F circuit 44 is a circuit for interfacing with the operation panel 28,
When the instruction signal 30 is input from the operation panel 28, the panel I / F circuit 44 outputs instruction information corresponding to the instruction signal 30, and the output instruction information is the system bus 42.
Transferred on. Further, the instruction information for displaying the predetermined information on the display of the operation panel 28 is transferred to the panel I / F circuit 44 via the system bus 42, and the panel I / F circuit 44 outputs the instruction signal 32 as an instruction signal 32.
8 is output.

The system bus 42 has a host interface (I / F) circuit 46 and a non-volatile memory device (NVM:
Non-Volatile Memory) 48 is connected. Host I
The / F circuit 46 is connected to the host I / F terminal 34 and the network I / F terminal 36, and the host I / F terminal 3
4 and the print information input via the network I / F terminal 36 are received according to the RS232C standard, the Centronics interface, or the like. The NVM 48 is a storage device backed up by a battery (not shown), and can retain stored data even when the power of the printer 10 main body is turned off.

A RAM 50 is connected to the system bus 42. The RAM 50 is a working memory, and a part of its storage area is used as a work memory 50A for temporarily storing data and the like necessary for performing various controls of the printer 10, and other storage areas. Is used as a reception buffer 50B for temporarily storing data and the like input via the host I / F circuit 46, and another part of the storage area is recorded on the paper 12.
It is used as a page buffer 50C for storing bit map data for pages.

A program memory 52 and a character pattern memory 54 are also connected to the system bus 42. The program memory 52 is a non-volatile memory,
Various programs for controlling the printer 10 are stored. The character pattern memory 54 is also a non-volatile memory, and stores a large number of types of font data (character pattern data) used for printing.

A recording interface (I / F) circuit 58 and a bitmap controller 60 are connected to the system bus 42. The recording unit I / F circuit 58 is
The image data stored in the page buffer 50C is sequentially read to generate the image signal 22, and the generated image signal 22 is output to the recording unit 14. Further, the status signal 24, the synchronization pulse 26, and the operation command signal 20 (see FIG. 1) are transmitted to and received from the recording unit 14 via the recording unit I / F circuit 58. The bitmap controller 60 is connected to the page buffer 50C and the recording unit I / F circuit 58, respectively, and controls the transfer of image data between the page buffer 50C and the recording unit I / F circuit 58.

Since the printer 10 can be connected to various hosts as described above, when a program or character pattern corresponding to various job control data and print data sent from various hosts is required. There is.
For this reason, the printer 10 uses the IC card format or SIMM.
A program memory 62 and a character pattern memory 64, which are ROM type ROMs, are detachable. A plurality of types of the program memory 62 and the character pattern memory 64 are prepared in advance according to the type of the host to be connected or in order to realize the special function required by the operator.
It is designed to be selectively attached and used depending on the situation.

Further, the printer 10 can be expanded with host I / F terminals. When a new host interface is required due to the addition of host I / F terminals, the host I / F circuit 66 is added according to the requested host interface (for example, Centronics interface or Ethernet). . Further, the printer 10
The hard disk 68 can be added if necessary. The hard disk 68 is used for adding character patterns, saving form data and logo data, saving data input from the host computer, and the like.

Next, the structure of the recording unit 14 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the recording unit 14 includes a recording control unit 72. The recording control unit 72 includes the image supply unit 16 and the paper feeding unit 7.
4, connected to the printing unit 76 and the paper discharge unit 78,
The operation command signal 20, the image signal 22, the status signal 24, and the synchronization pulse 26 described above are transmitted to and received from the image supply unit 16, and the operations of the paper feed unit 74, the print unit 76, and the paper discharge unit 78 are controlled.

As shown in FIG. 4, the printer 10 is provided with a plurality of trays 80A, 80B, 80C, 80D, and each tray accommodates a paper 12 of a different size. . Further, on the side surface (left side surface in FIG. 4) of the printer 10, there is also provided a manual feed tray 86 on which various size sheets can be set. Paper feeder 7
4 detects the size of the paper set in each of the trays 80A to 80D and the manual feed tray 86, and when the feeding of the paper 12 of the predetermined size is instructed, the predetermined tray in which the paper of the predetermined size is set Remove the paper 12 from the
It is supplied to the printing unit 76.

The image signal 22 output from the image supply unit 16 is input to the printing unit 76 via the recording control unit 72. The printing unit 76 uses the paper 12 supplied from the paper feeding unit 74.
On the other hand, an image is recorded by a known electrophotographic method based on the input image signal 22, and the paper 12 on which the image is recorded is discharged to the paper discharge unit 78. The printing unit 76 corresponds to the recording means of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the printer 1
In No. 0, the face-down tray 82 is provided on the upper surface of the main body, and the face-up tray 83 is provided on the side of the main body. Further, on the upper side of the face-down tray 82, a paper discharge bin 84 is provided along the vertical direction. A plurality (for example, 10) of (equivalent to the accommodating portion of the present invention) are arranged.

In the present embodiment, as a discharge mode when discharging a sheet on which an image is recorded, the same number of discharge bins 84 as the designated number of print copies are used as a sorter, and the print results are arranged in an order corresponding to so-called collation. A paper output bin 8 in which a sorter mode for discharging a part of the paper to each paper output bin 84 and a print result are designated
A mail box mode for discharging to 4 is provided.
The discharge mode and the discharge destination of the print result when the discharge mode is the mailbox mode are designated by the job control information included in the print information received from the host or the job control information input through the operation panel 28. It is possible.

Further, in the present embodiment, each of the paper discharge bins 84 is used only for either paper discharge in the sorter mode or paper discharge in the mailbox mode. As an example, as shown in FIG. 5, whether each of the discharge bins 84 is used for discharging the paper in the sorter mode or for discharging the paper in the mailbox mode is determined by the discharge bin management information. There is. This delivery bin management information is N
The contents are stored in the VM 48 (corresponding to the storage means of the present invention) and the contents can be changed by operating the operation panel 28 (in which mode each of the discharge bins 84 is used for discharging the paper). Can be changed by the user).

Further, in this embodiment, a plurality of output bins 84
In order to identify each of the above, as shown in FIG. 5, a bin number is fixedly assigned to each paper discharge bin 84. The bin number assigned to each output bin 84 is
Indicates the number of the discharge bin from the upper side in the vertical direction, and corresponds to the absolute address of each discharge bin 84.

In addition to the bin number, a mailbox number is also given to each of the discharge bins 84 used for discharging sheets in the mailbox mode. The mailbox number is the number of the discharge bin 84 from the upper side in the vertical direction in the group of discharge bins 84 used to discharge the paper in the mailbox mode (each discharge bin belonging to the group). The physical arrangement order of the paper bin 84 is shown. This mailbox number corresponds to the identification code described in claim 3, and is associated with the bin number of the discharge bin 84 used for discharging the paper in the mailbox mode, and is sent to the NVM 48 as the discharge bin management information. Remembered

As described above, the discharge bin 84 used for discharging sheets in the mailbox mode can be changed by operating the operation panel 28 or the like, and the discharge bin 84 used for discharging sheets in the mailbox mode can be changed. When changed, the previous mailbox number is automatically changed and set. Therefore, the mailbox number represents the logical address of the discharge bin 84 used for discharging the paper in the mailbox mode. When the mailbox mode is used as the discharge mode, the discharge bin 84 as the discharge destination of the print result is designated by the above-mentioned bin number or mailbox number.

In response to an instruction from the recording control unit 72, the paper discharge unit 78 transfers the paper 12 discharged from the printing unit 76 to any one of the face-down tray 82, the face-up tray 83, and a plurality of paper discharge bins 84. Discharge. The paper discharge unit 78 corresponds to the discharge means of the present invention.

Next, as an operation of the first embodiment, referring first to the flowchart of FIG. 6, the CPU 4 of the printer 10 will be described.
The reception process executed at 0 will be described. It should be noted that when the printer 10 is powered on, this reception process is performed by CP.
It is repeatedly executed in U40. In step 100, it is determined whether or not some data such as print information is received from the host via the host I / F terminal 34 or the network I / F terminal 36, and the process waits until the determination is affirmed.

For example, when the user operating the host needs to print out the processing result and the like in the host, various designations such as the number of copies to be printed, the size of the paper, the ejection mode (ejection mode), etc. can be performed. The host is instructed to send print data to the printer 10. As a result, the host generates job control data based on the above various designations, and sends the job control data and print data representing an image to be printed to the printer 10 as print information.

The print information or the like transmitted from the host as described above is transferred to the host I / F terminal 34 or the network I.
When it is received by the host I / F circuit 46 or the host I / F circuit 66 via the / F terminal 36, the process proceeds to step 102, the received data is transferred to the reception buffer 50B, and stored in the reception buffer 50B. In the next step 104, the data analysis / printing process is activated only when the data analysis / printing process is not being executed, and the process returns to step 100.

Next, referring to the flow chart of FIG.
The data analysis / printing process executed in U40 will be described. The data analysis / printing process is executed when the power of the printer 10 is turned on and when it is activated by the previous receiving process.

In step 110, the reception buffer 50B
It is determined whether or not received data is stored in. When the data analysis / printing process is activated by the previous receiving process, this determination is always affirmed, but when the determination is denied when the data analysis / printing process is activated by turning on the power of the printer 10, for example. Can also occur. If the determination is negative, the process ends. On the other hand, if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 114 and the reception buffer 5
It is again determined whether the received data is stored in 0B.

If the determination is positive, step 116.
Move to and perform data analysis processing. In this data analysis process, as will be described in detail later, a predetermined length of data is extracted from the reception buffer 50B and the content is analyzed. If the extracted data is print data, the print data is converted to bitmap data. Processing such as expansion into the page buffer 50C is performed.

When the data analysis processing in step 116 is completed, the process proceeds to step 118, and it is determined whether or not the data analysis for one page is completed. In this determination, the data analyzed by the data analysis process is
If the job control data means or indicates a line feed operation exceeding one page, or the reception buffer 50B
This is affirmative if, for example, the state in which no data is stored (the determination in step 114 is negative and the data analysis process in step 116 is not performed) continues for a predetermined time or longer. If the above determination is negative, the process moves to step 122 and it is determined whether or not the job is completed. If this determination is also denied, the process returns to step 114 and the data analysis process is repeated.

On the other hand, when it is judged that the data analysis for one page is completed and the judgment in step 118 is affirmed, the printing process is executed in step 120. In this printing process, as will be described later in detail, a tray (paper feeding tray) as a target for drawing out the paper 12 for recording an image is determined, and
The discharge destination of the paper 12 on which an image is about to be recorded is determined, the image is recorded on the paper 12 pulled out from the paper feed tray by using the bitmap data stored in the page buffer 50C, and the paper on which the image is recorded is recorded. Processing such as discharging 12 to the previously set discharge destination is performed.

When the printing process of step 120 is completed,
The process proceeds to step 122, and it is determined again whether or not the job is completed. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 114. Therefore, step 116 is repeated until the data analysis processing is performed on all the received data, and the print processing of step 120 is repeated each time the data analysis processing for one page is completed until the job is completed. It will be.

Next, details of the data analysis processing performed in step 116 of the data analysis / print processing shown in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step 130, the reception data of a predetermined length (for example, 1 byte or more) is received from the reception buffer 50B. In step 132, it is determined whether the fetched data is print data or job control data. If the fetched data is print data, the process proceeds to step 134, the fetched print data is expanded in the page buffer 50A as bitmap data, and the process is ended.

If the fetched data is the job control data in step 132, the process proceeds to step 136, and it is determined whether the fetched job control data is the data designating the discharge mode. . If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 138, and if the data specifies the paper size, for example, the paper size specified by the data is stored in the RAM 50. Predetermined processing is performed according to the contents of.

When the determination at step 136 is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 140, where the designated discharge mode is the sorter mode, the mailbox mode, or another mode (for example, based on the fetched job control data). It is determined whether it is a mode in which paper is discharged to a standard tray such as the face-down tray 82 or the face-up tray 83). This step 140 corresponds to the discharge form determination means of the present invention.

If the designated discharge mode is the sorter mode, the routine proceeds to step 142, where the NVM 48
The discharge bin management information is fetched from the discharge bin management information, and a discharge bin 84 defined as a discharge bin to be used for discharging sheets in the sorter mode on the fetched discharge bin management information (the discharge bin 84 usable as a sorter) ) Bin number. In the next step 144, the output bin 8 usable as a sorter
4 is equal to or more than the designated number of prints.

In this step 144, all the discharge bins 84 defined as the discharge bins used for discharging the sheets in the sorter mode in the discharge bin management information can be used as the sorters. A bin may be used, or a discharge bin currently in an empty state among the discharge bins defined as the discharge bins used for discharging the sheets in the sorter mode (whether or not the empty state is described in the second embodiment. (Which can be detected by the sensor 88, etc.) of the above) may be determined as a discharge bin that can be used as a sorter.

When the determination in step 144 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 146, and among the discharge bins 84 usable as the sorter, the discharge bins 84 having the same number as the designated number of print copies are set as the discharge destinations of the paper. Set and end the process.
If the determination is negative, the number of discharge bins that can be used as a sorter is insufficient, so in step 148 the discharge bins 84 that can be used as a sorter or the standard tray (face down tray 82 or face up tray). The tray 83) is set as the discharge destination, the electronic sort mode is turned on, and the process ends.

If the designated discharge mode is the mailbox mode, the process proceeds from step 140 to step 150, and it is determined whether the discharge destination of the print result is designated by the bin number. This determination is denied because the discharge destination of the print result is designated by the mailbox number, so in step 152, the discharge bin management information is fetched from the NVM 48 and based on the fetched discharge bin management information. Then, the bin number of the discharge bin 84 corresponding to the designated mailbox number is determined. Then, in step 156, the determined bin number is set as the bin number of the discharge bin 84 of the discharge destination, and the process ends.

Compared to the case where the discharge destination is specified by the bin number, when the discharge destination is specified by the mailbox number, which discharge bin 84 is set in the mailbox mode when the print information is transmitted from the host. Since it is not necessary for the user to confirm in advance whether or not the paper is to be ejected, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user when making various print-related designations when transmitting print information from the host.

On the other hand, when the determination in step 150 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 154, and the discharge bin management information is fetched from the NVM 48, and the designated bin number is discharged based on the fetched discharge bin management information. It is determined whether or not the paper bin 84 is a paper discharge bin 84 defined as a paper discharge bin used for paper discharge in the mailbox mode (paper discharge bin 84 usable as a mailbox). When the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 156, the designated bin number is set as the bin number of the discharge bin 84 of the discharge destination, and the process ends.

When the determination in step 154 is negative, the discharge bin 84 of the designated bin number is the discharge bin 84 in which the discharge of the paper in the mailbox mode is prohibited.
Therefore, the process proceeds to step 158, the standard tray (face-down tray 82 or face-up tray 83) is set as the discharge destination, and the process ends. Also, in step 140, when the designated discharge mode is any mode other than the sorter mode and the mailbox mode, the process proceeds to step 158, the standard tray is set as the discharge destination, and the process ends. .

As described above, each of the plurality of paper discharge bins 84 is
Paper ejection in sorter mode based on bin management information,
Also, the discharge destination is set so that it is used only for either discharge of the sheet in the mailbox mode.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
The details of the print processing performed in step 120 of the data analysis / print processing shown in FIG. Step 170
Then, the RAM 50 specified by the job control data
The tray to be used as the paper feed tray is determined based on the paper size stored in. In step 172, the discharge destination of the sheet 12 from which an image is to be recorded and discharged is determined based on the bin number of the discharge bin 84 and the discharge mode set as the discharge destination in the data analysis process described above.

In step 172, when the ejection mode is the mailbox mode, the ejection bin 84 having a constant bin number (the bin number set as the ejection destination in the data analysis process) is always maintained until the job is completed. Is determined as the discharge destination, and if the standard tray is set as the discharge destination in the data analysis processing, the standard tray is always determined as the discharge destination until the job is completed. If the discharge mode is the sorter mode and a plurality of discharge bins 84 are set as the discharge destinations, the paper feed / recording / discharge processes of the following steps 174 to 178 are performed a plurality of times, and the same page An image is recorded on each of a plurality of sheets of paper 12. In this case, step 1
A plurality of paper discharge bins 8 set as discharge destinations at 72
Based on 4, the discharge destination in each treatment is determined.

In the next step 174, the previous step 1
Paper 1 from tray 80 that was determined as the paper feed tray in 70
2 is pulled out, and the sheet feeding unit 74 is controlled so that the pulled-out sheet 12 is conveyed to the printing unit 76. Next Step 1
At 76, the bitmap data stored in the page buffer 50C is output to the recording unit 14 to instruct the recording of the image on the paper 12. As a result, in the recording unit 14, the printing unit 76 records the image.

In step 178, the paper discharge unit 78 is controlled so that the paper 12 on which the image is recorded by the printing unit 76 is discharged to the discharge destination determined in the previous step 172. This step 178 corresponds to the emission control means of the present invention together with the above-mentioned step 172 and the processing after step 140 of the data analysis processing of FIG. Further, step 152 of the data analysis process of FIG. 8 corresponds to the discharge control means according to claim 3 in more detail.

The processing of steps 174 to 178 is as follows.
When the discharge mode is the sorter mode and a plurality of discharge bins 84 are set as discharge destinations, the process is repeated a plurality of times as described above. When the processes of steps 174 to 178 are completed, the bitmap data of the predetermined page used for image recording is normally erased from the page buffer 50C. However, when the electronic sort mode is on, the images of the respective pages are arranged in the order of page numbers. Since the recording on the paper 12 is repeated for the specified number of prints, the pages of the bitmap data of each page are recorded until the image on each page is recorded on the paper 12 for the specified number of prints. It does not erase from the buffer 50C.

By repeating the above processing until the job is completed, the discharge mode desired by the user or a discharge mode close to the discharge mode desired by the user (even if the sorter mode is specified as the discharge mode) If the number of output bins 84 that can be used as a sorter is insufficient:
In this case, the electronic sort mode is turned on) and the paper 12 is discharged.

Since each of the plurality of paper discharge bins 84 is used only for discharging paper in the sorter mode and paper in the mailbox mode, the paper is discharged into the single paper discharge bin 84. Paper 12 with different discharge modes
Does not exist, and when the paper 12 is taken out from the paper discharge bin 84, the user does not have to perform the work of sorting the paper for each discharge mode, so the burden on the user is reduced.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the second embodiment, each discharge bin 84 is provided with a sensor 88 (detection means) for detecting the presence / absence of paper on each discharge bin 84. The sensor 88 is composed of a pair of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and is a non-contact type sensor that optically detects the presence or absence of a sheet, or the sheet when the sheet is present on the discharge bin 84. It is possible to apply a contact type sensor such as a limit switch whose output is switched by the contact of the. Although not shown, the sensor 88 is connected to the recording control unit 72, and the detection result of the sensor 88 is the recording control unit 7.
The image is output to the image supply unit 16 via 2.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the same processing as the processing described in the first embodiment is performed, but in the data analysis processing (see FIG. 8),
In addition to the setting of the discharge destination, the information indicating the usage status of the sorter mode and the mailbox mode is updated, and the updated information is stored in the NVM 48 or the like.

The information indicating the usage status of the sorter mode and the mailbox mode includes, for example, the number of jobs for which the sorter mode is designated as the discharge mode and the number of jobs for which the mailbox mode is designated as the discharge mode, and the sort mode. Although the number of sheets to be discharged to each of the discharge bin 84 for discharging paper and the discharge bin 84 for discharging paper in the mailbox mode and the sorter mode as the discharge mode are specified, A situation where the number of output bins 84 that can be used as a sorter is insufficient (when the determination in step 148 in FIG. 8 is negative)
And the number of paper discharge bins 84 insufficiency in that case.

Further, in the second embodiment, the paper discharge bin allocation examination process shown in FIG. 11 is executed every predetermined time.
Hereinafter, the paper discharge bin allocation examination process will be described with reference to FIG. Note that this processing corresponds to the changing means described in claim 2.

In step 200, it is determined whether or not the timing for totalizing the usage statuses of the sorter mode and the mailbox mode has arrived. This determination is affirmed every fixed period or every time a fixed number of jobs are processed. When the determination in step 200 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 202, and the usage statuses of the sorter mode and the mailbox mode are totalized based on the information representing the usage statuses of the sorter mode and the mailbox mode stored in the NVM 48 and the like.

At the next step 204, it is determined whether the number of the paper discharge bins 84 currently assigned to the sorter mode and the mailbox mode is appropriate based on the result of the counting at step 202. If the determination is affirmative, the process is terminated, but, for example, compared with the ratio of the number of output bins 84 assigned for the sorter mode to the number of output bins 84 assigned for the mailbox mode. Therefore, if the usage rate of each mode is largely biased to one mode, or if the sorter mode is specified but the number of output bins is insufficient, switching to electronic sort discharge is more than a predetermined frequency. If the number of the paper discharge bins 84 allocated for each mode is not appropriate, the process proceeds to step 206.

In step 206, it is determined whether the discharge mode in which the number of paper discharge bins 84 to be allocated should be increased is the sorter mode or the mailbox mode. When it is determined that the discharge mode in which the number of paper discharge bins 84 to be allocated should be increased is the mailbox mode, the detection result of the sensor 88 is fetched in step 208 and is currently allocated for paper discharge in the sorter mode. It is determined whether or not the empty discharge bin 84 exists.

If the determination is positive, step 210
So that the empty paper discharge bin 84 currently allocated for paper discharge in the sorter mode will be used for paper discharge in the mailbox mode in the future.
The bin management information stored in the NVM 48 is updated.
As a result, the number of paper discharge bins 84 used for paper discharge in the mailbox mode is increased. Further, in step 208, the empty discharge bin 84 currently allocated for discharging the paper in the sorter mode is used.
Is not present, the information indicating that it is in the state of waiting for the change of the allocation of the paper discharge bin 84 is N
The data is stored in the VM 48 and the like, and the process is temporarily terminated.

On the other hand, in step 206, the discharge bin 8
When it is determined that the discharge mode for which the allocation number of 4 is to be increased is the sorter mode, the detection result by the sensor 88 is fetched in step 212, and the discharge sheet currently allocated for discharging the sheet in the mailbox mode is discharged. Bottle 8
Of the four, it is determined whether or not there is an empty discharge bin 84.

If the determination is positive, step 212
So that the empty discharge bin 84 currently allocated for discharging the paper in the mailbox mode can be used for discharging the paper in the sorter mode in the future.
The bin management information stored in the NVM 48 is updated.
As a result, the number of paper discharge bins 84 used for paper discharge in the sorter mode is increased. Further, in step 212, the empty discharge bin 84 currently allocated for discharging the paper in the mailbox mode.
Is not present, the information indicating that it is in the state of waiting for the change of the allocation of the paper discharge bin 84 is N
The data is stored in the VM 48 and the like, and the process is temporarily terminated.

If the timing of totaling the usage status has not come, the determination at step 200 is denied and the routine proceeds to step 216. In step 216, it is determined whether or not the allocation change is on standby. If the determination is negative, the process ends, but if the NVM 48 or the like stores information indicating that it is in a state of waiting for a change in the allocation of the discharge bins 84, the usage status is previously determined. Although it was determined that the number of the output bins 84 allocated for each mode was not appropriate when the counting timing of (1) arrived, the number of allocation could not be changed because there was no empty output bin 84. This is the case (the determination at step 208 or step 212 is negative), so the determination at step 216 is affirmative and the routine proceeds to step 206, and the processing at step 206 and subsequent steps described above is repeated.

Since this discharge bin allocation examination process is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals, the discharge bin 84 in the empty state
Even if you can not change the number of allocation because there is no
When the paper discharge bin 84 of the allocation change target becomes empty, the allocation of the paper discharge bin 84 is changed.

As described above, in the second embodiment, it is periodically determined whether or not the number of the discharge bins 84 assigned to each mode is appropriate based on the usage status of each of the sorter mode and the mailbox mode. If it is determined to be not appropriate, the number of the discharge bins 84 assigned to each mode is changed according to the usage status of each of the sorter mode and the mailbox mode, so a plurality of discharge bins 84 are provided. The paper discharge bin 84 can be effectively used.

In the above description, the discharge form determination means determines the discharge form based on the input job control data, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the discharge mode can be set by the user. Instead of specifying, the sorter mode is set when multiple copies are instructed, and the mailbox mode is set when printing is requested by a specific user. The form may be determined and set.

In the above description, the user is allowed to specify the bin number as the discharge destination in the mailbox mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of allowing the user to specify the bin number as the discharge destination. Alternatively, the discharge bin as the discharge destination may be determined based on the bin number set by default for each user or each group of users. Claim 1 of the present invention
Includes the embodiments as described above.

Further, although an example in which the present invention is applied to a so-called printer that prints processing results in a host has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a facsimile machine, a copying machine, or the like. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to a multi-function peripheral having a function as a printer, a function as a facsimile device, and a function as a copying machine.

[0091]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is stored whether each of the plurality of accommodating units is used for ejecting the sheet in the sorter mode or for ejecting the sheet in the mailbox mode. Then, determine whether the discharge mode desired by the user is the sorter mode or the mailbox mode,
Since the accommodating section that can be used to eject the sheet in the determined ejection mode is determined to determine the accommodating section that ejects the sheet, the sheet on which the image is recorded is controlled to be ejected to the determined accommodating section. It has an excellent effect that the paper can be discharged so as to meet various user's demands regarding the paper discharge, and the user's burden at the time of taking out the paper can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, it is determined whether each of the plurality of storage units is used for ejecting sheets in the sorter mode or for ejecting sheets in the mailbox mode. Since the change is made according to the usage status of the sorter mode and the mailbox mode, in addition to the above effect, there is an effect that a large number of accommodating units can be effectively used.

The invention according to claim 3 is used for ejecting a sheet in the mailbox mode when the ejection mode desired by the user is the mailbox mode in the invention of claim 1 or 2. Of the storage units that belong to the group of storage units, the storage unit to which the paper is to be discharged is designated by the identification code that represents the physical arrangement order of the storage units, and the identification code that indicates the storage unit that should discharge the paper. In addition to the above effects, it is possible to further reduce the user's burden when performing a job to eject the paper in the mailbox mode, because the storage unit for ejecting the paper is determined based on Have.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printer according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image supply unit.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a recording unit.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the external appearance of the printer.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of contents of discharge bin management information.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a data reception process.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a data analysis / printing process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a data analysis process.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating print processing.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing the outer appearance of the printer according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a paper discharge bin allocation examination process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Printer 12 Paper 40 CPU 48 NVM 76 Printing Unit 78 Paper Ejection Unit 84 Ejection Bin

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Taiichi Furukawa, 3-7-1, Fuchu, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture Fuji Zerox Co., Ltd., Iwatsuki Plant (72) Kenji Kawana 3--7, Fuchu, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture No. 1 Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. in Iwatsuki Works (72) Inventor Seiichi Yoshinobu 3-7-1, Fuchu, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. in Iwatsuki Works (72) Inventor Yoshinori Gunji 3-chome, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture 7-1 Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Iwatsuki Plant

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A recording unit for recording an image on a sheet based on input data, a plurality of storage units for storing the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording unit, and an image recorded by the recording unit. The ejecting means for ejecting the specified sheet to the designated accommodating section and the ejecting mode desired by the user are a sorter mode in which a plurality of sheets on which an image is recorded are ejected separately into a plurality of accommodating sections, Ejection mode determining means for determining whether the paper on which an image is recorded is ejected to a specific storage unit, and whether each of the plurality of storage units is used to eject the paper in the sorter mode, A storage unit that stores information indicating whether to use the sheet in the box mode, and a discharge type determined by the discharge mode determination unit based on the information stored in the storage unit. The storage unit that can be used to discharge the paper is determined to determine the storage unit that discharges the paper, and the discharge unit is configured to discharge the paper on which the image is recorded by the recording unit to the determined storage unit. A printing apparatus including: a discharge control unit that controls the discharge control unit. 2. The usage status of the sorter mode and the mailbox mode is determined by whether each of the plurality of storage units is used for discharging the paper in the sorter mode or for discharging the paper in the mailbox mode. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a changing unit that changes according to the above. 3. When the discharge mode desired by the user is a mailbox mode, each storage unit belonging to a group of storage units used for discharging a sheet in the mailbox mode is a physical unit of each storage unit. The storage units for ejecting the papers are designated by the identification codes respectively expressed in the general arrangement order, and the ejection control unit determines the storage units for ejecting the papers based on the identification codes representing the storage units for ejecting the papers. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the printing apparatus determines.