JPH10271268A - Picture processing method and picture processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To interrupt a job itself without losing picture data preserved in a recording medium when the printing work of paper jamming is in the middle of interruption by permitting a job interruption/resumption means to interrupt and resume the job using a jam recovery means. SOLUTION: CPU 204a reads a control program stored in ROM 204b and executes a processing in accordance with the control program. When printing work is stopped and it is abnormal stop, a message showing the type of abnormality is displayed on the message display part of an operation part. When the type for stopping printing work can be recovered, the message urging the interruption of the job or not is displayed on the message display part. When the job is not interrupted, printing work is executed again after a recovery processing is executed. When the job is to be interrupted, the present operation state of the job and job interruption ID are stored in RAM 204.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image processing method and apparatus for processing an image by a digital copying machine or the like having an image data storage function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of image processing apparatus,
By reading an image of a document to be printed and storing the read image data in a storage medium such as a hard disk or a magneto-optical disk (MO), image data can be saved, edited, and data on a plurality of sheets can be sorted. Also, a function is known in which even if a trouble occurs during printing, printing can be restarted by reading image data stored in the storage medium without reading the original again.

[0003]

In a conventional image processing apparatus having image storage means, when a printing operation is interrupted due to a paper jam or the like, the image data stored in the storage medium is used. By restarting the printing operation, the 2
In some cases, a printing operation can be performed without performing a reading or the like.

However, if a paper jam cannot be dealt with immediately, for example, when a paper jam occurs during reading of a document and the document is damaged, a substitute document must be created. In such a case, there is a problem in that the image processing apparatus is suspended in the printing operation forever and the image processing apparatus cannot be used effectively.

Further, when it is necessary to immediately give up the image processing apparatus to a third party, the job is terminated without restarting the printing operation (for example, when the power is turned off or the stop switch is pressed). In such a case, there is a problem in that the job must be started again from the beginning because the image data stored in the storage medium is lost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a method for interrupting a printing operation such as a paper jam. The job itself can be interrupted without losing the image data stored in the storage medium, so that the image processing device can be handed over to a third party, and the interrupted job can be resumed at any time. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing method and an image processing apparatus capable of effectively utilizing the image processing apparatus.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method comprising: an image reading step of reading an image of a document by an image reading means; An image storing step of storing the image stored in the storage medium by the image storage unit, an image processing step of reading the image stored in the storage medium by the image storage unit and performing image processing by the image processing unit, and a jam recovery unit by the jam recovery unit. The method includes a jam recovery step of performing recovery, and a job interruption / resumption step of interrupting and resuming a job using the jam recovery unit by a job interruption / resumption unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method according to the first aspect, wherein image data and control data are externally input by an interface means. Features.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method according to the first aspect, wherein the image processing means is a printer for printing an image. Recovery is a function that can resume a printing operation using an image stored by the image storage unit or the like without rereading an image of a document even if a paper jam or the like occurs during printing by the image processing unit. The job is shown from the beginning to the end of the operation of processing an image using the jam recovery unit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method according to the first aspect, wherein the image reading means comprises a lens, a CCD,
It is characterized by comprising an image sensor and an analog signal processing unit.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method according to the first aspect, wherein the storage medium is a hard disk.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method according to the first aspect, wherein the storage medium is a magneto-optical disk. .

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method according to the third aspect, wherein the printing operation is performed by a third party. Features.

In order to achieve the first object, an image processing method according to claim 8 is the image processing method according to claim 3, wherein the printing operation is performed by an external computer. And

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus, comprising: an image reading unit for reading an image of a document; and an image storing the image read by the image reading unit on a storage medium. Storage means, image processing means for reading an image stored in a storage medium by the image storage means and performing image processing, jam recovery means for recovering jam, and a job for interrupting and resuming a job using the jam recovery means And suspending / resuming means.

In order to achieve the first object, the image processing apparatus according to the present invention has an interface means for inputting image data and control data from the outside. It is characterized by the following.

In order to achieve the first object, an image processing apparatus according to claim 11 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image processing means is a printer for printing an image. Recovery is a function that can resume a printing operation using an image stored by the image storage unit or the like without rereading an image of a document even if a paper jam or the like occurs during printing by the image processing unit. The job is shown from the beginning to the end of the operation of processing an image using the jam recovery unit.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, wherein the image reading means comprises a lens, a CCD,
It is characterized by comprising an image sensor and an analog signal processing unit.

In order to achieve the first object, an image processing apparatus according to claim 13 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the storage medium is a hard disk.

In order to achieve the first object, an image processing apparatus according to claim 14 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the storage medium is a magneto-optical disk. .

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the printing operation is performed by a third party. Features.

In order to achieve the first object, an image processing apparatus according to claim 16 is the image processing apparatus according to claims 9 to 14 or 15, wherein the image processing apparatus is a copying machine. It is characterized by.

In order to achieve the first object, an image processing apparatus according to claim 17 is the image processing apparatus according to claims 9 to 15 or 16, wherein the image processing apparatus is a digital copying machine. It is characterized by the following.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a digital copying machine which is an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a copying machine having a copying machine main body 2. A platen glass 3 serving as a document table is provided on the upper surface of the copying machine body 2.
Is provided. A scanner 4 as original reading means, reflection mirrors 5, 6, a lens 7, and a CCD image sensor 8 are provided inside the copier body 2 directly below the platen glass 3. The scanner 4 includes original illumination lamps 9a and 9b, a scanning mirror 10, and the like. Then, the scanner 4 is reciprocally scanned in a predetermined direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1) by a motor (not shown),
The reflected light of the document is imaged on the CCD image sensor 8 through the scanning mirror 10 and the reflecting mirrors 5 and 6 and through the lens 7.

An exposure controller 11 is provided inside the upper part of the copying machine main body 2. The exposure control unit 11 is composed of a laser, a polygon scanner, or the like, and is converted into an electric signal by the CCD image sensor 8 and modulated based on an image signal subjected to predetermined image processing described later.
Toward the photosensitive drum 15 via the reflection mirrors 13 and 14. Around the photosensitive drum 15, 1
A secondary charger 16, a developing device 17, a transfer device 18, a cleaning device 19, and a pre-exposure lamp 20 are provided. In the image forming section 21, the photosensitive drum 15 is rotated in the direction of the arrow (clockwise) in FIG. 1 by a motor (not shown), and is charged to a desired potential by the primary charger 16 and then exposed. Laser light 12 from control unit 11
Is irradiated to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 15. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 15 is developed by the developing device 17 and is visualized as a toner image.

On the other hand, the transfer paper fed by the pickup rollers 24 and 25 from the upper cassette 22 or the lower cassette 23 provided inside the lower part of the copying machine main body 2 is fed by the paper feed rollers 26 and 27 to the image forming section 21. Sent to the side,
The sheet is fed to the transfer belt 29 by the registration roller 28,
The visualized toner image is transferred to transfer paper by the transfer electric device 18. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 15 after the transfer is cleaned by the cleaning device 19, and the residual charge is erased by the pre-exposure lamp 20.

After the transfer, the transfer paper is separated from the transfer belt 29, and after the toner images are charged again by the pre-fixing chargers 30 and 31, the paper is sent to the fixing unit 32 where it is fixed by pressure and heat, and discharged. The paper is discharged to the outside of the copying machine main body 2 by the rollers 33.

Numeral 34 denotes an adsorption charger, which is a registration roller 28.
The transfer paper sent from the printer is attracted to the transfer belt 29. 35a and 35b are transfer belt rollers which are used to rotate the transfer belt 29 and at the same time
The transfer paper is attracted and charged to the transfer belt 29 in a pair.

At one end (right end in FIG. 1) of the copying machine main body 2, a paper deck 36 capable of absorbing 4000 sheets of transfer paper is provided. A lifter 37 is provided at a lower portion of the paper deck 36, and the lifter 37 is provided with a paper feed roller 38 provided at an upper portion of the deck 36.
Rises in accordance with the amount of transfer paper so that the transfer paper always contacts. Further, on the upper portion of the paper deck 36, there is provided a multi-hand feeding portion 39 capable of accommodating, for example, 100 transfer sheets.

Further, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 40 denotes a paper discharge flapper for switching the path between the double-side recording side or the multiple recording side and the paper discharge side. Then, the transfer paper sent from the paper discharge roller 33 is switched to a double-side recording side or a multiple recording side by the paper discharge flapper 40. Reference numeral 41 denotes a lower transport path, which reverses the transfer paper sent from the paper discharge roller 33 via the reversing path 42 and guides the transfer paper to the re-feed tray 43. Reference numeral 44 denotes a multiplex flapper for switching the path between double-sided recording and multiplex recording. The flapper 44 is tilted leftward in FIG. It has become. Reference numeral 45 denotes a paper feed roller for feeding transfer paper to the photosensitive drum 15 through a path 46. Reference numeral 47 denotes a discharge roller disposed near the discharge flapper 40, which discharges the transfer paper switched to the discharge side by the discharge flapper 40 to the outside of the copying machine main body 2. During double-sided recording (double-sided copying) or multiple recording (multiple copying), the discharge flapper 40 is tilted upward in FIG. 1 and the copied transfer paper is turned over via the lower transport path 41 and the reverse path 42. Is stored in the re-feed tray 43 again. At this time,
At the time of double-sided recording, the multiplex flapper 44 is tilted rightward in FIG. 1, and at the time of multiplex recording, the transfer sheets stored in the re-feed tray 43 are fed one by one from the sheet feed roller 4 from the bottom.
5 guides to the registration roller 28 via the path 46.

When the transfer paper is inverted and discharged to the outside of the copying machine main body 2, the discharge flapper 40 is tilted upward in FIG. 1, and the multiple flapper 44 is tilted rightward in FIG. After being conveyed to the reversing path 42 and the rear end of the transfer paper having passed through the first feed roller 48, the transfer paper is conveyed to the second feed roller 50 by the reversing roller 49,
The transfer paper is turned over by the discharge roller 47 and the copier body 2
To the outside of the

A recirculating automatic document feeder (RDF) 51 is provided above the platen glass 3 of the copying machine body 2. When reading a document, the circulating automatic document feeder 51 automatically circulates and feeds the document onto the platen glass 3. Further, an electronic sorter device 5 is provided at the other end (the left end in FIG. 1) of the copying machine main body 2.
2 are provided.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the digital copying machine shown in FIG. 2, reference numeral 200 denotes a document; 201, an image reading unit; 202, an electronic sorter unit (corresponding to the electronic sorter device 53 in FIG. 1); 203, a printer unit (corresponding to the image forming unit 21 in FIG. 1); Is C
PU circuit unit, 205 is an external I / F (interface)
It is a processing unit.

The image reading section 201 includes a lens 201a (FIG. 1).
CCD image sensor 201)
b (corresponding to the CCD image sensor 8 in FIG. 1) and an analog signal processing circuit 201c. The CPU circuit unit 204 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 204a,
M (read only memory) 204b and RAM (random access memory) 204c.

The image of the original 200 is
An image is formed on the CCD image sensor 201b via the first image sensor 1a, and is converted into an analog electric signal by the CCD image sensor 201b. The converted image information is subjected to analog / digital conversion (A
/ D conversion) processing, digitized, and subjected to shading correction processing (for example, correction processing for variations in the reading accuracy of the CCD image sensor 201b that reads the original 200 and the light distribution characteristics of the original illumination lamps 9a and 9b in FIG. 1) and After a scaling process or the like is performed, it is input to the electronic sorter unit 202.

The external I / F processing unit 205 develops image processing information input from an information processing device such as an external computer, and inputs the image processing information to the electronic sorter unit 202 as image data.

The electronic sorter unit 202 performs correction processing, smoothing processing, edge enhancement, and the like necessary for an output system such as γ correction.
Other processing and processing are performed and output to the printer unit 203.

The printer unit 203 includes an exposure control unit 11 composed of a laser or the like described with reference to FIG. 1, an image forming unit 21, a transfer paper transport control unit, and the like.
The image is recorded on the transfer paper according to the image signal input from Step 2.

The CPU circuit section 204 includes the image reading section 20
1. It controls the electronic sorter unit 202, the printer unit 203, and the like, and controls the sequence of the apparatus in a comprehensive manner.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic sorter unit 202 in FIG. In the figure, 301 is a log conversion unit, 302 is a binarization unit, 303 is a control unit,
04 is an image storage unit, 305 is a smoothing unit, and 306 is a γ correction unit.

The read image sent from the image reading unit 201 in FIG. 2 is input as black (black) luminance data and sent to the log conversion unit 301. log
The conversion unit 301 converts the input luminance data into density data by using an LUT (logical unit).
table: logical device table) is stored,
The luminance data is converted into density data by outputting a table value corresponding to the input data.

Thereafter, the density data is sent to the binarizing section 302, where the multi-level density data is binarized, and the density value becomes "0" or "255". The binarized 8-bit image data is converted into 1-bit image data of “0” or “1”, and the amount of image data stored in the memory is reduced.

However, when the image is binarized, the number of gradations of the image is changed from 256 to two. Therefore, image data having a large number of halftones such as a photographic image is generally degraded by binarization. Is remarkable. Therefore, it is necessary to perform pseudo halftone expression using binary data. Here, an error diffusion method is used as a method of simulating halftone expression using binary data. This method uses the "threshold"
If it is larger, it is assumed that the density data is "255",
If the density of the image data is smaller than a certain "threshold value", it is binarized as density data of "0", and the difference between the actual density data and the binarized data is used as an error signal. , A method of allocating to surrounding pixels. The distribution of the error is performed by multiplying a weight coefficient on a matrix prepared in advance by an error generated by the binarization and adding the multiplied error to surrounding pixels. As a result, the density average value of the entire image is stored, and the halftone is pseudo-
It can be represented by a value.

The binarized image data is sent to the control unit 303. Image data input from the external I / F processing unit 205 from an information processing device such as a computer is
Since the image data is processed as binary image data by the external I / F processing unit 205, it is sent to the control unit 303 as it is.

In the control unit 303, according to a command from the main body,
The image of the original to be copied is temporarily stored in the image storage unit 304, or image data is sequentially read from the image storage unit 304 and output.

The image storage unit 304 has a SCSI controller and a hard disk (memory), and writes image data to the hard disk according to a command from the SCSI controller. The plurality of image data stored on the hard disk are output in an order according to the editing mode specified by the operation unit of the digital copying machine. For example, in the case of sorting, the document is read in order from the last page to the first page of the document bundle from the circulating automatic document feeder 51 of FIG. 1 and is temporarily stored in the hard disk. Then, the image data of the document once stored is read from the hard disk in order from the last page to the first page, and this is repeated a plurality of times and output. Thereby, it can play the same role as a sorter having a plurality of bins. Further, since the image can be stored, it is possible to print a plurality of copies without reading the document a plurality of times, and even when the printing operation is restarted due to a paper jam or the like, the image stored in the image storage unit 304 is stored. It is not necessary to read the data original.

The image data read from the image storage unit 304 is sent to the smoothing unit 305. The smoothing unit 305 first converts 1-bit image data into 8-bit image data, and converts the image data signal to “0” or “255”.
State.

The image data converted into the 8-bit image data is obtained as a sum of products obtained by multiplying a predetermined coefficient on a matrix by density values of neighboring pixels, and is replaced by a weighted average value. As a result, the binary image data is converted into multi-valued image data in accordance with the density value of the neighboring pixels, and an image quality closer to the read image can be reproduced. The image data smoothed by the smoothing unit 305 is input to the gamma correction unit 306. When outputting the density data, the γ correction unit 306 performs a conversion process using the LUT in consideration of the characteristics of the printer unit 203 in FIG. 2 and adjusts the output according to the density value set by the operation unit.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the structure of the operation unit in the digital copying machine shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the operation unit is configured by providing a key group 500 and a display group 600 on an operation panel 400.

The key group 500 includes an asterisk (*) key 501, an all reset key 502, a preheat key 503,
Copy start key (copy start key) 504, clear stop key 505, numeric keypad 506, job mode memory key 507, copy density keys 508 and 509, AE key 510, cassette selection key 511, equal magnification key 512, auto scaling key 513 , Zoom keys 514, 515, fixed-size scaling keys 516, 517, double-sided key 518, binding margin key 519, photo key 520, multiple key 521, document frame erase key 522, sheet frame erase key 523, page continuous copy key 524, discharge Paper method (staple, sort, group) selection key 525, paper fold selection key 526, interrupt key 5
27, a reservation key 528, a reservation setting key 529, an ID key 530, a job correction key 531, a document reading key 53
Two.

An asterisk (*) key 501 is a key that is pressed by an operator (user) when setting the binding margin, setting the size of the document frame erasing, collating the ID, and the like.
The all reset key 502 is a key pressed to return to the standard mode. The preheat key 503 is a key that is pressed when the machine of the copying machine main body 2 in FIG. A copy start key (copy start key) 504 is a key pressed to start copying. Clear stop key 505
Is used as a clear key during standby,
The key functions as a stop key during a copying operation.
The clear stop key 505 is a key that is pressed when canceling the set value of the set number of copies and canceling the asterisk (*) mode. Numeric keypad 50
Reference numeral 6 denotes a key pressed to set the number of copies, set an asterisk (*) mode, and input an ID (for example, a six-digit code). A job mode memory key 507 is a key pressed when a user registers and calls a frequently used job mode. Copy density key 5
08 and 509 are keys to be pressed when adjusting the copy density manually. An AE key 510 is used to automatically adjust the copy density according to the density of the original,
This key is pressed when canceling E (automatic density adjustment) and adjusting the density manually (manually). The cassette selection key 511 is a key pressed to select the upper cassette 22, the lower cassette 23, and the paver deck 36 in FIG. The same-size key 512 is a key to be pressed when copying and printing at the same size (original size). An automatic scaling key 513 is a key to be pressed when automatically reducing or enlarging an image of a document in accordance with a designated size of a transfer sheet. Zoom key 514,
A key 515 is pressed to specify an arbitrary magnification between 64% and 142%. Fixed-size variable key 516, 517
Is a key to be pressed when designating reduction / enlargement of the standard size. A double-sided key 518 is a key that is pressed to make double-sided copying from a single-sided original, double-sided copying from a double-sided original, and single-sided copying from a double-sided original. A binding margin key 519 is a key pressed to create a binding margin of a designated length on the left side of the transfer sheet. The photo key 520 is a key to be pressed when copying a photo document. The multiplex key 521 is a key pressed when an image is created (combined) on the same side of a sheet (transfer sheet) from two originals. The document frame erase key 522 is pressed by the user when erasing a frame of a document of a standard size. The size of the document at that time is set by an asterisk key 501. The sheet frame erasing key 523 is a key to be pressed when erasing the document frame in accordance with the size of the cassette. The page continuous shooting key 524 is a key that is pressed when copying the left and right pages of the document on separate sheets. Paper ejection method (staple, sort, group) selection key 525
By pressing the button, the user can select or cancel the staple mode and the sort mode when the digital copying machine 1 is connected to a stapler capable of stapling a sheet (transfer sheet) after recording. it can. Further, an electronic sorter is used to select the paper discharge method (staple, sort, group) selection key 525.
Can be selected or canceled in the sort mode and the group mode. The paper folding selection key 526 is a key that is pressed to select between Z-folding of a recorded sheet of A3 or B4 size into a Z-shaped cross section and half-folding in half. When the interrupt key 527 is pressed during copying, its function is interrupted, and a new copy (hereinafter, referred to as interrupt copying) can be performed. When the interrupt key 527 is pressed while the interrupt copy mode is set, the interrupt copy enabled state is released.
The reservation key 528 is a key to be pressed when canceling the registration of the reservation copy. When the reservation key 528 is pressed, a copy mode different from the already set copy mode can be set. Here, a copy mode to be registered is set, and when ending the setting, the reservation setting key 529 is pressed. As a result, the set copy mode is stored in the RAM 2 of FIG.
04c. The ID key 530 is a key pressed when registering, correcting, deleting, and collating an ID.
The job correction key 531 is a key that is pressed when a job is to be corrected while reading a document or storing document data in a hard disk of an electronic sorter. The document reading key 532 is a key that is pressed when all the documents set in the circulating automatic document feeder 51 in FIG. 1 are read and stored in the hard disk of the electronic sorter (not printed). .

The display group 600 includes a message display 601, a color development display 602, and a copy number display 6.
03, cassette display 604 used, AE display 605,
Preheating display 606, double-sided copy display 607, interrupt display 608, reservation registration display 609, power lamp 610
have.

The message display 601 is an LCD (liquid crystal) type and displays information relating to copying. For example, one character is composed of 5 × 7 dots, and a message for 40 characters and a fixed-size variable key are provided. 516, 517, the copy magnification set by the same-size key 512 and the zoom keys 514, 515 are displayed. This message display 60
Reference numeral 1 denotes a translucent liquid crystal, which normally turns on a green backlight. The color development display 602 is turned on when the sepia developer is set. Copy number display 603
Indicates the number of copies or the self-diagnosis code. The used cassette display 604 indicates whether any of the upper cassette 22, the lower cassette 23, and the paper deck 36 in FIG. 1 is selected. A
The E display 605 lights when AE (automatic density adjustment) is selected by the AE key 510. The preheating indicator 606 is, for example, an LE of two colors of green and orange.
D (light emitting diode), the green LED is lit when ready (when copying is possible), and the orange LED is lit when waiting (when copying is not possible). The double-sided copy display 607 is turned on when one of the two-sided copy from the two-sided original and the two-sided copy from the one-sided original are selected. The interrupt indicator 608 lights when the interrupt copy mode is set and during the interrupt copy. The reservation registration display 609 lights when the reservation copy is registered.
The power lamp 610 turns on when the power switch is turned on.

Next, the operation of the image processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition,
The processing shown in FIG. 5 is performed by the CPU 204a of FIG.
The control program stored in 204b is read and executed according to the control program.

First, in step S501, the number of output sheets and the function to be used are selected, that is, a copy job is set. Next, in step S502, it is determined whether the copy has been started or not until the copy is started. If the copy is started, a series of printing operations such as scanning of the original, printing on paper, and storing image data on a storage medium are performed in step S503. Next, in step S504, it is determined whether or not the printing operation has been stopped.
Returning to step S503, the printing operation is performed again. If the print job has been stopped in step S504, the print job is ended if the reason for the stop is a normal job end. If the reason for the stop is not the normal end of the job but an abnormal stop, a message indicating the type of the error is displayed on the message display unit 601 of the operation unit in FIG.

Next, in step S505, it is determined whether or not the type in which the printing operation has been stopped can perform jam recovery. If the jam recovery cannot be performed, the printing operation is terminated. If jam recovery is possible, step S5
FIG. 4 shows a message prompting whether or not to interrupt the job at 06.
Is displayed on the message display unit 601 of the operation unit, and it is determined whether or not to interrupt the job. Then, the step S5
If the job is not interrupted in step 06, step S5
07, the recovery process is performed, and
Return to and perform printing again. Step S5
If the job is to be interrupted in step S06, step S50
In step S8, the current job operation status (number of copies, designated function, etc.) and job interruption ID are stored in the RAM 204c of FIG. The job ID is an identifier for identifying the job,
It is used when resuming. This is input by the user or issued by the image processing apparatus.

Next, in step S509, the image processing apparatus is released and can be used by a third party. Next, in step S510, it is determined whether another job is to be performed. If another job is to be performed, the process returns to step S501 to set a copy job. If another job is not to be performed, it is determined in step S511 whether to restart the job. And if you don't want to resume the job,
Returning to step S510, it is determined whether another job is to be performed again. When the job is restarted, the user is asked for the ID of the job to be restarted.
At 2, the user enters his interrupted ID. And
When the correct ID is input, the operation state of the job interrupted in step S513 is displayed, and the number of image data stored up to the present is displayed. If the apparatus has a large-sized operation panel, the operability is further improved by displaying the image data stored last at this time.
Next, in step S514, it is determined whether or not to start copying until the start of copying. If there is a document to be read further when the job is restarted, the document is set in the circulating automatic document feeder 51 in FIG. 1 and the copy start key 5 in FIG.
04, that is, if copying is to be started, the flow returns to step S503 to resume printing. If there is no document to be added, the copy start key 50 in FIG.
Pressing 4 resumes the printing operation.

(Second Embodiment) The first embodiment described above
In step S510 of FIG. 5 in the embodiment, the printing work is performed by a third party, but the present invention is not limited to this. The printing work may be performed by an external information processing device such as an external computer.

[0060]

As described above in detail, according to the image processing method and apparatus according to the first and ninth aspects of the present invention, a document is damaged due to a document jam or the like, and the document must be prepared again. When a situation such as this occurs, the image data already stored in the image processing apparatus can be left as it is, so the image data read when the original is recreated and copied again is read twice. Since the image processing apparatus can be released, the image processing apparatus can be used efficiently.

Further, according to the image processing method and apparatus according to the second and tenth aspects of the present invention, when the image processing apparatus is released, it is possible to use the image processing apparatus efficiently even from an external information processing apparatus. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a digital copying machine which is an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the digital copying machine.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic sorter unit in the digital copying machine.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of an operation unit in the digital copying machine.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the digital copying machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image processing apparatus (digital copying machine) 2 Image processing apparatus main body 3 Platen glass 4 Scanner 5 Reflection mirror 6 Reflection mirror 7 Lens 8 CCD image sensor 9a Document illumination lamp 9b Document illumination lamp 10 Scanning mirror 11 Exposure control unit 12 Laser light 13 Reflecting mirror 14 Reflecting mirror 15 Photoconductor drum 16 Primary charger 17 Developing device 18 Transfer charger 19 Cleaning device 20 Pre-exposure lamp 21 Image forming unit 22 Upper cassette 23 Lower cassette 24 Pickup roller 25 Pickup roller 26 Feeding roller 27 Feeding Paper roller 28 registration roller 29 transfer belt 30 pre-fixing charger 31 pre-fixing charger 32 fixing unit 33 paper discharge roller 34 suction charger 35a transfer belt roller 35b transfer belt roller 36 paper deck 37 lifter Reference Signs List 8 paper feed roller 39 multi-manual feed unit 40 paper discharge flapper 41 lower transport path 42 reverse path 43 re-feed tray 44 multiple flapper 45 paper feed roller 46 path 47 discharge roller 48 first feed roller 49 reverse roller 50 second Feed roller 51 Recirculating automatic document feeder 52 Electronic sorter device 200 Document 201 Image reading unit 201a Lens 201b CCD image sensor 201c Analog signal processing unit 202 Electronic sorter unit 203 Printer unit 204 CPU circuit unit 204a CPU 204b ROM 204c RAM 301 log conversion Unit 302 binarization unit 303 control unit 304 image storage unit 305 smoothing unit 306 gamma correction unit 400 operation panel 500 key group 501 asterisk (*) key 502 all reset key 503 preheating key 504 copy Start (copy start) key 505 Clear stop key 506 Numeric keypad 507 Job mode memory key 508 Copy density key 509 Copy density key 510 AE key 511 Cassette selection key 512 Uniform key 513 Auto scaling key 514 Zoom key 515 Zoom key 516 Fixed size scaling key 517 Fixed-size variable key 518 Double-sided key 519 Binding key 520 Photo key 521 Multiple key 522 Original frame erase key 523 Sheet frame erase key 524 Page continuous shooting key 525 Paper ejection method selection key 526 Folding selection key 527 Interruption key 528 Reserve key 529 Reservation setting key 530 ID key 531 Job correction key 532 Original reading key 600 Display group 601 Message display 602 Color development display 603 Number of copies display 604 Cassette indicator 605 AE indicator 606 preheater indicator 607 duplex indicator 608 interrupts indicator 609 preheater registration indicator 610 power lamps

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Nobuo Sekiguchi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Keizo Isemura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon (72) Inventor Tokuharu Kaneko 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Huang Matsuo 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hirohiko Tashiro 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc.

Claims (17)

[Claims] An image reading step of reading an image of a document by image reading means; an image storing step of storing an image read by the image reading means in a storage medium by image storage means; and a storage medium by the image storage means. An image processing step of reading an image stored in the image processing unit and performing image processing by an image processing unit; a jam recovery step of recovering a jam by a jam recovery unit; An image processing method comprising: a job interrupting / resuming step of resuming. 2. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein the image data and the control data are inputted from outside through an interface means. 3. The image processing means is a printer for printing an image. The jam recovery means that even if a paper jam or the like occurs during printing by the image processing means, the image of the document is not read again. The job indicates a function capable of resuming a printing operation using an image stored in a storage unit or the like, and the job indicates from the beginning to the end of an operation of processing an image using the jam recovery unit. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein 4. The image reading means includes a lens, a CCD,
2. The image processing method according to claim 1, comprising an image sensor and an analog signal processing unit. 5. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium is a hard disk. 6. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein said storage medium is a magneto-optical disk. 7. The image processing method according to claim 3, wherein the printing operation is performed by a third party. 8. The image processing method according to claim 3, wherein the printing operation is performed by an external computer. 9. An image reading means for reading an image of a document, an image storage means for storing an image read by the image reading means in a storage medium, and an image processing means for reading the image stored in the storage medium by the image storage means An image processing apparatus comprising: an image processing unit for performing a recovery operation; a jam recovery unit for recovering a jam; and a job interruption / resumption unit for interrupting and resuming a job that uses the jam recovery unit. 10. The image processing according to claim 9, further comprising interface means for externally inputting image data and control data. 11. The image processing means is a printer for printing an image, and the jam recovery means that even if a paper jam or the like occurs during printing by the image processing means, the image of the document is not read again. The job indicates a function capable of resuming a printing operation using an image stored in a storage unit or the like, and the job indicates from the beginning to the end of an operation of processing an image using the jam recovery unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9. 12. The image reading means includes a lens, a CCD,
10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, comprising an image sensor and an analog signal processing unit. 13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said storage medium is a hard disk. 14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said storage medium is a magneto-optical disk. 15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the printing operation is performed by a third party. 16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image processing apparatus is a copying machine. 17. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image processing apparatus is a digital copying machine.