JPH10315578A - Printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a standby time till a transfer without increasing the cost and to attain an improvement in communication efficiency and avoidance of deterioration of an image quality in regard to a document concerned, by grasping a time for communication with a printer at the time when printing is requested and by transmitting data notifying the summary of print data in the case when the time for communication is long, on the occasion of communication of color image data. SOLUTION: In a printing system wherein at least PC 101 and 102 preparing/ storing a print document of a color image and printers 103 and 104 printing the print document are connected to an information transmission line of a network 100 or the like, a communication control part 110 which measures a time required for communication between the PC 101 and 102 and the printers 103 and 104 at the time when printing of the print document is requested, prepares differential data based on a monochrome plane of the print document prepared with the color image, on the basis of the measured time, and transmits them to the printer 103 (or the printer 104) is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a personal computer, a color printer, and the like connected to a network. The present invention relates to a printing system for transmitting difference data for giving an outline of print data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, the Internet has become very popular. The Internet is an interconnection of multiple computer networks, anywhere in the world,
It is a convenient information communication system that can be accessed from anywhere. However, there is a problem that transmission time is required because the network bandwidth is small. Further, there has been proposed a printer for improving productivity in information communication by printing on a printer connected to a remote place via the Internet or by printing from a document server at a remote place to a nearby printer.

In the current printing system, printing is executed after a print command is sent from the document creation application or another application to the printing system. The printer at that time is usually connected via a LAN. In a printing system, a document created by an application is converted into a page description language (PDL) that can be understood by a printer, and the data is transmitted to the printer to perform printing. However, since the capacity of the print data transmitted to the printer is usually large, the time required for the transmission is long. In particular, in the case of a network between externally connected networks such as the Internet, the transmission time is further increased.

To solve the above-mentioned problems, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-144411 discloses a device for transmitting data to be transmitted after compressing the data.

[0005]

However, in the prior art as described above, in order to shorten the transmission time of the data to be printed, the data is compressed and decompressed. Hardware and software to execute the above processing are required, resulting in an increase in cost. In particular, when the document data to be transmitted is a color image, it takes time to communicate all the documents. there were. Further, when irreversible conversion having a high compression ratio (a compression method that cannot be restored) is used, there is a problem that image quality is deteriorated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and when communicating color image data, the communication time with the printer is grasped when a print request is made, and if the communication time is long, the outline of the print data is outlined. An object of the present invention is to transmit data to be notified, thereby shortening a standby time until transfer without increasing costs, improving communication efficiency, and avoiding image quality degradation.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, in a printing system according to the first aspect, at least a document that creates / stores a printed document of a color image in an information transmission path such as a network. In a printing system in which a creation / storage device and a printing device that prints the print document are connected, at the time of a print request for the print document, the communication required time between the document creation / storage device and the printing device is measured. The image processing apparatus further includes a data creating unit that creates difference data based on a single color plane of the print document created with the color image based on the measurement time, and transmits the difference data to the printing apparatus.

That is, the communication required time between the document creation / storage device and the printing device is measured, and the outline of the printed document corresponding to the measured time is created by generating difference data of a printed document created by a color image using a single color plane. By transmitting the document to the printing apparatus, the receiving side can receive the draft of the print document without waiting for all the color print data to be transferred, and the efficiency of work related to the document can be improved. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the printing system, the printing device executes a forced output of a corresponding document when a forced output time set for each document has been reached. It is.

That is, the sender can set a forced output time in advance and transmit a draft document within the validity period of the document, so that the efficiency of work related to the document can be improved.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a printing system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Embodiment] First, a hardware configuration and a software configuration according to this embodiment will be described.

(System Configuration) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment. In the figure, this system is a distributed processing system, in which a plurality of PCs (personal computers) 101 to 1 accessed by remote users on a network 100
02 and a plurality of printers 103 to 10 for printing documents or the like created or stored by the system on recording paper.
4, a scanner 105 for inputting an image, and a plurality of MPFs (Multi Function Peripherals).
heral: MFP of digital copier) 106-107
And a broker 108 described later.

The broker 108 includes a communication control unit 110 having a function of a data creating unit for executing communication control with the network 100, and a CP for controlling the entire broker 108.
U111 and RO storing control programs and the like
M112 and R for storing data during control, etc.
It comprises an AM 113 and a function information database 114.

In the system shown in FIG. 1, a workstation (WS), a facsimile, or the like, which is merely an example, may be connected as appropriate, and the number thereof is not limited. That is, this system is
Are connected in some form (one-to-one or network 100) as image input / output servers of
Built as a client / server system.

The connection form is also applicable to one-to-one connection such as a Centronics connection or connection within a finite range (for example, up to eight) such as SCSI.

(Operation of System) Next, the operation of the system configured as described above will be described. The network 100 is an information transmission path for transmitting information.
Various image input / output devices (printers 103 to 104, copier (MFP 106)
107), a facsimile, a scanner 105, etc.), a remote user can connect to a printer 103-104, an image of a copier, etc. It is possible to use an input / output device, that is, use by a remote user.

The user can go to the location of the image input / output device and use the device directly from the operation panel attached to the image input / output device, that is, the operation by a so-called local user is also possible.

The broker 108 maintains / manages function information of the input / output device connected to the network 100, and manages the client (in this case, the PCs 101 to 101).
2) Middleware that is responsible for establishing a connection between the server and a server (in this case, an image input / output device).

(Configuration of MFP) FIG. 2 is an external view showing the configuration of an MFP (multifunction peripheral). In the figure, this MF
An automatic document feeder (ADF) 201 for automatically feeding a document and a scanner 202 for inputting an image are provided.
And operation panel 203 for realizing interface
And a physical device such as a printer 204 for outputting an image, a paper feeding / conveying unit 205, a paper feeding tray 206, and a paper discharging bin 207 provided with a plurality of bins. Although not shown, physical resources such as an external storage device, a memory, and a font are also provided.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the MFP. In the figure, reference numeral 301 denotes a CPU for controlling the entire apparatus, which is controlled via a bus 302 under the control of a ROM 303, a RAM 304, and an NVRAM 305.
And a panel control unit 3 for controlling the operation panel 203
06, an engine control unit 307 for controlling the scan / print engine 311, a disk control unit 308 for controlling the storage device 312, a communication control unit 309 for controlling communication with the network 100, and a modem 310. .

(Operation of MFP) The ROM 303 stores program codes, fonts, and other static information. The RAM 304 is used as a temporary storage location. The NVRAM 305 stores nonvolatile information.

The operation panel 203 and the panel control unit 306 control an interface with the user. The scan / print engine 311 and the engine control unit 307
Executes reading of a sheet document and printing on recording paper as an input / output unit of image data.

The storage device 312 and the disk controller 3
08 is a large-capacity storage device, and is used to store a large amount of image data. Communication control unit 3
09 is a network (LAN) such as Ethernet
100 enables communication with an external device and a modem 3
Reference numeral 10 is connected to a public line (WAN) and executes communication with an external device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of software, and the following software (process) is prepared. User (client) 400
Can perform “acquisition of information”, “instruction of execution”, “acquisition of status”, and “acquisition of completion notification” for each manager of the OA device 410 described later.

The various drivers 412 of the OA device 410 provide an interface for controlling the hardware 413 configured as described above. The real-time OS 411 views the interface as a task unit, implements scheduling and exclusive control of the task, and executes a system call or application API.
(Hereinafter referred to as API).

Using the API, various manager groups as described below realize an interface with the user. The database manager 414
OA equipment resources (eg fonts, forms,
This is a process for managing, accessing, and storing telephone directories.

The service manager 416 is a process that manages various services, performs execution, completion notification, status monitoring, and the like. The device manager 417 is a process that performs management for using various physical devices, access, status monitoring, attribute management, and the like. Job Manager 41
Reference numeral 5 denotes a process for, when one job specified by the user is performed by a plurality of services and devices, performing status management and completion notification using the services and devices as one unit. The operation manager 418 is a process that has operation panel information and the like of the OA device and interactively communicates the display contents and operation contents to the user side.

Next, a description will be given of an operation which is a feature of the present invention when transmitting and receiving print data by the above system configuration and software configuration.

The remote user usually prepares a document using a PC or the like and prints or transmits the document, or prints or transmits the document by receiving a document prepared by another user and transmitting the document to a printer.

In this case, the remote user finds a printer to which he / she wants to print by using some known means. Further, a print request is made to the printer to be printed. Here, the communication control unit 110 creates a print document or measures a communication time required between a device in which the document is stored and a printer to be printed.

The required communication time is measured based on how much time is required by mutually transmitting and receiving certain small data. For example, the required time of the print data can be represented by the following expression. Here, when the transmission time of 100 bytes is measured, the required time is 100 bytes of communication time × print data (bytes) / 100 = transmission time of the print document.

Next, the level of the differential print data with respect to the required time registered in advance is determined based on, for example, Table 1 below. That is, data to be printed (transmitted / received) is divided / undivided into a predetermined form based on the required communication time, or thinned out, or in the case of color image data, each plane of the color image (RGB or YMC).
K) Processing for each is performed.

[0034]

[Table 1]

That is, in Table 1, the required time is 60
If it is less than seconds, it indicates that if the communication can be performed in a short time, the difference data may not be created and the data may be transmitted as it is. If a sufficient time (in this case, 60 seconds or more) is required, the differential print data divided into two is created and transmitted. Also, the difference data is transmitted by dividing it into several parts or by the actual method of creating the difference data, for example, by designating the first division data as a header only, and the second division as a bitmap image thinned out with characters. I do. Alternatively, in the case of color image data, the image data is transmitted for each plane (RGB or YMCK) of the color image. Needless to say, the parameters for the determination such as the data division can be arbitrarily set by the administrator.

In addition, the document validity period information is transmitted together with the difference data transmission. The validity period of the document is, for example, a period until the meeting starts if the document is necessary for the meeting, or a period until the time when the document has a fixed deadline reception time. This is added as information to the header of the sent document, and if the time arrives on the receiving side (even while still receiving)
Forcibly start the printing operation. Hereinafter, a description will be given using a flowchart.

Next, the operation of transmitting and receiving the difference data will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation when transmitting the difference data on the transmission side. In the figure, first, it is determined whether the required communication time is smaller than the value X (S501). Here, when it is determined that the required communication time is smaller than the value X, normal printing is executed (S502). On the other hand, if it is determined that the required communication time is greater than the value X, a forced discharge time is set (S503). Thereafter, the difference print data as described above is created (S504), and the data is transmitted (S505).

Thereafter, it is determined whether or not all the difference data has been created (S506). Here, when it is determined that the creation of all the difference data is completed, the series of operations is ended. On the other hand, if it is determined that the creation of all difference data has not been completed, the process proceeds to step S5.
Returning to step 04, the subsequent operations are repeatedly executed until all the difference data is completed.

That is, when actually transmitting the difference data, first, as described above, only the character data portion is transmitted first, only the heading portion is transmitted first, or if it is a bitmap image, it is thinned out. A method is used in which differential data is created, for example, by transmitting the generated data, and then transmitted.

The method of creating the difference data is also managed by a table or the like based on the required communication time.
After creating the difference data, the first part of the difference data is transmitted to the printer to be printed. At this time, a header indicating that the data is differential data, the number of the differential data, and the number of data being transmitted is transmitted at the same time. Thereafter, the transmitting side sequentially transmits the divided difference data. Then, when transmission of all data is completed, processing for a series of jobs is completed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation when the differential data is received on the receiving side. First, it is determined whether or not differential print data has been received (S60).
1). If it is determined that the received print data is not differential print data, normal printing is performed (S602). On the other hand, if it is determined that the difference print data has been received, the data is stored in the storage area (S603).

Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the received data is a forced print request (S604). If it is determined that the request is a forced printing request, the printing is executed (S60).
5). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S604 that the request is not a forced print request, it is further determined whether data reception has been completed (S606).

If it is determined in step S606 that data reception has been completed, printing is executed (S607). On the other hand, if it is determined that the data reception has not been completed, the process returns to step S603, and the subsequent operations are repeatedly executed until the data reception is completed.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation processing on the receiving side when the forced ejection time is set. First, it is determined whether or not differential print data has been received (S701). If it is determined that the received print data is not differential print data, normal printing is executed (S70).
2). On the other hand, if it is determined that the difference print data has been received, the data is stored in the storage area (S703).

Next, it is determined whether or not a predetermined forcible discharge time is set (S704). If it is determined that it is the forced discharge time, the forced printing is executed (S7).
05), this series of operations ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S704 that the time is not the forced discharge time, it is further determined whether or not all data has been received (S706). If it is determined that all data has been received, a print process is executed (S7).
07), this series of operations ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S706 that the reception of all data has not been completed, the process returns to step S701, and the subsequent processing is repeatedly executed until reception of all data is completed.

That is, in the above, the printer on the receiving side receives the differential print data with the header, and stores the data in the storage device. Here, if the setting is such that printing is performed each time one piece of differential print data is received, the first print differential data is printed on recording paper.

On the other hand, if the setting is such that printing is performed when all the received differential print data is received, the received differential print data is sequentially stored in the storage area of the storage device. Then, printing is started on the recording paper when all the print difference data are collected. In this embodiment,
The receiving operator is provided with a forced output unit that can start printing on recording paper at any time, for example, by pressing a print switch.

When the print switch is pressed while receiving the differential print data, the printer outputs the received print differential data. At this time, the difference print data stored in the storage device of the printer is not deleted. Thus, the receiving-side operator can receive a document in which all information has been collected at a time when a certain period of time has elapsed (after all print data has been transmitted).

Further, when the receiving operator no longer needs the subsequent received data, the print data stored in the storage device is deleted and the transmission of the transmission stop is notified to the difference data creating side. It also has a function to stop subsequent data transmission.

[0050]

As described above, according to the printing system of the present invention (claim 1), the time required for communication between the document creation / storage device and the printing device is measured, and printing is performed according to the measured time. Since the outline of the document is created as a single color plane difference data of the print document created with the color image and transmitted to the printing device, the receiving side does not have to wait until all the color print data is transferred, and the image is compressed. Since no such processing is performed, a draft of a print document without image quality degradation can be received, and work efficiency related to the document is improved.

Further, according to the printing system of the present invention (claim 2), the sender can set the forced output time in advance and transmit the draft document within the validity period of the document. Related work efficiency is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an external view illustrating a configuration of an MFP (multifunction peripheral).

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the MFP.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of software.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation when transmitting difference data on the transmission side.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation when receiving differential data on the receiving side.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process on the receiving side when a forced ejection time is set.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 100 network 101, 102 PC 103, 104 printer 108 broker 110 communication control unit 312 storage device

Claims (2)

[Claims] In a printing system, at least a document creation / storage device that creates / stores a color image print document and a printing device that prints the print document are connected to an information transmission path such as a network. When a print request is made, the communication time between the document creation / archiving device and the printing device is measured, and based on the measured time, difference data is created using a single color plane of the print document created with the color image. A printing system, comprising: a data creation unit that transmits data to a printing apparatus. 2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printing device executes forced output of the corresponding document when a forced output time set in advance for each document has been reached.