A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In describing the example embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner. For example, the singular sheets “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views,
The printing system 1 of
In one example, the PC 10 generates a request for starting a registration operation of registering one or more custom sheet types (“the registration start request”), and sends the registration start request to the printer 20. Upon receiving the registration start request, the printer 20 displays a registration screen to the PC 10, and requests the PC 10 to send information regarding one or more custom recording sheet types to be registered. The information regarding one or more custom recording sheet types may include identification information such as the custom sheet type name, and a selected item of sheet type information such as the physical characteristics information. The printer 20 registers one or more custom sheet types, by storing the information regarding one or more custom sheet types received from the PC 10 in a form manageable by the printer 20, such as a custom sheet type table. After registering one or more custom sheet types, the PC 10 may instruct the printer 20 to change the information being stored for any one of the registered custom sheet types. Alternatively, the printer 20 may register one or more custom recording sheet types according to a user instruction input directly to the printer 20.
In another example, the PC 10 generates a request for obtaining sheet type names assigned to one or more sheet types available for use by the printer 20 (“the sheet type name request”), and sends the sheet type name request to the printer 20. Upon receiving the sheet type name request, the printer 20 sends the sheet type names of the sheet types to the PC 10. Once the sheet type names are received from the printer 20, the PC 10 may display the sheet type names to the user. Alternatively, the printer 20 may display the sheet type names of the sheet types available for use by the printer 20 on a display device provided with the printer 20.
In another example, the PC 10 generates a request for storing a printing job (“the printing job storage request”), and sends the printing job storage request to the printer 20. In this example, the printing job storage request may include information indicating the time when the printing job is requested, information regarding image data to be printed, and various printing setting information to be used for processing the printing job, etc. The printing setting information may include identification information, such as a sheet type name or a sheet type code, of a selected sheet type to be used for printing, information regarding the size of the recording sheet, information regarding a function of the printer 20 optionally used or prohibited from using, and/or information regarding one or more users who are authorized to use the sheet type. Upon receiving the printing job storage request, the printer 20 may convert the sheet type name or the sheet type code to a corresponding sheet type identification number, and replaces the identification information included in the printing job with the obtained sheet type identification number. The printer 20 may further obtain a selected portion or the entire portion of the custom sheet type table, as a stored custom sheet type table that indicates the custom sheet type information when the printing job storage request is received. The printer 20 may store the printing job and the stored custom sheet type table in a corresponding manner.
In another example, the PC 10 generates a request for performing a printing job (“the printing job request”), and sends the printing job request to the printer 20. In this example, the printing job request may include information regarding the time when the printing job is requested, information regarding image data to be printed, various printing setting information set for processing the printing job, etc. The printing setting information may include identification information, such as the sheet type name or the sheet type code, of a selected sheet to be used for printing, information regarding the size of the recording sheet, information regarding a function of the printer 20 optionally used or prohibited from using, and/or information regarding one or more users who are authorized to use the sheet type. Upon receiving the printing job request, the printer 20 may form a toner image of the image data specified by the printing job according to printing control parameters that are suitable to the selected sheet type.
The printing control parameters may be obtained from either one of stored custom sheet type table previously stored in a corresponding manner with the selected sheet type, and the most updated custom sheet type table currently stored in a corresponding manner with the selected sheet type. In one example, when the requested printing job corresponds to a stored printing job, the printing control parameters may be obtained from the stored custom sheet type table. When the requested printing job corresponds to a current printing job, the printing control parameters may be obtained from the updated or current custom sheet type table. In another example, when the entire or a selected portion of information stored in the custom sheet type tables is different between the stored custom sheet type table and the current custom sheet type table, the printing control parameters may be obtained from the stored custom sheet type table. When the entire or a selected portion of information stored in the custom sheet type tables is the same, the printing control parameters may be obtained from the current custom sheet type table. In another example, whether to use the stored custom sheet type table or the current custom sheet type table may be determined according to the user preference.
In addition to the above-described functions or operations, the printing system 1 is capable of performing various other functions or operations as described below.
Referring now to
The CPU 21 may function as a system controller capable of controlling the printer 20 using various programs stored in any desired memory or storage device, such as the ROM 22 or the NVRAM 24. The ROM 22, which may be implemented by a non-volatile memory, may store various data including, for example, various programs to be executed by the CPU 21, various parameters, etc. Alternatively, the ROM 22 may be replaced by a rewritable memory such that any data stored in the ROM 22 may be updated. The RAM 23 may temporarily store various data such that it may function as a work memory of the CPU 21: The NVRAM 24 may be implemented by a rewritable memory, which may store various programs to be executed by the CPU 21, various parameters to be kept after turning off of the printer 20 for later use, etc.
The panel I/F 25 may be implemented by any desired interface, which connects the operation panel 26 with the system bus 30 to allow data transfer between the CPU 21 and the operation panel 26. Through the panel I/F 25, the CPU 21 may send data to be output through the operation panel 26, or receive data input through the operation panel 26. The operation panel 26 may include a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED). The operation panel 26 may additionally include an input device including various keys or buttons, and/or a touch panel that may be provided on the LCD. For example, the CPU 21 may cause the display device of the operation panel 26 to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) to display various kinds of screen. The CPU 21 may cause the input device of the operation panel 26 to input information received from the user including, for example, a request for performing a specific operation.
The network I/F 27 may be implemented by any desired interface, which allows communication between the printer 20 and an external apparatus such as the PC 10 via the network 40. In this example, the network I/F 27 may establish communication based on the Ethernet technology. The engine I/F 28 connects the printer engine 29 with the system bus 30 to allow data transfer between the CPU 21 and the printer engine 29.
Under control of the CPU 21, the printer engine 29 may cause the printer 20 to form a toner image of image data on a recording sheet, according to a printing job request received from the user, using one or more image forming devices.
Referring now to
The system controller 101 may control operation of the printer 20, including operation of feeding a recording sheet, operation of forming an image on the recording sheet, communicating with a host apparatus such as the PC 10 of
The system memory 102 may store various programs to be executed by the system controller 101. The system memory 102 may additionally function as a work memory of the system controller 101. The parameter memory 103 may store various data that may be used by the printer 20, such as various parameters. The timing circuit 104 may output time information indicating the current time. The operation panel 105 allows the user to communicate with the printer 20.
The page buffer memory 106, which may function as a flame memory, may store image data to be printed, page by page. The printer 107 reads out the image data from the page buffer memory 6, and forms an image according to the image data on the recording sheet fed by the sheet feeder 108. The sheet feeder 108 may include a plurality of trays each storing a stack of recording sheets of specific type. The finisher 109 may include a rotator that changes the orientation of the recording sheet, a stapler that staples more than one recording sheet, and/or a punch that punches a recording sheet.
The host I/F 110, which may be implemented by a communication device such as a universal serial bus (USB), connects the printer 20 to the host apparatus such as the PC 10 to allow data transfer between the printer 20 and the host apparatus via the LAN.
The network I/F 111 connects the printer 20 to the network 40 and further to the external apparatus such as the PC 10 provided on the network 40. The network controller 112 may control data transfer between the printer 20 and the external apparatus, for example, by specifying a communication protocol.
The hardware structure of the printer 20 may be implemented in various ways other than the structure shown in
Referring now to
The communication controller 32 controls communication between the printer 20 and the external apparatus such as the PC 10 through the network 40. For example, the communication controller 32 may receive a registration start request, a sheet type name request, a printing job storage request, or a printing job request, from the PC 10 through the network I/F 27 (
The panel controller 33 controls operation of the operation panel 26 (
In this example, the communication controller 32 and the panel controller 33 may collectively referred to as a user interface (UI) controller.
The device information manager 34 manages various information to be used by the printer 20, including information regarding one or more sheet types available for use by the printer 20.
The job manager 35 manages a printing job, which may be requested by the PC 10 through a printing job request.
The printer controller 36 controls image forming operation, for example, through the printer engine 29 (
The PC 10 may be implemented by a general-purpose computer, which may include a processor such as a CPU, and a memory such as a ROM, RAM, and/or HDD, for example, as illustrated in
The CPU 121 controls operation of the PC 10. The ROM 122 may store various data including various programs to be executed by the CPU 121. The RAM 123 may function as a work area of the CPU 121.
The character generator 124 generates graphical data for display. The timing circuit 125 generates time information regarding the current time. The network I/F 126 connects the PC 10 with the network, such as the LAN. The network controller 127 controls data transfer between the PC 10 and the external apparatus such as the printer 20 via the network 40, for example, by specifying a communication protocol.
The memory 128, which may be implemented by a magnetic disk device, may store various data, including various application programs, work data, file data, image data, etc. The medium drive 129 may read or write data from or onto a recording medium 30, which is removable. Examples of the recording medium 30 may include any desired optical disc such as a DVD, CD-ROM, or CD-R. The output controller 132 controls data to be output, for example, data to be displayed on a display device 131.
The display device 131, which is connected to the PC 10, may be implemented by, for example, an LCD.
The input controller 135 may input various information provided by the user through a keyboard 33 or a pointing device 134. The keyboard 33, or the pointing device 134 such as a mouse, are each connected to the PC 10.
The hardware structure of the PC. 10 may be implemented in various ways other than the structure shown in
Referring now to
The communication controller 12 controls communication between the PC 10 and the external apparatus such as the printer 20. In one example, the communication controller 12 may send data, such as the printing job request or the sheet type name request, to the printer 20. In another example, the communication controller 12 may receive data, such as the print result in response to the printing job request, or the names of one or more sheet types available for use by the printer 20 in response to the sheet type name request.
The display controller 13 controls data to be displayed on the display device 131, for example, in the form of GUI. The data for display may be generated according to information received from the printer 20 through the communication controller 12. For example, the display controller 13 may display a list of the sheet type names received from the printer 20. Alternatively, the display controller 13 may send the sheet type name, which may be selected from the displayed list, to the image data generator 15 such that the image data generator 15 may include the sheet type name in a printing job request.
The operation controller 14 controls operation of the PC 10 according to an instruction input by the user through the keyboard 133 or the pointing device 134. For example, the operation controller 14 may cause the display controller 13 to change the appearance or contents of the GUI according to the instruction input by the user. In another example, the operation controller 14 may cause the image data generator 15 to generate a printing job request based on the instruction input by the user.
The image data generator 15 generates a printing job request or a printing job storage request according to an instruction input by the user, and sends the printing job request or the printing job storage request to the printer 20 through the communication controller 12. The printing job request or printing job storage request may include information regarding a printing job to be performed, such as information indicating the time when the job is requested, information regarding image data to be printed, a selected sheet type to be used for printing the image data, various other printing setting information used for printing the image data, etc.
As described above referring to
In this example, the printer 20 manages information regarding a plurality of sheet types in the form of table, which may be stored in any desired memory, such as the NVRAM 24 (
The default sheet type table of
The sheet type ID is an arbitrary number uniquely assigned to each default sheet type. Using the sheet type ID, the printer 20 manages information regarding the default sheet types stored in the default sheet type table. The sheet material may indicate whether the recoding sheet is normal paper, recycle paper, an OHP sheet, an index sheet, letterhead, etc. The sheet thickness may indicate the degree of thickness of the recording sheet. In this example, the degree of thickness is expressed in three levels including “THIN”, “NORMAL”, and “THICK”. Alternatively, the degree of thickness may be expressed in any desired number of levels. As shown in
The custom sheet type table of
The sheet type name may be input by the user at the time of registering the custom sheet type. As shown in
Further, as illustrated in
Referring now to
At S11, upon receiving a registration start request from the user I/F 37, the communication controller 32 or the panel controller 33, which may be referred to as the UI controller, requests the device information manager 34 for information regarding the custom sheet types stored in the custom sheet type table of
At S12, upon receiving the custom sheet type request, the device information manager 34 obtains the information regarding the custom sheet types from the custom sheet type table of
At S13, based on the obtained information, the U/I controller 32, 33 generates a registration screen to the user. Examples of the registration screen are illustrated in
At S14, the user I/F 37 inputs various information (“input information”) regarding a new custom sheet type to be registered, including a sheet type name assigned to the new custom sheet type, physical characteristics information to be set for the new custom sheet type, one or more functions to be used, information regarding one or more authorized users, etc.
At S15, the user I/F 37 sends the input information to the U/I controller 32, 33.
At S16, the U/I controller 32, 33 detects that inputting information regarding the new custom sheet type, i.e., the registration operation performed by the user, is completed. For example, the U/I controller 32, 33 detects that the registration operation is completed when an “OK” key 59 shown in
At S17, the U/I controller 32, 33 sends the input information to the device information manager 34.
At S18, the device information manager 34 updates the custom sheet type table shown in
At S19, the U/I controller 32, 33 instructs the user I/F 37 to switch from the registration screen to the previous screen, which is previously displayed before starting the registration operation, and the operation ends.
The registration screen 50 of
The sheet type ID section 51 displays the ID number of a custom sheet type to be registered or updated. In this example, the custom sheet type having the sheet type ID 1 is selected for display. When the “PREV.” key 56 is pressed, the sheet type ID section 51 displays a custom sheet type listed next in the custom sheet type table of
The sheet type name section 52 displays a sheet type name assigned to the selected custom sheet type. In this example, the “CUSTOM 1” is automatically assigned to the custom sheet type having the sheet type ID 1. In order to change the name, the “CHANGE NAME” key 53 may be pressed. When the “CHANGE NAME” key 53 is pressed, a keyboard may be displayed in addition or in alternative to the registration screen 50, which allows the user to input one or more alphabets, numerals, etc. In this example, the custom sheet type name may be input using any language, for example, the language previously set by the user.
Alternatively, the sheet type name section 52 may be left blank. In such case, the “CHANGE NAME” key 53 may be replaced by a “INPUT NAME” key, which allows the user to input the name through the keyboard. In order to prevent the user from not inputting any name, the printer 20 may be additionally provided with the function of displaying an error message to the user when the user completes the registration without inputting any name in the sheet type name section 52.
Using at least one of the sheet material keys 54 and the sheet thickness keys 55, the user may define the physical characteristics information of the new custom sheet type. In this example, the sheet material keys 54 each correspond to the sheet materials previously stored in the default sheet type table shown in
When the “CANCEL” key 58 is pressed, the registration operation is cancelled, and the registration screen 50 is switched to the previous screen. At this time, the custom sheet type table of
Referring to any one of
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The information regarding the custom sheet types stored in the custom sheet type table of
Referring now to
Upon receiving a request for displaying the printing setting screen 70 from the user, at S21, the communication controller 12 of the PC 10 sends a custom sheet type name request, which requests for custom sheet type names, to the communication controller 32 of the printer 20 via the network 40.
At S22, the communication controller 32 of the printer 20 sends the custom sheet type name request to the device information manager 34.
Upon receiving the custom sheet type name request, at S23, the device information manager 34 obtains the custom sheet type names respectively for the custom sheet types stored in the custom sheet type table of
At S24, the device information manager 34 sends the custom sheet type names to the communication controller 32. In this example, the custom sheet type names may be expressed in the form of text data.
At S25, the communication controller 25 sends the custom sheet type names to the communication controller 12 of the PC 10 via the network 40 in response to the custom sheet type name request received at S21.
Once the custom sheet type names are received, at S26, the communication controller 12 sends the custom sheet type names to the display controller 13. At this time, the PC 10 may store the custom sheet type names in any desired memory of the PC 10, such as the memory 128 or any rewritable memory.
At S27, the display controller 13 generates the printing setting screen 70 shown in
Referring to
In this example, any default sheet type name, which may be displayed on the sheet type section 76, may be previously stored in any desired memory of the PC 10, for example, as a part of the printer driver. Further, any custom sheet type name such as “Custom 1” or “Custom 2”, which may be displayed on the sheet type section 76, may be received from the printer 20 as described above. In this manner, the PC 10 can notify the user of custom sheet types available for use, without the need of managing the information regarding the custom sheet types by itself. Further, since the PC 10 may receive the custom sheet type names from the printer 20 every time when the printing setting screen 70 of
In addition to the custom sheet type names, the PC 10 may display custom sheet type information obtainable from the custom sheet type table of
Alternatively, the printer 20 may cause the PC 10 to send an error message, when the user selects a finishing function not applicable to a specific custom sheet type.
Alternatively, the printer 20 may cause the PC 10 to undisplay a specific custom sheet type in the sheet type section 76, when the user logging onto the system is determined to be an unauthorized user who is not authorized to use the specific custom sheet type. This may prevent the user from selecting the custom sheet type that the user is prohibited from using.
Alternatively, the printer 20 may cause the PC 10 to display an error message, when the user logging onto the system selects a custom sheet type that the user is prohibited from using from the sheet types displayed on the pull-down menu of the sheet type section 76.
Referring to
Upon receiving the request for displaying the printing waiting screen 90, at S31, the panel controller 33 requests for sheet type IDs respectively assigned to a plurality of trays of the printer 20, by sending the sheet type ID request to the device information manager 34.
Upon receiving the sheet type ID request, at S32, the device information manager 34 obtains information regarding a sheet type ID assigned to each tray from a tray table stored in any desired memory of the printer 20, such as a tray table shown in
Referring back to
At S36, the panel controller 33 extracts one or more sheet type IDs each corresponding to the custom sheet type, and sends the custom sheet type name request to the device information manager 34, which requests for the custom sheet type names that respectively correspond to the custom sheet type IDs.
Upon receiving the custom sheet type name request, at S37, the device information manager 34 obtains the custom sheet type names corresponding to the custom sheet type IDs from the custom sheet type table shown in
Using the default sheet type names received at S35 and the custom sheet type names received at S39, the operation panel 26 or 105 displays the sheet type names that respectively correspond to the trays of the printer 20 on the printing waiting screen 90 shown in
Referring to
Referring to
S101 requests the device information manager 34 to send the sheet type IDs of sheet types respectively assigned to the trays of the printer 20. S102 receives the sheet type IDs of the sheet types from the device information manager 34.
S103 selects one of the sheet type IDs received at S102. S104 searches through the conversion table T10 shown in
S106 obtains a default sheet type name that corresponds to the selected sheet type ID, using the conversion table T10 shown in
S107 sends the default sheet type name to the operation panel 26 or 105 for display.
S108 requests the device information manager 34 to send a custom sheet type name that corresponds to the selected sheet type ID. S109 obtains the custom sheet type name that corresponds to the selected sheet type ID from the custom sheet type table shown in
S111 determines whether there is another sheet type ID to be processed. If there is the sheet type ID to be processed (“YES” at S111), the operation proceeds to S112 to select a next sheet type ID for processing. If there is no sheet type ID to be processed (“NO” at S111), the operation ends.
The operation of
In addition to or in alternative to the example cases of displaying the custom sheet type name, the custom sheet type name may be used to generate a printing job request, which may be sent from the PC 10 to the printer 20, for example, as illustrated in any one of
Referring to
When the operation controller 14 of the PC 10 detects a user instruction for printing, the image data generator 15 of the PC 10 generates a printing job request, which requests the printer 20 to perform a printing job. The printing job request may include information regarding a printing job to be performed, such as information indicating the time when the job is requested, information regarding image data to be printed, information regarding the recording sheet type to be used for printing, etc. The printing job request is sent to the printer 20 by the communication controller 12 through the network 40. For example, the image data generator 15 may generate the printing job request based on printing setting information, which may be input by the user through the printing setting screen 70 of
Referring to
At S53, the job manager 35 analyzes the printing job request, and determines that the sheet type specified by the printing job request corresponds to the custom sheet type. In this example, the job manager 35 determines whether the sheet type specified by the printing job request corresponds to a default sheet type, using a conversion table T30 shown in
At S54, the job manager 35 requests the device information manager 34 for the custom sheet type ID, by sending the custom sheet type name extracted from the printing job request.
Upon receiving the custom sheet type ID request, at S55, the device information manager 34 obtains the custom sheet type ID that corresponds to the extracted custom sheet type name from the custom sheet type table shown in
When the job manager 35 determines that the printer 20 is ready for performing the printing job, at S57, the job manager 35 sends the printing job request to the printer controller 36. At this time, the custom sheet type specified by the printing job is expressed in the form of custom sheet type ID received from the device information manager 34.
At S58, the printer controller 36 requests the device information manager 34 for physical characteristics information regarding the custom sheet type specified by the printing job, such as the sheet material or the sheet thickness of the custom sheet type.
At S59, the device information manager 34 obtains the physical characteristics information, such as the sheet material or the sheet thickness, which corresponds to the custom sheet type ID from the custom sheet type table of
At S61, the printer controller 36 causes the engine 29 (
At S62, the printer controller 36 notifies the job manger 35 of completion of the printing job, and the operation ends.
The operation of
Referring to
When the operation controller 14 of the PC 10 detects a user instruction for printing, the communication controller 12 generates a printing job request in a substantially similar manner as described above referring to
Referring to
At S73, the job manager 35 analyzes the printing job request, and determines that the sheet type specified by the printing job request corresponds to the default sheet type. For example, the job manager 35 may extract identification information of the sheet type, such as a default sheet type code, from the printing job request, and search through the conversion table T30 shown in
At S74, the job manager 35 obtains a default sheet type ID that corresponds to the extracted default sheet type code from the conversion table T30 shown in
When the job manager 35 determines that the printer 20 is ready for performing the printing job, at S75, the job manager 35 sends the printing job request to the printer controller 36. At this time, the default sheet type specified by the printing job request is expressed in the form of default sheet type ID obtained at S74.
At S76, the printer controller 36 causes the engine 29 (
At S77, the printer controller 36 notifies the job manager 35 that the printing job is completed, and the operation ends.
The operation of
Referring to
S121 extracts identification information, such as a custom sheet type name or a default sheet type code, from the printing job request.
S122 searches through the conversion table T30 shown in
S123 determines whether the search result of S122 indicates that the extracted identification information is found in the conversion table T30 of
S124 obtains a default sheet type ID that corresponds to the extracted default sheet type code from conversion table T30 of
S125 requests the device information manager 34 for a custom sheet type ID that corresponds to the extracted custom sheet type name. Upon receiving the request, the device information manger 34 refers to the custom sheet type table shown in
S126 receives the custom sheet type ID that corresponds to the extracted custom sheet type name from the device information manager 34.
S127 sends a printing job request to the printer controller 36 at a predetermined timing, and the operation ends. The printing job request includes the sheet type ID, which may be obtained at S124 or S126.
The operation of
Referring to
S131 searches through the default sheet type table of
S132 determines whether the search result of S131 indicates that the sheet type ID is found in the default sheet type table of
S133 obtains the printing control parameters that correspond to the default sheet type ID from the default sheet type table of
S134 requests the device information manger 34 for physical characteristics information, such as the sheet material or the sheet thickness, corresponding to the custom sheet type ID. At this time, the device information manager 34 obtains the physical characteristics information of the custom sheet type ID from the custom sheet type table shown in
S135 receives the physical characteristics information that corresponds to the custom sheet type ID from the device information manager 34.
S136 obtains the printing control parameters that correspond to the physical characteristics information obtained at S135, from the default sheet type table of
S137 sets the printing control parameters, which may be obtained at S133 or S136, as printing control parameters to be used by printer engine 29 (
S138 determines whether the auto tray select function is turned on. When the auto tray select function is turned on (“YES” at S138), the operation proceeds to S139. When the auto select function is turned off (“NO” at S138), the operation proceeds to S140.
S139 selects a tray to be used from the trays available for use, according to the printing setting information including the sheet type ID specified by the printing job request, and the sheet size specified by the printing job request. The printer controller 36 performs the printing job according to the printing control parameters obtained at S133 or S136, using the tray selected at S139, and the operation ends. When the tray that can satisfy the printing setting is not found, the printer controller 36 may notify the job manager 35 that an error is generated.
S140 selects a tray specified by the printing job request or a tray previously set by the printer 20 as a default. The printer controller 36 performs the printing job according to the printing control parameters obtained at S133 or S136, using the tray selected at S140, and the operation ends.
The operation of
As described above, the printer 20 manages various information regarding a plurality of sheet types using the sheet type ID. The use of the sheet type ID may suppress the work load of the printer 20, increase the processing speed of the printer 20, reduce memory consumption of the printer 20, reduce the overall development cost of the printer 20, etc.
Further, since the printer 20 is provided with information indicating the correspondence between the sheet type name and the sheet type ID or information indicating the correspondence between the sheet type code and the sheet type ID, the printer 20 is capable of analyzing a printing job request even when the printing job request specifies a sheet type using the corresponding sheet type name or sheet type code. Thus, it is not necessary for the PC 10 to store information indicating the correspondence between the sheet type name and the sheet type ID or information indicating the correspondence between the sheet type code and the sheet type ID, as long as the sheet type name or the sheet type code is stored. In this example, the sheet type name or the sheet type code may be stored as text data, which may be used for display. This may suppress the work load of the PC 10, increase the processing speed of the PC 10, reduce memory consumption of the PC 10, reduce the overall development cost of the PC 10, etc.
Further, since information regarding a plurality of sheet types is centrally managed by the printer 20, the most updated information may be easily sent to any number of PC 10.
Referring back to
Alternatively, the PC 10 may additionally request the printer 20 for the names of one or more default sheet types available for use by the printer 20 such that the default sheet type names that are updated may be displayed to the user. For example, the PC 10 may send a default sheet type code request to the printer 20, which requests for the default sheet type codes of a plurality of default sheet types available for use by the printer 20, in addition to the custom sheet type name request. Upon receiving the default sheet type code request, the printer 20 obtains the default sheet type codes available to the printer 20 from the conversion table T30 of
Referring to
S142 searches through the conversion table T20 of
S143 determines whether the search result indicates that the selected sheet type name or code is found in the conversion table T20. When the search result indicates that the selected sheet type name or code is found (“YES” at S143), it is determined that the selected sheet type code corresponds to a default sheet type, and the operation proceeds to S144. When the search result indicates that the selected sheet type name or code is not found (“NO” at S143), it is determined that the selected sheet type name corresponds to a custom sheet type, and the operation proceeds to S147.
S144 obtains a default sheet type name that corresponds to the selected default sheet type code from the conversation table T20 of
S147 sets the selected custom sheet type name for display.
S148 stores information indicating that the custom sheet type name corresponds to the custom sheet type.
S149 determines whether there is another sheet type name or code to be processed. When the sheet type name or code to be processed exists (“YES” at S149), the operation proceeds to S150 to select a next sheet type name or code to be processed next. When the sheet type name or code to be processed does not exist (“NO” at S149), the operation ends.
Using the operation of
The operation of
The printer 20 of
Referring to
When the operation controller 14 of the PC 10 detects a user instruction for storing a printing job, the image data generator 15 of the PC 10 generates a printing job storage request including printing job information, such as information indicating the time when the storage job is requested, information regarding image data to be printed, information regarding the recording sheet type to be used for printing, etc., in a substantially similar manner as described above referring to
Referring to
At S203, the job manager 35 analyzes the printing job storage request, and determines that the sheet type specified by the printing job storage request corresponds to the custom sheet type, using a custom sheet type name extracted from the printing job storage request, in a substantially similar manner as described above referring to S53 of
At S204, the job manager 35 requests the device information manger 34 for the custom sheet type ID, by sending the custom sheet type name extracted from the printing job storage request.
Upon receiving the custom sheet type ID request, at S205, the device information manager 34 obtains the custom sheet type ID that corresponds to the extracted custom sheet type name from the custom sheet type table shown in
At S207, the job manager 35 replaces the custom sheet type name included in the printing job storage request with the custom sheet type ID.
At S208, the job manager 35 requests the device information manager 34 for a custom sheet type table.
At S209, the device information manager 34 sends the custom sheet type table to the job manager 35.
At S210, the job manager 35 sends the printing job storage request together with the custom sheet type table to the job storage 37. The printing job storage request includes the custom sheet type ID received from the device information manager 34.
At S211, the job storage 37 stores the printing job and the custom sheet type table in a desired memory, such as the HDD 201, and the operation ends.
The operation of
The operation of
Alternatively, when different sheet types are set respectively for a plurality of pages of image data to be printed, Steps S203 to S207 are repeated for all pages.
Referring now to
Once a printing job (“the selected printing job”) stored in the job storage 37 is selected by the user to be printed, a stored printing job request may be generated by the PC 10 or the printer 20, which requests printing of the selected printing job. Upon receiving the stored printing job request from the communication controller 32 of the PC 10 or the panel controller 33 of the printer 20 at S221, at S222, the job manager 35 requests for the job storage 37 for the selected printing job.
At S223, the job storage 37 obtains the selected printing job and a custom sheet type table, and sends them to the job manager 35. The custom sheet type table, which may be referred to as the stored custom sheet type table, is stored at the time in which the selected printing job is stored, in a corresponding manner with the selected printing job. For the descriptive purpose, in this example, the custom sheet type table T40 of
At S224, the job manager 35 generates a printing job request, which requests printing of the selected printing job.
At S225, the job manager 35 requests the device information manager 34 for a custom sheet type table having the updated information, which may be referred to as the current custom sheet type table. For the descriptive purpose, in this example, the custom sheet type table T50 of
At S228, the job manager 35 sends the stored custom sheet type table, for example, the custom sheet type table T40, to the device information manager 34, and requests the device information manager 34 to update setting of the custom sheet type table.
At S229, the device information manager 34 updates setting of the custom sheet type table such that the stored custom sheet type table is set for use. At S230, the device information manager 34 notifies the job manager 35 that setting is completed.
When the job manager 35 determines that the printer 20 is ready for performing the printing job, the job manager 35 performs S231 to S236 in a substantially similar manner as described above referring to S57 to S62 of
For example, referring to
For example, when the stored printing job includes a custom sheet type ID 2 to be used for printing, the printer controller 36 prints the image data according to the printing control parameters suitable for a custom sheet type having the custom sheet type ID 2, by referring to the current custom sheet table T50. However, since the custom sheet type with the sheet type ID 2 stored in the current sheet type table T50 differs from the custom sheet type with the sheet type ID 2 stored in the stored sheet type table T40, the printing control parameters may not be correctly set at the time of printing. Similarly, one or more functions to be performed for image forming may not be correctly set at the time of printing, when the functions for the custom sheet type with the sheet type ID 2 are changed after storing the printing job. Similarly, authorized user information may not be correctly set at the time of printing, when the authorized user information for the custom sheet type with the sheet type ID 2 is changed after storing the printing job.
In order to suppress an error caused by mismatching between the current custom sheet type table and the stored custom sheet type table, the current custom sheet type table may be replaced with the stored custom sheet type table at the time of performing the stored printing job.
Once the job manager 35 is notified of completion of the printing job at S236, at S237, the job manager 35 sends the current custom sheet type table, which is stored at S227, to the device information manager 34, and requests the device information manager 34 to update setting of the custom sheet type table.
The device information manager 34 updates setting of the custom sheet type table at S238, and notifies the job manager 35 that setting is completed at S239.
The operation of
Alternatively, when different sheet types are set respectively for a plurality of pages of image data to be printed, the selected steps of the operation shown in
In this example, the printer 20 determines whether to perform the operation of
S301 determines whether a requested printing job corresponds to the stored printing job, which is stored in the job storage 37. When the requested printing job is stored (“YES” at S301), the operation proceeds to S302. When the requested printing job is not stored, i.e., the requested printing job is the current job (“NO” at S301), the operation proceeds to S307.
S302 copies and stores the current custom sheet type table, which may be obtained from the device information manager 34.
S303 requests the device information manager 34 to replace the current custom sheet type table with the stored custom sheet type table.
S304 sends the printing job request including a custom sheet type ID to a printer controller 36 to cause the printer controller 36 to perform the printing job.
S305 determines whether the printing job is completed. When it is determined that the printing job is completed (“YES” at S305), the operation proceeds to S306. When it is determined that the printing job is not completed (“NO” at S305), the operation repeats S305.
S306 requests the device information manager 34 to replace the stored custom sheet table with the current custom sheet type table.
S307 sends the printing job request to the printer controller 36 to cause the printer controller 36 to perform the printing job. At this time, the current custom sheet type table is used.
S308 determines whether the printing job is completed. When it is determined that the printing job is completed (“YES” at S308), the operation ends. When it is determined that the printing job is not completed (“NO” at S308), the operation repeats S308.
The above-described operation of replacing the custom sheet type table for use may be performed in various other ways. For example, as illustrated in
Referring to
S311 determines whether the requested printing job corresponds to the stored printing job. When it is determined that the requested printing job corresponds to the stored printing job (“YES” at S311), the operation proceeds to S312. When it is determined that the requested printing job corresponds to the current job (“NO” at S311), the operation proceeds to S313.
S312 sets the value of flag information from 1 to 0 for the current custom sheet type table. In this example, the flag information “1” indicates that the corresponding custom sheet type table should be used. The flag information “0” indicates that the corresponding custom sheet type table should not be used.
S313 sends the printing job request including a custom sheet type ID to the printer controller 36.
S314 determines whether the printing job is completed. When the printing job is completed (“YES” at S314), the operation proceeds to S315. Otherwise (“NO” at S315), the operation repeats S314.
S315 sets the value of flag information from 0 to 1 for the current custom sheet type table, and the operation ends.
Referring to
When the search result of S131 indicates that the sheet type ID corresponds to the custom sheet type ID, the operation proceeds to S321 to determine whether the value of flag information set for the current custom sheet type table has the “1” value. When the value of flag information is set to 1 (“YES” at S321), it is determined that the current custom sheet type table can be used, and the operation proceeds to S134. When the value of flag information is set to 0 (“NO” at S321), it is determined that the current custom sheet type table cannot be used, and the operation proceeds to S322.
S322 requests the job manager 35 for physical characteristics information, such as the sheet material or the sheet thickness, corresponding to the custom sheet type ID. At this time, the job manager 35 obtains the physical characteristics information of the custom sheet type ID from the stored sheet type table.
S323 receives the physical characteristics information that corresponds to the custom sheet type ID from the job manager 35.
The operation of any one of
S401 compares between the current custom sheet type table and the stored custom sheet type table to generate a comparison result.
S402 determines whether the comparison result of S401 indicates that the current custom sheet type table is different from the stored custom sheet type table.
When the comparison result indicates that the custom sheet type tables are different (“YES” at S402), the operation proceeds to S302 to replace the current custom sheet type table with the stored custom sheet type table. Otherwise (“NO” at S402), the operation proceeds to S307.
In this example, S401 of comparing does not have to be performed for the entire contents of the custom sheet type table. The custom sheet type tables may be compared only for one or more custom sheet type IDs included in the printing job information of the printing job request. Information regarding one or more custom sheet type IDs included in one or more printing jobs may be previously prepared as a table, which stores a plurality of custom sheet type IDs and selection information indicating whether the corresponding custom sheet type ID is selected for one or more printing jobs. The selection information may be expressed by the value of flag information. When the value of flag information has the “1” value, the custom sheet type is selected for the corresponding printing job. When the value of flag information has the “0” value, the custom sheet type is not selected for the corresponding printing job.
Alternatively, when S402 determines that the comparison result indicates that the custom sheet type tables are different (“YES” at S402), the printer 20 may interrupt the printing operation, and send notification to the user. For example, the printer 20 may request the user to select one of the options, including the option of canceling the printing operation, the option of continue printing using the stored custom sheet type table, the option of continue printing using the current custom sheet type table, and/or the option of resetting a recording sheet type to be used for printing by referring to the current custom sheet type table. According to the option selected by the user, the printer 20 may update information stored in the printing job, if necessary.
In order to suppress an error caused by mismatching between the current custom sheet type table and the stored custom sheet type table, a selected portion of the current custom sheet type table may be prohibited from being updated. For example, information indicating one or more custom sheet types that are selected for one or more printing jobs may be stored in the form of table, such as a selected sheet type table shown in
For example, when updating of the custom sheet type table is requested by the user, the device information manager 34 refers to the selected sheet type table of
In addition to or in alternative to the above-described use of the information regarding the custom sheet types, the information regarding the custom sheet types, which is stored in the custom sheet type table, may be used to suppress a human-caused error, which may be generated at the time of inputting printing setting information.
For example, the user may input printing setting information, which is not available for use by the printer 20 or not adequate for the corresponding custom sheet type. For example, the user may accidentally select the duplex copying function using the printing setting screen 70 of
Alternatively, the information regarding the custom sheet types, which is stored in the custom sheet type table, may be used to improve the security.
For example, the user may prevent the other from using a specific custom sheet type. When the user restriction is selected, the job manager 35 may determine whether the user currently logged on is authorized to use the corresponding custom sheet type, by referring to the authorized user table of
Numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the disclosure of this patent specification may be practiced in ways other than those specifically described herein.
For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of this disclosure and appended claims.
In another example, in order to specify the default sheet type, for example, when generating a printing job request, the corresponding default sheet type ID may be used instead of using the default sheet type code.
Further, in this specification, the printer 20 of
Further, as described above, any one of the above-described and other methods of the present invention may be embodied in the sheet of a computer program stored in any kind of storage medium. Examples of storage mediums include, but are not limited to, flexible disk, hard disk, optical discs such as CD-ROM, magneto-optical discs, magnetic tapes, involatile memory such as SRAM, EEPROM, or involatile memory cards, ROM (read-only-memory), etc.
Alternatively, any one of the above-described and other methods of the present invention may be implemented by ASIC, prepared by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component circuits or by a combination thereof with one or more conventional general purpose microprocessors and/or signal processors programmed accordingly.
This patent application is based on and claims priority to Japanese patent application Nos. 2006-134103 filed on May 12, 2006, 2006-166927 filed on Jun. 16, 2006, and 2007-048348 filed on Feb. 28, 2007 in the Japanese Patent Office, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
JPA2P006-134103 | May 2006 | JP | national |
JPAP2006-166927 | Jun 2006 | JP | national |
JPAP2007-048348 | Feb 2007 | JP | national |