JPH11275326A - Image processor and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cope with the case where a storing means is in a memory full state by selecting image data stored in the storing means in a prescribed procedure and saving the selected image data in another storage medium when the space of the storing means that stores plural pieces of image data for print runs short. SOLUTION: A compound digital copying machine 200 is provided with an image server and stores images in plural pieces of memory boxes into which a specific storage memory of the image server is divided. The machine 200 and a host computer 501 are connected through a LAN 500. The computer 501 is provided with a hard disk 502 for storing data and images. The machine 200 can store a new image in a memory box by transferring images selected in a prescribed procedure to the computer 501, saving them in the disk 502 of the computer 501 when an empty memory box is used up.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus having a function of storing a plurality of image data to be printed and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital copiers have become the mainstream, and some copiers have means for storing digitized images. Among such digital copiers, there is a multifunction peripheral having both a facsimile and a printer function. The image storage means can store a document image to be copied, an image received by facsimile, and an image to be printed. Providing such an image storage means has the following advantages in the apparatus.

[0003] First, when a plurality of copies of a document are to be printed, an image is stored in an image storage means at the time of copying the first copy.
In the copying of the second copy and thereafter, outputting the image stored in the image storage means allows the document to be read only once. When functioning as a printer, the page description language (PDL) needs to be developed and received only once, and the host device that sends out print data can be released from print processing in a short time. When data transfer is performed via a network such as a LAN, there is also an advantage that traffic on the network can be reduced.

Second, by changing the order of images in page units stored in the image storage means, a so-called electronic sort function that can perform sorting without a mechanical sorter can be realized.

Third, by accumulating images for an arbitrary period,
A so-called memory box-like usage, in which an image can be arbitrarily extracted from the image storage means, is also considered.

[0006]

To cope with this, a hard disk of several GB is used as the image storage means, and when cost is important, the hard disk is not used and the RAM is about 64 MB.

On the other hand, in order to emphasize the image quality of the output image, the resolution of the image is required to be about 600 × 600 dpi, and the data amount of the A4 size image is about 10 MB. Generally, the image storage means is provided with a data compression means, but the compression ratio of a halftone image such as a photographic image is small and the effect of data compression is small.

[0008] Therefore, the original image to be copied, the image received by facsimile and the image to be printed are stored in the image storage means, and the use of the image storage means such as a memory box as well as the temporary storage is required. Thinking,
It is necessary to consider the case where the image storage unit is in the memory full state.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and has as its object to provide an image processing apparatus and a control method thereof in consideration of a case where a storage unit for storing image data for printing becomes full. Aim.

[0010]

The present invention has the following configuration as one means for achieving the above object.

An image processing apparatus according to the present invention has a storage means for storing a plurality of image data for printing, and selects image data stored in the storage means in a predetermined procedure when the storage means has insufficient space. The image processing apparatus further includes a selection unit and a saving unit that saves the selected image data in another storage medium and generates a free area in the storage unit.

An image processing method according to the present invention is a method for controlling an image processing apparatus provided with a storage means for storing a plurality of image data for printing, and when the storage means runs short, the image data is stored in the storage means. The selected image data is selected in a predetermined procedure, the selected image data is saved in another storage medium, and a free area is generated in the storage unit.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a multifunction digital copying machine according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a copying machine 100 includes two blocks, an IP unit 101 for controlling the entire apparatus and performing image processing, and a DCON unit 103 for performing mechanical control and process control. The IP unit 101 is controlled by the CPU 102, and the DCON unit 103
It is controlled by the CPU 104. Also, the DCON unit 103 is the feeder 1
05 and the sorter 106 are also controlled.

A facsimile (FAX) unit 107 transmits an image read by a scanner of the copying machine 100 via facsimile, or prints an image received via the line on a printer of the copying machine 100. is there. This F
The AX unit 107 has no CPU, and is controlled by the CPU 102 of the IP unit 101.

The PDL unit 108 develops PDL data received from a host computer such as a personal computer into an image, and causes the printer of the copier 100 to print the image, and is controlled by the CPU 109. Also, PDL
The unit 108 also functions as a network interface for performing bidirectional information exchange with the outside via a network.

The image server 110 has a function of storing a document image to be copied, an image received by facsimile, and an image to be printed, and is controlled by the CPU 111.

The fax unit 107, PDL unit 108 and image server 110 are connected to the IP unit 101 of the copying machine 100 via a selector 112 called CORE IP, and exchange images and data. As described above, the composite digital copying machine shown in FIG.
And an image server 110, which function integrally as one system, and have an integrated structure as a copier in appearance.

[Copier] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of the configuration of the copier 100.

The exposure lamp 201 illuminates the original placed on the original table while scanning in the longitudinal direction of the original table 200. Light reflected from the document is guided to mirrors 202, 204, and 205, and forms an image on a light receiving unit of a CCD line sensor 208 via a lens 207. With respect to the moving speed V of the scanner unit 203 composed of the exposure lamp 201 and the mirror 202, the mirror
The scanner unit 206 composed of 204 and 205 moves at V / 2, and the distance from the document surface to the lens 207 is always kept constant. The CCD line sensor 208 photoelectrically converts the input reflected light from the original and outputs an image signal representing the original image in line units. This image signal is sent to the signal processing unit 209
And converted into a PWM modulated pulse signal.

The exposure control unit 210 controls the light emission of the laser diode based on the PWM modulated pulse signal output from the signal processing unit 209, and rotates the light beam output from the laser diode. Irradiation. At this time, the light beam is scanned in parallel with the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 240. Note that before the light beam is irradiated, the surface of the photosensitive drum 240 is discharged by a pre-exposure lamp (not shown) to remove residual charges, and is uniformly charged by the primary charger 228. The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 240 by the light beam is visualized by a developing device 211 with a developing material (toner) of a predetermined color.

On the other hand, the recording paper stacking portions 223 and 224
The standard size recording paper is loaded and stored. Lift up 22
By 5 and 226, the stacking units 223 and 224 are stored in the apparatus main body, and the recording paper is lifted up to the position of the pair of feed rollers 229 and 232. The feed roller pairs 229 and 232 are driven by the same motor (not shown), and by switching the rotation direction of the rollers, one of the stacking units 223 or 224 is selected as a recording paper feed source. Further, one of the paired rollers of the paper feed roller pairs 229 and 232 is applied with a torque in a direction opposite to the recording paper supply direction in order to prevent the recording paper from being supplied in an overlapping manner. Feed roller pair 230, 23
3, 234 and 235 convey the supplied recording paper to the registration roller 238.

In the present embodiment, it is possible to further connect and expand the stacking portion of the recording paper below the drawing, and the feed roller pair 231 transfers the recording paper from the stacking portion connected below the drawing. This is a roller pair used when supplying. Also,
When the manual paper feed mode is selected on the operation unit, the manual paper tray 237 is opened and recording paper is manually supplied, and the recording paper is conveyed to the registration roller 238 by the feeding roller 236. The registration roller 238 adjusts the supply timing of the recording paper so that the leading end of the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 240 is transferred near the leading end of the recording paper.

The toner image on the photosensitive drum 240 is transferred to the recording paper by the transfer charger 239. The recording paper to which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 240. At this time, it is relatively easy to separate the recording paper from the photosensitive drum 240 having a large curvature, but in order to further facilitate the separation, the discharging needle 244 is used.
To weaken the electrostatic attraction force between the photosensitive drum 240 and the recording paper. Thereafter, the photosensitive drum 240 is moved to the cleaner 227.
Removes the remaining toner.

The separated recording paper is sent to a fixing device by a conveyor belt 241 and the transferred toner image is fixed thereon.
The fixing device includes a ceramic heater 211, a film 212, and two rollers 213 and 214. The heat generated by the ceramic heater 211 is efficiently transmitted to the recording paper and the toner image via the thin film 212. The cooling roller 214 radiates heat from the fixing roller 213.

The feed roller 215 is composed of one large roller and two small rollers, and conveys the recording paper that has passed through the fixing device, and corrects a so-called curl attached to the recording paper.
The flapper 222 is for switching the recording paper conveyance direction according to the operation mode. In a so-called single-sided forming mode for forming an image on one side of a recording sheet, the feeding roller 215 is used.
From the outlet to the outlet. Discharge roller pair 216
Then, the recording paper on which the image formation is completed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 242.

In the so-called double-sided recording mode, the discharge roller pair 216 is rotated in the reverse direction while the recording paper having an image formed on the surface is discharged by the discharge roller pair 216.
Switch the flapper 222 to the intermediate tray from the discharge roller pair 216.
A path to 243 is formed, and the recording paper is fed to the feed roller 217. The feed roller 217 has the same configuration as the feed roller 215, corrects a so-called curl of a recording sheet, and sends the recording sheet to the intermediate tray 243. The recording paper is conveyed from the intermediate tray 243 in the order of the feed roller pairs 218, 219, 221 and 235, and the toner image is transferred to the back surface of the recording paper by the above-described procedure.

In the so-called multiple recording mode, the recording paper that has passed the feed roller 215 is guided to the flapper 222 and sent to the feed roller 217. The feed roller 217 sends the recording paper to the intermediate tray 243. The recording paper is conveyed from the intermediate tray 243 in the order of the feed roller pairs 218, 219, 221 and 235,
According to the above-described procedure, the toner image is transferred onto the recording paper in a superimposed manner.

When an image is formed on a plurality of recording sheets in the double-side recording mode or the multiple recording mode, the first recording sheet is fixed by the stopped feeding roller pair 218 and the intermediate tray 243 is fixed. To be loaded. Feed roller pair 2
18 starts rotation when the second recording sheet reaches the intermediate tray 243, and sandwiches the two recording sheets between the rollers. The two sheets of recording paper are stacked on the intermediate tray 243 while being fixed by the stopped feeding roller pair 218. The third and subsequent recording papers are similarly stacked on the intermediate tray 243.

At this time, the leading ends of the recording papers stacked later are stacked in a state where they are shifted rearward with respect to the feeding direction.
When the specified number of sheets overlaps with the intermediate tray 243, the feeding operation from the intermediate tray 243 is started. Feed roller pair 218 and 219
During the feeding of the recording paper to the feed roller pair 221, the separation lever 220 descends between the leading end of the first recording paper and the leading end of the second recording paper, and the first recording paper is separated. To the feed roller pair 221. The first sheet of paper consists of two feed rollers.
Then, the toner image is transferred by the above-described procedure. Further, after the first sheet of paper is separated and conveyed after the second sheet of paper has climbed on the separation lever 220, the pair of feed rollers 218 and 219 rotate in the reverse direction to rotate the intermediate sheet.
Returned to 243. Thereafter, the above operation is repeated, and all the recording sheets stacked on the intermediate tray 243 are conveyed.

Further, a plurality of paper detection sensors are arranged on the recording paper conveyance path, and are used for detecting an error such as a paper jam and adjusting the operation timing of each unit. The first sensor 250 is before the feed roller pair 235, the second sensor 251 is before the registration roller 238, the third sensor 252 is before the feed roller 215, and the fourth sensor 253 is with the discharge roller 216. During the exit, the fifth sensor 254 is located immediately after the feed roller 217, and the sixth sensor 255 is located before the separation lever 220.

[System Configuration] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a system configuration when the composite digital copying machine is used as a printer. The host computer 501 and the complex digital copying machine 200 are connected via the LAN 500. Note that the composite digital copying machine 200 is connected to the LAN 500 via an interface of the PDL unit 108. A hard disk 502 for storing data and images is connected to the host computer 501. When printing the image stored in the hard disk 502 with the multifunction digital copier 200, the host computer 501 reads the image data from the hard disk 502 and sends the image data to the multifunction digital copier 200 via the LAN 500.

[Image Server] FIG. 4 shows the image server 1.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing ten detailed configuration examples.

Each of the image memories 300 and 301 has a storage capacity enough to store an A4 size image, and a selector (COR).
The EIP 112 is connected to a video bus 302 for inputting and outputting images. On the other hand, the image memories 300 and 301 are also connected to the hard disk 306 via a video bus. The images stored in the image memories 300 and 301 are eventually
The data is stored and stored in the hard disk 306.

The reason why two image memories are provided is that while an image stored in one image memory is being written to the hard disk 306, the other image memory is used to store the image via the selector 112. That is, the overall performance is improved by double buffer processing using two image memories. Further, when the image exceeds the A4 size, it is possible to use the image memories 301 and 302 as a cascade buffer that is used continuously.

The image memories 300 and 301 are controlled by memory controllers 303 and 304, respectively. Further, the memory controllers 303 and 304
Is controlled by the CPU 111 via the.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of storage area allocation of the hard disk 306. The hard disk 306 is divided into a temporary area a and a memory box area b as shown in FIG. The temporary area a is an area in which images are temporarily stored for electronic sort processing or the like. The memory box area b is an area for registering an image. The hatched portion of the memory box area b shown in FIG. 5 is a portion where an image is registered. Each storage capacity of the temporary area a and the memory box area b can be arbitrarily changed by the user. For example, a user who frequently uses the memory box area a allocates a large storage capacity to this area, and a user who mainly uses the hard disk 306 as a temporary memory allocates a large storage capacity to the temporary area a.

The memory box divides a specific storage area of the image server 110 into a plurality (100 in this example),
Images are stored in them. The memory box will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6C.

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram showing the memory box 401 of the image server 110. The user of each memory box is registered in advance. In FIG. 6A, user A has registered an arbitrary name and password in the third memory box, and has set the right to use it. In addition, user B
Similarly, the right to use is set in the first memory box. As a result, these two memory boxes are stored in user A
And B are dedicated storage areas. The above operations are performed by the operation unit of the composite digital copying machine 200.

FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a state in which an image is registered in the memory box from the host computer 501. The image Y is registered in the first memory box, and the image X is registered in the third memory box. The memory box stores not only images but also various information necessary for printing added thereto. The above operations are performed on the host computer
It is performed from 501.

FIG. 6C is a diagram showing a case where an image stored in the memory box is printed. The user specifies a box number, a password, and a file name of an image from the operation unit of the multifunction digital copier 200. The specified image is printed by this operation.

The advantage of using a memory box is that the PDL
The image developed from the data is temporarily stored in the image server, and the image is printed when the user operates the operation unit of the multifunction peripheral. For example, the print output of the image can be prevented from being mixed with other print outputs, and the confidentiality of the print output can be protected. Naturally, by storing the image developed from the PDL data in the memory box, a series of processes for transferring the PDL data of the image to be frequently printed from the host computer 501 to the multifunction digital copier 200 and developing the image can be omitted. There is also an advantage that printing can be performed.

[Processing Procedure] FIGS. 7A and 7B are flowcharts showing an example of a sequence for inputting an image to the memory box. These processes are executed by the cooperation of the CPUs 102, 104, 109 and 111. FIG. 7A shows a memory box input control routine for storing an image generated by expanding PDL data in the memory box of the image server 110, and is started by a request from the outside.

In step S 1, information indicating a file name, an image size, a stage of a sheet cassette, the number of pages, and the like required for input control to the memory box are received from the host computer 501. Based on these pieces of information, parameters for storing the image developed from the PDL data in the memory box are set (step S2).

Subsequently, an image for one page is input to the image server 110 in step S3. Specifically, the PDL data received from the host computer 501 by the PDL unit 108 is expanded, and the expanded image is input to the image server 110 via the selector 112 and stored in the specified memory box. Is executed. Then, in step S4, it is determined whether or not the image of one page has been stored.When the input of the image of one page is completed, the process proceeds to step S5, and it is determined whether or not the input of the image of all pages has been completed. Is determined,
Steps S3 to S5 are repeated until input of images of all pages is completed. Then, when the input of the images of all the pages is completed, the input control routine ends.

Next, a description will be given of the processing when it is determined in step S4 that the storage of the image for one page has not been completed. In this case, the process proceeds to step S6, and the free space in the memory box area b allocated to the hard disk 306 of the image server 110 is checked. If there is a free space in the memory box area b, it is simply considered that the input process has not been completed, and the process returns to step S4 to wait for the completion of storing the image of one page.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S6 that there is no free space in the memory box area b, the process proceeds to step S7, and the image transfer task shown in FIG. 7B is started. The image transfer task is a process for saving old images stored in the memory box to the host computer 501 when there is no more free space in the memory box area b, and creating free space for storing new images.

In step S8, the image corresponding to the oldest job is searched, and in step S9, it is determined whether the searched image is protected. The protection here is an attribute set for the image, and the protected image is not saved or erased even if the memory box area b runs out of space. If the searched image is protected, the process proceeds to step S10, and it is determined whether the search has been completed for all the images stored in the memory box.

In steps S8 and S10, until an unprotected image is found or until all the images stored in the memory box have been searched, the process of searching for an older job image is performed in step S8. Repeated.

If it is determined in step S10 that the search has been completed for all the images stored in the memory box, that is, if there are no images that can be saved or erased in the memory box, the process proceeds to step S11 in which an empty space is left in the memory box. "Memory full" indicating that there is no memory is displayed on the LCD of the operation unit, etc., and the job is notified to the host computer 501 because there is no free space in the memory box, and the process is stopped.

On the other hand, if an unprotected image is found, the process proceeds to step S12, where the host computer 5
01 is requested to transfer the image stored in the memory box. On the other hand, if there is no room to store the image to be transferred to the hard disk 502 of the host computer 501, or if the host computer 501 cannot accept the image transfer request due to a reason such as busy, step S13 The process is performed according to the determination of step S11
Then, the processing described above is performed.

If the image transfer request has been accepted, the selected image is transferred from the memory box to the host computer 501 in step S14, and
01 is stored in the hard disk 502. The saved image is added with information for easily returning the image to the memory box as needed.

When the image transfer is completed, the image transferred in step S15 is deleted from the memory box. Then, in step S16, a message indicating that the image in the memory box has been evacuated is displayed on the operation unit. Then, the process returns to the routine of FIG. 7A, and after performing the recovery process for restoring the image in the memory box in step S17, returns to step S3.

[Operation Procedure] Next, the operation procedure related to the present invention and the display of the operation unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8F. In this embodiment, an operation unit including a liquid crystal touch panel is assumed.

FIG. 8A shows a screen 600 of the memory box information displayed on the operation unit. The list 601 displays the files in the memory box in the order of registration. A plurality of boxes can be individually registered in the memory box, and images are registered in the boxes. In the list 601, images registered in all the boxes are displayed. FIG. 6A shows an example in which six images of materials 1 to 6 are registered in the memory box.

The information displayed in the list 601 is the date and time when the image was registered, the file name of the image, and the status indicating the state of the image. Status "Printed"
Indicates that the image was printed at least once after registration. Also, in FIG.
A “*” mark is added to “1”, which indicates that this image is protected. Although detailed description is omitted, an operation on a protected image requires input of a password.

Information and image of image displayed in italic characters
In FIG. 6A, “Document 6” indicates the image currently selected on the operation unit. Since the screen 600 is a touch panel, by touching a file name of a desired image or the like, the image can be set to a selected state. In addition, the number of pieces of image information that can be displayed in a list is limited because of the size of the screen 600. Therefore, scroll keys 604 and 605 for scrolling the list 601 are provided. Furthermore, a delete key 603 for manually deleting the selected image, a detailed information key 602 for displaying detailed information of the image, and a key 60 for closing the screen 600
There are six.

FIG. 8B shows a new “Document 7” in the memory box.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the image of FIG. In registering the image of "Material 7", it is assumed that a memory full occurs in the memory box area b. In this case, the image of the “document 2” whose registration is older and which is not protected is a target to be saved. After the image of “Material 2” is saved, the image of “Material 7” is registered. The status of the image of "material 2" is "evacuated", and the status of the image of "material 7" is "print OK" indicating that printing is possible.

When the user selects “material 2” indicating “evacuation” in the status and obtains detailed information, the screen 6 shown in FIG.
10 is displayed, and a message 611 indicating detailed information of the selected file is displayed, indicating that "Document 2" has been saved by the host computer. In addition. By pressing the key 612, it is possible to return to the original screen 600.

On the other hand, FIG. 8D shows an example of a screen 600 displayed when the host computer 501 rejects an image transfer request for some reason and the image cannot be saved. In this case, since the image of “material 7” is not registered in the memory box, its status is “memory full NG”. Further, as shown in FIG. 8E, even when all the images already stored in the memory box are protected, the status of the image of “material 7” becomes “memory full NG”.

Further, when the data amount of the image of the “material 7” is large, as shown in FIG.
Then, "Material 2" and "Material 3" may be saved.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in a multifunction digital copying machine having a memory box for storing images, if the memory box area becomes full, the image selected by a predetermined procedure is deleted. A new image can be stored in the memory box by transferring the image to a host computer or the like and saving the image in a storage medium of the host computer.

[0064]

[Modification] In the above-described embodiment, the host computer 501 and the multifunction digital copier 200 are connected to each other by Ethernet or
Although an example of connecting via a LAN such as kenRing has been described, the transfer path of the image file to be saved is not limited to the LAN. For example, SCSI interface, IEEE1284 interface (so-called Vicentronics), and IEEE1394 and Un
The image file can also be saved to the host computer 501 via a serial bus such as an iversal Serial Bus (USB). Further, since the complex digital copying machine 200 has a facsimile function, it is possible to transfer an image file using a telephone line.

The storage medium in which the memory box and the image file are saved is not limited to the hard disk, but may be, for example, a magneto-optical disk or a digital disk.
Magnetic tape media such as Audio Tape (DAT) may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which an older image stored in the memory box is set as a save target. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is conceivable to assign a priority to each memory box and save the image from a memory box with a lower priority.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which each of the composite digital copying machine and the host computer is a single unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is,
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a combination of one multifunction digital copier and a plurality of host computers,
A combination of a plurality of compound digital copying machines and a plurality of host computers is possible. 9 and 10, the possibility of image transfer being rejected by the host computer can be extremely reduced, so that the image can be saved more reliably.

[0068]

[Other Embodiments] Even if the present invention is applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), an apparatus (for example, a copying machine) Machine, facsimile machine, etc.).

Further, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus.
Needless to say, this can also be achieved by the PU) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also the OS running on the computer based on the instructions of the program code.
It goes without saying that an (operating system) performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, It goes without saying that the CPU included in the function expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0071]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide an image processing apparatus and a control method thereof in consideration of a case where a storage unit for storing image data for printing is in a memory full state.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a composite digital copying machine according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an overview diagram showing an example of the configuration of the copying machine shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a system configuration when the composite digital copying machine is used as a printer;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of the image server shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of allocating storage areas of the hard disk shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a memory box.

FIG. 6B is a diagram for explaining a memory box;

FIG. 6C is a diagram for explaining a memory box;

FIG. 7A is a flowchart illustrating an example of a sequence for inputting an image to a memory box;

FIG. 7B is a flowchart showing an example of a sequence for inputting an image to a memory box;

FIG. 8A is a diagram for explaining an operation procedure and a display of an operation unit related to the present invention;

FIG. 8B is a diagram for explaining the operation procedure and the display of the operation unit related to the present invention;

FIG. 8C is a diagram for explaining the operation procedure and the display of the operation unit related to the present invention;

FIG. 8D is a diagram for explaining the operation procedure and the display of the operation unit related to the present invention;

FIG. 8E is a diagram for explaining the operation procedure and display of the operation unit related to the present invention;

FIG. 8F is a diagram for explaining the operation procedure and the display of the operation unit related to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing another example of a system configuration when using the composite digital copying machine as a printer;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a system configuration when using the composite digital copying machine as a printer.

Claims (9)

[Claims] A storage unit for storing a plurality of image data for printing; a selection unit for selecting the image data stored in the storage unit in a predetermined procedure when the storage unit has insufficient space; An image processing apparatus comprising: a save unit that saves image data in another storage medium and generates a free area in the storage unit. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects the older image data stored in the storage unit. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects image data that has been stored in the storage unit and that is older and has not been prohibited from being evacuated. . 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects the image data based on priority information set for each storage unit of the storage unit. 5. The image processing apparatus is connected to a network, and the selected image data is saved to a storage medium via an information processing apparatus connected to the network. 5. The image processing device according to claim 4. 6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an expansion unit that expands the input image data described in the page description language into image data for printing, and stores the expanded image data in the storage unit. 6. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein: 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a forming unit configured to form a visible image on a recording medium based on the image data stored in the storing unit. Image processing device. 8. A method for controlling an image processing apparatus comprising a storage means for storing a plurality of image data for printing, wherein when the storage means has insufficient space, the image data stored in the storage means is stored in a predetermined procedure. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selected image data is saved in another storage medium, and a free area is generated in the storage means. 9. A recording medium on which a control method of an image processing apparatus including a storage unit for storing a plurality of image data for printing is recorded, wherein when the storage unit runs short of space, the storage medium is stored in the storage unit. A recording medium comprising: a code of a step of selecting image data according to a predetermined procedure; and a code of a step of saving the selected image data to another storage medium and generating a free area in the storage means. .