JPH11341243A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the decrease in the speed of storage and output processing of picture data in an image forming device equipped with a function to perform a test copy. SOLUTION: When a hard disk is used for storing picture data at the time of performing a test copy, an inner peripheral area of the hard disk stores (S18) the picture data for the test copy. Then, in a normal copy which is not the test one, the picture data are written in an outer peripheral area of the hard disk (S20) and processed. Therefore, as writing and reading of the outer periphery data can be speeded up in the normal copy, an output processing time of the hard copy is not increased. Also, in the test copy, as the picture data are stored in the inner periphery of the hard disk, it is possible to attain effective use of a storage area.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which visualizes input image data and outputs the same as a hard copy, thereby enabling a trial copy to confirm a finished state when the visualized image is obtained. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus configured to appropriately output the remaining number of copies (the number of copies) after confirming the test copy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus visualizes input image data so that the image data can be viewed visually and outputs it as a hard copy. This image forming apparatus, for example, according to a digital copying machine, optically scans a document placed on a transparent platen surface mainly made of glass with light emitted from a light source, and obtains the document. The reflected light is imaged on a light receiving portion of a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD which is a reading element, image data photoelectrically converted by each element is input, and the image data is reproduced on a photoconductor for visualization. Finally, the data is transferred to a sheet or the like and output as a hard copy.

The image forming apparatus is not limited to a digital copying machine as described above. For example, image data created by an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a word processor is reproduced so as to be viewed. There are printers that output this as a hard copy, such as a laser printer, an inkjet printer, and a thermal printer.

The above-described image forming apparatus is capable of outputting a hard copy in accordance with various conditions such as density, magnification, and photographs and characters so as to provide a reproduced image desired by a user. That is, according to the input image data, the image quality can be arbitrarily set so that the output hard copy is preferred by the user, and a reproduced image according to the set conditions (print information) can be output.

For this reason, if the hard copy output from the image forming apparatus is not the one desired by the user, new conditions are set again on the user side so that the output can be performed with the reproduction image quality desired by the user. For this reason, a trial copy for outputting only one hard copy is performed for the input image data, and if the user sets the conditions again with reference to the trial copy or is satisfied with the trial copy, An image forming apparatus that outputs the remaining number of hard copies has been provided and is now being put into practice.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-221770, input image data, that is, an image of a document placed on a document table is formed on a photosensitive member, and this is appropriately transferred to a sheet. When obtaining a hard copy, one test copy is executed and output, regardless of the set number of copies. This test copy is visually observed, and if the user prefers, after a certain time, the remaining set number of hard copies are output. If the user does not like it, the user is instructed to do so and reset the conditions for output (other than the number of sheets) or change the position of the placed document.

Therefore, when a trial copy is performed, it is necessary to temporarily store image data. Therefore, in the related art, a storage unit for storing input image data is provided, and those for which no test copy is performed are similarly stored in the storage unit. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-95463, input image data is temporarily stored in a storage unit, and a test copy is performed by selecting a sheet having a minimum size in accordance with a test copy instruction. Thus, the image data is stored in the same storage unit under the same conditions, although waste is reduced.

[0008]

According to the image forming apparatus described in the above-mentioned publication, that is, an image forming apparatus which enables a test copy, a test copy can be obtained as needed, so that useless copying can be performed. A set number of hard copies can be easily obtained according to the user's preference without performing.

[0009] However, even for the test copy that is not performed, the input image data is temporarily stored in the storage unit in the same manner as the test copy.
Therefore, when the test copy is not performed, the data is stored in the same manner as the test copy is performed, so that the writing, calling (reading) time and the like are required, and the output process may take too much time.

For example, if image data to be subjected to a trial copy is input first, the image data is stored as it is in a storage device such as a hard disk. It is necessary to output data first. However, the test copy remains stored on the hard disk since the user is satisfied with the test copy and instructs to restart the output process of the remaining number of copies (the number of copies). Then, image data that does not require the next test copy needs to be stored after the image data and be sequentially called, and the calling process takes time and the output process may be delayed.

On the other hand, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a function of performing a test copy, in which image data to be subjected to a test copy is stored differently from image data which does not need to be subjected to a test copy, It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that enables efficient output processing and efficient storage processing at the same time.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus for outputting a reproduced image corresponding to image data as a hard copy on a sheet. In addition, in an image forming apparatus having a function of performing one trial copy regardless of the set number of copies, a storage unit capable of storing image data and having different writing and reading speeds depending on a storage area is provided. When the image data input for copying is stored in the storage unit, the image data is written and stored in an area where the reading speed is low, and the image data that is not subjected to the trial copy is stored in the area where the writing and reading speed of the storage unit is high. And control means stored in the storage device.

According to such a configuration, the output processing is not performed on the test copy image data until a restart instruction is issued, so that there is no problem in the output processing. Further, in normal copying, since image data is stored in an area of a storage unit that can be written and read at high speed, output processing by hard copy does not decrease. In particular, in the storage means, each image data can be stored and processed in a good condition, and the storage area can be effectively used.

In the image forming apparatus having the above configuration, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the storage means comprises a rotating disk-shaped recording medium, and the control means stores the test copy image data in the recording medium. Is controlled so that image data for which test copying is not performed is stored in the outer peripheral area of the recording medium in the inner peripheral area. According to such a configuration, the inner circumference and the outer circumference area of the hard disk can be set, and the image data by the test copy is stored on the inner circumference, and the image data of the normal copy is stored on the outer circumference. In the output processing, high-speed writing and reading can be performed, so that it is possible to prevent the output speed from lowering.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the image data of the test copy is stored in the storage unit, the control unit may store the compressed image data in a compressed state. To memorize it. As a result, it is not necessary to perform output processing until a restart instruction is issued for a test copy, so that no problem occurs in the output state even if the image data is compressed and stored. In particular, since the storage area of the storage unit can be effectively used, more efficient storage processing can be performed.

Further, in the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the control means reads out and outputs the image data stored in the storage means in response to the restart instruction after the trial copy. At the same time as processing
It is characterized in that the image data is rewritten and controlled in an area where the writing and reading speed of the storage means is high. Therefore, the image data is read out according to the restart instruction, and the output processing is performed. At this time, since the read image data is rewritten to an area where high-speed writing and reading can be performed, subsequent output processing can be speeded up.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the object of the present invention, and more particularly to achieve the object of more effectively utilizing the storage area of the storage means, the control means converts the image data for the test copy into When the restart instruction is not given for a predetermined time, the data is automatically deleted from the storage means.
By doing so, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the image data of the trial copy is accumulated indiscriminately, the storage capacity thereof is reduced, and the storage processing of the next image data becomes impossible.
In addition, the storage area of the limited storage means can be effectively used,
The image data for the trial copy can be reliably stored.

In the image forming apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration, according to the present invention, when the control unit automatically deletes the test copy image data from the storage unit, the control unit may store the first page of the image data. It is characterized in that data is deleted and data on other pages is deleted, an erasure message indicating the reason for erasure is created and stored at the same time, and the first page and the erasure message are output by a later restart instruction.

In the present invention, when the image data of the test copy is deleted by managing the time, only a part of the deleted image data is stored, and the hard copy of the partial image data is stored in response to the restart instruction. Output processing.
Therefore, the user can check the information of the trial copy, and can obtain a teaching material or the like for the next trial copy instruction. In this case, it is possible to output the reason or the like as a message as a message, to surely inform the user of the situation or the like, and to instruct lessons for the subsequent processing.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus, wherein the storage means has a storage capacity capable of storing test copy image data. The control unit is configured to release the function of the test copy and perform the output process by the normal copy when storing the image data of the test copy and when it is necessary to store the data beyond the storage capacity of the storage unit. It is characterized in that storage processing is performed in an area of the storage means for storing image data by a normal copy. That is, if the storage area for the image data for the trial copy runs out, the image data for the trial copy is not stored and the trial copy cannot be performed. However, if the image data of the test copy cannot be stored in the storage means, it is possible to perform the output processing by the normal copy, and to prevent the copy processing from being disabled. Further, the image data due to the trial copy is not lost.

Therefore, in the image forming apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration, according to the invention of claim 8, when the control means stores the test copy image data beyond the storage capacity of the storage means, It is characterized in that output indicating that storage processing cannot be performed is output, and output processing by normal copying is executed by waiting for a trial copy function release input again. That is, if the image data of the test copy cannot be stored, the user can select the test copy. For example, stop the trial copy situation,
Whether the trial copy function is canceled and the output processing by the normal copy is performed is determined by a selection instruction from the user side. As a result, it is possible to perform a normal copy output process without performing useless output process, and it is possible to easily obtain a hard copy when necessary.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the ninth aspect, which is another means and method for achieving the object of the present invention,
The storage unit is a first management unit that stores and manages information such as a storage position relating to the image data of the test copy, a first management unit that performs storage management similar to the first management unit,
And a table for storing the image data based on information such as a storage position managed by the second management means. The control means is managed by the first management means when erasing the test copy image data. The second management means and the contents of the information storage table are retained only by erasing the information related to the management of the image data of the trial copy.

In such a configuration, even when the image data of the test copy is erased in the time management, the actual image data can be erased only in the storage management without being erased. Therefore, in the restart instruction, even if the image data is deleted in the management state, the image data can be output if the image data is actually stored. This eliminates the need for troublesome processing such as newly inputting image data and rewriting the image data in the storage means, and the management thereof. Therefore, the storage area of the storage unit can be efficiently managed, and effective storage management can be performed.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, the storage means has a capacity capable of storing image data for a trial copy, and the control means has A storage capacity for storing image data for test copy in the storage means, and a management for storing new test copy image data in the first management means and the second management means of the storage means. The information is stored sequentially in the free space of the storage means, and when there is no free space capable of storing the image data, the image data does not exist in the first management means and the second management means does not exist.
It is characterized in that storage processing is performed so as to overwrite image data stored based on management information existing in the management means, and the management information is deleted from the second management means.
Therefore, the preset storage capacity can be fully utilized, and the image data for the test copy is not always replaced with new image data, and the image data is stored in the empty area that is not always stored. It is processed. Therefore, in practice, the image data that has been erased for management is stored in the storage area to the full capacity, and output processing can be performed by a restart instruction. Therefore, the operation and effect described in claim 9 are further promoted.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a trial copy,
3 is a flowchart for explaining a control procedure according to the first embodiment of the present invention relating to output control with copy other than that, in particular, storage processing of image data and the like to be subjected to test copy according to the present invention and output processing thereof.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control circuit in an image forming apparatus for enabling storage control and output control of image data by test copy or non-test copy, and FIG. And FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can mutually transmit information to, for example, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) constituting an externally connected image data input section. The description will be made in a state where the test copy is performed via the communication line as described above. However, it is obvious that there is naturally a case where the test copy is performed and a case where the test copy is not performed in the image forming apparatus alone.

First, referring to FIG. 4, an outline of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be briefly described.

Referring to FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus 1 is a printer adopting, for example, an electrophotographic system. The image forming apparatus 1 has a well-known image forming section inside, and can store a large number of sheets for outputting a hard copy at a lower portion. Two types of sheet cassettes 2 are provided. This paper cassette 2
Is provided so as to be able to be pulled out of the image forming apparatus 1 main body. Therefore, after the sheet is replenished, the size of the sheet is exchanged, or the like, the sheet is pulled out, the sheet of a desired size is placed on the tray, and then mounted on the image forming apparatus 1 body. Thus, the sheets stored in the sheet cassette 2 can be fed.

A scanner 3 as image reading means is arranged above the image forming apparatus.

Further, on the right side of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1,
The manual feed tray 4 is provided in a protruding state, and can feed sheets of any size. The manual paper feed tray 4 is selectively switched in the same manner as the paper feed cassette 2, and sheets are fed from any one of them. On the left side, a discharge tray 5 for receiving a hard copy sheet on which image formation has been completed is provided.

In front of the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 1, image forming conditions, the above-mentioned selection key for selecting the paper feed cassette 2 or the manual feed tray 4, and output processing by trial copy according to the present invention are provided. An operation panel 6 provided with operation keys for performing the operation, a display device, and the like is provided as shown in FIG.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes a photosensitive member 10 which is a recording medium for forming an image therein, for example, formed in a drum shape, a charger for uniformly charging the photosensitive member 10,
A scanning optical system including a polygonal mirror and a laser driving unit that scans an image by a laser beam in which a semiconductor laser is ON / OFF-controlled in accordance with image data on a uniformly charged photoreceptor surface, and image data is scanned by the laser beam. Device 1 for visualizing an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor formed according to image
1. A transfer device 12 for transferring a visible image formed on the photoconductor 10 to a sheet conveyed appropriately, and a cleaning device (not shown) for removing an image remaining on the photoconductor after the transfer, for example, toner. The image forming unit 7 is provided.

In addition to the image forming section 7, in order to convey the sheet to the image forming section, a sheet is selectively fed from the above-mentioned paper feed cassette 2 or the manual paper feed tray 4, and A transfer system 8 for transferring a sheet to a position of a transfer unit 12 for transferring a visible image (toner image) formed thereon in synchronization with the rotation of the photoconductor 10 is provided. The conveyance system 8 conveys the sheet to the fixing unit 9 for fixing the transferred image on the sheet after the transfer, and discharges the fixed sheet to the discharge tray 5 on the upper part of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. A system is provided.

The scanner 3 includes a reading unit 14 that moves along the document table 13 below a document table 13 made of a transparent glass plate or the like on which a document to be read is placed. The reading unit 14 includes a lamp for optically illuminating the original, a reading element (CCD) for receiving reflected light from the original, electrically converting a light image, and outputting the converted image.

The read data of the original image by the scanner 3, in particular, the image data is sent to an image processing unit 15 which converts the image data into data for hard copy as a visible image in an image forming section 7. The image processing unit 15 processes the input image data as image data to be output as a hard copy in the image forming unit 7. The details will be described later.

The image data processed by the image processing means (unit) 15 is sent to a laser writing unit 16 next. The laser writing unit 16 drives the semiconductor laser ON-OFF according to image data, and irradiates the photoconductor 10 constituting the image forming unit 7 with laser light via a scanning optical system (not shown). Thereby, the photoconductor 10 has
Irradiation of the laser beam after uniform charging forms an electrostatic latent image according to the image data. Then, the electrostatic latent image is developed as a visible image by the toner of the developing device 11. The developed toner image is transferred by the operation of the sheet transfer unit 12 and is discharged as a hard copy sheet onto the discharge tray 5 by passing through the fixing unit 9.

Here, the scanning optical system includes a polygon mirror for deflecting the laser light, a lens for forming an image of the laser light, a reflection mirror, and the like.

The operation panel 6 provided in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The operation panel 6 includes a display unit 17 also serving as an input unit, a copy start switch 18 on the right side, a numeric keypad 19 for inputting the number of copies, a clear key 20 for clearing the number of copies and other copy conditions (print conditions), and the like. Other operation keys are provided. The display unit 17 is configured by, for example, stacking a transparent touch panel on a liquid crystal display unit, and can perform an input operation of contents that are not displayed. For this purpose, an erase time setting key 21, a capacity setting key 22, a trial copy (print) restart key 23 and the like are provided in the figure.

In FIG. 3, a personal computer (PC) 25 constituting an external image input device for transmitting image data to obtain a hard copy is communicated with the image forming apparatus 1 configured as described above. The wires are connected via 24. Although only one PC 25 is shown in the figure, a plurality of PCs are connected to one image forming apparatus 1 by the communication line 24.
The system is configured to send desired image data from each PC 25 and obtain a hard copy via the image forming apparatus 1.

When a user needs a hard copy on one PC 25, image data for obtaining a hard copy is transferred from the PC 25 to the image forming apparatus 1. If the image forming apparatus 1 has not performed the output processing for the hard copy first, and is in a state where the hard copy can be output, the input (transferred) image data is hard-coded. It is developed into data that can be output as a copy, and this is temporarily stored in a memory. Then, the stored image data is called from the memory, and the image forming unit 7 and the transport system 8 are appropriately controlled to output a hard copy onto the discharge tray 5.

Therefore, when the user wants to make a trial copy on the PC 25, the user inputs a setting to that effect and sends it to the image forming apparatus 1 together with the image data. Upon receiving the test copy information, the image forming apparatus 1 sets the test copy mode, and outputs one (one) test copy of the transferred image data regardless of the set number of copies. This test copy outputs a test copy in accordance with image forming conditions set on the PC 25 side and the image forming apparatus 1 side.

After confirming the finished state of the test copy, if desired, the user gives a restart instruction to obtain the remaining set number of hard copies. As a result, the hard copy of the remaining set number (the number of copies, etc.) excluding the test copy is output processed by the image forming apparatus 1.

If a test copy is not instructed, the image data is stored in the storage means in the image forming apparatus 1 in a different form and format from the image data by the test copy according to the present invention. Then, the hard copy output is executed by being sequentially called. In this case, the storage mode is controlled so as to be different from the above-described trial copy in order to efficiently perform output processing when the trial copy is not performed. As a result, output processing in the case of not a trial copy can be performed quickly.

(First Embodiment of the Present Invention) Next, a first embodiment of the present invention for controlling the above-described image forming apparatus capable of performing the test copy will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. explain.

FIG. 1 is as described above, and the control circuit in the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. It is a flowchart shown.

First, the control circuit configuration shown in FIG. 2 will be described. A circuit for controlling the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a CPU 30 which constitutes a control unit for controlling the whole. In the circuit shown in FIG. 2, the image processing unit 15 described with reference to FIG.
1, 32, 35, 36, etc.

The CPU 30 is composed of a microcomputer, and controls the image forming apparatus 1 according to a program (not shown) stored in a program ROM, and at the same time, outputs data necessary during the control and input image data. It controls a memory 31 such as a RAM for temporarily storing. The memory 31 stores image data read by the scanner 3 provided in the image forming apparatus 1 in the image information input unit 3.
2, while image data from the PC 25, which is an external information processing device, is stored via the external print image information input unit 33. The storage control is performed by the CPU 30
Done through.

The CPU 30 further controls the sheet information including the image forming section 7 serving as the image information output section 34, including the sheet conveyance system, and forms input image data into a visible image by the image forming section 7. And a hard disk 36 which is a large-capacity storage unit for saving and storing image data stored in the memory 31, in particular, image data processed by the image information processing unit 35. .

The image forming section 7 is composed of a photoreceptor, a charger, a laser driver, a laser beam scanning optical system, a developing device, a transfer device, a cleaning device, etc., as described above, and via a driver for driving each of them. , The CPU 30 is the image information output unit 3
4 and control. That is, the photoconductor is rotated and driven, the surface of the photoconductor is uniformly charged by a charger, and a laser beam is selectively irradiated on the surface of the photoconductor through a laser driving unit to form a latent image. To visualize. In this manner, control is performed so that an image is formed on the photoconductor.

The transport system 8 is selectively transported to feed a sheet from the above-described paper feed cassette 2 or the manual feed tray 4 and is transported so that the leading edge of the image forming position coincides with the transfer position of the photosensitive member. You.

The discharge system further includes a visible image (toner image) formed on the sheet fed to the transfer position through the control of the transport system by the transfer operation of the transfer unit 12 controlled by the image forming system 7. Is transferred, and after the transfer, the sheet is peeled off, and the control of the discharge process to the discharge tray 5 via the fixing unit 9 is performed by the CP.
Perform according to the instructions of U30.

Therefore, for the purpose of making the first embodiment of the present invention easier to understand, in the control circuit shown in FIG. A control procedure including a storage process will be briefly described.

First, the flow when the image information created by the PC 25 is output as a hard copy will be described. P
The image information transferred from the C25 via the cable 24 is written to the memory 31 via the external image information input unit 33. The image information transferred from the PC 25 includes, in addition to the image data forming the visible image in the image forming unit 7, the number of output copies of the image data by hard copy,
Print information such as image forming conditions is included. In particular, the print information includes, in addition to the number of copies, information on whether to lighten or darken the image, reduce or enlarge the image, double-sided or single-sided, and whether or not to perform a test copy according to the present invention. This print information is P
In addition to being input from the C25 side, the image forming apparatus 1 can arbitrarily set whether or not to perform a test copy via the operation panel 6 shown in FIG.

Further, when the image data is sent from the PC 25 as bitmap data that can be output as it is as a visible image by the image forming unit 7, the image data may be sent as code data. Therefore, the code data is sent to the image information processing unit 35 in order to convert the code data into bitmap data, and is stored in the memory 31 again after the processing. The image information processing unit 35 performs image processing of density and magnification processing as print information, and the image processing is sent to the memory 31 and stored.

When the image processing by the image information processing section 35 is completed, the image data is sent to the image information output section 34, and the laser light corresponding to the image data is exposed through the laser writing unit 16 shown in FIG. Irradiated on body 10. As a result, a desired visible image is formed on the sheet of the selected size and output as a hard copy.

When it is necessary to save the image data and print information, the data is written to the hard disk 36. When this writing is performed, the image data in the memory 31 and its print information are erased, and the next image data can be written into the memory 31. For example,
When outputting not only one copy but also a plurality of copies of the image data, the image data and the like are evacuated and stored in the hard disk 36 as described above. Then, when a hard copy is needed again, the image data stored in the hard disk 36 is read out, written into the memory 31,
The image data is sent to the image information output unit 34, and the hard copy output process is performed as described above. When all the necessary hard copies are output and completed, the stored image data and print information are all erased from the memory 31 and the hard disk 36.

To explain the above more specifically,
A case in which five pages of image data are output as three hard copies will be described. In the normal hard copy output processing, first, as the first copy output processing, the image data of the fifth page is sequentially output as a hard copy from the first page, and then the image of the second copy in the above-described page order is output. An output process based on the data is performed. Then, the output process of the image data of the third copy in the page order is performed.

For this purpose, the image processing means 16 of the image forming apparatus first stores the image data of the first page in the memory 31 together with the print information. If the memory 31
In the case where only the image data for one page or two pages can be stored, the image data of the first page is stored in the memory 3.
1 and sends the processed image data via the image processing unit 35 to the image information output unit 34 via the memory 31 to perform a hard copy output process for the first page.

At the same time as performing the output processing by the hard copy, the image data of two pages is similarly written in the memory 31. Alternatively, only one page of memory 31
If there is no image, the image data of the first page is written into the hard disk 36, the image data of the first page is deleted, or the image data of the second page from above is written. In the same manner, storage and deletion of the third, fourth, and fifth pages in the memory 31 are sequentially repeated, and after the output processing by the hard copy of the first copy of pages 1 to 5 is completed, the hard copy of the second copy is completed. In the output process, the image data stored in the hard disk 36 is sequentially called and sent to the image information output unit 34 via the memory 31 to perform the hard copy output process.

Therefore, when performing the test copy of the present invention, the above-described image data of five pages is
First, a hard copy output process is performed. At this time, the image data is stored in the hard disk 36, and waits for output processing by the remaining hard copy. Therefore, it waits for a restart instruction.

If the result of the test copy is good, the user gives an instruction to restart the output processing by the remaining hard copy. Since the first copy has been completed by this resumption, the output processing by hard copy of the remaining two copies will be performed. If not, the user cancels the output process using the image data, or newly instructs input of print information, in particular, conditions such as density and magnification for image forming conditions, and performs a test in accordance with the instruction. The copy will be executed again.

According to the present invention, in this test copy, when normal copy output without test copy is desired, image data storage processing by test copy and image data storage processing by normal copy output are performed. Are different.

That is, when a 3.5-inch circular recording medium (disk) is used as the hard disk 36, the recording density is 111,000 bits / inch and the number of rotations of the disk is 52,000 rpm. Since the disk is a disk, the storage amount differs between the outer peripheral portion and the inner peripheral portion in proportion to the diameter. Therefore, the information amount obtained in one rotation is, for example, about 1,220, in the outer peripheral area having a diameter of 3.5 inches.
In contrast to 000 bits, it is about 349,000 bits in the inner peripheral area having a diameter of 1 inch. In other words, the information amount is about three times the outer peripheral area than the inner peripheral area.
And about 3 times the difference in the call.

Therefore, in the present invention, by instructing a trial copy, the image data is transferred to the hard disk 36.
The image data of a normal copy which is stored in the inner peripheral area of the hard disk 36 and is not subjected to the test copy is stored in the outer peripheral area of the hard disk 36. As a result, according to the test copy, it is not possible to know when the output restart instruction by the hard copy of the remaining image data is issued. However, in a normal copy, the user wants to output immediately. Therefore, when output processing of a plurality of copies is desired, the storage and recall time of image data can be significantly reduced, and the output processing can be performed efficiently and quickly.

(Control Procedure According to First Embodiment) Then, a processing procedure according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be sequentially described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The image forming apparatus 1 waits for an output instruction in a state in which a hard copy output process using image data is possible (standby state) (S10). This will be described as an output instruction based on image information from the PC 25 as shown in FIG.

In this standby state, the flow shifts to step S11 as to whether or not there is an output instruction, and waits for the instruction. If it is confirmed that there is an output instruction, in step S12, it waits for printing information such as image forming conditions based on the image data and printing conditions such as the presence or absence of a test copy to be transferred before the image data. . This print information transfer is complete,
That is, if the image forming apparatus 1 confirms the reception, the print information is temporarily stored in the memory 31 (S13).

Next, the process proceeds to step S14, and waits for input of image data (image information). That is, it waits for the image data to be transferred from the PC 25 side. When the transfer of the image data is confirmed, the image data is stored in the memory 31. At this time, it is checked whether or not one page of image data has been input. Then, confirm that the image data for one page has been transferred. When the storage of the image data is completed, a hard copy output process (print process S16) based on the image data is executed. Therefore, after the image data stored in the memory 31 is expanded into image data that can be processed by the image forming unit 7 in the image information processing unit 35 including the image forming conditions of the print information, and stored in the memory 31, The image data is sent to the laser writing unit 16 of the image forming unit 7 and output processing is executed.

The image forming apparatus 1 performs the above-described hard copy output processing of the transferred image data for one page (S16), and prints the print information transferred in accordance with the image data. The process proceeds to step S17 to check whether a trial copy is instructed from the middle. Therefore, if the instruction to perform the trial copy has been given, the process proceeds to step S18, and the image data and print information stored in the memory 31 are transferred to the hard disk 3.
6 is stored. In this case, especially in the test copy image data, the CPU
At 30, control is stored.

After this storage processing, it is confirmed whether or not all the transfer of the image data has been completed (S19). this is,
In checking the state of capturing (transferring) one page of image data in the previous step S14, if there is only one page of image data, it is completed in step S19 and returns to the standby state (S10). However, if the transfer of the image data has not been completed, the process returns to step S14 and waits for the transfer of the image data of the next page (S14).
14).

On the other hand, an output process is performed using image data for one page, and if an instruction by trial copy has not been issued in step S17, it is determined that there is no instruction, and the process proceeds to step S20, where the image data is stored in the hard disk 36. The data is written into the outer peripheral area and stored (evacuated). Then, similarly to step S19, the process proceeds to step S21, where it is determined whether or not the transfer of the image data has been completed.
If not, the process returns to step S14.

If the transfer of the image data has been completely completed, the output process using the image data of each page of the next copy is performed in step S22, and the output process by hard copy of all the image data is completed. It is determined whether or not it has been performed (S23). For the transferred image data,
If the hard copy of the set number of copies in the print information has been completed for all the copies, the process exits from step S23, and the image forming apparatus 1 returns to the standby state to execute the output process using the next image data (S10).

The output (printing) in step S22
The process is an output process of the second copy of the set number of copies.
That is, if the transfer of the image data has not been completed in step S21, the output processing of the first copy of the image data has been performed in step S16. Therefore, when the transfer of all pages of the image data in step S14 is completed, the image output processing for the last page is performed in step S16, and the output processing for the first copy is completed.

As described above, in the output process of the hard copy of the image data transferred from the PC 25, the image data is stored in the memory 3 according to the presence or absence of the test copy.
If there is no instruction for trial copy when the data is saved from 1 to the hard disk 36, the data is stored in the outer peripheral area of the hard disk 36. Therefore, in the output processing of the first copy, the output processing based on the image data in the memory 31 is performed, so that the output processing is not delayed. In the output processing for the second copy and thereafter, the data is transferred from the hard disk 36 to the memory 31, and the output processing based on the image data is performed.

However, the calling of the hard disk 36 is performed from the outer peripheral area and can be processed faster than in the inner peripheral area. Therefore, the output processing of the hard copy of the second copy and thereafter is not delayed. For example, hard disk 3
6 is further improved as compared with the case where the image data stored in the inner peripheral portion of the memory 6 is read out, written into the memory 31, and then output.

In the test copy, the output result of one hard copy is checked, and when the result is not the one desired by the user, the output instruction is delayed. Therefore, even if the image data is stored in the inner peripheral area of the hard disk 36, the image data is not immediately called and output processing is not performed, and there is no particular problem. In addition, the result of the test copy is checked, and if it is determined that the test copy is good, a restart instruction is issued. Therefore, the output process by trial copy is completed,
In the standby state, the image data of the first page of the hard disk 36 is first written in the memory 31 in order to wait for the restart instruction, and the image output processing can be immediately performed by the restart instruction. Then, during the image output process, if the image data of the next page is called,
Even if the image data is stored in the inner peripheral area of the hard disk 36, the output processing will not be delayed.

Therefore, even when the test copy is instructed, or when the test copy is not instructed, even if the image output processing is evacuated and stored using the hard disk 36, it takes a long time to call and the like, so that the image output processing is delayed. Can be avoided, and the output processing of the image forming apparatus can be made more efficient.

(Second Embodiment of the Present Invention) When performing the above-described test copy storage and output processing of image data other than the test copy, the image data is simply stored in the hard disk 36 as it is. . In this embodiment, especially when the image data is stored in the hard disk 36, the image data is compressed and stored in the hard disk 36, so that the occupied area for storing the image data can be reduced.

For this reason, if the image data is subjected to the compression processing in the state of the test copy and the state of the non-test copy, the efficiency of the output processing may be reduced. For this reason, in the second embodiment, the image data is compressed when a test copy is performed, and when the test copy is not performed, the image data is directly stored in the hard disk without performing the compression process, thereby deteriorating the output process. I try not to.

FIG. 6 shows an example of this, and shows a flow chart focusing on a control procedure for compressing and storing image data. In FIG. 6, FIG.
Are substantially the same as those in the flowchart shown in FIG. 1. In particular, all the steps are the same as those in FIG. 1 except that a step S30 for performing a compression process is added between steps S17 and S18 in FIG.

Therefore, in FIG. 6, the same steps as those in FIG. 1 are partially omitted, and the same processing is performed in steps S10 to S16, as described in the processing procedure of the first embodiment. Therefore, step S16
Executes the output process using the image data for one page,
In step S17, it is determined whether a test copy instruction using image data has been issued.

If the instruction by the trial copy has been given, the image data in the memory 31 is compressed in step S30. In this case, the image data stored in the memory 31 is subjected to image compression processing by the image information processing unit 35. The compressed image data is stored in the memory 3 again.
1 is stored. And finally, the hard disk 36
The image data compressed in the inner peripheral area of the
18) is performed.

If it is not a trial copy, the processing of steps S20 to S23 is executed as described with reference to FIG. 1, and if image data has not been transferred, the flow returns to step S14 to return to the next image data. The transfer of the. In this case, the image data stored in the memory 31 is stored in the outer peripheral area of the hard disk 36 in step S20 without being subjected to the compression processing.

As described above, when a test copy is performed, image data is subjected to compression processing, and the compressed image data is stored in the inner peripheral area of the hard disk 36. Therefore, the storage area in the hard disk 36 can be effectively used, the occupation area of the storage area for the trial copy can be reduced, and the storage area of the image data for performing the output processing quickly can be widened.

Further, when waiting for the user to give a restart instruction by the test copy, the hard disk 3
The compressed image data in 6 can be demodulated and stored in the memory 31. Therefore, the output process after the restart instruction after the trial copy is not delayed.
Therefore, highly efficient storage processing of image data on the hard disk 36 can be performed.

(Third Embodiment of the Present Invention) In the first and second embodiments, the control of image data storage control and the control of output processing of the hard disk when a test copy or a non-test copy is performed have been described. Therefore, when performing the test copy, after the test copy is output, the restart of the output process of the remaining hard copy is waited. In this case, since the image data for the trial copy is stored in the inner circumference of the hard disk 36, it takes time to call the image data.

In this embodiment, when the output processing of the remaining image data after the test copy is performed, the output processing is performed more efficiently.

Therefore, when a trial copy is instructed,
According to the instruction, first in step S16 in FIG.
A hard copy based on the image data of the set is output.
Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 is in a state of waiting for a restart instruction. Hereinafter, a process of storing the image data after the test copy in response to the restart instruction will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the standby state of the image forming apparatus 1 (S1
At 0), it is confirmed whether or not a print request has been newly sent from the image forming apparatus 1 (S31). If there is no print request, the process proceeds to step S32, and it is checked whether a restart request (instruction) after the test copy (print) has been made. If there is no such instruction, the above step S3
1 → S32 is repeated.

If a new print request is made, the flow advances to step S40 to execute the hard copy output processing of the image data according to whether or not the test copy has been described with reference to FIG. Upon confirming that the process is completed, the process returns to step S10, and a restart instruction after the test copy has been issued again (S32), and a new print request has been made (S32).
31) is confirmed.

If a restart request is made in step S32, the process of outputting a hard copy with the remaining number of copies, excluding the number of copies by the previous test copy, proceeds to step S33 and is executed. In this case, for example, the user operates a key for restarting the operation panel 6 of the image forming apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. That is, if the user touches the test print restart key 23, the display unit 17 displays the content for restart.

The contents for this restart include the name of the user who has requested the trial copy, the registered name of the image data, the time at which the print request of the image data was made, the number of pages of the image data, the number of copies, and the like. In addition, a plurality of test copy requests can be displayed, and a plurality of contents that have not been restarted after the test copy can be displayed. Therefore, on the user side,
The contents displayed on the display unit 17 are checked, and the contents of the target test copy are checked. If there are a plurality of test copies, the number can be selected using the numeric keypad 19 in accordance with the numerical value assigned to each content. Do. Then, it is conceivable that the contents of the print image of the selected number are displayed in reverse video so that the user can easily understand the print image.

After the user selects a desired print image as described above, the copy start key 18 is operated.
In response to this operation, the process of step S33 according to FIG. 7 is performed. That is, the output processing of the hard copy of the remaining number of copies after the test copy is started. Therefore, first, the image data is called from the hard disk 36 in which the image data by the trial copy is stored. It is checked whether or not the called image data has been compressed (S
34). In particular, in the description of the first embodiment, the image data is directly stored in the hard disk 36, and the next step S35 is skipped. In the description of the second embodiment, image data obtained by trial copying is stored in the hard disk 36 after compression processing.

Therefore, if the image data has been compressed, the process proceeds to step S35, where the compressed image data is demodulated, that is, expanded to a normal bit map data state. In this decompression process, the image information processing unit 3
5, and the expanded image data is stored in the memory 31. Note that, even when the image data is not compressed, the image data read as it is is stored in the memory 31 via step S33.

After the above processing, the output processing of the hard copy using the image data for one page is started (S3).
6). In this case, the image data stored in the memory 31 is sent to the image information output unit 34, and a visible image corresponding to the image data is formed as described with reference to FIG.

Accordingly, it is confirmed whether or not the image data stored in the memory 31 has been stored in the outer peripheral area of the hard disk 36 (S37). The image data is written as it is without compressing the data (S38). If the writing process has been performed, step S38 is skipped, and it is confirmed whether or not the hard copy of the image data of all pages has been output for the set number of copies (S39). If the output processing has not been completed, the process returns to step S33, and the above-described processing is sequentially and repeatedly executed. When all the output processes are completed, the process returns to the standby state of the image forming apparatus 1 in step S10.

As described above, the image data relating to the test copy stored in the hard disk 36 is read in response to the restart request, and the image data can be rewritten to the outer peripheral area of the hard disk 36 again. Therefore, 3
The time required for the output processing of the hard copy after the copy is shortened. Further, even if the image data is stored in a compressed state, the compressed image data is rewritten to the outer peripheral area of the hard disk 36 in a decompressed state, so that the time for the output processing is similarly reduced.

In the area where the image data for the trial copy is stored from the hard disk 36, the content is erased when it is rewritten on the outer periphery of the hard disk 36.

(Embodiment of Control for Deleting Image Data of Test Copy) Here, when the test copy is instructed as described above, if the output test copy is not desired by the user, the requested number of hardware copies is required. Copy output may not be performed and may be left as it is. Therefore, if the remaining output processing is not performed by the test copy, the image data is sequentially stored in the hard disk 36, and it can be predicted that storage in the hard disk 36 becomes impossible due to an increase in the number of instructions by the test copy. Further, if the user is not satisfied as a result of the test copy, it is conceivable to cancel the output process by hard copy of the image data. However, if the user forgets the cancel instruction,
The disadvantages described above become more pronounced.

Therefore, as for the image data obtained by the test copy, if the restart instruction is not issued even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the image data is automatically erased and stored in the area where the hard disk 36 can store the image data. It can be used effectively and is very effective.

Therefore, after the test copy is instructed, the timer is started when one copy of the test copy is output, and when the timer counts a predetermined time, the image data stored in the hard disk 36 is deleted. The data is erased, and a storable area in the hard disk 36 is sufficiently secured.

One embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in the standby state of the image forming apparatus 1, the process proceeds to step S <b> 40, and it is confirmed whether or not the timer instructed to start timing has counted a predetermined time with respect to a predetermined time set in advance. The timer can be constituted by an internal timer that secures a partial storage area of the CPU 30 and the memory 31 in the circuit of FIG. Further, this timer may be configured differently from the circuit of FIG. The predetermined time may be set arbitrarily. It is sufficient to consider the environment of the place where the image forming apparatus 1 is installed, and it is arbitrarily set by the user.

If the started timer has not counted the predetermined time, steps S41 and S42 are skipped, and the process proceeds to step S43 to check whether a new print request has been made. If there is no new print request, the process returns to step S40. This process is repeated until a predetermined time is counted by the timer.

Therefore, if a new print request is made in the standby state in which the above-described processing is being executed, the flow advances to step S44 to check whether the requested print (copy) is a test copy. If it is not a trial copy, a process similar to the process after step 20 described in FIG. 1 is performed in step S45, and it is confirmed that the output process of the set number of hard copies of all image data is completed. If (S46), the process returns to the standby state (S10) and returns to step S40.

On the other hand, when the test copy is performed, the hard disk 3 for the image data is output at the same time as the output process of one copy of the test copy as described with reference to FIG.
6 is stored in the inner peripheral area. Then, when one copy of a test copy of all pages of the transferred image data is output (S48), the counting operation of the timer described above is started in step S49. And
Returning to step S40, the reference becomes a criterion for determining whether to perform automatic erasure of the image data in the test copy.
Check the count state of the timer for a predetermined time.

Accordingly, the timer is individually set (S49) each time a test copy is requested. Therefore, in step S40, it is checked whether each timer has counted a predetermined time. Here, for example, the timer for one trial copy is
If it is confirmed that the predetermined time has been counted, the process of erasing the test copy image data according to the timer is executed (S
41).

In this way, in response to a request for a test copy, the count operation of the timer is started from the time when the test copy is output, and when the timer counts a predetermined time, the test copy is started. The image data is deleted from the hard disk 36. Therefore, the image data stored in the hard disk 36 unnecessarily increases, and the worst case where the next image data cannot be stored can be avoided. In addition, the storage area in the hard disk 36 can be effectively used, and efficient use can be achieved.

Then, after erasing the image data by the trial copy in step S41, the reason for the erasure is displayed on the display unit 17 of the operation panel 6 of the image forming apparatus 1 (S41).
42) It is also possible. With this display, the user can know in advance that the remaining hard copy cannot be output by the trial copy. For this reason, the fact that the image data has been erased and that a test copy instruction is issued again, and that the cancellation instruction is forgotten, and that the restart instruction after the test copy request is forgotten, that the data is automatically erased can be obtained. You can know. Therefore, the user will be careful in future use.

The image data for the test copy described above is automatically erased unless a restart instruction for the image data is given for a predetermined time. The reason for the deletion and the like is determined by using the operation panel 6 of the image forming apparatus 1 using step S42.
Is displayed via the display unit 17. At this time, if the user is waiting at the image forming apparatus 1, the display can be recognized. However, if the user is at the PC 25, the message is wasted. Therefore, in step S42, a message may be displayed on the PC 25 side as well. Then, the deletion message is notified (transferred) to the PC 25 side. This allows the PC 25 to display the message and request the user to understand that the deletion has been performed.

(Another Mode of Control for Erasing Image Data of Test Copy) Therefore, when the user is not at the image forming apparatus 1 side, the fact that the image data by the test copy has been erased as described above is displayed on the operation panel 6. Even if a message is displayed on the display unit 17, the user cannot know the state. For this reason, an instruction to output the remaining hard copy after the test copy, that is, an instruction to restart the hard copy is issued. At this time, the user may be suspicious if he knows that the restart instruction is not accepted.

In order to solve such a situation, a process is executed as shown in FIG. 9 differs from FIG. 8 in the processing of step S42 in the initial processing of FIG. That is, the information of the erase message in which the image data for the trial copy is automatically erased is temporarily stored (S42a).
This erasure message is stored by deciding the area of the memory 31. Further, the information can be stored in the hard disk 36.

Therefore, at the time of automatic erasure, the erased message is stored in the memory 31 without being displayed on the display unit 17. The display processing of the stored message will be described below.

In FIG. 9, the process proceeds to step S50 to confirm whether a restart request by trial copy has been instructed. When the restart instruction for the test copy is issued, it is confirmed whether or not the image data erasing process according to the restart instruction is being performed (S51). In this case, the selection based on the restart instruction is the same as described above, and it can be easily confirmed whether or not the selected test copy has been erased by the image data.

If the image data has not been erased by the restart instruction, the process proceeds to step S51, and FIG.
The output processing by the hard copy as described in (1) is processed in step S52. When the output of the hard copy is completed, the process returns to the standby state (S10).

If the image data relating to the test copy for which the restart instruction has been issued has been automatically erased, step S
The process proceeds to 53, and the message stored in the memory 31 is displayed on the display unit 17. By confirming this display, the user can surely know that the image data has been deleted. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the above-mentioned inconvenience.

The message can be used in combination with the user name, the image data name of the test copy, the time received by the image forming apparatus, and the like, so that the user can easily know the situation. In the case of copying, it is learned that a restart instruction needs to be issued promptly. Further, the image data can be prevented from being stored and held in the hard disk 36 for a long time by the quick restart instruction, and the storage area can be further effectively used.

Here, the display of the message on the display unit 17 needs to be deleted when the user confirms the display. Therefore, if the user gives a deletion instruction, the display is terminated (S55), the message content is deleted from the memory 31, and the display on the display unit 17 is deleted at the same time (S56). Since it is conceivable that the user forgets to issue the erasure instruction, the erasure can be automatically performed after a predetermined time. In other words, it is possible to display for a certain period of time, for example, 30 seconds, from the time of display, and then to execute the process of step S56.

(Another Mode by Deleting Image Data) In the above-described erasure of the image data relating to the trial copy, a message including the reason for the erasure and the like is displayed to the user. Separately, when erasing the image data, without erasing all the image data, leaving a part of the image data and erasing all the others, the hard disk 3
6 can be sufficiently secured.

In this case, since a part of the image data is stored, when a restart instruction is issued, the hard copy is output based on the partly stored image data, and the user confirms the content. Thus, it is possible to know what the contents of the trial copy are, and it is also used as a teaching material such as an instruction for a later trial copy.

The processing procedure in the above case will be described below with reference to FIG. In FIG. 10, when the image forming apparatus 1 is in the standby state (S10), it is similarly confirmed (S40) whether or not an instruction to restart the previous test copy has been issued. If the restart instruction of the test copy has not been issued even after the lapse of the predetermined time, in step S41a, the image data of only the first page of the image data for the test copy is left, and all the image data of the other pages are deleted. . That is, all the image data of the second and subsequent pages of the image data stored on the hard disk 36 is deleted except for the first page.

As a result, a sufficient storage area of the hard disk 36 can be secured. Then, the print information relating to another copy, that is, the change of the set number of copies and the like, particularly the update is performed (S
57). In this case, the number of copies is set to one. Also, the image data is only the data of the first page, and the page data is also set to 1.

When the predetermined time has not elapsed in the standby state, or after the above-described processing in which the predetermined time has elapsed and the image data has been partially erased, it is determined whether or not the restart instruction for the trial copy has been issued. Confirmed in step S58. When this instruction is issued, the output processing in step S59 is executed. At this time, steps S41a and S41
If the processing has been performed according to 57, a hard copy with the first page of one copy is output. However, if the image data has not been erased, it is output as a hard copy of the set number of copies (here, the set number of copies minus one). When this process is completed (S60), the process returns to the standby state (S10).

Here, steps S41a and S41 described above are performed.
A specific example of storage and output processing of image data by the processing by 57 will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 11, for example, five pages of image data are stored in the hard disk 36. If the image data is not erased by the restart instruction for the test copy, the hard copy corresponding to the image data of five pages is output as it is. At this time, a hard copy of the set number of copies minus one is output.

Unless a restart instruction for output processing is given for the remainder of the image data for the test copy for a predetermined time, only the first page is stored in the inner peripheral area of the hard disk 36, and the remaining 2 to 5 pages are stored. Minute image data is erased. As a result, in the restart instruction, only one hard copy corresponding to the image data of the first page is output.

Accordingly, the user can easily know the contents of the instruction for the trial copy by checking the output of the hard copy of the first page. In this case, it is naturally possible to know that the image data has been erased by displaying a message, and a hard copy of the first page is output in accordance with the message, so that the understanding can be deepened. .

A case in which the above example is further developed will be described with reference to FIGS. The flowchart shown in FIG. 12 differs greatly from FIG. 10 in steps S41a and S57. That is, in the standby state of the image forming apparatus, if it is confirmed that the image data for the test copy is to be automatically erased, the process proceeds from step S40 to step S61.
Then, only a part of the image data of the first page to be subjected to the trial copy is left, and an image message is created by adding an erasure message or the like to create image information. Then, all the image data relating to the trial copy stored in the hard disk 36 is deleted (S62). After the erasure, the created image information is stored in the hard disk 36, the print information is updated to one page and one copy, and is simultaneously stored (S63).

The processing of steps S61 to S63 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. That is, initially, image data for a test copy for five pages is stored in the hard disk 36. Then, when performing automatic erasing, a part of the image data of the first page is left, and image information 36A is generated by combining the image data with new erasing message information, and this is stored in the hard disk 36 again. The combined image information 36A is stored in the hard disk 36, and at the same time, 1
The information of one page is stored together. Then, on the hard disk 36 side, image information 3 obtained by combining a part of the image data of the first page and the added message information
All of the stored image data (the second and subsequent pages) shown in FIG.

In this way, as in the case of FIG. 11, by leaving a part of the image data and erasing the other image data, the storage area in the hard disk 36 can be effectively used. Also, after giving a restart instruction for another copy,
Since the message information is output as a hard copy together with the partial image data at the head, the user can check the message information. For example, the reason for erasure and the content of the image data can be confirmed. In this case, the message is displayed on the display unit 17.
, The user can easily recognize the output hard copy without displaying it.

As described above, the image data for the test copy is automatically erased when the restart instruction of the image data is not given for a predetermined time. In the cases of FIGS. 10 and 12, the reason for the deletion is not notified to the user. Therefore, step S in FIG.
41a, in the process of step 61 in FIG.
What is necessary is just to make it display via the display part 17 of the operation panel 6 of the image forming apparatus 1, and also to notify and display also in PC25.

This will be described with reference to FIG.
If the automatic erasure is confirmed in step S40, the image data stored in the hard disk 36 is erased for the trial copy (process of S41a), and then the erase message of the erased image data is transferred to the PC 25 side (S65). I do.
At this time, if a message is also displayed on the display unit 17 of the image forming apparatus 1, if the user is on standby at the image forming apparatus 1 instead of the PC 25, the user can know that. The notification can be made. As a result, it is possible to require the user to understand that the data has been deleted.

(Process for Setting a Predetermined Time for Automatically Deleting Image Data) The automatic deletion of the image data for the test copy stored in the hard disk 36 described above is executed according to a predetermined set time. This setting time is
It can be set arbitrarily by the user. An example is described below.

Hereinafter, description will be made with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in the standby state of the image forming apparatus 1, it is confirmed whether or not there is a request for setting an erasing time (S70). The request for setting the erasing time is made using the operation panel 6 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, a start key 23 for instructing restart by trial copy and an erasing time setting key 21 are displayed on the display section 17 of the operation panel 6 in particular. Therefore, the user can set a desired time by operating the erase time setting key 21.

Therefore, if it is confirmed in step S70 that the setting key 21 displayed on the display section 17 of the operation panel 6 is touched, the display section 1 of the operation panel 6
7 is switched to the display mode of the erase time setting screen (S7
1). In the state where the display state is switched, the time setting mode is set, and the image forming apparatus 1 changes from the standby state to the setting mode state. Then, a numerical value input for setting an arbitrary time is performed using the ten keys 19 of the operation panel 6. Therefore, it is checked in step S72 whether or not a set time has been input, and after that, it is checked whether or not the set value is valid (S73). This invalidates a case where the input numerical value exceeds 24 hours or a value such as several seconds, since it does not make sense.

That is, the image forming apparatus 1 is normally used continuously for about 12 hours from the start time of the work, for example, about 12 hours, and it is more preferable to invalidate the setting exceeding 12 hours. Therefore, such a time setting is invalidated.

If it is determined that the time is valid, the operation status of the copy start switch 18 of the operation panel 6 is confirmed, for example, in order to determine the input time, and the predetermined time input again is determined by the switch. By confirming the operation of No. 18, it is updated and stored (S74). Thereafter, the updated predetermined time is used. Then, the erasing time setting screen is canceled (S75), and the process returns to the standby state.

If the set time input in step S73 is invalid, the fact that the input time has not been determined is displayed on the display unit 17 or the like, and the process proceeds to step S73.
Returning to 72, the setting input for the predetermined time can be performed again.

The above is the setting input of the predetermined time on the image forming apparatus 1 side, but it is also possible to change the setting of the predetermined time from the PC 25 side. That is, as shown in FIG.
When the image forming apparatus 1 is in a standby state and there is no other print request or the like, an input from the PC 25 is waited. And P
If it is confirmed that the request for inputting the setting of the erasing time from C25 has been transferred (S80), the reception of the setting time is waited for (S81). If the set time is received from PC25,
It is checked whether the set time is valid (S82). In this case, if the value is other than a numerical value, or for the reason described with reference to FIG. 15, the fact that the value is not valid is transferred to the PC 25 (S83).

If it is determined that the transferred value is valid as the time setting, the set time is updated and registered in step S84. This means that the predetermined time required for the erasing time is newly updated to the time set from the PC 25 side. Thereafter, according to this time, an automatic erasing process of the image data for the trial copy is executed.

As described above, the hard disk 36
Is automatically deleted according to an arbitrarily set time period. Therefore, the storage area in the hard disk 36 is always on standby in a state where new image data can be stored, and it is possible to avoid unnecessary storage of image data. Thus, effective use of the storage area of the hard disk 36, particularly efficient use, can be achieved.

(Message Erasing Control at Erasure of Image Data) As described above, image data for test copying is automatically erased unless a restart instruction is given even after a predetermined time has elapsed. Since the user is notified of the message relating to the deletion, it is necessary to store the deletion message in a memory or the like. However, even in the case of the erasure message, as the amount increases, the storage area increases, and the capacity in the hard disk 36 for storing the image data also decreases.

In order to solve such a situation, the storage of the erasure message as described above may be deleted again as time elapses, and the storage area of the hard disk 36 may be expanded.

In particular, the user sometimes forgets to perform the trial copy and forgets to confirm the deletion message informing the user that the image data has been deleted. In such a case, remembering the message,
The storage area of the hard disk 36 is wasted. Therefore, when the message cannot be notified to the user as described above, the message is deleted (removed).
And make effective use of the storage area.

First, an example will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. In the figure, in the standby state of the image forming apparatus 1 (S10), the image data for the test copy is deleted, and a certain period of time from when the deletion message is created in order to execute the process of removing the deleted message. Is checked (S86).
This fixed time may be fixed, and may be arbitrarily set similarly to the above-mentioned predetermined time required for automatic erasure of image data.

If it is confirmed that the predetermined time has passed, the flow advances to step S87 to change the content of the erasure message to
For example, the data is deleted from the hard disk 36. Then, in the next step S40a, it is determined whether or not the restart instruction by the test copy has been issued for a predetermined time in the next step S40a. Subsequent processing is the same as the processing after step S40 as described in FIG.

When it is confirmed that the new image data is to be automatically deleted, a deletion message indicating that the image data has been automatically deleted is created (S42b). Then, in order to erase the erase message in the above-described step S87, the timer for counting the above-mentioned fixed time is started (S88), and the image data is erased (S41).
b).

As described above, the erase message is also erased without being stored wastefully unless the user confirms it for a certain period of time. In this case, the fact that the user performs the confirmation within a predetermined time is the confirmation in step S51 in FIG.
Therefore, when an erasure message is created by a restart instruction for the trial copy, the process proceeds to step S54, where a message is displayed, that is, output. At this time, the erase message is stored in a memory, for example, the hard disk 3
6 deleted.

[0149] Even if the user forgets to confirm the above, the deletion message remains stored and retained, but is automatically deleted after a certain period of time.

Here, when the erasure message is erased in step S87, not only the message is erased, but also if only the first page of the image data is stored as described with reference to FIG. , Including the first image data. As described with reference to FIG. 12, when the image data is deleted, a part of the first page is left, and the image information (reference numeral 36A shown in FIG. 13) created by combining with the deletion message is also deleted.

In step S42b, FIG.
Then, the image information 36A as shown in FIG.
In FIG. 13, the original image data is erased as shown in FIG.

Although not described, at the same time that the data of the erasure message is erased, the above-mentioned partially-retained image data is erased, but at the same time, the print information is also erased. Is natural.

(Fourth Embodiment of the Present Invention) In the above embodiments, the control in the storage processing and the output processing of the image data for the test copy and the hard copy other than the test copy has been described. In this case, it is described that all the image data can be stored and processed, but the storage capacity of the hard disk 36 or the like that stores the image data is limited.

In this regard, when test copying is not performed,
The image data can be deleted when the output processing by the hard copy of the image data is completed, so that it is possible to wait for the storage state of the next image data. However, in the test copy, as long as the restart instruction of the test copy is not issued, the image data is left and accumulated sequentially. Therefore, there is no storage area on the hard disk 26 for storing image data. In order to secure this storage area, a predetermined time is set, and after the lapse of the predetermined time, the image data for the test copy is automatically erased, thereby achieving the object.
However, if a large number of test copy image information is received in a short time, the above-described problem occurs before the image data is erased.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a storage area for trial copy to be stored in the hard disk 26 is determined in advance, and the storage area is further effectively used. In particular, the storage area refers to a storage capacity in a predetermined area. For this reason, when storing image data, as the image data is sequentially stored, the storage capacity, that is, the storable free area gradually decreases. At this time, if the image data can no longer be stored, even if a test copy instruction is given, the test copy is canceled and the output process is continued.

Hereinafter, description will be made with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 18, in the same processes as those in the flowchart shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals, that is, step notations are used, and the description of the processes will be omitted.

For example, in order to output the image information created by the PC 25 as a hard copy, the image forming apparatus 1 transfers print information including image forming conditions and the like together with image data. At this time, if the print information for performing the test copy is transferred, the process proceeds to step S90 via step S17. Here, the hard disk 3
The storage area of the image data for the trial copy in 6 is determined in advance, and it is confirmed whether or not the transferred image data, in particular, the image data for one page can be stored in the free area (storage capacity). . In this case, the image data may be compressed as needed. If the data including the compressed image data can be stored in the determined free area in the hard disk 36 described above, the writing process in step S18 is executed. In this case, it is stored in the inner peripheral area of the hard disk 36. The storage area is, of course, an area in which the inner peripheral area is determined.

Then, the flow shifts to the next step S91, where the remaining storable area in the hard disk 36, that is, the remaining capacity is stored in an updated state. After confirming whether or not all the image data has been transferred after this processing (S19),
It returns to step S14.

Then, the image data obtained by the trial copy is sequentially stored, and the remaining free space becomes smaller. If the free space that can be stored in the hard disk 36 in step S90 is determined to be unstorable as a result of comparison with the capacity of the image data stored in step S15, the process proceeds to step S92, and the function of trial copy is performed. Cancel. That is, even if a test copy instruction has been issued, the instruction is released and normal hard copy output processing is performed.

For this reason, the processing after step S20 is executed, and the image data is stored in the outer peripheral area of the hard disk 36. Thereafter, in step S17, the image data of the next page, which is processed as ON and subsequently transferred, is sequentially stored on the outer periphery of the hard disk 36.
When the transfer of the image data of all pages is completed, the output processing of the hard copy of the set number of copies transferred as the print information is executed in step S22, and when the hard copy of the number of copies is completed, the image forming apparatus 1 Enters a standby state.

Upon completion of the output of the hard copy, the image data stored in the hard disk 36 is deleted.
Further, the image data in the inner peripheral area stored in the hard disk 36 is also deleted. With respect to the previous image data at the time of the test copy instruction stored in the inner peripheral area, a process of rewriting to the outer periphery of the hard disk 36 may be performed when the test copy function is released.

If the storage area of the image data in the test copy, that is, the free storage area is exhausted during the test copy as described above, the test copy function is canceled at that point, and the output by the normal hard copy is performed as it is. The processing is executed. Therefore, the output processing does not stop. Further, even if the storage area in the hard disk 36 runs out, the transferred image data is sequentially stored in the outer peripheral area of the hard disk 36 without being erased in the middle. Then, since the image data stored for the trial copy can be deleted after the output of the hard copy, a free space for the trial copy can be secured.

(Another Aspect According to Fourth Embodiment) In the description of the above-described embodiment, if the image data obtained by the trial copy cannot be stored due to insufficient capacity of the hard disk 36, the trial copy function is canceled in step S92. doing. The PC 25 that has transmitted the image data is notified of whether or not to release the image data. This allows the user to arbitrarily determine whether to perform a test copy.

An example will be described with reference to FIG.
If it is determined in step S90 that the free space for storing the image data of the test copy in the hard disk 36 is insufficient, a trial copy is instructed to indicate that the storage capacity of the hard disk 36 is insufficient, and the image data is transferred. The notification processing is performed to the PC 25 (S93).

In this state, the image forming apparatus 1 waits for an instruction from the PC 25. That is, on the PC 25 side,
After confirming the content of the capacity shortage transferred from the image forming apparatus 1 side, the user selects whether to cancel the test copy function or the test copy output process. in this case,
If the user issues a function release instruction, steps S94 → S9
5, the test copy function is released, and as described with reference to FIG. 18, the image data transferred thereafter, including the image data determined to be in shortage, is located on the outer periphery of the hard disk 36. It is stored sequentially.

In step S94, if the PC 25 gives an instruction to stop the output processing by the trial copy, in step S96, the reception of the next image data is stopped at this point, and the print information received so far is deleted. The image data stored on the hard disk 36 is deleted, and the process returns to the standby state S10.

As described above, since the user side instructs the cancellation of the trial copy function or the stop of the trial copy, wasteful hard copy output processing during the trial copy can be omitted. That is, if the user instructs not to perform the test copy, unnecessary hard copies are not output wastefully. For this reason, it is possible to eliminate problems such as waste of sheets and the inability of receiving image data transferred later due to output processing by the image forming apparatus 1.

(Setting of storage capacity of hard disk) Here, setting of the storage area of the image data in the trial copy,
In particular, the capacity setting can be arbitrarily set. That is, the capacity can be arbitrarily set within a range not exceeding the storage capacity of the hard disk 36. In addition, although the storage processing is performed by setting the outer peripheral area of the hard disk 36 in order to perform the normal image data output processing, it is possible to set a capacity that naturally does not reach the storage capacity of the outer peripheral area.

An example of setting the storage capacity of the hard disk 36 for test copying on the image forming apparatus 1 side will be described with reference to FIG. This capacity setting
As described with reference to FIG. 15, the processing is executed by the same processing as the time setting. That is, in the standby state of the image forming apparatus 1, the capacity setting key 22 is displayed below the display unit 17 of the operation panel 6 as shown in FIG. Therefore, by touching the setting key 22, step S 10 is performed.
From 0, the process proceeds to step S101 to display a storage capacity setting screen. As a result, the image forming apparatus 1 is released from the copy mode and enters the capacity setting mode.

Next, by inputting a numerical value using the ten keys 19 of the operation panel 6, the numerical input is performed in step S102.
Confirmed by. When the input of the numerical value is completed, it is confirmed whether or not the numerical value is valid. In this case, if the input value exceeds the storage capacity of the hard disk 36, it is determined that the input value is invalid (S103), and the process returns to step S102 to force the input again. If it is determined that the data is valid, the process proceeds to step S104 to check the operation state of the copy start switch 18 to update the storage capacity of the hard disk 36. Then, the input mode of the capacity setting is released, and the process returns to the standby state S10.

Here, in FIG. 20, step S10
A process S100a is provided between 0 and S101 to confirm whether or not image data for a trial copy in the hard disk 36 is stored in the setting of the storage capacity. This is because if the capacity setting is meaninglessly changed while the image data relating to the trial copy is stored, there is a risk that the image data relating to the trial copy will be erased. Therefore, after confirming the situation in step S100a, the process proceeds to step S101 described above.

In this case, if the image data for the trial copy is stored in the hard disk 36, a message is displayed via the display unit 17 to notify the user of the setting prohibition (S100b). This allows the user to know that the setting is not possible.

Further, not only the setting of the storage capacity of the hard disk 36 on the image forming apparatus 1 side, but also the same can be performed from the PC 25 side to which the image data is transferred. FIG.
Shows an example.

In a standby state (S10) in which the image forming apparatus 1 is not performing an image forming operation, it is confirmed whether or not there is a request for setting a storage capacity in the hard disk 36 for storing image data for test copy. (S106).
This waits for the transfer of the storage capacity setting request from the PC 25 side.

If it is confirmed that the request has been transferred, the storage capacity information is received next (S107). This is P
An arbitrary value is input from the C25 side and transferred to the image forming apparatus 1 side. It is determined whether this arbitrary value is valid (S108). When making this determination, it is checked whether the storage capacity of the hard disk 36 has been exceeded and whether or not the storage capacity includes an area for storing image data for normal copying.

As a result, if it is determined that the value of the storage capacity sent from the PC 25 is valid, the set value of the storage capacity up to now is updated to the above value and registered (S10).
9) Then, a message for notifying the PC 25 of the update is transferred (S110).

If the value for changing the storage capacity transferred from the PC 25 is invalid, the PC 25 is notified as a message to that effect (S111). As a result, the PC 25 inputs data for resetting. In the transfer in step S112, if the entire storage capacity of the hard disk 36, the storage capacity of the outer peripheral area used for normal copying, and the like are notified at the same time, it will be helpful when re-inputting.

The same processing as in step S100a in FIG. 20 is performed for the setting change of the storage capacity on the PC 25 side. This is an effective process for protecting the image data by the trial copy. And step S
At 100b, the PC 25 is notified that the setting cannot be changed.

In such processing, step S1
09 can be performed together. in this case,
Whether the value for changing the storage capacity is valid or not is determined even if the value is valid.
In step S112, a message notifying that the setting change is prohibited should be notified together with the message that is invalid in step S112 because image data exists.

(Fifth Embodiment of the Present Invention) As described above, in various embodiments, image data for test copy is stored and held in the inner peripheral area of the hard disk 36. Then, the image data in the hard disk 36 is read by a restart instruction after the trial copy, and output as a hard copy. When the output of the hard copy is completed including the set number of copies, the image data in the hard disk 36 is deleted.

Further, even if a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the output processing of one copy of the test copy, unless restart instruction is given, the image data for the test copy is automatically deleted. . If the image data for the trial copy is not newly overwritten on the erased portion, the image data still exists in that area.

Therefore, it is possible to determine that the existing image data is valid, and to output a hard copy of the remaining image data in response to the restart instruction. This eliminates the need to transfer the same image data from the PC to the image forming apparatus 1 again, and eliminates the time and effort. Further, the stored image data can be effectively utilized, and the storage area of the hard disk 36 can be utilized more efficiently.

The above will be described in further detail with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 22 shows a management form of information stored in the hard disk 36. First and second management units 36a and 36b are provided in a storage area of the hard disk 36 for storing image data for test copying. The management units 36a and 36b are storage information tables. The contents of this table are the print information and the address of the image information (image data) address table. The print information is stored in the PC2 before the trial copy.
It is information such as the number of copies and the number of pages sent together with image data from the fifth side. 36c is the management means 36 described above.
Image information (image data) managed by a and 36b
Is a storage table storing image data in an area corresponding to the address of the image data, and stores a head address where the image data is stored, and the number of bytes of the image data. The head address of the area stored in this table 36c is
This is an address of the image information address table of the storage information tables 36a and 36b.

The storage information tables 36a and 36b in the first and second management means are address tables serving as management information for storing image information including print data and image data for one trial copy. Sharing. Therefore, the storage state of the image data including the print information for one test copy is managed by three tables 36a, 36b, and 36c shown in FIG.

Therefore, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 23, three tables 36a, 36b, 36 shown in FIG.
The update processing of c will be described. First, in the standby state (S10) of the image forming apparatus 1, it is checked whether or not the restart instruction of the image data for the test copy described with reference to FIG. Has been confirmed. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the image data is to be erased (S120). If the image data is not to be automatically erased, the process proceeds to step S122, where it is determined whether or not a copy start instruction is issued. Return to

Storage time of image data by trial copy,
That is, if the above-described predetermined time has elapsed, the process of performing the automatic erasure is performed, and therefore, the process proceeds from step S120 to step S121. In step S121, the contents relating to the print information and the image data are deleted from the contents of the storage information table of the first management means 36a shown in FIG. However, the data remains in the second management means 36b. Then, the process proceeds to step S122 to wait for input of a copy start instruction.

If there is a copy start instruction, step S1
The process proceeds to step S23, where it is checked whether or not there is a test copy instruction. If it is not a test copy, an output process using a normal copy is executed as described with reference to FIG. this is,
Step S20 → S21 → S14 to S17 in FIG.
Are sequentially repeated, and after fetching image data of all pages, steps S22 and S23 are repeated to complete the hard copy output of the set number of copies. Upon completion of this, the image forming apparatus 1 returns to the standby state (S10).

If a test copy instruction is given in step S123, the flow advances to step S124 to add and delete the contents of the table shown in FIG. That is, in step S123, a request for a new trial copy is requested, and image data including print information of the trial copy is stored and processed by the first and second management units shown in FIG. Is stored in the newly added image data.

After this process, the flow advances to step S125 to perform a copy output process, that is, a process of outputting one copy of the image data of all pages because the instruction is a test copy instruction.

The processing in step S124 will be described in detail. In the storage information table 36a as the first management means, the address at which the image data including the print information for the test copy that has not been automatically erased is stored. It is remembered. Therefore, when performing storage processing on image data including print information of a newly added test copy, an area other than the area stored in the storage information table 36a is specified and stored.

Here, the information which is not in the storage information table 36a managed by the first management means does not originally exist, and if the automatic erasure is performed in step S120, the contents are erased. I have. In this regard, even if image data and the like existing in the storage information table managed by the second management unit 36b are stored, it is not necessary to store the image data. Therefore, when newly storing the image data according to the test copy instruction, the image data exists in the storage information table managed by the first management unit 36a and is stored in the storage information table managed by the second management unit 36b. Can be overwritten on the existing area.

Therefore, when the new trial copy image data is overwritten and stored, the storage information table 36b and the image information table 36 managed by the second management means are stored.
It is erased in the form of being overwritten from the content of c. As a result, the previously stored image data of the test copy is erased and reading becomes impossible. That is, the first management unit 36a
Manages image data, including print information to be stored,
The second management means 36c actually manages the image data stored in the hard disk 36 (table 36c).

Therefore, if the table shown in FIG. 22 is used, the image data is automatically deleted after a predetermined period of time according to the restart instruction after the trial copy and is not overwritten on the hard disk 36c. The hard copy output can be performed by the restart instruction without being transferred from.

An example will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In FIG. 24, in the standby state (S10) of the image forming apparatus 1, it is confirmed whether or not a restart instruction for the test copy has been issued (S127). And
The process exits from step S127 and confirms whether or not the image data or the like according to the user's desired restart instruction for test copy has been automatically deleted (S128). Here, step S
At 128, the first management unit 36a shown in FIG.
If the information for the trial copy managed by is stored, it is determined that the data has not been automatically deleted. However, if it is not managed by the first management means 36a, it is determined that it has been deleted.

If the data has not been erased, the image data is read from the image information table 36c based on the table 36b by the second management means in step S129, and the hard copy output processing is sequentially performed on the information storage table 36b. When the output processing of the set number of print information is completed based on the stored print information (S130), the process returns to the standby state (S10).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S128 that the data has been erased, the flow shifts to step S131 to check the contents in the storage information table managed by the second management means 36b. The contents of this confirmation are saved even if they are automatically erased but are not actually overwritten. If the stored content matches the one instructed by the user to restart, the process proceeds to step S129, and is stored in the image information table 36c according to the content managed by the second management means 36b. The read image data can be read. As a result, the image data can be output as a hard copy without newly transferring the image data in response to the restart instruction.

However, even under the control of the second management means 36b, if there is no image data according to the instruction to restart the target test copy, the PC 25 is notified of the absence (S132). Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 stores an erasure message indicating that the image data has been erased, as described in the above embodiment. The message is passed to the PC 25 or displayed on the display unit 17 of the image forming apparatus 1 to ask the user for understanding. Then, the user can transfer the image data again and prompt the hard copy output process.

As described above, the first and second management means 36a and 36b are provided. In the first management means, the contents are erased in the automatic erasure, and the second management means 36b
Is held as it is. When the image data for a new trial copy is input next, the contents of the second management means 36b are actually deleted, and the contents of the image data in the hard disk 36c are overwritten. Therefore, if it exists in the hard disk 36c, it can be read out via the second management means 36b,
Output processing by hard copy becomes possible without receiving new image data.

Also, regarding the management of the storage capacity of the hard disk 36, even if an erasure instruction is actually given, the image data is stored until a new trial copy of image data is input. Can be used. In other words, even if the image data to be erased is stored until new image data is input, there is no problem in the storage state, so the storage management method in this embodiment works effectively.

(Another Aspect According to Fifth Embodiment) The description of the fifth embodiment is effective in that the user does not need to transfer image data again. However, when image data by a new trial copy is input (transferred), the image data instructed to be erased is overwritten with new image data, and thus is erased. Therefore, the previously stored image data is sequentially deleted.

Therefore, a mode in which the storage area in the hard disk 36 is further considered so as to be effectively used will be described below. That is, as described above, the capacity of the storage area of the test copy image data in the hard disk 36 is set in advance in an arbitrary or fixed state. Therefore, the area of the storage capacity is fully utilized, and writing control is performed on a new area in which the previous image data remains without overwriting as much as possible.

Even in the case of image data for which deletion is instructed, if the image data of a new test copy can be stored without overwriting the above-mentioned deletion instructed image data, the overwriting process is not performed. Write processing is performed using another area. Thereby, the time when the image data is actually erased can be delayed.

This example will be described below with reference to FIG. Also, in FIG. 25, the same steps described in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same step numbers, and the description thereof is the same as that described above and will not be repeated.

For example, in order to process the image information created by the PC 25 as a hard copy, the image forming apparatus 1 transfers print information including image forming conditions and the like together with the image data. At this time, if the print information for performing the test copy is transferred, the process proceeds to step S130 via step S17. Here, the storage area of the image data for the test copy in the hard disk 36 is determined in advance, and the empty area is always managed. In particular, since the number of bytes of image data and the like are managed by the image information table 36c as shown in FIG. 22, an empty area in which no image data is stored is grasped.

Therefore, it is checked in step S130 whether or not the transferred image data, in particular, the image data for one page can be stored in the free area. In this case, the image data may be compressed as needed. Including the compressed image data, the hard disk 3
If the data can be stored in the determined free space in No. 6, in step S131, the writing process is executed without overwriting the image data in the inner free space of the hard disk 36c.

Then, the flow shifts to the next Step S132,
The remaining storable free area in the hard disk 36 is confirmed. At the same time, the contents of the information storage tables of the first and second management means 36a and 36b shown in FIG. 22 are additionally updated. That is, the adaptation of the image information address table managed by the first management unit and the second management unit is added. In this case, since the contents are not overwritten, the contents of the storage information table managed by the second management means and the image information address table indicated by the table cannot be erased.

On the other hand, the image data obtained by the trial copy is sequentially stored in the free space of the hard disk 36, and the capacity of the remaining free space decreases during the transition without erasing the second management means. Come. If the capacity of the free space that can be stored in the hard disk 36 is compared with the capacity of the image data stored in step S15 as described above in step S130, if it is determined that storage is not possible, the processing proceeds to steps S133 and S134. Then, the writing process is performed by overwriting the image data instructed to be erased in the hard disk 36a.

That is, the first management means 36a manages and writes so as to overwrite the already erased area. Therefore, by comparing the first and second management units 36a and 36b, if information (print information, etc.) not managed by the first management unit exists in the second management unit, it is determined that the area is unnecessary. Then, image data for a new trial copy is written from the image data already written in the table 36c of the hard disk 36 corresponding to the area. Then, the contents of the image information address table of the storage information table managed by the first and second management means 36a and 36b are added, and the image data and the like which has been overwritten and erased are stored in the second management means. The contents of the image information address table indicated by the storage information table managed by 36b are deleted.

If the above processing is completed, the process proceeds to step S19 as described above, and it is determined whether or not all the pages of the image data have been received. It will be in a state (S10).

In the flowchart of FIG. 25,
If the instruction is not a test copy instruction in step S17, output processing by normal copy is executed. Therefore, the processing after step S20 is executed, and the image data is stored in the outer peripheral area of the hard disk 36. Hereinafter, step S1
7, the image data of the next page, which is processed as ON and transferred later, is sequentially stored on the hard disk 3.
6 is stored in the outer periphery. When the transfer of the image data of all pages is completed, the output processing of the hard copy of the set number of copies transferred as the print information is executed in step S22, and when the hard copy of the number of copies is completed, the image forming apparatus 1 Enters a standby state.

As described above, in the trial copy, the image data is stored in the first and second management units 36a. 36b
, Image data is sequentially stored in an empty area within an area set in advance. Then, even if the image data is automatically deleted, if there is a free area in the image information table 36c in FIG. 22, the previously stored image data is not overwritten, and the data is stored in the first management unit 36a. Under the management, even if the erasing process is performed, the data is actually stored.

Therefore, when image data for a new trial copy is input and stored, as long as there is a free area, even if the image data has already been erased by the first management means 36a, the image data is actually deleted. Can be kept in a saved state without being erased. Therefore, if the user issues a restart instruction as shown in FIG.
If it remains in a state managed by the management unit 36b, it is possible to perform a hard copy output process using the image data.

Note that the first and second management means and the image information table and the like shown in FIG.
When the image forming apparatus 1 is started up, that is, when the power is turned on, all of them are cleared (initial setting), and the storage area of the image data by the trial copy of the hard disk 36 is completely empty.

The image forming apparatus 1 described above is a laser printer adopting an electrophotographic system. In addition to this laser printer, an ink jet printer, a thermal printer, and the like exist, and a hard copy which can be visually viewed is provided. The present invention can be practiced as long as it can be obtained. The present invention can be implemented by connecting such a printer as shown in FIG. 3 to an image input device that transfers image data from outside so as to be able to communicate information.

Although the present invention does not particularly describe the conditions for setting the finished state of an image to be formed, when the image is output as a hard copy, the reproducibility of the halftone is good in the image density and the photograph. For example, it is possible to set slanted characters, decorative characters, and the like for setting conditions, magnification, and characters. In a color image, density setting of each color is performed. Therefore, the user sets various conditions and confirms the finished state of the trial copy,
It can be easily determined whether the output is performed in the image quality desired by the user, and the result of this determination serves as a guide for resetting the above-described conditions for image formation.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the system configuration in which the image forming apparatus 1 is connected to the PC 25 serving as external input means via a communication line as shown in FIG. 3, and the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. The present invention can also be applied to a case where the copied image data is trial-copied. Therefore, a trial copy instruction input key is provided in a part of the operation panel 6, one copy output process is performed for the trial copy in accordance with the instruction operation, and the remaining number of hard copy output can be performed by a restart instruction. . In the test copy, in the next normal copy, since the image data for the test copy has already been stored in the inner peripheral area of the hard disk 36, the output processing is performed in an interrupting manner.

[0219]

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention described above, when performing a test copy, a means for storing the image data is required until a restart instruction for the remaining number of sheets is issued. It is stored in a state that does not adversely affect output processing by copy output. Therefore, the storage means can be effectively used, and the delay of hard copy output can be avoided.

For example, when a hard disk is used as storage means, image data of a trial copy is stored in an inner peripheral area, and image data of a normal copy is stored in an outer peripheral area. Since writing and reading of data can be performed at high speed, the problem that the speed of output processing is reduced is eliminated.

In the storage area management, since the test copy image data is compressed and stored in the storage area management, the normal copy output processing is not affected at all and the storage processing of many image data is performed. Can be made possible.

In response to a restart instruction by a trial copy, the image data stored in the storage means is read, and when the output processing is performed, the rewriting to an area where the image data can be read and written at high speed is compressed. By performing the decompression processing, the output processing for the test copy does not take much time.

Further, in the test copy, if there is no restart instruction, the image data is stored and gradually stored, and the storage area may be exhausted. Automatically erased,
The storage means can be effectively used. At this time, for the erased image data, distrust can be eliminated by outputting a message to the user.

Further, when the area for storing the image data of the test copy is full and cannot be stored, the test copy is automatically canceled to output the target hard copy, so that the image data is erased. The situation where hard copy output cannot be performed can be eliminated. In this case, if the user makes a selection without automatically canceling the test copy, useless hard copy output can be eliminated. For example, it is also possible to cancel the output by the trial copy and wait for a state where it becomes possible.

Further, as a protection in the case where image data is erased by the trial copy, by providing a means for managing the storage state of the storage means, the image data can actually be saved even if it is erased for management. Since the state can be maintained and existing image data can be effectively utilized without acquiring new image data, processing such as image data acquisition can be eliminated. In addition, the storage area can be effectively used together with the effective use of the data stored in the storage means.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart for explaining a first embodiment showing a procedure of image data storage processing and output processing in an image forming apparatus having a test copy function of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control circuit configuration in an image forming apparatus having a test copy function according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing a system configuration in a state where the image forming apparatus of the present invention is connected to an external input device for inputting image data, for example, a personal computer.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital copying machine as an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an example of an operation panel provided in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a storage process and an output process according to a test copy according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for explaining a third embodiment of the storage processing and the output processing according to the restart instruction according to the test copy of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for erasing a storage unit of image data according to a test copy according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining another example of the processing procedure related to the erasing processing of the image data storage unit according to the test copy of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining another example of the processing procedure related to the erasing processing of the image data storage unit according to the test copy of the present invention.

11 is a schematic diagram showing a specific example of erasing image data according to the processing procedure of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining another example of the processing procedure relating to the erasure processing of the image data storage unit according to the test copy of the present invention.

13 is a schematic diagram showing a specific example of erasing image data according to the processing procedure of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example for notifying a user of an erasure message when image data for a test copy is erased.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure in which the image forming apparatus can arbitrarily set a time for performing an erasing process of image data for a test copy.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in which time setting for performing erasure processing of image data for test copying can be arbitrarily performed from an external image inputting means.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining an example of erasing an erasure message created for erasure in time management in the erasure processing of image data according to a test copy.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining a new processing procedure in a state where image data for test copying cannot be stored according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure according to another mode according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure in which the capacity of a storage area for storing image data for test copying can be set on the image forming apparatus side.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in which a unit for inputting image data from the outside can arbitrarily set a capacity of a storage area for storing image data for test copying.

FIG. 22 is a view for explaining a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and shows a first management unit for storing and managing test copy image data, a first management unit, and a table for actually storing image data. FIG.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for erasing and storing image data in a first and second managing unit and image data storage table illustrated in FIG. 23;

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for output processing of image data subjected to erase management by trial copy according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure according to another mode according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 image forming apparatus 2 paper feed cassette 3 scanner 5 discharge tray 6 operation panel 7 image forming unit 8 transport system 10 photoreceptor 14 reading unit 15 image processing unit 16 laser irradiation unit 17 display unit 18 copy start switch 19 numeric keypad 20 clear key 21 Erase time setting key 22 Capacity setting key 23 Trial copy restart key 24 Communication line 25 Personal computer (PC / external input) 30 CPU (Control unit) 31 Memory 34 Image information output unit 35 Image information processing unit 36 Hard disk (Storage unit)

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus for outputting a reproduced image corresponding to image data on a sheet as a hard copy, the image forming apparatus having a function of performing one trial copy regardless of a set number of copies. In the above, the image data can be stored, and the writing and reading speeds are different depending on the storage area. The writing and reading speed is low when the image data input for performing the test copy is stored in the storing means. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to store image data not to be subjected to test copying in an area and to store the image data in the storage unit at a high writing / reading speed. 2. The storage means comprises a rotating disk-shaped recording medium, and the control means stores test copy image data in an inner peripheral area of the recording medium, and stores image data not subjected to test copy in the recording medium. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control is performed such that the information is stored in the outer peripheral area.
The image forming apparatus as described in the above. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stores the image data of the test copy in a compressed state when storing the image data in the storage unit. 4. The control means reads the image data stored in the storage means in response to the restart instruction after the test copy and outputs the image data, and at the same time, writes the image data in an area where the writing and reading speed of the storage means is high. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein rewriting control is performed. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit automatically deletes the image data for the test copy from the storage unit when no restart instruction is given for a predetermined time. 6. The control means, when automatically erasing the test copy image data from the storage means, erases the data of the other pages while leaving the data of the first page of the image data, and simultaneously sends an erasure message indicating the erasure reason. Create and remember,
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a first page and an erasure message are output in response to a later restart instruction. 7. The storage means has a storage capacity capable of storing test copy image data, and the control means stores the test copy image data when storing the test copy image data.
When it is necessary to store the data beyond the storage capacity of the storage means, the function of the trial copy is released, and the image data is stored in the area of the storage means for storing the image data by the normal copy in order to perform the output processing by the normal copy. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing is performed. 8. When storing image data of a trial copy, if the storage exceeds the storage capacity of the storage unit, the control unit outputs that storage processing cannot be performed, and waits for an input for canceling the trial copy function again. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein output processing is performed by normal copying. 9. The storage means includes: a first management means for storing and managing information such as a storage position relating to image data of a test copy; a first management means for performing storage management similar to the first management means; And a table for storing the image data based on information such as a storage position managed by the second management means. The control means is managed by the first management means when erasing the test copy of the image data. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contents of the second management means and the information storage table are retained only by erasing information relating to management of image data of the trial copy. 10. The storage means has a predetermined capacity for storing image data for test copy, and the control means manages a free capacity of the storage means for storing image data for test copy. The management information for storing the new test copy image data is stored in the first management means and the second management means of the storage means, and is sequentially stored in the free space of the storage means. If there is no free space capable of storing the image data, the image data is not stored in the first management unit, but is stored so as to overwrite the image data stored based on the management information existing in the second management unit, 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the management information is deleted from the second management unit.