Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To improve a situation in which cancellation of reservation settings of a paper feed stage is forgotten and the paper feed stage becomes unable to use.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus has: determination means that determines whether opening and closing of any one paper feed stage of a plurality of paper feed stages or installation of sheets is detected; and cancellation means that, when the opening and closing of the paper feed stage or the installation of sheets is detected and the detected paper feed stage is temporarily reserved, cancels settings of the temporary reservation of the detected paper feed stage, and when the opening and closing of the paper feed stage or the installation of sheets is detected and the detected paper feed stage is reserved, does not cancel the settings of the reservation of the detected paper feed stage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a control method and program for an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, due to the increasing sophistication and image quality of multifunction devices and the expansion of the types of paper they can handle, there has been an increase in cases where printed materials that were previously output at printing plants are now being produced in-house using multifunction devices installed in offices. Multifunction devices used in such printing environments are often shared with the printing of regular office documents, and two types of paper feed trays may be temporarily loaded at the same time: plain paper for regular printing and special printing paper (hereinafter referred to as special paper) for in-house printing. In such cases, a mechanism is known for controlling paper feed by temporarily reserving the paper feed tray containing the special paper for in-house printing, so that it is not mistakenly used to print office documents.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming device having a print job execution unit that executes an input print job and a selection unit that allows a user to select a paper feeder to be used for the print job from among multiple paper feeders. The image forming device controls the selected paper feeder so that it cannot be used for print jobs other than the print job. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-93556 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, until now, there have been no restrictions on reserving a paper feed tray for in-house printing. Therefore, if a reserved paper feed tray is changed from special paper to plain paper and the user forgets to cancel the reservation, the user printing the office document will continue to be unable to print. There is also a problem that the user may not realize that the reserved paper feed tray has been changed to plain paper and may print as special paper.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to improve a situation in which a reserved setting for a paper feed tray is forgotten to be cancelled, and the paper feed tray becomes unusable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The image forming apparatus has a determination means for determining whether opening / closing or placement of paper on any of a plurality of paper feed stages has been detected, and a release means for canceling the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed stage when opening / closing or placement of paper on the paper feed stage is detected and the detected paper feed stage is temporarily reserved, and for not canceling the reserved setting of the detected paper feed stage when opening / closing or placement of paper on the paper feed stage is detected and the detected paper feed stage is reserved. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve a situation in which a reserved setting for a paper feed tray is forgotten to be cancelled and the paper feed tray becomes unusable. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a system including an image forming apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the configuration of a paper feed unit. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the contents of a paper feed stage reservation process in the printing process. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a home screen of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a setting screen of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a paper setting screen of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the contents of a printer driver process. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a setting screen for printing conditions. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing the contents of a printer process. [Figure 11] 11 is a flowchart showing the contents of a page generation process of the printer process. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing the contents of a print process of a printer process. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing the contents of a paper feed determination process in the printing process. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a paper-out error screen displayed on the image forming apparatus. [Figure 15] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of a display of a reservation setting screen for a paper feed location of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 16] 11 is a flowchart showing a process for changing reservation settings of a paper feed location. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display indicating that a paper feed location is reserved. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a setting status of each paper feed stage. [Figure 19] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a setting status of each paper feed stage. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution.

[0011] Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. The image forming apparatus includes a printer, a copier, a facsimile, and a multifunction machine that combines these functions, and has a function of forming an image on a recording medium, that is, paper (printing function).

[0012] Fig. 1(a) is a front view showing an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 is, for example, a multifunction machine that forms an image on paper. Here, paper includes paper such as paper and envelopes, plastic films such as overhead projector (OHP) paper, and cloth. In addition, although the words "paper" and "paper feed" are used in the drawings, etc., they are treated as referring to paper in general, including paper other than paper, unless otherwise specified.

[0013] The image forming apparatus 100 includes devices such as a printer unit 101, a scanner unit 108, a plurality of paper feed cassettes 102, 103, 104, and 105, a manual paper feed tray 106, and a discharge tray 107. The printer unit 101 includes a printer engine 110.

[0014] Hereinafter, the paper feed cassettes 102, 103, 104, and 105 and the manual feed tray 106 will be referred to as paper feed stages unless they are particularly distinguished from one another. Furthermore, the paper feed cassettes 102 to 105 will be referred to with numbers, such as paper feed cassette 1 to paper feed cassette 4, when they are to be distinguished from one another.

[0015] A scanner unit 108 as an image reading device optically scans an original and converts it into electronic image information by a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD type.

[0016] The printer unit 101 forms an image on a sheet of paper using a printer engine 110, which is an example of an image forming section, based on image information input from a scanner unit 108 or an external personal computer 200 (FIG. 2).

[0017] Each of the paper feed cassettes 102-105 stores paper. The manual feed tray 106 supports paper placed on the tray. The paper held in the paper feed cassettes 102-105 and the manual feed tray 106 is fed to the printer engine 110 while being separated one sheet at a time by a paper feed unit (not shown). The paper feed cassettes 102-105 and the manual feed tray 106 are each an example of a paper feed stage that holds paper to be supplied to an image forming section. The paper on which an image has been formed by the printer engine 110 is discharged to the discharge tray 107, which is a discharge section.

[0018] Fig. 1(b) is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the printer engine 110 in Fig. 1(a). The printer engine 110 has an electrophotographic image forming unit PU. The image forming unit PU includes a photosensitive drum 111, which is a drum-shaped photosensitive member, a charging device 112, an exposure device 113, a developing device 114, and a cleaning device 116.

[0019] When a printer engine 110 is requested to start an image forming operation, a charging device 112 uniformly charges the surface of a photosensitive drum 111, and an exposure device 113 scans the photosensitive drum 111 with a laser beam to form an electrostatic latent image on the drum surface.

[0020] The developing device 114 supplies charged toner to the photosensitive drum 111 to develop the electrostatic latent image into a toner image. The toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 111 is transferred to paper by a transfer device 115. The toner image transferred to the paper is fixed to the paper by a fixing device 117 that uses, for example, a thermal fixing method.

[0021] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image forming system 220 according to this embodiment. The image forming system 220 includes an image forming apparatus 100 and a personal computer (PC) 200.

[0022] The image forming apparatus 100 is connected to a wired or wireless network 201 via a network I / F 206, and communicates with an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer (PC) 200. The PC 200 is an example of an information processing apparatus.

[0023] A printer driver is installed in PC 200 as driver software that generates a job (hereinafter, a print job) that commands image formation to image forming apparatus 100. The printer driver generates a print job described in PDL, for example, based on document data received from a word processing application of PC 200. Here, PDL is an abbreviation for Page Description Language, examples of which include PS, PCL, and LIPS (registered trademark).

[0024] The PC 200 also includes a control unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and storage units such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Rewritable Memory), and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The printer driver transmits the generated print job to the image forming apparatus 100 via the network 201.

[0025] The image forming apparatus 100 includes a scanner unit 108, a printer engine 110, a CPU 202, a ROM 203, a RAM 204, a storage unit 205, and a network I / F 206. The image forming apparatus 100 further includes a device I / F 207, a paper feed unit 208, an image processing unit 209, and an operation display unit 210.

[0026] The image forming apparatus 100 is controlled by a CPU 202. The CPU 202 operates based on a program stored in a RAM 204. A ROM 203 is a boot ROM, and stores a boot program.

[0027] Storage unit 205 stores system software, image data, programs for controlling the operation of image forming apparatus 100, and the like. The programs stored in storage unit 205 are loaded into RAM 204, and CPU 202 controls the operation of image forming apparatus 100 based on these programs. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, each step of the control process of image forming apparatus 100 is assumed to be executed by CPU 202.

[0028] The image processing unit 209 performs image processing on image data received via the network I / F 206, and performs image processing on image data input / output from the device I / F 207. Image data sent from the PC 200 is converted by the image processing unit 209 into raster format image data and stored in the storage unit 205. The stored image data is sent to the printer engine 110 as a video signal via the device I / F 207, and is used in the image forming operation by the printer engine 110.

[0029] The image forming apparatus 100 also includes an operation display unit 210 as a display means for displaying information to a user and an input means for receiving instructions from the user. The operation display unit 210 includes a screen display unit including a display such as an LCD, a touch panel that is installed on the display and functions as a soft key depending on the positional relationship between an operation target displayed on the display and the operation, and an operation input unit including hard keys such as a numeric keypad.

[0030] Furthermore, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 100 controls a paper feed unit 208 having paper feed stages such as the paper feed cassettes 102 to 105 and the manual paper feed tray 106. The paper feed unit 208 will be described in detail later.

[0031] 3 is a detailed functional block diagram of paper feed unit 208 of image forming apparatus 100. Paper feed unit 208 has paper feed cassettes 102-105, manual paper tray 106, paper load sensor 301, paper load sensor 302, tray paper presence / absence detection sensor 303, open / close detection sensor 304, and open / close detection sensor 305.

[0032] A paper feed unit 208 supplies paper to the printer engine 110. The CPU 202 controls the paper feed cassettes 102-105 and the manual paper tray 106 in the paper feed unit 208 to feed paper from the paper feed cassettes 102-105 or the manual paper tray 106, which are paper feed stages.

[0033] Paper feed cassettes 102 and 103 are provided with paper load sensors 301 and 302 that detect how much paper is loaded in the paper feed cassettes 102 and 103, respectively. This allows the CPU 202 to detect, within a range of several stages, whether there is currently no paper in the paper feed cassettes 102 and 103, and, if there is paper, how much paper is loaded.

[0034] Furthermore, the sheet feed cassettes 102 and 103 are provided with open / close detection sensors 304 and 305 for detecting the open / closed states of the sheet feed cassettes 102 and 103, respectively. This allows the CPU 202 to detect in real time, as an event from the open / close detection sensors 304 and 305, that the sheet feed cassettes 102 and 103 have been opened or closed.

[0035] Similarly, a paper loading sensor and an open / close detection sensor are provided for each of the paper feed cassettes 104 and 105, but these are omitted from FIG.

[0036] Manual paper tray 106 is provided with tray paper presence / absence detection sensor 303 that detects whether paper is placed on manual paper tray 106. This allows CPU 202 to detect in real time, as an event from tray paper presence / absence detection sensor 303, that paper has been placed on or removed from manual paper tray 106.

[0037] (Image formation flow) In this embodiment, a flow when image formation is performed will be described. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a paper feed tray reservation process is performed before image formation is performed. A paper feed tray reservation is a setting for restricting the use of each of the paper feed cassettes 102 to 105 and the manual paper tray 106 in which paper to be used for image formation is placed, and the details will be described later. After that, the PC 200 generates a print job by printer driver processing, and outputs the print job to the image forming device 100. When a print job is input to the image forming device 100, the image forming device executes printer processing to process the print job. Next, the details of each process will be described.

[0038] (Paper feed tray reservation) Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the contents of the paper feed tray reservation process of the print process of the image forming apparatus 100. The paper feed tray reservation process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 4. Here, the description will be given assuming that the user places special paper of the following paper size and paper type in the paper feed cassette 102 and reserves it.

[0039] Paper size:A4 Paper type: Coated paper

[0040] First, the user places the special paper in paper feed cassette 102. Next, the user operates operation display unit 210 of image forming apparatus 100 to set the size and type of the placed paper.

[0041] In step S401, CPU 202 of image forming apparatus 100 controls operation display unit 210 to display home screen 501 shown in Fig. 5, and waits for an operation from the user. Home screen 501 has arranged thereon button 502 to be selected when using a copy function, button 503 to be selected when using a send function, and button 504 to be selected when using a box function. Furthermore, home screen 501 has arranged thereon button 505 to be selected when using a reservation print function.

[0042] Button 506 is a button for making various settings of image forming apparatus 100, and this setting button 506 is pressed also when setting the size and type of paper installed by the user and reserving a paper feed tray.

[0043] When CPU 202 of image forming apparatus 100 detects that various setting button 506 has been pressed, CPU 202 controls operation display unit 210 to display setting screen 601 of FIG. 6 for selecting various setting items. Button 602 for setting paper, button 603 for setting reservation of paper feed location (paper feed stage), etc. are arranged on setting screen 601 of FIG. 6. Button 604 for returning to home screen 501 of FIG. 5 is also arranged on setting screen 601.

[0044] In step S402, when the CPU 202 detects that the button 602 for setting the paper has been pressed, it performs control so that a screen 701 for setting the paper shown in FIG.

[0045] Paper feed stage selection buttons 702-706 are displayed on paper setting screen 701, and the setting status of each paper feed stage is displayed on each of the paper feed stage selection buttons 702-706. Paper feed stage selection buttons 702-706 correspond to the selection buttons for paper feed cassettes 102-105 and manual paper tray 106, respectively. The display contents of each will be described later. Also arranged on setting screen 701 are button 707 for changing the paper type, and buttons 708 and 709 for setting the paper size to special sizes such as an envelope or postcard.

[0046] Moreover, each of the setting buttons 707 to 709 is operated after selecting one of the above-mentioned paper feed stage selection buttons 702 to 706. Moreover, when the OK button 710 is selected, the setting of the selected button is updated.

[0047] The display of the paper feed stage selection buttons 702 to 706 will now be described in detail. The setting status of each paper feed stage is stored as paper feed stage information in the storage unit 205 of the image forming apparatus 100, as shown in FIG. 18. The paper feed stage information includes a paper feed stage 2801, a paper size 2802, a paper type 2803, a remaining amount of paper 2804, and a reservation status 2805.

[0048] A paper feed tray 2801 is paper feed tray information of the image forming apparatus 100, and includes the paper feed cassettes 102 to 105 and the manual paper tray 106. A paper size 2802 is a paper size that is automatically detected by each paper feed tray 2801 when the paper is installed or that is set by the user. A paper type 2803 is a paper type that is set using the paper type setting button 707. A remaining amount of paper 2804 is a five-level representation of the remaining amount of paper detected by each paper feed tray 2801.

[0049] The reservation status 2805 indicates the reservation status of the paper feed tray 2801, and is set by the paper feed location reservation button 603 described later. In the example of Fig. 18, the reservation status 2805 is all blank, indicating that the tray is not reserved and can be used by anyone.

[0050] Next, an operation when a certain paper feed tray is selected (for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that the paper feed tray selection button 702 corresponding to the paper feed cassette 102 is selected) and the paper type setting button 707 is pressed will be described.

[0051] When CPU 202 of image forming apparatus 100 detects that paper type setting button 707 has been pressed, it controls the display of a paper type setting screen (not shown) on operation display unit 210 and waits for the user to select and confirm the paper type. When the user confirms the paper type (here, it is assumed that coated paper has been selected), CPU 202 updates the paper feed stage information in Fig. 18 with the confirmed paper type, and completes the paper type setting. For the sake of explanation, it is also assumed that coated paper is selected for paper feed cassette 103 in the same manner.

[0052] Next, the operation for reserving a paper feed tray will be described. For the sake of explanation, the paper feed cassette 102 is reserved and the paper feed cassette 103 is temporarily reserved. To reserve a paper feed tray, the button 603 for setting the reservation of the paper feed location on the setting screen 601 described above is used.

[0053] In step S403, when the CPU 202 detects that the button 603 for setting a reservation of a paper feed location has been pressed, the CPU 202 controls the operation display unit 210 to display a reservation setting screen 1501 of a paper feed location shown in FIG.

[0054] A reservation setting button 1502 for setting a reservation, a temporary reservation setting button 1503, and a non-reservation setting button 1504 are arranged for each paper feed stage 2801 on a paper feed location reservation setting screen 1501. In addition, a button 1505 for canceling the reservation operation and a button 1506 for finalizing the reservation are arranged on the reservation setting screen 1501.

[0055] On the reservation setting screen 1501, a reservation button 1502 corresponding to the paper feed cassette 102 is selected, indicating that the paper feed cassette 102 is in a reserved state. Also, a temporary reservation button 1503 corresponding to the paper feed cassette 103 and the manual paper tray 106 is selected, indicating that the paper feed cassette 103 and the manual paper tray 106 are in a temporarily reserved state.

[0056] In this state, when CPU 202 detects that button 1506 for confirming the reservation has been pressed by the user, CPU 202 updates reservation status 2805 of the paper feed stage information stored in storage unit 205. CPU 202 records in reservation status 2805 that paper feed cassette 102 is being reserved, and that paper feed cassette 103 and manual paper tray 106 are being temporarily reserved.

[0057] 8, which will be described later. To cancel the reservation in the reservation status 2805, the user presses the button 1505 for canceling the reservation again from this screen 1501, and the CPU 202 clears the reservation status 2805 column of the paper feed stage information stored in the memory unit 205.

[0058] A specific paper feed operation for a "reserved" paper feed stage will be described later in the paper feed determination process in Fig. 13. Also, a specific process for a "temporarily reserved" paper feed stage will be described later in the paper feed location reservation setting change process in Fig. 16.

[0059] As described above, by changing the paper type and performing the reservation process, the paper feed stage information shown in Fig. 18 is changed to the paper feed stage information shown in Fig. 19. For ease of comparison, the hatched parts in Fig. 19 are the items that have been changed from Fig. 18.

[0060] (Printer driver processing) 8 is a flowchart showing the contents of the printer driver process for generating a print job for PC 200, and shows a method for controlling PC 200. Note that each of the following steps is achieved by a control means such as a CPU mounted on PC 200 executing a program that constitutes the printer driver. The printer driver process is started when a user of PC 200 performs an operation to instruct a document creation application to execute printing, for example.

[0061] In step S801, the control means of the PC 200 uses a word processing application or the like to generate document data indicating the contents (text, drawings, etc.) to be printed.

[0062] In step S802, the control means of the PC 200 sets the paper size for the print job based on an operation signal input to the PC 200 by the user.

[0063] In step S803, the control means of the PC 200 sets the paper type for the print job based on an operation signal input to the PC 200 by the user.

[0064] In step S804, the control means of the PC 200 sets the paper feed tray for the print job based on an operation signal input to the PC 200 by the user.

[0065] In step S805, the control means of the PC 200 performs a setting as to whether or not the reserved paper feed tray is to be used in the print job, based on an operation signal input to the PC 200 by the user.

[0066] Specifically, the control means of PC 200 controls the display of PC 200 to display a setting screen 901 for setting print conditions, and enters a state in which a user operation can be received, as shown in Fig. 9. A tab 902 indicates that this is a screen for making print settings.

[0067] A setting value for the paper size is displayed in a paper size setting field 903. A setting value for the paper type is displayed in a paper type setting field 904. A paper feed stage setting field 905 displays the paper feed stage to be specified as the paper supply source.

[0068] In step S802, the control means of PC 200 can select the paper size in paper size setting field 903 from "original size", which specifies the same size as the document data, standard sizes such as "A4", and user-defined sizes that the user inputs numerically.

[0069] In step S803, the control means of the PC 200 can select, as the paper type in the paper type setting field 904, setting values ​​such as "plain paper 1", "plain paper 2" having a larger basis weight than "plain paper 1", and "coated paper".

[0070] In step S804, the control means of the PC 200 can select either one of the paper feed cassettes 102 to 105 or the manual paper tray 106 as the paper feed stage in the paper feed stage setting field 905.

[0071] In addition, for each of the paper type and the paper feed stage, options such as "automatic selection" that leaves the selection to the image forming apparatus 100 are provided.

[0072] Furthermore, a button 906 for setting whether or not to use the reserved paper feed tray is displayed on the tab 902. By setting the reserved paper feed tray to be "used," printing can be performed using paper placed in the reserved paper feed tray, which will be described later.

[0073] The control means of PC 200 uses the driver software to set information specifying the paper size, paper type, and paper feed tray from which the paper will be fed, as well as the use of the reserved paper feed tray, based on the user's operation signal via such print setting screen 901.

[0074] Next, in step S806, the control means of PC 200 sets the owner name of the print job based on the user's operation signal to PC 200. The owner name is information for identifying the user who created the print job, and in this embodiment, the ID of the user currently logged in to PC 200 is set as the owner name.

[0075] In step S807, the control means of the PC 200 sets a document name for the print job based on a user's operation signal to the PC 200. The document name is information for identifying a data file such as a document or drawing to be printed, and is obtained, for example, from an application that generated the document data.

[0076] In step S808, the control means of the PC 200 generates PDL data conforming to the PDL format based on the document data and various setting information. The PDL data includes page data representing the drawing contents of each page and setting information for the print job (paper size, paper type, paper feed tray, owner name, document name, etc.). The page data is image information generated by the printer driver from the document data in accordance with the PDL format.

[0077] In step S809, the control means of the PC 200 transmits the generated PDL data as a print job to the image forming apparatus 100 via the network 201.

[0078] (Printer processing) 10 is a flowchart showing the contents of the printer process executed by the image forming apparatus 100, and shows a control method for the image forming apparatus 100. When a signal representing PDL data reaches the image forming apparatus 100, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 100 starts the printer process.

[0079] In step S1001, the CPU 202 performs a page generation process to generate image data for each page, the details of which will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0080] In step S1002, the CPU 202 performs a print process to form an image on a sheet based on the image data, the details of which will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0081] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing details of the page generation process in step S1001 of FIG.

[0082] In step S1101, the CPU 202 receives the print job transmitted from the PC 200, and temporarily stores the print job in the storage unit 205. The print job stored in the storage unit 205 includes page data as image information conforming to the PDL format.

[0083] In step S1102, the CPU 202 analyzes the page data in the print job. The CPU 202 also analyzes and extracts print job setting information, such as paper size, included in the print job, and stores the print job setting information in the storage unit 205.

[0084] In step S1103, the CPU 202 generates intermediate data based on the page data. Here, the intermediate data is a general term for drawing objects such as bitmaps, run lengths, trapezoids, boxes, and high-speed boundary coded bitmaps, background patterns, and drawing logic for drawing raster format images from them.

[0085] In step S1104, the image processing unit 209 performs RIP processing on the intermediate data, and stores the image data in the storage unit 205. Here, RIP is an abbreviation for Raster Image Processing, and refers to processing for generating image data in a raster format from image data such as a vector image.

[0086] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the details of the printing process in step S1002 in FIG.

[0087] In step S1201, the CPU 202 initializes a parameter P indicating the page being processed (current paper) to 1. The parameter P is an integer value that satisfies P≧1.

[0088] In step S1202, CPU 202 determines whether parameter P is equal to or less than variable Pmax indicating the total number of pages (number of sheets of paper specified by the print job). Variable Pmax is assumed to be extracted by analyzing the print job and stored in storage unit 205. If parameter P is equal to or less than variable Pmax, processing proceeds to step S1203. If parameter P is not equal to or less than variable Pmax, processing in FIG. 12 ends.

[0089] In step S1203, the CPU 202 acquires information on the paper feed tray setting (see S804 in FIG. 8) from the storage unit 205, and performs a paper feed determination process to determine whether paper can be fed from the set paper feed tray. The details of the paper feed determination process will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0090] In step S1204, if it is determined by the above-described paper feed determination process that paper can be fed, CPU 202 feeds one sheet of paper from the paper feed tray determined in step S1203.

[0091] In step S1205, the CPU 202 reads from the storage unit 205 the image data of the paper of the page of the parameter P being processed.

[0092] In step S 1206 , CPU 202 converts the image data into video data and transfers it to printer engine 110 .

[0093] In step S1207, the printer engine 110 executes a print process (image forming process) on paper based on the video data.

[0094] In step S1208, the CPU 202 increments the parameter P. Thereafter, the process returns to step S1202, and the CPU 202 repeats the process of the new parameter P.

[0095] In step S1202, if the parameter P becomes greater than the variable Pmax, the processing in FIG. 12 ends.

[0096] (Paper feed determination process) FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the details of the paper feed determination process in step S1203 in FIG.

[0097] In step S1301, the CPU 202 acquires the setting information of the print job stored in the storage unit 205 in step S1102 of Fig. 11. The setting information of the print job includes the paper size, paper type, paper feed tray setting information, and a setting of whether or not to use a reserved paper feed tray, which are necessary for printing.

[0098] In step S1302, the CPU 202 acquires the paper feed stage information stored in the storage unit 205. The paper feed stage information is the paper feed stage information shown in FIG.

[0099] In step S1303, the CPU 202 copies the acquired paper feed stage information to generate a paper feed stage candidate list, which is used to determine paper feed stages that are candidates for paper feed in the subsequent processes.

[0100] In step S1304, the CPU 202 determines whether or not to use the reserved paper feed tray in the setting information of the print job acquired in the previous step S1301. If the setting is to use the reserved paper feed tray, the process proceeds to step S1305. If the setting is to not use the reserved paper feed tray, the process proceeds to step S1306.

[0101] In step S1305, CPU 202 rearranges the paper feed tray candidate list generated in step S1303 so that the paper feed tray with the reservation status 2805 of reserved or temporarily reserved is at the top of the paper feed tray candidate list. This makes it possible to give priority to the reserved or temporarily reserved paper feed tray when selecting the optimal paper feed tray (step S1308), which will be described later. Then, the process proceeds to step S1307.

[0102] In step S1306, the CPU 202 deletes the paper feed trays in the paper feed tray candidate list that have a reservation status 2805 of reserved or temporarily reserved. For example, in the case of FIG. 19, if it is set that the reserved paper feed tray is not to be used, the CPU 202 deletes the paper feed cassette 102, the paper feed cassette 103, and the manual paper tray 106 from the paper feed tray candidate list. Note that if it is set that the reserved paper feed tray is to be used, no paper feed tray is deleted from the paper feed tray candidate list. By doing so, the paper feed trays in the reservation status 2805 of reserved or temporarily reserved can feed paper only for print jobs that are set to use the reserved paper feed tray. Then, the process proceeds to step S1307.

[0103] In step S1307, CPU 202 references the paper feed stage setting information in the setting information of the print job acquired in the previous step S1301, and deletes paper feed stages other than the set paper feed stage from the paper feed stage candidate list. The paper feed stage setting information is information set in the paper feed stage setting field 905 in Fig. 9. If a specific paper feed stage is set in the paper feed stage setting field 905, CPU 202 deletes paper feed stages other than the set paper feed stage from the paper feed stage candidate list. If automatic selection is set in the paper feed stage setting field 905, CPU 202 does not delete any paper feed stages from the paper feed stage candidate list.

[0104] In step S1308, CPU 202 selects the optimal paper feed tray for printing from among the paper feed trays remaining in the paper feed tray candidate list. Specifically, CPU 202 searches for a paper feed tray that holds paper that matches the paper size and paper type required for printing described in the setting information of the print job, starting from the paper feed tray at the top of the paper feed tray candidate list.

[0105] In step S1309, if the above-mentioned paper feed tray is found as a result of the search, CPU 202 proceeds to step S1310. In step S1310, the above-mentioned found paper feed tray is determined as the paper feed tray to be used, and the process of Fig. 13 ends. If the above-mentioned paper feed tray is not found as a result of the search, CPU 202 proceeds to step S1311.

[0106] In step S1311, CPU 202 performs control so that out-of-paper error screen 1401 shown in Fig. 14 is displayed on operation display unit 210 of image forming apparatus 100. Out-of-paper error screen 1401 displays information about paper required to continue the print job (size and type) and information 1409 about which paper feed tray can accommodate that paper. The available paper feed tray is searched for from the paper feed tray candidate list after the processing of step S1307.

[0107] At this time, the user can perform any of the following operations (1) to (3).

[0108] (1) Place the paper described in the information 1409 in the paper feed tray described in the information 1409 to eliminate the out-of-paper error.

[0109] (2) By pressing any one of the paper feed tray selection buttons 1402 to 1406 to select one of the paper feed trays 102 to 106 and pressing the OK button 1408, the process is forcibly continued with a paper sheet different from the information 1409.

[0110] (3) The print job is stopped by pressing the Stop button 1407.

[0111] The CPU 202 waits for the user to perform any one of the above operations (1) to (3).

[0112] In step S1312, CPU 202 determines whether the state of the paper feed tray has changed. If the state of the paper feed tray has changed, it is possible that the user has placed paper, and the process returns to step S1302, where CPU 202 searches for the optimal paper feed tray again. On the other hand, if the state of the paper feed tray has not changed, the process proceeds to step S1313.

[0113] In step S1313, CPU 202 determines whether or not an input from a user has been received from operation / display unit 210. If an input from operation / display unit 210 has been received, the process proceeds to step S1314. If an input from operation / display unit 210 has not been received, the process returns to step S1312.

[0114] In step S1314, CPU 202 determines the content of the input from operation display unit 210. If cancel button 1407 is pressed, the process proceeds to "End" in Fig. 12, and the process in Fig. 12 ends. If any of paper feed stage selection buttons 1402 to 1406 is pressed and OK button 1408 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S1310.

[0115] In step S1310, CPU 202 determines the paper feed tray corresponding to any one of paper feed tray selection buttons 1402 to 1406 that has been pressed as the paper feed tray to be used, and the processing in FIG. 13 ends.

[0116] (Paper feed reservation setting change process) FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a process for changing reservation settings of a paper feed location of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0117] In step S1601, CPU 202 determines whether or not opening / closing detection sensors 304, 305 have detected the opening or closing of any of paper feed cassettes 102-105, or whether tray paper presence / absence detection sensor 303 has detected the placement of paper in manual paper tray 106. If opening / closing of any of paper feed cassettes 102-105 or the placement of paper in manual paper tray 106 has been detected, processing proceeds to step S1602. If opening / closing of any of paper feed cassettes 102-105 or the placement of paper in manual paper tray 106 has not been detected, processing returns to step S1601.

[0118] In step S1602, CPU 202 acquires sheet feed stage information of the opened / closed sheet feed cassettes 102 to 105 or the manual feed tray 106 in which paper is placed, from storage unit 205. The sheet feed stage information is the sheet feed stage information shown in FIG.

[0119] In step S1603, CPU 202 refers to the paper feed stage information acquired in step S1602 and determines whether the reservation status 2805 for the opened / closed paper feed cassettes 102-105 or the manual paper tray 106 in which paper is placed is temporarily reserved. If it is temporarily reserved, the process proceeds to step S1604, and if it is not temporarily reserved, the process in FIG. 16 ends.

[0120] In step S1604, the CPU 202 determines whether the remaining paper amount 2804 of the opened / closed paper feed cassette 102-105 or the manual paper tray 106 in which paper is placed is 0%. If the remaining paper amount 2804 is 0%, the process of Fig. 16 ends. If the remaining paper amount 2804 is not 0%, the process proceeds to step S1605.

[0121] In step S1605, CPU 202 determines whether or not the paper size 2802 and paper type 2803 in the paper feed stage information of the opened / closed paper feed cassette 102-105 or the manual paper tray 106 in which paper is placed are the same before and after detection. If they are not the same, processing proceeds to step S1606. If they are the same, processing proceeds to step S1607.

[0122] In step S1606, CPU 202 changes reservation status 2805 of the opened / closed paper feed cassettes 102-105 or manual paper tray 106 in which paper is placed, in the above paper feed stage information, to "OFF (no reservation: blank)". This enables printing of office documents and prevents erroneous use of paper by preventing printing on special paper. After that, the processing in FIG. 16 ends.

[0123] In step S1607, the CPU 202 controls the operation display unit 210 to display a pop-up screen 1701 indicating that the opened / closed paper feed cassettes 102 to 105 or the manual paper tray 106 in which paper is placed is reserved, as shown in FIG. 17. The pop-up screen 1701 displays a message 1702 stating "The paper feed location for which paper has been changed is currently reserved. If you want to cancel the reservation, please cancel the reservation from the reservation setting of the paper feed location." This notifies the user that the opened / closed paper feed cassettes 102 to 105 or the manual paper tray 106 in which paper is placed is in a reserved state and cannot be used unless the reserved state is canceled. The back button 1703 is a button for closing the pop-up screen 1701. After that, the processing in FIG. 16 ends.

[0124] As described above, in Fig. 2, image forming system 220 includes image forming apparatus 100 and PC 200. In step S804 in Fig. 8, PC 200 specifies a paper feed tray in a print job. In step S805, PC 200 sets whether or not to use a reserved paper feed tray in the print job.

[0125] In step S403 in Fig. 4, the CPU 202 functions as a setting unit, and sets each of the multiple paper feed trays as reserved, temporarily reserved, or not reserved, as shown in Fig. 15. Button 1502 is a button for setting the paper feed tray to reserved. Button 1503 is a button for setting the paper feed tray to temporary reserved. Button 1504 is a button for setting the paper feed tray to not reserved.

[0126] 13, if a setting is made in the print job to use a reserved paper feed tray, the process proceeds to step S1310 via step S1305. In step S1310, CPU 202 functions as an enabling unit, and enables printing using the paper feed tray specified in the print job if the paper feed tray specified in the print job is being reserved or temporarily reserved.

[0127] 13, if a setting is made in the print job to not use a reserved paper feed tray, the process proceeds to step S1311 via step S1306. In step S1311, if the paper feed tray specified in the print job is reserved or temporarily reserved, CPU 202 does not permit printing using the paper feed tray specified in the print job and performs control to display error screen 1401 in FIG.

[0128] 16, the CPU 202 functions as a determination unit and determines whether or not opening / closing of any of the multiple paper feed trays or placement of paper has been detected. If opening / closing of a paper feed tray or placement of paper has been detected, the process proceeds to step S1602.

[0129] In step S1603, if the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, the process proceeds to step S1604.

[0130] In step S1604, if there is paper in the detected paper feed tray, the process proceeds to step S1605.

[0131] In step S1605, if the detected paper size and paper type of the paper feed tray are not the same before and after the detection, the process proceeds to step S1606. If the detected paper size and paper type of the paper feed tray are the same before and after the detection, the process proceeds to step S1607.

[0132] Note that the detection is not limited to both the paper size and the paper type, and may be either one. If the detected paper size or paper type of the paper feed tray is not the same before and after the detection, the process may proceed to step S1606. If the detected paper size or paper type of the paper feed tray is the same before and after the detection, the process may proceed to step S1607.

[0133] In step S1606, the CPU 202 functions as a release unit and releases the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed tray.

[0134] In step S1607, the CPU 202 functions as a notification unit, and notifies the user that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved.

[0135] As described above, according to this embodiment, in a printing environment where printing paper for office documents and special printing paper are used together, image forming apparatus 100 can prevent the erroneous use of special printing paper.

[0136] Even if a user changes the paper of a temporarily reserved paper feed tray from special paper to plain paper and forgets to cancel the temporary reservation setting, the image forming apparatus 100 can detect the opening and closing of the paper feed tray and cancel the temporary reservation setting. This can improve the situation where the device cannot be used by users who print office documents. It can also prevent a user who tries to print on special paper from accidentally printing on plain paper.

[0137] (Other embodiments) The present disclosure can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) for implementing one or more functions.

[0138] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of specific examples of implementing the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by these embodiments. In other words, the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms without departing from its technical concept or main features.

[0139] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration, method, and program. (Configuration 1) a determination unit that determines whether opening / closing of any one of a plurality of paper feed stages or placement of paper has been detected; a release means for releasing the temporarily reserved setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and for not releasing the reserved setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved; An image forming apparatus comprising: (Configuration 2) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that the release means releases the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and there is paper in the detected paper feed tray. (Configuration 3) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that the release means releases the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and the paper size or paper type of the detected paper feed tray is not the same before and after the detection. (Configuration 4) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 3 further comprises a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, and when the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved and the paper size or paper type of the detected paper feed tray is the same before and after the detection, that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved. (Configuration 5) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that the release means releases the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and the paper size and paper type of the detected paper feed tray are not the same before and after the detection. (Configuration 6) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 5 further comprises a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, and when the detected paper feed tray has a paper size and paper type that are the same before and after the detection, the image forming apparatus further comprises a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved. (Configuration 7) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that the release means releases the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, there is paper in the detected paper feed tray, and the paper size or paper type of the detected paper feed tray is not the same before and after the detection. (Configuration 8) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 7, further comprising a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, there is paper in the detected paper feed tray, and the paper size or paper type of the detected paper feed tray is the same before and after the detection. (Configuration 9) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that the release means releases the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, there is paper in the detected paper feed tray, and the paper size and paper type of the detected paper feed tray are not the same before and after the detection. (Configuration 10) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 9, further comprising a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, there is paper in the detected paper feed tray, and the paper size and paper type of the detected paper feed tray are the same before and after the detection. (Configuration 11) a setting unit for setting each of the plurality of paper feed trays to reserved, temporarily reserved, or no reservation; The printing method further includes a permission unit that permits printing using the paper feed tray designated in the print job when a setting is made to use a reserved paper feed tray in the print job and the paper feed tray designated in the print job is reserved or temporarily reserved, The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, characterized in that the permission means is set to not use a paper feed tray that is reserved in the print job, and when the paper feed tray specified in the print job is reserved or temporarily reserved, does not permit printing using the paper feed tray specified in the print job. (Configuration 12) a determination unit that determines whether opening / closing of any one of a plurality of paper feed stages or placement of paper has been detected; a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is reserved; An image forming apparatus comprising: (Configuration 13) a setting unit for setting each of the plurality of paper feed trays to reserved, temporarily reserved, or no reservation; The printing method further includes a permission unit that permits printing using a paper feed tray designated in a print job when a setting is made to use a reserved paper feed tray in the print job and the paper feed tray designated in the print job is reserved, The image forming apparatus according to configuration 12, characterized in that the permission means is set to not use a paper feed tray that is reserved in the print job, and when the paper feed tray specified in the print job is reserved, printing using the paper feed tray specified in the print job is not permitted. (Configuration 14) An image forming apparatus according to configuration 11, an information processing device that sets whether or not to use a reserved paper feed tray in the print job and specifies a paper feed tray in the print job; An image forming system comprising: (Method 1) a determination step of determining whether opening / closing of any one of the plurality of paper feed trays or placement of paper has been detected; a canceling step of canceling the temporarily reserved setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and not canceling the reserved setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved; 11. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus comprising: (Method 2) a determination step of determining whether opening / closing of any one of the plurality of paper feed trays or placement of paper has been detected; a notification step of notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and not notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is reserved; 11. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus comprising: (Program 1) A program for causing a computer to function as the image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 13. [Explanation of symbols]

[0140] 100 Image forming apparatus, 202 CPU, 203 ROM, 204 RAM, 205 storage unit, 206 network I / F, 207 device I / F, 208 paper feed unit, 209 image processing unit, 210 operation display unit

Claims

1. a determination unit that determines whether opening / closing of any one of a plurality of paper feed stages or placement of paper has been detected; a release means for releasing the temporarily reserved setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and for not releasing the reserved setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the release means releases the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and there is paper in the detected paper feed tray.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the release means releases the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and the paper size or paper type of the detected paper feed tray is not the same before and after the detection.

4. 4. An image forming apparatus as described in claim 3, further comprising a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, and when the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved and the paper size or paper type of the detected paper feed tray is the same before and after the detection.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the release means releases the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and the paper size and paper type of the detected paper feed tray are not the same before and after the detection.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, and when the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved and the paper size and paper type of the detected paper feed tray are the same before and after the detection, the image forming apparatus further comprises a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the release means releases the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, there is paper in the detected paper feed tray, and the paper size or paper type of the detected paper feed tray is not the same before and after the detection.

8. 8. An image forming apparatus as described in claim 7, further comprising a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, there is paper in the detected paper feed tray, and the paper size or paper type of the detected paper feed tray is the same before and after the detection.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the release means releases the temporary reservation setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, there is paper in the detected paper feed tray, and the paper size and paper type of the detected paper feed tray are not the same before and after the detection.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or placement of paper is detected, the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, there is paper in the detected paper feed tray, and the paper size and paper type of the detected paper feed tray are the same before and after the detection.

11. a setting unit for setting each of the plurality of paper feed trays to reserved, temporarily reserved, or no reservation; The printing method further includes a permission unit that permits printing using the paper feed tray designated in the print job when a setting is made to use a reserved paper feed tray in the print job and the paper feed tray designated in the print job is reserved or temporarily reserved, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the permission means is set to not use a reserved paper feed tray in the print job, and when the paper feed tray specified in the print job is reserved or temporarily reserved, the permission means does not permit printing using the paper feed tray specified in the print job.

12. a determination unit that determines whether opening / closing of any one of a plurality of paper feed stages or placement of paper has been detected; a notification means for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and for notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is reserved; An image forming apparatus comprising:

13. a setting unit for setting each of the plurality of paper feed trays to reserved, temporarily reserved, or no reservation; The printing method further includes a permission unit that permits printing using a paper feed tray designated in a print job when a setting is made to use a reserved paper feed tray in the print job and the paper feed tray designated in the print job is reserved, The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the permission means is set to not use a paper feed tray that is reserved in the print job, and when the paper feed tray specified in the print job is reserved, the permission means does not permit printing using the paper feed tray specified in the print job.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 ; an information processing device that sets whether or not to use a reserved paper feed tray in the print job and specifies a paper feed tray in the print job; An image forming system comprising:

15. a determination step of determining whether opening / closing of any one of the plurality of paper feed trays or placement of paper has been detected; a canceling step of canceling the temporarily reserved setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and not canceling the reserved setting of the detected paper feed tray when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved; 11. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus comprising:

16. a determination step of determining whether opening / closing of any one of the plurality of paper feed trays or placement of paper has been detected; a notification step of notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved, and not notifying that the detected paper feed tray is temporarily reserved when opening / closing of the paper feed tray or installation of paper is detected and the detected paper feed tray is reserved; 11. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus comprising:

17. A program for causing a computer to function as the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

Images