Image forming apparatus

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: a control device; and a relay device configured to relay communication between the control device and an external device. The relay device includes: a receiving unit configured to receive from the external device a request to confirm the status of the control device; a confirmation unit configured to confirm the status of the control device; and a holding unit configured to hold the status of the control device directly confirmed by the confirmation unit. The confirmation unit is configured to: directly confirm the status of the control device at a timing based on the status of the relay device and the timing based on the receipt of the request by the receiving unit; and confirm the status of the control device at a timing based on the status of the relay device and the timing based on the receipt of the request by the receiving unit, referring to the status of the control device held by the holding unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Conventional image forming apparatuses control scanning control devices for reading operations and drawing control devices for printing operations via dedicated interfaces (I / F).

[0003] The image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes: an acquisition unit that intermittently acquires the state of an external module; and a supplementation unit that, based on the state before change acquired by the acquisition unit, the state after change acquired from the state before change, and a state transition diagram of the external module, supplements lost states where the state of the external module changed during a query period when the acquisition unit did not acquire a state. The image forming apparatus is able to accurately grasp the state transitions of the external module.

[0004] List of cited references

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] [Patent Document 1]

[0007] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-155898 Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] However, in existing image forming apparatuses, communication with external devices cannot be expected during scan control, drawing control, and other operations via dedicated I / F. Therefore, the processing load for acquiring the status of the scan control device, drawing control device, etc., increases when a status acquisition request is received from an external device or when the request is sent internally within the image forming apparatus.

[0010] Solution to the problem

[0011] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, an image forming apparatus includes: a control device; and a relay device configured to relay communication between the control device and an external device. The relay device includes: a receiving unit configured to receive from the external device a request to confirm the state of the control device; a confirmation unit configured to confirm the state of the control device; and a holding unit configured to hold the state of the control device directly confirmed by the confirmation unit. The confirmation unit is configured to: directly confirm the state of the control device at a timing based on the state of the relay device and the timing of the request received by the receiving unit; and confirm the state of the control device at a timing based on the state of the relay device and the timing of the request received by the receiving unit, referring to the state of the control device held by the holding unit.

[0012] Effects of the present invention

[0013] According to this disclosure, the processing load of the state acquisition object can be reduced when requesting state from the state acquisition object. Attached Figure Description

[0014] A more complete understanding of the embodiments of this disclosure and its many accompanying advantages and features can be readily obtained and understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] [ Figure 1 ]

[0016] Figure 1 It is a timing diagram showing the flow of actions when both the external device and the relay device make a status confirmation request in a conventional image forming apparatus.

[0017] [ Figure 2 ]

[0018] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall arrangement of the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0019] [ Figure 3 ]

[0020] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware structure of an image forming apparatus.

[0021] [ Figure 4 ]

[0022] Figure 4 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the action flow when a status confirmation request is received from an external device in an image forming apparatus.

[0023] [ Figure 5 ]

[0024] Figure 5 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the action flow when a relay device in an image forming apparatus makes a status confirmation request.

[0025] [ Figure 6 ]

[0026] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of functional blocks in an image forming apparatus.

[0027] [ Figure 7 ]

[0028] Figure 7 This is an example of a state setting screen for an image forming apparatus.

[0029] [ Figure 8 ]

[0030] Figure 8 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the operation flow when a relay device makes a status confirmation request and maintains the status of the image forming apparatus.

[0031] [ Figure 9 ]

[0032] Figure 9 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the action flow when an external device makes a status confirmation request and maintains the status in the image forming apparatus.

[0033] The accompanying drawings are intended to illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and should not be construed as limiting its scope. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the drawings should not be considered to be drawn to scale. Furthermore, throughout several views, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar parts. Detailed Implementation

[0034] In describing the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, specific terminology has been used for clarity. However, the disclosure of this specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology chosen, and it should be understood that each particular component includes all technical equivalents that have similar functionality, operate in a similar manner, and achieve similar results.

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0036] (The operation flow when both the external device and the relay device make status confirmation requests in the image forming apparatus of the related technology)

[0037] Figure 1 This is a timing diagram illustrating the flow of actions performed when both the external device and the relay device request a status confirmation in a conventional image forming apparatus. (Refer to...) Figure 1 This document describes the operational flow when both the external device 2000 and the relay device 1630 request a status confirmation in the image forming apparatus 1000 of the related art. The conventional image forming apparatus 1000 communicates with the external device 2000 via a network and includes a relay device 1630, a drawing control device 1631, and a scanning control device 1632.

[0038] In step S101, the external device 2000 sends a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1000 to confirm the status of the scanning control device 1632. The relay device 1630 of the image forming apparatus 1000 receives the status confirmation request via network I / F.

[0039] In step S102, when a status confirmation request is received from the external device 2000, the relay device 1630 sends the status confirmation request to the scan control device 1632 by querying the scan control device 1632. The scan control device 1632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F.

[0040] In step S103, when a status confirmation request is received from the relay device 1630, the scan control device 1632 confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button on the operation display of the image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button has not been pressed to the relay device 1630 via a dedicated I / F. The relay device 1630 receives the response.

[0041] In step S104, when a response indicating that the start button has not been pressed is received from the scan control device 1632, the relay device 1630 sends the response to the external device 2000 via the network I / F. Thus, the external device 2000 detects that the start button on the operation display unit has not been pressed in the scan control device 1632 of the image forming apparatus 1000.

[0042] In step S105, the relay device 1630 sends a status confirmation request to the scan control device 1632 to confirm the status of the scan control device 1632 by querying the scan control device 1632. The scan control device 1632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F.

[0043] In step S106, when a status confirmation request is received from the relay device 1630, the scan control device 1632 confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button on the operation display of the image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button has not been pressed to the relay device 1630 via a dedicated I / F. The relay device 1630 receives the response.

[0044] Unless the start button on the operation display is pressed, steps S101 to S106 above will be repeated at any predetermined time. Although Figure 1 The method of alternately sending status confirmation requests from external device 2000 (steps S101 to S104) and sending status confirmation requests from relay device 1630 itself (steps S105 and S106) is used for simplification. However, this does not imply any limitation, and the sending of status confirmation requests from external device 2000 and from relay device 1630 itself can be performed at any time.

[0045] Suppose that in step S107, the user pressed the start button on the operation display unit of the image forming apparatus 1000.

[0046] After the user presses the start button on the operation display, in step S108, the external device 2000 sends a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1000 to confirm the status of the scan control device 1632. The relay device 1630 of the image forming apparatus 1000 receives the status confirmation request via network I / F.

[0047] In step S109, when a status confirmation request is received from the external device 2000, the relay device 1630 sends the status confirmation request to the scan control device 1632 by querying the scan control device 1632. The scan control device 1632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F.

[0048] In step S110, when a status confirmation request is received from the relay device 1630, the scan control device 1632 confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button on the operation display of the image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button has been pressed to the relay device 1630 via a dedicated I / F. The relay device 1630 receives the response.

[0049] In step S111, when a response indicating that the start button has been pressed is received from the scan control device 1632, the relay device 1630 sends the response to the external device 2000 via the network I / F. Thus, the external device 2000 detects that the start button of the operation display unit of the image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed in the scan control device 1632 of the image forming apparatus 1000.

[0050] After the user presses the start button on the operation display, in step S112, the relay device 1630 sends a status confirmation request to the scan control device 1632 to confirm the status of the scan control device 1632 by querying the scan control device 1632. The scan control device 1632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F.

[0051] When a status confirmation request is received from the relay device 1630, in step S113, the scan control device 1632 confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button on the operation display of the image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button has been pressed to the relay device 1630 via a dedicated I / F. Thus, the relay device 1630 detects that the start button on the operation display of the image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed in the scan control device 1632 of the image forming apparatus 1000.

[0052] As described above, in the prior art image forming apparatus 1000, the relay device 1630 queries and requests the scan control device 1632 to obtain the status by using a status confirmation request from the external device 2000 as a trigger and a status confirmation request from the relay device 1630 itself as a trigger. Therefore, the scan control device 1632 must process two status confirmation requests, thus increasing the processing load.

[0053] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus can reduce the processing load of the state acquisition object when requesting state acquisition from the state acquisition object.

[0054] (Overall arrangement of the image forming apparatus)

[0055] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall arrangement of an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 2 The overall arrangement of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0056] Figure 2 The image forming apparatus 1 shown is an image forming apparatus (printer) such as an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) that has scanning and drawing functions. Figure 2 As shown, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a drawing control device 631, a scanning control device 632, a relay device 630, an operation display 610, and a network I / F 604b.

[0057] The drawing control device 631 is a system that performs printing actions based on read data, etc., read by the scanning control device 632. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the drawing control device 631 has a dedicated interface, namely a dedicated I / F 631a, for data communication with the relay device 630. The drawing control device 631 includes an application programming interface (API) for receiving print requests and obtaining the status of the drawing control device 631.

[0058] The scanning control device 632 is a system for performing a reading operation on an original document placed on a stage such as a pressure plate. Figure 2 As shown, the scan control device 632 has a dedicated interface, namely a dedicated I / F 632a, for data communication with the relay device 630. The scan control device 632 includes an API for receiving scan requests and obtaining the status of the scan control device 632.

[0059] The status of the drawing control device 631 and the scanning control device 632 includes, for example, the operating status of the devices that function as the system, the presence or absence of abnormalities, and the operation content displayed on the operation display 610.

[0060] The relay device 630 is a system that controls the drawing control device 631 and the scanning control device 632, relaying requests from the external device 2. The relay device 630 communicates with the drawing control device 631 and the scanning control device 632 respectively by querying.

[0061] The operation display 610, such as a touch panel, is a device that receives input from the image forming apparatus 1 (input function) and displays the status of the image forming apparatus 1 (display function). In this embodiment, the operation display 610 is connected to the scan control device 632 and is controlled by the scan control device 632. However, the operation display 610 is not limited to this.

[0062] Network I / F 604b is an interface for communicating with external device 2 via network N. Network I / F 604b is, for example, a Network Interface Card (NIC) that corresponds to Ethernet (registered trademark) and performs wired or wireless communication according to TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) / IP (Internet Protocol). Network I / F 604b may be included, for example, in a relay device 630.

[0063] The drawing control device 631 and the scanning control device 632 have been described as control devices included in the image forming apparatus 1, but the apparatus is not limited to these. Either the drawing control device 631 or the scanning control device 632 may be included, or other control devices may be included. A control device is a system used for controlling object processing, and is sometimes also called a control system. Similarly, a relay device may be called a relay system.

[0064] (Hardware structure of an image forming apparatus)

[0065] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware structure of the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 3The hardware structure of the image forming apparatus 1 involved in this embodiment will be described.

[0066] like Figure 3 As shown, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a controller 600, an operation display 610, an FCU (fax control unit) 620, a drawing control device 631, and a scanning control device 632. The controller 600, operation display 610, FCU 620, drawing control device 631, and scanning control device 632 are interconnected via a PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) bus. The operation display 610, drawing control device 631, and scanning control device 632 are as described in reference... Figure 2 As explained.

[0067] The controller 600 is a device for the overall control of the image forming apparatus 1. This device also controls the drawing and communication of the image forming apparatus 1, as well as inputs from the operation display 610. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the controller 600 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 601, system memory (MEM-P) 602, northbridge (NB) 603, southbridge (SB) 604a, network I / F 604b, universal serial bus (USB) I / F 604c, centronics I / F 604d, sensor I / F 604e, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 606, local memory (MEM-C) 607, and auxiliary storage device 608. Network I / F 604b is as described above. Figure 2 As stated above. Figure 2 The relay device 630 shown corresponds, for example, to the controller 600.

[0068] CPU 601 is a computing device used for overall control of image forming apparatus 1. CPU 601 is connected to a chipset including system memory 602, northbridge 603 and southbridge 604a, and is connected to other devices via the chipset.

[0069] System memory 602 serves, for example, as memory for storing programs and data, memory for loading programs and data, and memory for storing printing data. System memory 602 includes ROM and RAM. ROM is read-only memory for storing programs and data. RAM is random access memory, or in other words, writable and readable memory used as memory for loading programs and data and for storing printing data.

[0070] The Northbridge 603 is a bridge used to connect the CPU 601 to the system memory 602, the Southbridge 604a, and the Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) bus 605. The Northbridge 603 includes a memory controller that controls the reading of data from the system memory 602 and the writing of data to the system memory 104. The Northbridge 603 also includes a PCI host controller and an AGP object.

[0071] The Southbridge 604a is a bridge used to connect the Northbridge 603 to PCI devices and peripheral devices. The Southbridge 604a is connected to the Northbridge 603 via a PCI bus, which is connected to devices such as the Network I / F 604b, USB I / F 604c, Centronics I / F 604d, and Sensor I / F 604e.

[0072] The AGP bus 605 is a bus interface for graphics accelerator cards to accelerate graphics processing. The AGP bus 605 can accelerate graphics accelerator cards by directly accessing system memory 602 at high throughput.

[0073] ASIC 606 is an integrated circuit (IC) for image processing, comprising hardware components for image processing. ASIC 606 acts as a bridge connecting AGP bus 605, PCI bus, secondary storage device 608, and local memory 607. ASIC 606 includes a PCI object, an AGP host, an arbiter (ARB) acting as the core of ASIC 606, a memory controller, multiple direct memory access controllers (DMACs), and PCI units. The memory controller controls local memory 607. The DMACs are configured to, for example, rotate image data using hardware logic. The PCI units transmit data to rendering control device 631 and scanning control device 632 via the PCI bus. ASIC 606 is connected via the PCI bus to, for example, FCU 620, rendering control device 631, and scanning control device 632.

[0074] Local memory 607 is used as a copy image buffer and code buffer.

[0075] Auxiliary storage device 608 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), secure digital card (SD card), or flash memory. Auxiliary storage device 608 stores image data, programs, font data, and formatted data.

[0076] The FCU 620 is a device that implements fax functionality and is connected to the ASIC 606 via, for example, a PCI bus.

[0077] Figure 3The hardware structure of the image forming apparatus 1 shown is one example. Furthermore, not all of the aforementioned components may be included in the image forming apparatus 1; other components may also be included.

[0078] (Action flow when a status confirmation request is received from an external device of the image forming apparatus)

[0079] Figure 4 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the operation flow when a status confirmation request is received from an external device in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 4 The operation flow when the image forming apparatus 1 in this embodiment receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2 will be described. Figure 4 In order to illustrate the basic movements, the following will be explained. Figure 7 The operation of the relay device 630 when it receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2 is explained in the status setting screen 3000, where the status of the drawing control device 631 and the scanning control device 632 is not maintained. Figure 4 In this description, the state of whether the start button has been pressed on the operation display 610 in the scan control device 632 will be used as the object of acquisition. It is assumed that an application operating on the external device 2 detects that the start button on the image forming apparatus 1 (operation display 610) has been pressed and starts an action such as scan start.

[0080] In step S11, the external device 2 sends a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanning control device 632. The relay device 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via network I / F 604b.

[0081] In step S12, when the relay device 630 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, it queries the scan control device 632 and sends the status confirmation request to the scan control device 632. The scan control device 632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F 632a.

[0082] In step S13, when the scan control device 632 receives a status confirmation request from the relay device 630, it confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button of the operation display 610 is pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button is not pressed to the relay device 630 via a dedicated I / F 632a. The relay device 630 receives the response.

[0083] In step S14, upon receiving a response from the scan control device 632 indicating that the start button is not pressed, the relay device 630 sends the response to the external device 2 via the network I / F 604b. Thus, the external device 2 detects that the start button of the operation display 610 is not pressed in the scan control device 632 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0084] Unless the start button on the operation display 610 is pressed, the above steps S11 to S14 are repeated at any predetermined time on the external device 2.

[0085] Assume that the user has pressed the start button on the operation display 610 in step S15.

[0086] After the user presses the start button on the operation display 610, in step S16, the external device 2 sends a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scan control device 632. The relay device 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via network I / F 604b.

[0087] In step S17, when the relay device 630 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, it queries the scan control device 632 and sends the status confirmation request to the scan control device 632. The scan control device 632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F 632a.

[0088] In step S18, when the scan control device 632 receives a status confirmation request from the relay device 630, it confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button of the operation display 610 is pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button is pressed to the relay device 630 via a dedicated I / F 632a. The relay device 630 receives the response.

[0089] In step S19, upon receiving a response from the scan control device 632 indicating that the start button is pressed, the relay device 630 sends the response to the external device 2 via the network I / F 604b. Thus, the external device 2 detects that the start button on the display 610 in the scan control device 632 of the image forming apparatus 1 is pressed. Based on the press of the start button, the external device 2 begins the application processing.

[0090] (The operation flow when the relay device of the image forming apparatus makes a status confirmation request)

[0091] Figure 5 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the operation flow when a relay device in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment makes a status confirmation request. (Refer to...) Figure 5This embodiment describes the operation flow of the relay device 630 in the image forming apparatus 1 when it makes a status confirmation request. For reference... Figure 5 The basic movements will be explained later. Figure 7 The operation of the relay device 630 itself sending a status confirmation request to the scanning control device 632 when the status setting screen 3000 is set not to maintain the status of the drawing control device 631 and the scanning control device 632 is explained. Figure 5 In this description, the state of whether the start button has been pressed on the operation display 610 in the scanning control device 632 will be used as the object of acquisition. Assuming that no processing is required in the external device 2, the pressing of the start button on the image forming apparatus 1 (operation display 610) is detected, and actions such as scanning start are started.

[0092] In step S21, the relay device 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 queries the scan control device 632, thereby sending a status confirmation request to the scan control device 632 to confirm the status of the scan control device 632 at an arbitrary time. The scan control device 632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F 632a.

[0093] In step S22, when the scan control device 632 receives a status confirmation request from the relay device 630, it confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button of the operation display 610 is pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button is not pressed to the relay device 630 via a dedicated I / F 632a. The relay device 630 receives the response.

[0094] Unless the start button on the operation display 610 is pressed, the above steps S21 and S22 are repeated in the relay device 630 at any predetermined time.

[0095] Assume that the user has pressed the start button on the operation display 610 in step S23.

[0096] After the user presses the start button on the operation display 610, in step S24, the relay device 630 queries the scan control device 632, thereby sending a status confirmation request to the scan control device 632 to confirm the status of the scan control device 632. The scan control device 632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F 632a.

[0097] In step S25, when the scan control device 632 receives a status confirmation request from the relay device 630, it confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button of the operation display 610 is pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button is pressed to the relay device 630 via a dedicated I / F 632a. Thus, the relay device 630 detects that the start button of the operation display 610 in the scan control device 632 of the image forming apparatus 1 is pressed. Based on the pressing of the start button, the relay device 630 begins processing of the application program in the image forming apparatus 1.

[0098] The following describes the structure and operation of the image forming apparatus 1 involved in this embodiment, which can reduce the processing load of the state acquisition objects (drawing control device 631, scanning control device 632, etc.).

[0099] (Configuration and operation of functional blocks of the image forming apparatus)

[0100] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the functional blocks of the image forming apparatus in this embodiment. Figure 7 This is an example of a state setting screen for the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 6 and Figure 7 The structure and operation of each functional block of the image forming apparatus 1 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0101] like Figure 6 As shown, the relay device 630 includes a receiving unit 101, a status confirmation unit 102 (confirmation unit), a status management unit 103 (holding unit), a notification unit 104, a setting unit 105, an operation unit 106, a display control unit 107, and a storage unit 108.

[0102] The receiving unit 101 is a functional unit that receives, via network I / F 604b, a status confirmation request sent from external device 2 at a certain time to confirm the status of a specified object (e.g., drawing control device 631 or scanning control device 632).

[0103] The status confirmation unit 102 is a functional unit that confirms the status of the drawing control device 631 or the scanning control device 632. Specifically, the status confirmation unit 102 directly confirms the status by sending a status confirmation request to the drawing control device 631 or the scanning control device 632 to confirm the status. When the setting unit 105 (described later) has been set to maintain the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102, the status confirmation unit 102 performs the following actions.

[0104] When the setting unit 105 sets the status confirmation request from the relay device 630 as an internal trigger to maintain the confirmation state, the status confirmation unit 102 sends a status confirmation request to the drawing control device 631 or the scanning control device 632 at a certain time to directly confirm the status. When the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 confirms the status by referring to the status of the object (drawing control device 631 or scanning control device 632) of the status confirmation request stored in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103. On the other hand, when the setting unit 105 sets the status confirmation request from the external device 2 as an external trigger to maintain the confirmation state, the status confirmation unit 102 sends the status confirmation request to the drawing control device 631 or the scanning control device 632 to directly confirm the status when the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2. When the status confirmation unit 102 is in the state of a certain timed confirmation object (drawing control device 631 or scanning control device 632), the status confirmation unit 102 confirms the status by referring to the status of the object held in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103.

[0105] The status management unit 103 is a functional unit that stores and manages the status of the drawing control device 631 or the scanning control device 632, as confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102, in the storage unit 108. Specifically, when the setting unit 105 (described later) has been set to maintain the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102, the status management unit 103 stores and manages that status in the storage unit 108. In this case, when the setting unit 105 has been set to maintain the confirmed status using an internal trigger (in other words, a status confirmation request from the relay device 630), the status management unit 103 stores the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 in response to the status confirmation request at any specific time in the storage unit 108. On the other hand, when the setting unit 105 has been set to maintain the confirmed status using an external trigger (in other words, a status confirmation request from the external device 2), the status management unit 103 stores the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 in response to the status confirmation request from the external device 2 in the storage unit 108.

[0106] The notification unit 104 is a functional unit of the external device 2 that notifies the status of the object of the status confirmation request (drawing control device 631 or scanning control device 632) confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 via the network I / F 604b when the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2.

[0107] The setting unit 105 is a functional unit for performing various settings. For example, in Figure 7On the status setting screen 3000 displayed on the operation display 610, the setting unit 105 sets whether to maintain the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102. When maintaining the status, it sets which of the status confirmation requests from the external device 2 and the relay device 630 will be used as the trigger to maintain the acquired status. The setting unit 105 stores the setting content in the storage unit 108.

[0108] will describe Figure 7 The status setting screen shown is 3000. (As shown) Figure 7 As shown, the status setting screen 3000 includes a status hold setting radio button 3001, a status hold trigger setting radio button 3002, a save button 3011, and a cancel button 3012.

[0109] The status hold setting radio button 3001 is used to set whether to hold the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102. When the status hold setting radio button 3001 is set to not hold, when the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, or when the status of a certain timed confirmation object is being checked, the status confirmation unit 102 sends a status confirmation request to the status confirmation object (drawing control device 631 or scanning control device 632) to confirm the status of the object.

[0110] The status hold trigger setting radio button 3002 is used to set which of the status confirmation requests from the external device 2 and the relay device 630 will be used as the trigger to hold the acquired status when the status hold setting radio button 3001 is set to hold state.

[0111] The save button 3011 is used to store the settings made by the status hold setting radio button 3001 and the status hold trigger setting radio button 3002 in the storage unit 108.

[0112] When the save button 3011 is pressed, the setting unit 105 causes the storage unit 108 to store the contents set by the status hold setting radio button 3001 and the status hold trigger setting radio button 3002.

[0113] Cancel button 3012 is used to cancel the settings made by state hold setting radio button 3001 and state hold trigger setting radio button 3002 without storing the settings.

[0114] The operation unit 106 is a functional unit that accepts user operation input. The operation unit 106... Figure 3 The input function of the operation display 610 shown is implemented.

[0115] The display control unit 107 is a functional unit that controls the display operation of the operation display 610. The display control unit 107, based on operation input to the operation unit 106, for example, causes... Figure 7 The status setting screen 3000 shown is displayed on the operation display 610.

[0116] The storage unit 108 is a functional unit that stores settings set by the setting unit 105, the status of the drawing control device 631 or the scanning control device 632 confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102, and other information. Figure 3 The auxiliary storage device 608 shown is implemented.

[0117] Although the setting unit 105 can be configured, as described above, to maintain the state confirmed by the state confirmation unit 102, this does not imply any limitation; it can also maintain the state in a fixed manner. The setting unit 105 can configure which of the state confirmation requests from the external device 2 and the relay device 630 should be used as the trigger to maintain the acquired state, but is not limited thereto. The state management unit 103 can use the state confirmation request from the external device 2 as the trigger to fixate the state confirmed by the state confirmation unit 102 in the storage unit 108, or it can use the state confirmation request from the relay device 630 as the trigger to fixate the state confirmed by the state confirmation unit 102 in the storage unit 108.

[0118] Alternatively, if the relay device 630 detects that it cannot communicate with the external device 2, and the status confirmation unit 102 confirms the status on its own timer, the status confirmation unit 102 may switch to directly confirming the status with the drawing control device 631 or the scanning control device 632.

[0119] The aforementioned receiving unit 101, status confirmation unit 102, status management unit 103, notification unit 104, and setting unit 105, for example, through... Figure 3 The CPU 601 shown executes the program implementation. At least one of the receiving unit 101, status confirmation unit 102, status management unit 103, notification unit 104, and setting unit 105 can be implemented by hardware circuitry such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0120] Figure 6 The functional units of the relay device 630 shown are conceptual representations of their functions and are not limited to such a structure. For example, in Figure 6 In the relay device 630 shown, multiple functional units, which are represented as independent functional units, can also be configured as a single functional unit.

[0121] Figure 6The function of one functional unit in the relay device 630 shown can be divided into multiple functions and configured as multiple functional units. Each functional unit of the relay device 630 does not necessarily need to be configured as... Figure 6 The software modules shown are clearly defined as blocks, and the functions of each functional unit are implemented as a whole by the CPU 601 executing the program.

[0122] (The operation flow when the relay device of the image forming apparatus makes a status confirmation request and maintains the status)

[0123] Figure 8 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the operation flow of a relay device in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment when it makes a status confirmation request and maintains its status. (Refer to...) Figure 8 This document describes the actions of the relay device 630 in the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment when it requests a status confirmation from the scanning control device 632 and maintains the status.

[0124] In other words, assume that the setting unit 105 has been set to hold state and uses the state confirmation request from the relay device 630 as the trigger to hold confirmation state.

[0125] In step S31, the status confirmation unit 102 of the relay device 630 queries the scan control device 632, thereby sending a status confirmation request to the scan control device 632 to confirm the status of the scan control device 632 at a certain time interval. The scan control device 632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F 632a.

[0126] In step S32, when the scan control device 632 receives a status confirmation request from the relay device 630, it confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button of the operation display 610 is pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button is not pressed to the relay device 630 via a dedicated I / F 632a. When the response is received, the status confirmation unit 102 directly confirms that the start button is not pressed.

[0127] In step S33, the status management unit 103 of the relay device 630 stores the status of the scan control device 632 (the state where the start button is not pressed) confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 in the storage unit 108. When the status of the scan control device 632 has been stored in the storage unit 108, the status management unit 103 updates the status with the new status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102.

[0128] In step S34, the external device 2 sends a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanning control device 632. The receiving unit 101 of the relay device 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via network I / F 604b.

[0129] In step S35, when the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 of the relay device 630 confirms the status (start button not pressed) by referring to the status of the scan control device 632 held in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103. In other words, in this case, the status confirmation request is not sent to the scan control device 632, and the status of the scan control device 632 is confirmed by referring to the status of the scan control device 632 held in the storage unit 108. Therefore, the processing load is not applied to the scan control device 632.

[0130] In step S36, the notification unit 104 of the relay device 630 notifies the external device 2 via the network I / F 604b of the status confirmation unit 102's confirmed status of the scan control device 632 (the state where the start button is not pressed), as a response to the status confirmation request in step S34. Thus, the external device 2 detects that the start button of the operation display 610 is not pressed in the scan control device 632 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0131] Unless the start button on the operation display 610 is pressed, steps S31 to S36 described above will be repeated at any specific time interval. Furthermore, in Figure 8 For the sake of simplicity, the text shows the alternating execution of sending status confirmation requests from the relay device 630 itself (steps S31 to S33) and sending status confirmation requests from the external device 2 (steps S34 to S36). However, it is not limited to this and the sending of status confirmation requests from the relay device 630 itself and the sending of status confirmation requests from the external device 2 can be performed at any time.

[0132] In step S37, it is assumed that the user pressed the start button on the operation display 610 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0133] In step S38, the external device 2 sends a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanning control device 632. The receiving unit 101 of the relay device 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via network I / F 604b.

[0134] In step S39, when the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 confirms the status by referring to the status of the scan control device 632 held in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103. At this time, the pressing of the start button on the operation display 610 in step S37 is not reflected in the status of the scan control device 632 held in the storage unit 108. Therefore, the status of the scan control device 632 confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 is the state where the start button has not been pressed.

[0135] In step S40, the notification unit 104 notifies the external device 2 via network I / F 604b of the status confirmation unit 102 of the status of the scan control device 632 (the state where the start button is not pressed) as a response to the status confirmation request in step S38. Thus, the external device 2 detects that the start button of the operation display 610 in the scan control device 632 of the image forming apparatus 1 has not been pressed.

[0136] In step S41, the status confirmation unit 102 queries the scan control device 632, thereby sending a status confirmation request to the scan control device 632 at a certain time interval. The scan control device 632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F 632a.

[0137] In step S42, when the scan control device 632 receives a status confirmation request from the relay device 630, it confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button of the operation display 610 is pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button is pressed to the relay device 630 via a dedicated I / F 632a. When the response is received, the status confirmation unit 102 directly confirms that the start button has been pressed.

[0138] In step S43, the status management unit 103 stores the status of the scan control device 632 (the state of pressing the start button) confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 in the storage unit 108. When the status of the scan control device 632 has been stored in the storage unit 108, the status management unit 103 updates the status using the new status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102.

[0139] In step S44, the external device 2 sends a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanning control device 632. The receiving unit 101 of the relay device 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via network I / F 604b.

[0140] In step S45, when the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 confirms the status (the status of the start button being pressed) by referring to the status of the scan control device 632 held in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103.

[0141] In other words, in this case, the status confirmation request is not sent to the scan control device 632, and the status of the scan control device 632 is confirmed by referring to the status of the scan control device 632 held in the storage unit 108. Therefore, no processing load is applied to the scan control device 632.

[0142] In step S46, the notification unit 104 notifies the external device 2 via network I / F 604b of the status confirmation unit 102 of the status of the scan control device 632 (the state of the start button being pressed) as a response to the status confirmation request in step S44. Thus, the external device 2 detects that the start button of the display 610 is pressed in the scan control device 632 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0143] (The operation flow when an external device makes a status confirmation request and maintains the status in the image forming apparatus)

[0144] Figure 9 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the operation flow when an external device in the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment makes a status confirmation request and maintains the status. (Refer to...) Figure 9 This embodiment describes the action of the external device 2 sending a status confirmation request to the scanning control device 632 and maintaining the status in the image forming apparatus 1. In other words, it is assumed that the setting unit 105 has been set to the holding state, and the status confirmation request from the external device 2 is used as a trigger to maintain the confirmation state.

[0145] In step S51, the external device 2 sends a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanning control device 632. The receiving unit 101 of the relay device 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via network I / F 604b.

[0146] In step S52, when the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 of the relay device 630 queries the scan control device 632, thereby sending the status confirmation request to the scan control device 632. The scan control device 632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F 632a.

[0147] When the scanning control device 632 receives a status confirmation request from the relay device 630, in step S53, it confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button of the operation display 610 is pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button is not pressed to the relay device 630 via a dedicated I / F 632a. When the response is received, the status confirmation unit 102 directly confirms that the start button is not pressed.

[0148] In step S54, the status management unit 103 of the relay device 630 stores the status of the scan control device 632 (the state where the start button is not pressed) confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 in the storage unit 108. When the status of the scan control device 632 has been stored in the storage unit 108, the status management unit 103 updates the status with the new status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102.

[0149] In step S55, the notification unit 104 of the relay device 630 notifies the external device 2 via the network I / F 604b of the status confirmation unit 102's confirmed status of the scan control device 632 (the state where the start button is not pressed), as a response to the status confirmation request in step S51. Thus, the external device 2 detects that the start button of the operation display 610 is not pressed in the scan control device 632 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0150] In step S56, the status confirmation unit 102 of the relay device 630, in order to confirm the status of a certain timed scan control device 632, refers to the status of the scan control device 632 stored in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103 and confirms the status (the state where the start button is not pressed). In other words, in this case, the status confirmation request is not sent to the scan control device 632, and the status of the scan control device 632 is confirmed by referring to the status of the scan control device 632 stored in the storage unit 108. Therefore, the processing load is not applied to the scan control device 632.

[0151] Unless the start button on the operation display 610 is pressed, steps S51 to S56 above will be repeated at specific time intervals. Although Figure 9 The statement indicates that the sending of status confirmation requests from external device 2 (steps S51 to S55) and the status confirmation performed by relay device 630 itself (step S56) are performed alternately for simplification. However, this does not imply any limitation, and the sending of status confirmation requests from external device 2 and the status confirmation performed by relay device 630 itself can be performed at any time.

[0152] Assume that in step S57, the user has already pressed the start button on the operation display 610 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0153] In step S58, the external device 2 sends a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanning control device 632. The receiving unit 101 of the relay device 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via network I / F 604b.

[0154] When the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, in step S59, the status confirmation unit 102 of the relay device 630 queries the scan control device 632, thereby sending a status confirmation request to the scan control device 632. The scan control device 632 receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I / F 632a.

[0155] When a status confirmation request is received from the relay device 630, in step S60, the scanning control device 632 confirms its own status (in this case, whether the start button of the operation display 610 is pressed) and sends a response indicating that the start button is pressed to the relay device 630 via a dedicated I / F 632a. When the response is received, the status confirmation unit 102 directly confirms the status of the start button being pressed.

[0156] In step S61, the status management unit 103 stores the status of the scan control device 632 (the state of pressing the start button) confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 in the storage unit 108. When the status of the scan control device 632 has been stored in the storage unit 108, the status management unit 103 updates the status with the new status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102.

[0157] In step S62, the notification unit 104 notifies the external device 2 via network I / F 604b of the status confirmation unit 102 of the status of the scan control device 632 (the state of the start button being pressed) as a response to the status confirmation request in step S58. Thus, the external device 2 detects the state of the start button being pressed on the display 610 in the scan control device 632 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0158] In step S63, the status confirmation unit 102 of the relay device 630, in order to confirm the status of a certain timed scan control device 632, refers to the status of the scan control device 632 stored in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103 and confirms the status (the state of pressing the start button). In other words, in this case, the status confirmation request is not sent to the scan control device 632, and the status of the scan control device 632 is confirmed by referring to the status of the scan control device 632 stored in the storage unit 108. Therefore, the processing load is not applied to the scan control device 632.

[0159] As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes: a drawing control device 631, a scanning control device 632, and other control devices; and a relay device 630 for relaying communication between the control devices and an external device 2. The relay device 630 includes: a receiving unit 101 that receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2 to confirm the status of the control device; a status confirmation unit 102 that confirms the status of the control device; and a status management unit 103 that maintains the status of the control device directly confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102. The status confirmation unit 102 directly confirms the status of the control device in one of the following situations: the status of the control device is confirmed by the relay device 630 itself at a set time, or the receiving unit 101 has already received a status confirmation request. In the other situation, the status of the control device is confirmed by referring to the status of the control device maintained by the status management unit 103. Therefore, when a request for status acquisition is made to a control device such as the drawing control device 631 or the scanning control device 632, which is the target of status acquisition, the processing load of the control device can be reduced.

[0160] The functionality of the elements disclosed herein can be implemented using circuitry or processing circuitry, including general-purpose processors, application-specific processors, integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or combinations thereof, which are configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functions using one or more programs stored in one or more memories. Processors can be considered as processing circuitry or circuits because they include transistors and other circuitry. In this disclosure, circuits, units, or devices are hardware that performs or is programmed to perform the described functions. The hardware can be any hardware disclosed herein that is programmed or configured to perform the described functions.

[0161] The memory stores a computer program including computer instructions. These computer instructions provide logic and programs that enable hardware (e.g., processing circuitry or circuitry system) to execute the methods disclosed herein. For example, the program to be executed in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment may be pre-installed in a ROM or the like. Alternatively, the program to be executed in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment may be recorded as an installable or executable document on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, floppy disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD, and provided as a computer program product. Alternatively, the program to be executed in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading it via the network. Alternatively, the program to be executed by the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0162] The program executed by the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment has a modular structure including the aforementioned functional units. In actual hardware, the CPU (or processor) reads a program from the ROM and executes the read program to load the aforementioned functional units into the main storage device and generate the functional units in the main storage device.

[0163] This disclosure can be implemented in any convenient form, such as using dedicated hardware or a combination of dedicated hardware and software. This disclosure can be implemented as computer software applied by one or more networked processing devices. The processing facility can be any suitably programmed device, such as a general-purpose computer, a personal digital assistant, a mobile phone (e.g., a WAP or 3G compatible phone), etc. Because this disclosure can be applied as software, each aspect of this disclosure includes computer software executable on a programmable device. The computer software can be provided to a programmable device using any conventional carrier medium (carrier method). The carrier medium is capable of handling transient carrier methods, such as electrical, optical, microwave, acoustic, or radio frequency signals carrying computer code. An example of such a transient method is TCP / IP signals carrying computer code over an IP network (e.g., the Internet). The carrier medium can also include storage media for storing processor-readable code, such as floppy disks, hard disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic tape devices, or solid-state storage devices.

[0164] The above embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention. Therefore, many additional modifications and variations are possible based on the above teachings. For example, within the scope of the invention, elements and / or features of different illustrative embodiments can be combined with and / or substituted for each other. Any of the above operations can be performed in various other ways, for example, in an order different from the order described above.

[0165] The various aspects of this invention are as follows:

[0166] According to aspect 1, An image forming apparatus includes: a control device; and a relay device configured to relay communication between the control device and an external device. The relay device includes: a receiving unit configured to receive from the external device a request to confirm the state of the control device; a confirmation unit configured to confirm the state of the control device; and a holding unit configured to hold the state of the control device directly confirmed by the confirmation unit. The confirmation unit is configured to: directly confirm the state of the control device at a timing based on either the state of the relay device itself or the timing of the request received by the receiving unit; and confirm the state of the control device at another timing based on either the state of the relay device itself or the timing of the request received by the receiving unit, referring to the state of the control device held by the holding unit.

[0167] According to aspect 2, in the image forming apparatus of aspect 1, the relay device further includes a notification unit configured to notify the external device of the status of the control device confirmed by the confirmation unit when the receiving unit has received the request.

[0168] According to aspect 3, in the image forming apparatus described in aspect 1 or aspect 2, when the receiving unit has received the request, the confirmation unit is configured to directly confirm the state of the control device, and the holding unit is configured to hold the state of the control device directly confirmed by the confirmation unit. When confirming the state of the control device based on the state of the relay device at regular intervals, the confirmation unit is configured to confirm the state of the control device by referring to the state of the control device held by the holding unit.

[0169] According to aspect 4, in the image forming apparatus described in aspect 1 or aspect 2, when the state of the control device is checked at a timed interval based on the state of the relay device, the checking unit is configured to directly check the state of the control device, and the holding unit is configured to hold the state of the control device directly checked by the checking unit. When the receiving unit has received the request, the checking unit is configured to check the state of the control device with reference to the state of the control device held by the holding unit.

[0170] According to aspect 5, in the image forming apparatus described in any one of aspects 1 to 4, the relay device further includes a setting unit configured to: when the receiving unit has received the request, set to maintain the state of the control device with direct confirmation; or set to maintain the state of the control device with timed direct confirmation based on the state of the relay device.

[0171] According to aspect 6, in the image forming apparatus described in any one of aspects 1 to 5, the relay device further includes a setting unit configured to set whether to maintain the state of the control device directly confirmed by the confirmation unit. When the setting unit has already set not to maintain the state of the control device directly confirmed by the confirmation unit, the confirmation unit is configured to directly confirm the state of the control device at any time based on the state of the relay device and the time at which the receiving unit receives the request.

[0172] According to aspect 7, in the image forming apparatus described in any one of aspects 1 to 6, when the relay device detects that it cannot communicate with the external device, the confirmation unit is configured to switch to directly confirming the status of the control device when the status of the control device is confirmed at a timed interval based on the status of the relay device.

[0173] According to aspect 8, in any of aspects 1 to 7 of the image forming apparatus, the control device includes a scanning control device that performs the action of reading the original document.

[0174] According to aspect 9, in any of aspects 1 to 8, the image forming apparatus includes a drawing control device for performing a printing operation.

[0175] According to aspect 10, in the image forming apparatus described in any one of aspects 1 to 9, when the confirmation unit directly confirms the state of the control device, the confirmation unit communicates with the control device via a query.

[0176] This patent application is based on and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-024324, filed with the Japan Patent Office on February 21, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0177] List of reference numerals

[0178] 1 Image forming apparatus

[0179] 2 External devices

[0180] 101 Receiving Unit

[0181] 102 Status Confirmation Unit

[0182] 103 Status Management Unit

[0183] 104 Notification Unit

[0184] 105 Setting Unit

[0185] 106 Operation Units

[0186] 107 Display Control Unit

[0187] 108 storage units

[0188] 600 controller

[0189] 601 CPU

[0190] 602 System Memory (MEM-P)

[0191] 603 Northbridge (NB)

[0192] 604a Southbridge (SB)

[0193] 604b Network I / F

[0194] 604c USB I / F

[0195] 604d Centronics I / F

[0196] 604e Sensor I / F

[0197] 605 AGP

[0198] 606 ASIC

[0199] 607 Local Memory (MEM-C)

[0200] 608 Auxiliary storage device

[0201] 610 Operation Display

[0202] 620 FCU

[0203] 630 Relay Device

[0204] 631 Drawing control device

[0205] 631a Dedicated I / F

[0206] 632 Scanning Control Device

[0207] 632a Dedicated I / F

[0208] 1000 Image Forming Apparatus

[0209] 1630 Relay Device

[0210] 1631 Drawing control device

[0211] 1632 Scanning Control Device

[0212] 2000 External Devices

[0213] 3000 Status Setting Screen

[0214] 3001 Status Hold Setting Radio Button

[0215] 3002 Status Hold Trigger Setting Radio Button

[0216] 3011 Save button

[0217] 3012 Cancel button

[0218] N Network

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: Control device; and A relay device is configured to relay communication between the control device and an external device. in, The relay device includes: The receiving unit is configured to receive a request from the external device to confirm the status of the control device; The confirmation unit is configured to confirm the status of the control device; and A holding unit is configured to hold the state of the control device as directly confirmed by the confirmation unit, and The confirmation unit is configured as follows: Based on a timing interval between the status of the relay device and the time interval between the time interval when the request is received by the receiving unit, the status of the control device is directly confirmed, and Based on the state of the relay device and another timing in which the request is received by the receiving unit, the state of the control device is confirmed with reference to the state of the control device held by the holding unit.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The relay device further includes: The notification unit is configured to notify the external device of the status of the control device confirmed by the confirmation unit when the receiving unit has received the request.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, in, When the receiving unit has received the request The confirmation unit is configured to directly confirm the status of the control device, and, The holding unit is configured to maintain the state of the control device as directly confirmed by the confirmation unit, and Specifically, when the status of the control device is periodically confirmed based on the status of the relay device... The confirmation unit is configured to confirm the state of the control device by referring to the state of the control device held by the holding unit.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, in, When the status of the control device is checked periodically based on the status of the relay device. The confirmation unit is configured to directly confirm the status of the control device, and, The holding unit is configured to maintain the state of the control device as directly confirmed by the confirmation unit, and Wherein, when the receiving unit has already received the request, The confirmation unit is configured to confirm the state of the control device by referring to the state of the control device held by the holding unit.

5. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The relay device further includes a setting unit, which is configured as follows: When the receiving unit has received the request, it is set to maintain the state of the control device that directly confirms the request; or The control device is configured to maintain a state that is directly confirmed at a time based on the state of the relay device.

6. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in, The relay device further includes a setting unit configured to set whether to maintain the state of the control device directly confirmed by the confirmation unit, and Specifically, when the setting unit has already set not to maintain the state of the control device directly confirmed by the confirmation unit, The confirmation unit is configured to directly confirm the status of the control device at any time based on the status of the relay device and the time at which the receiving unit receives the request.

7. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in, When the relay device detects that it cannot communicate with the external device... The confirmation unit is configured to switch to directly confirming the status of the control device when the status of the control device is periodically confirmed based on the status of the relay device.

8. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The control device includes a scanning control device that performs the action of reading the original document.

9. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The control device includes a drawing control device for performing printing operations.

10. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, When the confirmation unit directly confirms the status of the control device, the confirmation unit communicates with the control device through a query.

Images