JPH1158895A - Document sorting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To execute sorting asynchronously with printing while preventing the print efficiency from lowering by reading out document sorting information comprising the identifier inherent to each document, the page number and the identifier of print service at the time of sorting process. SOLUTION: When print process at a document is issued, a print service unit 4 executes print process of a document to generate a part of document sorting information automatically. Among the document sorting information thus generated, the identifier inherent to each document, the page number and the identifier of a print service unit executed print process are imparted to each recording sheet by a sorting information imparting unit 5. The document sorting information thus generated is then transferred through a communication unit 13 to a sort managing unit 8. A sort processor 9 rearranges the recording sheets using a sorting method designated by the document sorting information obtained from the print service unit 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document sorting system, and more particularly to a sorting process for printing a plurality of copies of a document having a plurality of pages and rearranging a bundle of printed recording papers by a designated method. The present invention relates to a document sorting system which can be performed by using a document sorting system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when copying or printing a plurality of copies of a document having a plurality of pages by a copying machine, a printer, or the like, recording paper to be printed (recorded) and discharged is superposed in the order of pages. A sorter is used to sort each part. Such a sorter is provided in a paper output unit such as a copying machine or a printer, and the sorting process is executed in synchronization with the printing process.

In addition, with the recent spread of the Internet / intranet, a distributed printing system for printing a large number of documents at high speed by operating a plurality of black-and-white or color printers connected by a network in cooperation. Many have been proposed.
In such a distributed printing system, a sorter is usually not provided at all, or each printer is provided with a sorter individually. For this reason, when a sorter is used, a specific printer having the sorter must be designated to perform print processing.

As a known technique of this kind, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-249452 discloses an image forming apparatus in which a group of a plurality of copiers or printers forms an image to efficiently operate the entire system. A system has been proposed. According to this, for example, in the case where four printers print 16 pages (16 pages) of an original 200 sheets each, the first printer prints 1 sheet.
Print the fourth document, and use the second printer to print
The eighth original is printed, and the third printer prints 9-1.
The printing process can be distributed to the respective printers, such as printing the second document and printing the 13th to 16th documents in the fourth printer.

[0005] Further, according to the proposal of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-139378, in a system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected, an apparatus which cannot perform a printing operation appears during image formation in any of the plurality of image forming apparatuses. If there is an inoperable device, image data for the unformed image output number of the inoperable device is distributed to another image forming device and transmitted, and the image data is distributed. The apparatus proposes an image forming system that prints the specified number of output images and stores the printed recording paper in a separate bin so that it can be identified.

[0006]

However, in the sorter connected to the printer, the sorting process is executed in synchronization with the printing process. Therefore, after printing, the same document is sorted and sorted again, or the user can use a complicated sorting method. It was impossible to tell.

In the distributed printing system proposed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-249452 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-139837, recording paper output in a distributed manner is partially sorted. In some cases, since the recording papers output from a plurality of locations are not aligned as a whole, the user needs to collect the recording papers from a plurality of printer trays and sort them manually.

Further, even when each printer or image forming apparatus is provided with a sorter individually, it is still necessary to rely on manual labor to collect the distributed output sheets and sort them into sets of documents. Providing the system increases the cost of the system configuration.

Further, in such a distributed printing system, if a printer having a sorter is used, it is possible to sort each document by the printer. It was impossible to group and sort by group.

[0010] Furthermore, since the sorting process is performed in a single and automatic manner, it is impossible for the user to select a preferred sorting process or to sort the same sheet a plurality of times using different sorting methods. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to make a user manually sort and sort a bundle of recording sheets of a document having a plurality of pages. Can be performed and the sorting process can be executed asynchronously with the printing process without increasing the cost of the apparatus or reducing the efficiency of the printing process of the system. An object is to provide a flexible document sorting system having a function of selecting and executing a sorting method.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, a document sorting system according to the present invention prints a document of a plurality of pages or a plurality of copies, and arranges a bundle of printed recording sheets in a designated order. What is claimed is: 1. A document sorting system for performing sorting processing in a batch, comprising: a printing service means for executing document printing processing and generating document sorting information for determining a sorting order of said bundle of recording sheets; and said document sorting information. A printing apparatus having a sorting information providing means for providing a recording sheet, a sorting information reading means for reading the document sorting information given to the recording paper by inputting a recording paper bundle to which the document sorting information is given, Instruction to start sorting process and whether or not the recording paper bundle is lined up Sorting instruction means for inputting an instruction of the order of sorting, sorting management means for managing the order of recording papers based on the read document sorting information and the input sorting instruction without inconsistency, and the sorting management means Sorting processing means for performing a process of rearranging the order of the recording papers controlled by the above, a document sorting device having a recording paper output means for outputting the sorted and rearranged recording papers, and the sorting management means In order to receive a part or all of the document sorting information from the print service unit as needed, the apparatus further includes a communication device that connects the printing device and the document sorting device.

According to such a document sorting system, the print service means generates document sorting information together with the document printing process, and the sorting information assigning means assigns the document sorting information to the recording paper. When batches of recording paper to which the document sorting information is added are collectively input to the document sorting apparatus, the sorting information reading means reads the document sorting information given to the recording paper, and performs sorting according to the document sorting information.

The document sorting information is composed of at least an identifier unique to each document, a page number, and a print service identifier. When reading of the document sorting information of all the recording sheets is completed, the sorting managing means sets the print service means. To receive complete document sorting information from a communication device. A sorting method is input from the sorting instruction means, and the sorting management means controls the sorting operation of the sorting processing means based on all the document sorting information and the sorting instruction. The sorting processing means is controlled by the sorting management means, sorts the recording paper one by one for each document, and sends out the recording paper to a predetermined output position of the recording paper output means. Unsorted recording paper that cannot be sent to the recording paper output means is temporarily stored therein until the turn to send the document to the recording paper output means comes.

This eliminates the burden of manually collecting and sorting a plurality of pages of recording paper bundles and rearranging them in page order. Further, since it is not necessary to execute the sorting in synchronization with the print processing of the document, the same document can be sorted any number of times.

When this document sorting system is used in combination with a distributed printing system,
If the system has at least one document sorting device, it will be effective enough. Therefore, compared to the case where all printers are equipped with a dedicated sorter, the bundle of recording papers distributed and output at a lower cost will be bundled together. Can be sorted and sorted.

Since there is no restriction that the load distribution of the print processing is performed for each document, the degree of freedom of the load distribution is high, and the resources of the distributed printing system can be utilized to the maximum.
The print processing efficiency of the entire system can be improved.

Further, it is possible to select and execute a sorting processing method from a plurality of sorting processing methods in accordance with a user's instruction. Further, even after printing, the document sorting information held by the print service means is stored. Since it can be changed, the reusability of the recording paper and the expandability of the system are excellent.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a document sorting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 11 is a printing device, 12 is a document sorting device, 13 is a communication device,
4 is a print service device, 5 is a sorting information providing device,
6 is a sorting information reading device, 7 is a sorting instruction device, 8
Denotes a sorting management device, 9 denotes a sorting processing device, and 10 denotes a recording paper output device.

As shown in FIG. 1, the document sorting system according to the present embodiment comprises a printing device 11, a document sorting device 12, and a communication device 13 interconnecting the printing device 11 and the document sorting device 12. Have been. The printing apparatus 11 performs document printing processing, generates document sorting information for sorting the printed recording sheet bundle, and gives the generated document sorting information to the recording sheet. Also,
The document sorting device 12 executes a sorting process based on document sorting information.

The printing device 11 includes a print service device 4 and a sorting information providing device 5.
The print service device 4 executes document printing processing and generates document sorting information that determines the order in which the recording paper bundle on which the document is printed is rearranged. The sorting information assigning device 5 assigns a part or all of the document sorting information generated by the print service device 4 to a recording sheet.

In the configuration of the document sorting device 12, as shown in FIG.
A sorting instruction device 7, a sorting management device 8, a sorting processing device 9, and a recording paper output device 10. The sorting information reading device 6 inputs the recording sheet bundle to which the document sorting information is added, and reads the document sorting information from each recording sheet. The sorting instruction device 7 instructs a sorting method in the document sorting device 12. The sorting management device 8 manages the order of the recording papers according to the document sorting information and the specified sorting method without any inconsistency.
Is controlled by the sorting management device 8 to execute a process of rearranging the order of the recording paper. Also, the recording paper output device 1
0 outputs the recording paper that has been sorted and rearranged.

In the document sorting system configured as described above, when a document print process is issued, the print service device 4 executes the document print process and automatically generates a part of the document sort information. I do. The print service device 4
Document sort information that cannot be automatically generated is generated based on a response to an inquiry from a print processing issuer. Among the document sorting information generated in this way, at least the unique identifier for each document, the page number, and the identifier of the print service device that has executed the print processing are assigned to each recording sheet by the sorting information assigning device 5. Is done.

When document sorting information is given to each recording sheet, a bundle of sheets composed of a plurality of pages of the recording sheet is collectively input to the document sorting device 12 by the sorting process issuer, and the sorting instruction device 7 Start of reading is instructed.

When the start of reading is instructed, first, the sorting information reading device 6 reads the document sorting information. Then, the sorting information reading device 6
When the document identifier, the page number, and the print service identifier for each recording sheet are recognized, the information is sent to the sorting management device 8. Sorting management device 8
Requests the print service apparatus 4 for all the document sorting information based on the sent document sorting information.

The print service device 4 transfers all generated document sorting information for the document to the sorting management device 8 through the communication device 13. The sorting management device 8 sorts the recording sheets one by one according to the document sorting information and the sorting method specified by the sorting process issuer. That is, if the recording paper that has passed through the sorting information reading device 6 is a bundle of recording papers including, for example, the last page of a certain document, the sorting processing device 9 is controlled to send it to the recording paper output device 10. If the recording paper is not a bundle of recording papers including the last page of the document, the recording paper is temporarily stored therein and held until the sorting order comes.

The sorting processing device 9 is provided with the sorting information reading device 6 or the print service device 4 in this manner.
The recording paper is rearranged and sent to a predetermined output position of the recording paper output device 10 on the basis of the document sorting information obtained from and the sorting method instructed by the sorting instruction device 7. The recording paper output device 10 outputs the recording paper to a different output position for each document when there are a plurality of output positions of the recording paper, and when the number of documents is large, the output of a certain document has already been completed. Output to the output position. This makes it possible to collectively input a bundle of recording sheets made up of a plurality of pages and rearrange the recording sheets in a specified order. If the sorting management device 8 cannot receive all the document sorting information from the print service device 4 due to a malfunction of the communication device 13 or the like, only the document identifier and the page number read from the recording paper by the sorting information reading device 6 are used. The sorting process is performed using this.

Next, an embodiment in which the document sorting system of the present invention is applied to a distributed printing system will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the document sorting system according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the document sorting system includes two printing devices (11a and 11b), a document sorting device 12, and a communication device 13 interconnecting these devices. The communication device 13 connects the two printing devices (11a, 11b) and the document sorting device 12 to each other, and uses a network communication path such as Ethernet or wireless LAN.

The first printing device 11a has a computer 14a in which a print service processing function is executed as a software process, and a sorting information providing device 3.
It is composed of printers 15a to 15c. Similarly, the second printing device 11b includes a computer 14b in which a print service processing function is executed as a software process, and two printers 15d to 15e having a sorting information providing device. In addition,
Reference numerals 16a to 16e denote printers 15a to 15e, respectively.
3E shows a bundle of recording sheets printed out from e. The recording paper bundles 16a to 16e are collected from the output trays of the printers 15a to 15e by the user (sorting process issuer), transported to the document sorting device 12, and input as one bundle.

The printing apparatuses (11a, 11b) are configured as a distributed printing system, and output a document composed of a plurality of pages by distributing the pages of the document by a plurality of printers. When outputting a 120-page document, if three printers are available, for example, the printers 15a, 15b, 1
5c is available, the document is divided into 40 pages and the first printer 15a sends the first 1 to 40
The page is output, and the next 41 is output from the second printer 15b.
To 80 pages, and the last 81 to 120 pages are output from the third printer 15c.

Of course, the printing device (11
a) and 11b) do not restrict the provision of the advanced print job distribution allocation function and control function. For example, if a printer that is printing a multi-page document cannot continue the printing process due to some trouble, it has a function to transfer the print job to another available printer and print the next page. Even with such a system, the document sorting system of this embodiment can be adapted very well. In addition, each of the printers 15a to 15e prints a document and simultaneously uses the same printing mechanism to print the document.
According to the function of the embodiment of the present invention, document sorting information for sorting documents is printed at a predetermined position on a recording sheet.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the document sorting apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating a recording paper transport mechanism centered on a recording paper transport unit of the document sorting apparatus. 3 and 4, 21 is a recording paper input unit, 22 is a sorting information reading unit, 23 is a recording paper temporary storage unit, 24 is a recording paper transporting unit, 25 is a sorting control unit, and 26a to 26m are recording paper output units. , 27 is a communication device connection unit, 28 is a sorting instruction input unit, and 29 is a management status display unit.

As shown in FIG. 4, the recording paper transport section 24 has a plurality of recording paper transport rollers 24a to 24h along a transport path for sorting the recording paper. The drive of the paper transport rollers 24a to 24h is controlled. 16a to 16e are bundles of recording sheets on which sorting information is printed.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the document sorting device 12 includes a recording paper input unit 21, a sorting information reading unit 22, a recording paper temporary storage unit 23, a recording paper transport unit 24, a sorting control unit, Unit 25, one or more recording paper output units 26a to 26m, and a communication device connection unit 27.
, A sorting instruction input unit 28, and a management status display unit 29. In FIG. 3, the flow of the recording paper is indicated by a thick arrow symbol, and the flow of control information for controlling the flow of the paper is indicated by a thin arrow symbol.

Next, each block of the elements constituting the document sorting apparatus 12 will be described individually. The recording paper input unit 21 is provided by the sorting process issuer for the printer group 15a.
Of recording paper 16a collected from the output trays No. to 15e
To 16e are input collectively, and the recording paper transport roller 24a is input.
Is a device having a mechanism for separating the recording paper into individual recording papers and feeding the recording paper to a sorting information reading unit 22.

The sorting information reading section 22 optically reads and recognizes document sorting information printed together with the contents of the document from the recording paper input by the recording paper input section 21, and recognizes the electronically sorted document sorting information. The information is converted into information and output to the sorting control unit 25. The recording paper from which the document sorting information has been read by the sorting information reading unit 22 is transferred to a recording paper transport roller 24.
The recording paper is sent to the recording paper temporary storage unit 23 by b.

The recording paper temporary storage unit 23 temporarily holds a bundle of recording papers for which sorting has not been completed. The recording paper temporary storage unit 23 receives the recording paper by the recording paper transport roller 24b, temporarily stores the recording paper, and discharges the recording paper by the recording paper transport roller 24h. In other words, a FIFO (First-In First-O
ut) Operate as a mechanism.

The recording paper transport section 24 controls the driving of the plurality of recording paper transport rollers 24a to 24h at predetermined timings, and inputs one sheet from the recording paper input section 21 via the sorting information reading section 22. Alternatively, one recording sheet is input from the recording paper temporary storage unit 23 and sorted in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23, or the recording paper output unit 2
The paper feed mechanism for outputting to 6a to 26m is controlled. By this paper feed control, the sorting process of the recording paper on which the document sorting information is printed is performed. Switching between the input position and the output position of the transport path of the paper feed mechanism by the recording paper transport rollers 24a to 24h is controlled by a control signal input from the sorting control unit 25.

The sorting control unit 25 controls each of the recording paper transport units 24 based on the document sorting information received from the sorting information reading unit 22 or the communication device connecting unit 27 and the sorting method input from the sorting instruction input unit 28. Of the recording paper transport rollers 24a to 24h is controlled to manage the execution of the sorting and rearranging of the recording paper.

The recording paper output units 26a to 26m are for outputting the recording papers, for which the sorting and rearranging processing has been completed, separately for each document, and are composed of a plurality of trays or sort bins.

The communication device connection unit 27 is an electronic circuit unit for connecting the document sorting device 12 and the communication device 13, and is composed of an MPU, an ASIC, a memory, etc., and is connected to the sorting control unit 25 and the communication device 13. Performs communication with software processes running on other devices.

The sorting instruction input unit 28 is an input device for externally inputting an instruction on a sorting method of a bundle of recording sheets.
For example, it is constituted by a keyboard so that the sorting process issuer can directly operate and input.

The management status display section 29 is provided with the sorting control section 25.
Is a display unit for displaying an internal state relating to the sorting process being executed, which is managed by the company, and is constituted by, for example, a small liquid crystal display device.

Next, the flow of recording paper in the document sorting device 12 will be described with reference to the drawings. Referring to FIG. 4, a bundle of recording paper 16 a to 16 e input to the recording paper input unit 21 is fed one by one by a first recording paper transport roller 24 a and guided to the inside of the document sorting device 12. . After the document sorting information is read by the sorting information reading unit 22, the document is temporarily transported to the recording paper temporary storage unit 23 by the recording paper transport roller 24b and temporarily stored.

The recording paper held in the recording paper temporary storage section 23 is taken out one by one by a recording paper transport roller 24h on the exit side thereof, and is fed through a transport path by a recording paper transport roller 24c and a recording paper transport roller 24b. hand,
It is returned to the recording paper temporary storage unit 23 again, or the recording paper transport roller 24c, the recording paper transport roller 2
4d, the sheet is transported along a transport path by the recording sheet transport rollers 24e to 24g, and is transported to any of the recording sheet output units 26a to 26m. Such recording paper transport rollers 24a to
As described above, the start / stop of the 24h and the switching of the paper feed direction are controlled by the sorting control unit 25 based on the document sorting information.

Next, document sorting information to be printed together with the document on the recording paper in order to perform the document sorting process will be described. The document sorting information is composed of document attribute information indicating an attribute unique to each document, sorting instruction information indicating an order or a method of rearranging recording sheets, and a page number unique to each recording sheet. The page number for sorting here does not always match the page number assigned by the application program that created the document.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining items of document attribute information and its data format. In the document attribute information, the document identifier A1 of the item is an integer value unique to each copy of the document. Number of pages A2
Represents the number of recording sheets on which the document is printed. The print service identifier A3 is a character string that can uniquely specify a print service process on a network. For example, when implemented on an IP (Internet Protocol), the print service identifier A3 includes the IP address of a host computer on which the print service process is executed. And the port number of the print service process.

The document creator identifier A4 is a unique character string representing the creator of the document, and is composed of, for example, a login name. The creation date A5 is an integer value representing the date and time when the document was created. The print processing issuer identifier A6 is a unique character string indicating the user who has issued the print processing of the document, and is composed of, for example, a login name. Issue date A7
Is an integer value representing the date and time when the document print process was issued. The document group identifier A8 is
This is a unique integer value for each document group in which a plurality of documents are registered. The document group here includes, for example, a distribution list in which a map document and a guide document are registered.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing items of document sorting instruction information, possible values of each item, and values (default values) automatically given by the print service apparatus 4 when no specification is made.

In the document sorting instruction information,
The instruction information B1 of the item specifies whether or not to sort for each document. When the value is true, it is information for sorting for each document, and when the value is false, it is information for not sorting. The default value is true. That is, the instruction is to sort the documents for each document. The instruction information B2 instructs whether to sort the documents in page order, and in the case of sorting, instructs whether to sort in ascending or descending order. The default value is an instruction to sort in ascending order. The instruction information B3 indicates whether or not to sort by document groups. The default value is false, which is an instruction not to sort for each document group. The instruction information B4 indicates whether to sort for each print processing issuer. The default value is false, that is, an instruction not to sort for each print processing issuer.

The instruction information B5 indicates whether or not to sort by the date and time when the print processing was issued. When sorting, it indicates whether the order is ascending or descending. No default value,
That is, it is an instruction not to sort. Instruction information B
Reference numeral 6 denotes instruction information for instructing whether to sort documents for each document creator. The default value is false, that is, an instruction not to sort for each document creator. The instruction information B7 instructs whether to sort by the date and time when the document was created. When sorting, it indicates whether the order is ascending or descending. No default value, ie
Instruction to not sort.

The instruction information B8 indicates to which of the recording paper output units 26a to 26m the recording paper is to be output. The possible value of the instruction information B8 is an integer value indicating the number of the recording paper output unit, and the default value is 1. Instruction information B
Reference numeral 9 designates whether or not to notify the print process issuer when the document sorting device 12 starts sorting. The default value is false, that is, an indication not to notify. The instruction information B10 specifies whether to notify the print process issuer when the document sorting device 12 has completed the sorting process. The default value is false, that is, an indication not to notify.

The instruction information B11 is an item used only when the instruction information B10 is true, and designates document sorting information to be notified to the print process issuer at the end of the sorting process. The default value of the instruction information B11 is A1. That is, the document identifier A1 is notified. Similarly, the instruction information B12 is an item that is used only when either the instruction information B9 or the instruction information B10 is true, and specifies a method of notifying the document sorting information to the print processing issuer using the instruction information. In this example, it is possible to select whether to display directly on the console or notify by e-mail,
The default value is set to display directly on the console.

When the contents of each item of the instruction information shown in FIG. 6 cannot be executed simultaneously, for example, when it is instructed to sort for each issuer and for each creator, The document sorting device 12 is controlled so as to execute sorting by giving priority to the instruction information of the item with the smaller sign of the instruction information B1 to B12 shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of generating the document sorting information in the printing apparatus 11 and adding it to recording paper. This processing will be described with reference to FIG. When a print process issuer issues a print process for a document (step 71), the print service process executes the document print process and automatically generates a part of the document sorting information (step 72). .

Since the print service process cannot automatically determine the document group identifier A8 and the sorting instruction information B1 to B12, inquire using the console of the print processing issuer and input the instruction (step 73). ). When the instruction information is input, it is next determined whether or not all the document sorting information has been generated (step 74). Further, if the input of the sorting instruction is necessary, this is determined, and the print processing issuer is determined. Is repeated.

When all the document sorting information is generated and the process of inputting the instruction from the print processing issuer is completed, the print service process stores them in the secondary storage area, and a part thereof (document identifier A1, print identifier). The service identifier A3 and the page number) are sent to the printer 15 and printed on a recording sheet together with the contents of the document (step 75), and this process ends.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen on which the print processing issuer instructs a document sorting method. In the print service process, when the print processing publisher instructs the document sorting method, as shown in FIG. 8, a window screen of the input interface is opened on the console monitor, and the display screen 30 for instructing the document sorting method is displayed. Is displayed. The display screen 30 includes a sorting instruction item 31 and check buttons 32 a to 32 a.
An instruction input window including 2n, radio buttons 33a to 33b, a pull-down menu 34, an add button 35, and a character string input field 36 is displayed.

The check buttons 32a to 32n and the radio buttons 33a to 33b are checked in advance based on default values determined by sorting instruction information as shown in FIG. The print processing issuer changes these sorting methods as desired. For example, when the sorting check button 32n according to the document group is checked, a document group for registering a document is selected from the pull-down menu 34, or
Alternatively, an add button 35 and a character string input field 36
Register a new document group using. Then, finally, using the "OK" button 37a or the "cancel" button 37b, the print service process is notified that all inputs have been completed.

The document sorting information is printed using human-readable characters and numerals. However, in order to simplify the sorting information reading unit 22, improve the reading accuracy, and increase the speed, code sorting is performed. It is desirable to print with a symbol (for example, a barcode). It is also possible to use printing that can be identified by eyes or special ink that cannot be identified by eyes. The identifier can be properly used depending on the sensor and the discrimination ability of the sorting information reading unit 22.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a print area of a document to be printed on recording paper and document sorting information. When the recording paper is in the vertical direction, the document sorting information is printed in a header area or a footer area of each page of the recording paper as shown in FIG. When the recording paper is in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. 9B, the document sorting information is printed in a header area or a footer area of each page of the recording paper. The recording paper 41 here is divided into three areas: a document area 42 where the contents of the document are printed, and a first sorting information area 43 and a second sorting information area 44 where the document sorting information is printed.

In FIG. 9, for convenience of explanation, each area is displayed as a rectangular frame, but it is not necessarily required to print these frames. Also, in printing the document sorting information, the printing of the header area or the footer area of each page is not necessarily forced. Also,
As shown in FIG. 9C, for example, the document sorting information can be printed in the vicinity of the center in a format that is invisible to the user using ink that can be viewed only with ultraviolet light.

In a normal document, a margin is provided above and below the recording paper. Therefore, a blank portion sufficient for printing document sorting information exists in the header area or the footer area. This is used as a first sorting information area 43 and a second sorting information area 44 on which document sorting information is printed. If the document has no such margin, the document area 42 for printing the contents of a normal document is reduced,
Blank areas are provided above and below the recording paper, and sorting information areas (43, 44) in which document sorting information is printed.
May be provided.

In the present embodiment, the first sorting information area 43 and the second sorting information area 44 for printing the document sorting information are printed on the same surface as the contents of the document. May be printed on the back surface of the paper, or may be printed on other portions of the paper.

Next, an example of the sorting operation of the document sorting apparatus 12 in the case of sorting documents by document and sorting pages in ascending order will be described in detail. This will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, it is assumed that four documents A to D are appropriately divided and output from three printers configured as a distributed printing system.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow until the bundle of recording papers output by the three printers of the printing device 11a is input to the document sorting device 12. In this example, in a printing apparatus 11a having three printers 15a to 15c, a document A, a document B, a document C, and a document D
It is assumed that these four documents are page-separated and output by these printers in this order. It is assumed that the document sorting device 12 has four recording paper output units 26a to 26d.

The document A here is composed of 90 pages, and the first 1 to 30 pages (bundle A1 of recording sheets in FIG. 10) are output from the printer 15c, and the next 3 pages are output.
1 to 60 pages (bundle A2 of recording paper)
, And the next 61 to 90 pages (recording sheet bundle A3) are output from the printer 15a. Document B is composed of 50 pages, and the first 1
Pages 30 to 30 (recording sheet bundle B1) are output from the printer 15b, and the next 31 to 50 pages (recording sheet bundle B1) are output.
2) is output from the printer 15a.

The document C is composed of 70 pages. The first 1 to 35 pages (recording sheet bundle C1) are output from the printer 15a, and the next 36 to 70 pages (recording sheet bundle C2) are output from the printer 15a. 15c. The document D is composed of 120 pages, and the first 1 to 30 pages (recording paper bundle D1) are
b and the next 31 to 60 pages (recording sheet bundle D2) are output from the printer 15a. The next 61
To 90 pages (recording sheet bundle D3) are output from the printer 15c, and the subsequent 91 to 120 pages (recording sheet bundle D3).
4) is output from the printer 15b.

As described above, each of the printers 15a to 15a
The bundle of recording papers (documents A1 to A3, documents B1 to B2, documents C1 to C2, and documents D1 to D4) printed separately from c.
In the order of the printers 15a, 15b, and 15c, they are collected by the sorting process issuer's hand, collected into one bundle of recording paper 100, and input to the recording paper input unit 21 of the document sorting device 12, as shown in FIG. Assume that
The input bundle of recording papers 100 passes through the sorting information reading unit 22 so that the document sorting information printed on each of the recording papers is read, and the order in which the document sorting information is temporarily input to the recording paper temporary storage unit 23. Is stored in

At this time, the sorting information reading section 22
The document sorting information printed on each page of the recording paper is read, recognized, converted into electronic sorting control information, and the sorting control information is transmitted to the sorting control unit 25.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of control in the sorting control section 25. The control process here will be described with reference to FIG. When a bundle of some recording papers is set in the recording paper input unit 21 and the start of the sorting information is instructed by the sorting processing issuer, the processing is started. First, in step 111, the sorting information reading unit 22 reads the document sorting information from the recording paper, and the sorting control unit 25
Is forwarded to

Next, in step 112, of the transferred document sorting information, the print service process that has printed the document is specified from the print service identifier A3, and the document identifier A1 is transferred to the print service process. Request to send document sort information for. Next, step 1
In step 13, it is determined whether or not a correct response has been received from the print service process within a predetermined time. If a correct response has been received, the process proceeds to step 114, and complete document sorting information cannot be obtained due to some failure. If so, the process proceeds to step 116.

In step 114, the value of the instruction information B9 in the document sorting information is determined. By this determination, if the value of the instruction information B9 is "true", that is,
If the instruction is to notify the print process issuer when the document sorter 12 starts the sort process, the process proceeds to step 115, where the print process issuer is notified of the start of the sort. If the value of the instruction information B9 is "false", the process proceeds to step 116 without doing anything.

In step 115, the start of sorting is notified to the print processing issuer, and if necessary, the sorting method is input again if necessary.
The fact that the preparation for sorting is completed is displayed on the management status display unit 29, and a sorting instruction input from the sorting process issuer is waited. When all sorting instructions have been input and an instruction to start sorting has been input, then in step 117, a recording paper output unit for outputting a document is assigned according to the input document sorting information and the sorting instruction method. .

Next, in step 118, a control signal is generated, and sorting processing is executed. That is, the sorting control unit 25 controls the recording paper transporting rollers 24a to 24c by the recording paper transporting unit 24 based on the assignment of the recording paper output unit 26 and the arrangement order of the page range of each document in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23. Generating a control signal for controlling the start and stop of 24h and the switching of the paper feed direction;
According to the control signal, the recording paper transport rollers 24a to 24a
h, the sorting process is executed by controlling the paper feed.

Next, in step 119, it is determined whether or not the sorting process has been completed. If the sorting is not completed by the execution of the first sorting process, the process returns to step 118 to generate a control signal and generate a sorting signal. The process for executing the process is repeatedly performed. That is, a control signal is generated again for the unsorted documents temporarily stored in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23, and the sorting process is performed based on the control signal. If it is determined in step 119 that the sorting process is completed, the process proceeds to step 120.

In step 120, the value of the instruction information B10 of the document sorting information is determined. If the value of the instruction information B10 is "true", the process proceeds to step 121, and in step 121, the end of the sorting is notified to the print process issuer. In the determination processing of step 120,
If the value of the instruction information B10 is "false", the sorting process ends.

Next, a specific example of a process for sorting documents stored in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23 will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, it is assumed that the bundles of the recording papers of the documents to be sorted are stored in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23 in the order in which they are combined into one bundle and input as shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the sorting process in the document sorting device 12. In the document sorting device 12, the sorting control unit 25 controls the recording sheet transport unit 24 based on the document sorting information and the sorting method input and instructed. Here, the assignment of the document to the recording sheet output units 26a to 26d is performed. Document A is a recording paper output unit 26a
The document B is assigned to the recording sheet output unit 26b, the document C is assigned to the recording sheet output unit 26c, and the document D is assigned to the recording sheet output unit 26d.

As shown in FIG. 12, first, in the first stage of the sorting process, the recording paper transport unit 24 is stored in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23 in the order of input to the document sorting device 12. Bundle of recording paper (Fig. 10)
In the order of input, such as A1, C2, D3,.
A bundle of document recording papers (C2, D4, A3, B2,
C1) is output to the bin tray of the recording paper output units 26a to 26d assigned by the sorting control unit 25. Also, a bundle of recording sheets (A1, D3, A2,
B1, D1, D2) are stored again in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23.

That is, according to the input order,
First, the second bundle of recording paper C2 is output to the recording paper output unit 26c, the sixth bundle of recording paper D4 is outputted to the recording paper output unit 26d, and the eighth bundle of recording paper is output. A3 is output to the recording paper output unit 26a, the ninth bundle of recording paper B2 is output to the recording paper output unit 26b, and the tenth bundle of recording paper C1 is output to the recording paper output unit 26c. Is done. Other bundles of recording paper cannot be immediately output to the recording paper output units 26a to 26d in the same order, so that these remaining bundles of recording paper are again
It is stored in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23.

Thus, the recording paper temporary storage section 23
When the head of the bundle of recording sheets stored in the first storage unit becomes the bundle A1 of recording sheets again, the first-stage sorting process ends. At this time, the unsorted recording paper bundles A1, D3, A2, B
1, D1 and D2 are stored in the order of input. At this time, the document C (the bundle of recording paper C
2, C1) have already been sorted at this stage, and have been output to the bin tray of the assigned recording paper output unit 26c. With respect to the bundle of the recording sheets of the documents A, B, and D, only a part is output to the recording sheet output units 26a, 26b, and 26d assigned to the respective units.

Also in the next second stage sorting process, the sorting process is executed on the bundle of recording sheets remaining in the recording sheet temporary storage unit 23 in the same manner as the first stage sorting process. That is, the bundle of recording sheets remaining in the recording sheet temporary storage unit 23 at this time can be sequentially taken out in the order of input, such as A1, D3, A2,..., And immediately output in the same order. The bundle of document recording sheets is output to the bin tray of the recording sheet output units 26a, 26b, 26d. If you need to change the order,
It is stored in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23.

That is, the second recording paper bundle D3 is stored again in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23 according to the order of the remaining recording paper bundles stored again in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23. Is output to the recording paper output section 26d, the third recording paper bundle A2 is output to the recording paper output section 26a, and the fourth recording paper bundle B1 is output to the recording paper output section 26b. . The other bundles of recording paper (A1, D1) cannot be immediately output to the recording paper output units 26a to 26d in the same order, and these remaining bundles of recording paper are stored in the recording paper temporary storage unit 23 again. Is done.

Thus, the recording paper temporary storage unit 23
When the top of the bundle of recording papers stored in the storage device becomes the bundle A1 of recording papers again, the second-stage sorting process ends.

In this second stage, a new document B
Is completed. Only the recording paper bundle A1 and the recording paper bundle D1 have not been sorted, and these are returned to the recording paper temporary storage unit 23.

Then, in the next third-stage sorting process, the recording paper bundle A1 is output to the recording paper output unit 26a, and the recording paper bundle D1 is output to the recording paper output unit 26d. Here, for the first time, the recording paper temporary storage unit 23
Becomes empty, and all four documents are sorted and output in page order. Thus, a series of document sorting processing ends.

The document sorting system according to the present embodiment is premised on use in combination with a distributed printing system. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a printer locally connected to a host computer via a parallel interface or the like can be used. Obviously, they may be used in combination.

Further, in the document sorting system of the present embodiment, the recording sheet output units constituting the document sorting apparatus are plural and each have a bin tray, but the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, a document sorting apparatus that has only a single recording sheet output unit and simply stacks and outputs sheets sorted and sorted for each document may be used.

In addition to simply stacking paper,
A document sorting device equipped with a post-processing mechanism that inserts some mark between documents, a document sorting device equipped with a post-processing mechanism that changes the paper orientation or position for each document, and outputs recording paper with a staple function Document sorter with a copy unit, or a document sorter with a post-processing mechanism that folds and outputs some large-sized paper in the document, etc., is within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Clearly there is.

If the features of the document sorting system of this embodiment described above are summarized together with their modifications,
It looks like this: That is, (1) The document sorting system according to the present embodiment is a document sorting system that prints a plurality of pages or a plurality of copies of a document and sorts the printed sheet bundle in a designated order in a batch. And a printing device 11, a document sorting device 12, and a communication device 13.

(2) The printing apparatus 11 performs a document printing process and generates document sorting information for determining the order in which the bundle of printed recording papers is rearranged, and the document sorting information. And a sorting information providing device 5 for applying the information to the recording paper.

(3) Document sorting device 1 here
2 is a sorting information reading device 6 and a sorting instruction device 7
And a sorting management device 8, a sorting processing device 9, and a recording paper output device 10.

(4) The sorting information reading device 6 inputs a bundle of recording sheets to which the document sorting information has been added, and reads the document sorting information given to the recording sheets. The sorting instruction device 7 inputs an instruction to start the sorting process and an instruction to change the order of the recording paper bundle, and the sorting management device 8 records based on the read document sorting information and the input sorting instruction. Manage so that the order of paper can be rearranged without contradiction. The sorting processing device 9 performs a process of rearranging the order of the recording sheets under the control of the sorting management device 8. The recording paper output device 10 outputs the recording paper that has been sorted and rearranged.

(5) The communication device 13 includes the printing device 11 and the document sorting device 12 because the sorting management device 8 receives part or all of the document sorting information from the print service device 4 as necessary. Connect.

(6) In a case where a plurality of printing apparatuses 11 are provided, such as a distributed printing system, the communication apparatus 13 connects between the plurality of printing apparatuses 11 and the document sorting apparatus 12.

(7) The document sorting information is composed of document attribute information indicating the attributes of the document, sorting instruction information indicating the order in which the recording sheets are rearranged, and a page number unique to each recording sheet.

(8) For the document sorting information that cannot be automatically generated, the print service device 4 manually generates the document sorting information by the man-machine interface based on the instruction of the print issuer ( (FIG. 8).

(9) The print service apparatus 4 includes a sorting information holding section for holding the generated document sorting information. In response to a request from the sorting management apparatus 8, the sorting information holding section sends an appropriate document sorting information. The information is taken out and passed through the communication device 13.

(10) When the user wants to change the content of the document sorting process, the print service apparatus 4 sets the document sorting information held in the sorting information holding unit for holding the generated document sorting information. Allows information to be changed after the document has been printed.

(11) If a large amount of document sorting information is held in the sorting information holding unit, the document sorting information becomes too large, and the print service apparatus 4 has not been used for a predetermined period. Document sorting information can be deleted from the sorting information holding unit.

(12) The sorting information reading device 6 collectively receives a bundle of recording sheets on which a plurality of pages or a plurality of sets of documents are recorded and sends out the recording sheets one by one. A sorting information reading unit 22 that reads and recognizes document sorting information given to paper and converts it into electronic sorting control information.

(13) The sorting information reading section 22 optically reads the document sorting information (FIG. 9) printed on a part of the front or back surface of each page of the recording paper by using a normal document printing mechanism. And converts it into electronic sorting control information.

(14) The sorting device 9 temporarily stores a part or all of the recording paper for which the document sorting information has been recognized, and the document sorting information has been recognized. The recording paper is transported to the recording paper temporary storage unit, or the recording paper to be sorted for the recording paper of the recording paper temporary storage unit 23 is transported to the recording paper output unit 26, or the sorting is not completed. A recording paper transport unit 24 that transports the recording paper back to the recording paper temporary storage unit 26;

(15) The sorting management device 8 controls the recording sheet transport section 24 according to the document sorting information, and inputs one recording sheet from either the sorting information reading section 22 or the recording sheet temporary storage section 23. Is output to the recording paper temporary storage unit 23 or the recording paper output unit 26.

(16) The sorting management device 8 has a sorting information temporary storage unit for temporarily storing the document sorting information received from the print service device 4.
In addition, of the document sorting information stored in the sorting information temporary storage unit, a process of discarding a document sorting information having a longest unused period and preparing a storage area for newly storing document sorting information is performed.

(17) The sorting management device 8 has already stored the document sorting information necessary for the next sorting process in the sorting information temporary storage unit, and stores the document sorting information in the print service device 4. If the document sorting information matches the document sorting information to be processed, the sorting process is performed using the document sorting information stored in the sorting information temporary storage unit without newly receiving the document sorting information from the print service device 4. I do.

(18) The recording paper output device 10 has a plurality of recording paper output units (bin trays) for outputting the sorted and rearranged recording paper.

(19) The document attribute information includes a unique identifier (A1) for each document, the number of recording sheets on which the document is printed (A2), and an identifier (A) of the print service apparatus that has executed the print processing of the document. A3), a unique identifier (A4) for each document creator, a document creation date and time (A5), a unique identifier for each print process issuer (A6), a print process issue date and time (A7), And a part or all of the identifier (A8) of the document group that includes the document.

(20) Sorting instruction information includes an instruction (B1) as to whether or not to sort for each document, an instruction as to whether to sort in page order, and an instruction as to ascending or descending order when sorting in page order (B2). ), An instruction as to whether or not to sort by document group (B3), an instruction as to whether or not to sort for each print processing issuer (B4), an instruction as to whether or not to sort by print processing issue date and time, and When sorting by print processing issuance date and time, an instruction of ascending order or descending order (B5), an instruction of whether or not to sort by document creator (B6), an instruction of whether or not to sort by document creation date and document When sorting by creation date and time, an instruction of ascending order or descending order (B7), an instruction of which recording paper output unit to output (B8), and a start of the sorting process are printed. An instruction whether to notify the ascetic (B
9), an instruction (B10) as to whether or not to notify the print processing issuer at the end of the sorting, an item to be notified (B11), and a notification method instruction (B1).
2).

(21) As the document sorting information given to the recording paper, a unique identifier (A1) for each document in the document attribute information, a unique page number for each recording paper, and print processing of the document are executed. The print service means identifier (A3) is used.

(22) Here, the sorting management device 8 receives the complete document sorting information from the print service device 4 and executes the sorting process based on the document sorting information given to the recording paper.

(23) The sorting management device 8 here
In the case where complete document sorting information cannot be received from the print service device 4, the sorting process for each document and the rearrangement of the page order are performed using only the document sorting information given to the recording paper.

(24) The sorting instruction device 7 is a management state for displaying the internal state of the sorting management device determined based on the document sorting information read from the recording paper or the document sorting information received from the print service device 4. It has a display unit 29 and a sorting instruction input unit 28 for inputting the start of the sorting process or the change of the sorting instruction.

(25) The sorting management device 8 is configured to select one of the contents of the sorting instruction input to the sorting instruction device 7 and the sorting instruction information read from the recording paper or the sorting instruction information received from the print service device 4. Are inconsistent, the sorting instruction input to the sorting instruction device 7 is given priority to execute the sorting process.

As described above, according to the document sorting system of the present invention, a part of the document sorting information is printed in advance on the recording paper by the printing device, and these printings are performed by the sorting information reading unit. The document sorting information is read and recognized and transferred to the sorting control unit. The sorting control unit communicates with the print service apparatus to receive the complete document sorting information, and sorts and sorts the documents according to the sorting method input and input. It has a configuration to control execution. Thus, the trouble of manually collecting, sorting, and rearranging a plurality of pages of recording paper bundles in page order can be eliminated.

Further, since it is not necessary to execute the sorting in synchronization with the print processing of the document, the same document can be sorted any number of times. Further, when the document sorting system according to the present invention is used in combination with a distributed printing system, it is possible to obtain a sufficient effect if the system has at least one document sorting device. It is possible to sort and sort the recording paper bundles output in a distributed manner at a lower cost than in the above. Also,
Since there is no restriction that the load distribution of the print processing is performed for each document, the degree of freedom of the load distribution is high, the resources of the distributed print system can be used to the maximum, and the print processing efficiency of the entire system can be improved. Further, it is possible to select and execute a sorting processing method from a plurality of sorting processing methods according to a user's instruction. Further, since the document sorting information held by the print service apparatus can be changed even after printing, the reusability of the recording paper and the scalability of the system are excellent.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a document sorting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a document sorting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a document sorting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a recording paper transport mechanism centered on a recording paper transport unit of the document sorting apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating items of document attribute information and a data format thereof.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing items of document sorting instruction information, possible values of each item, and values (default values) automatically given by the print service when no specification is made.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of generating document sorting information and adding the same to recording paper in the printing apparatus 11;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen on which a print processing issuer instructs a document sorting method.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a print area of a document to be printed on a recording sheet and document sorting information.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow until a bundle of recording sheets output by three printers of a printing apparatus is input to a document sorting apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of control in a sorting control unit 25;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a sorting process in the document sorting device 12.

[Explanation of symbols]

4: print service device, 5: sorting information providing device,
6 ... sorting information reading device, 7 ... sorting instruction device, 8
... sorting management device, 9 ... sorting processing device, 10 ... recording paper output device, 11 ... printing device, 12 ... document sorting device, 13 ... communication device, 16a to 16e ... bundle of recording paper, 21 ... recording paper input unit, Reference numeral 22: sorting information reading unit, 23: recording paper temporary storage unit, 24: recording paper transport unit, 24a to 24h: recording paper transport roller, 25: sorting control unit, 26a to 26m: recording paper output unit, 27 ...
Communication device connection unit, 28 ... sorting instruction input unit, 29 ... management status display unit, 30 ... display screen, 31 ... sorting instruction item,
32a to 32n ... check button, 33a to 33b ... radio button, 34 ... pull-down menu, 35 ... add button, 36 ... character string input area, 37a ... "OK" button,
37b "Cancel" button.

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. A document sorting system which prints a plurality of pages or a plurality of copies of a document and sorts a batch of printed recording papers in a designated order in a batch, comprising: a printing device and a document sorting device. And a communication device. The printing device performs a document printing process and generates document sorting information for determining an order in which a bundle of printed recording papers are rearranged. A sorting information providing unit for assigning to the recording paper, the document sorting device inputs a bundle of recording paper to which the document sorting information is added, and a sorting information reading unit to read the document sorting information given to the recording paper; , Instruction and recording of start of sorting process Sorting instruction means for inputting an instruction of the order of reordering the bundle of paper; sorting management means for managing the order of the recording sheets based on the read document sorting information and the input sorting instruction without inconsistency; A sorting processing unit that performs a process of rearranging the order of the recording sheets under the control of the sorting management unit; and a recording sheet output unit that outputs the sorted and rearranged recording sheets. A document sorting system, wherein the printing device and the document sorting device are connected so that a management unit receives a part or all of the document sorting information from the print service unit as needed. 2. The document sorting system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the printing devices, wherein the communication device connects between the plurality of printing devices and the document sorting device. . 3. The document sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the document sorting information includes: document attribute information indicating a document attribute; sorting instruction information indicating an order in which recording papers are rearranged; A document sorting system comprising a unique page number. 4. The document sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the print service unit generates a part of the document sorting information that cannot be automatically generated based on an instruction of a print publisher. Document sorting system. 5. The document sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the print service unit includes a sorting information holding unit for holding the generated document sorting information, and the printing service unit receives the document sorting information in response to a request from the sorting management unit. A document sorting system, which extracts and transfers appropriate document sorting information from a sorting information holding unit. 6. The document sorting system according to claim 5, wherein the print service unit enables the document sorting information temporarily held in the sorting information holding unit to be changed after printing of the document is completed. Characteristic document sorting system. 7. The document sorting system according to claim 5, wherein the print service unit deletes document sorting information that has not been used for a predetermined period from the sorting information holding unit. system. 8. The document sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the sorting information reading means collectively receives a bundle of recording sheets on which a plurality of pages or a plurality of sets of documents are recorded, and sends out the recording sheets one by one. A document sorting system, comprising: a recording sheet input unit; and a sorting information reading unit that reads and recognizes document sorting information given to the fed recording sheet and converts it into electronic sorting control information. 9. The document sorting system according to claim 8, wherein the sorting information reading unit prints a document printed on a partial area of the front surface or the back surface of each page of the recording paper using a normal document printing mechanism. A document sorting system characterized in that sorting information is optically read and recognized and converted into electronic sorting control information. 10. The document sorting system according to claim 1, wherein said sorting processing means includes: a recording paper temporary storage unit for temporarily holding a part or all of the recording paper on which the document sorting information has been recognized; Transporting the recording paper in which the document sorting information is recognized to the recording paper temporary storage unit, or transporting the recording paper to be sorted to the recording paper output unit for the recording paper in the recording paper temporary storage unit, or A document sorting system, comprising: a recording sheet transport unit that transports recording paper that has not been sorted to return to a recording paper temporary storage unit. 11. The document sorting system according to claim 10, wherein said sorting management means inputs one sheet of recording paper from either said sorting information reading means or a recording paper temporary storage unit according to said document sorting information. A document sorting system for controlling the recording sheet transport unit so as to output to a recording sheet temporary storage unit or a recording sheet output unit. 12. The document sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the sorting management unit has a sorting information temporary storage unit for temporarily storing document sorting information received from the print service unit. Document sorting system. 13. The document sorting system according to claim 12, wherein the sorting management unit discards the document sorting information stored in the sorting information temporary storage unit that has a longest unused period. And a process for preparing a storage area for newly stored document sorting information. 14. The document sorting system according to claim 12, wherein the sorting management means has already stored the document sorting information required for the next sorting process in the sorting information temporary storage unit, and If the document sorting information matches the corresponding document sorting information held by the service unit, the document sorting information stored in the sorting information temporary storage unit is used without newly receiving the document sorting information from the print service unit. A document sorting system for executing a sorting process. 15. The document sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the recording sheet output unit has a plurality of recording sheet output units that output the sorted and rearranged recording sheets. Sorting system. 16. The document sorting system according to claim 3, wherein the document attribute information includes a unique identifier for each document, a number of recording sheets on which the document is printed, and a unique identifier for each creator of the document. An identifier, a unique identifier for each print processing issuer, a document creation date and time, a print processing issue date and time, an identifier of a document group including a plurality of documents, and an identifier of a print service unit that has executed the print processing of the document. A document sorting system comprising part or all. 17. The document sorting system according to claim 3, wherein the sorting instruction information includes an instruction as to whether or not to sort for each document, an instruction as to whether or not to sort in page order, and a case in which to sort in page order. Is an ascending or descending order, an instruction as to whether to sort by each document creator, an instruction as to whether to sort according to the print process issuer, and an instruction as to whether to sort by the document creation date and time. When sorting by document creation date and time, an instruction of ascending or descending order, an instruction of whether to sort by print processing issuance date and time, an instruction of ascending or descending order to sort by print processing issuance date, and document group An instruction as to whether or not to sort each sheet, an instruction as to which recording paper output unit to output, and the start of the sorting process are sent to the print processing issuer. Document sorting that includes an instruction as to whether or not to perform the sorting, an instruction as to whether or not to notify the print processing publisher of the sorting result at the end of the sorting, and, if so, an item to be notified and an instruction to notify. system. 18. The document sorting system according to claim 3, wherein the document sorting information given to the recording sheet includes a unique identifier for each document, a page number unique to each recording sheet, and a document print process. And an identifier of a print service unit that has executed the following. 19. The document sorting system according to claim 5, wherein the sorting management unit sends complete document sorting information from the print service unit based on the document sorting information given to the recording paper. A document sorting system which receives and executes sorting processing. 20. The document sorting system according to claim 19, wherein the sorting management means only receives the document sorting information given to the recording paper when complete document sorting information cannot be received from the print service means. A document sorting system for performing sorting for each document and rearranging the pages in the order using the document. 21. The document sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the sorting instruction unit is configured to determine the sorting based on document sorting information read from the recording paper or document sorting information received from the print service unit. A document sorting system, comprising: a management state display unit for displaying an internal state of the management unit; and a sorting instruction input unit for inputting a start of a sorting process or a change of a sorting instruction. 22. The document sorting system according to claim 3 or 21, wherein the sorting management means includes a content of the sorting instruction input to the sorting instruction means and sorting instruction information read from the recording paper or the sorting instruction information. A document sorting system, wherein when any of the sorting instruction information received from the print service means conflicts, sorting processing is executed with priority given to the sorting instruction input to the sorting instruction means.