Image inspection system, inspection device, method of inspection, and inspection program

Abstract

To provide an image inspection system that can immediately execute an interruption job that is generated in the middle of inspection, and to provide an inspection device, a method of inspection, and an inspection program.SOLUTION: An image inspection system includes: an image formation part for forming an image on a recording medium on the basis of a job; an acquisition part for acquiring a read image obtained by reading the image formed on the recording medium; an inspection part for inspecting the read image; a receiving part for receiving an interruption job; and a controller that, when the receiving part receives an interruption job during execution of a job, pauses image formation of the job in execution and inspection.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image inspection system, an inspection device, an inspection method, and an inspection program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known an inspection device that compares the print result of an image forming device with a reference image and inspects the quality of the print, for example, the presence or absence of dirt, missing images, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that is connected to an image forming device and is configured to be able to inspect a recording medium conveyed from the image forming device. This technology prevents errors from occurring in the inspection results of the print when an interrupt job occurs during the execution of an inspection job.

[0003] The interrupt function allows another job to be inserted during the execution of a specific job. For example, after printing in an image forming device, some problem may occur while post-processing is being performed in another post-processing device, and it may become necessary to reprint the document urgently during the execution of a specific job. In this case, the interrupt function allows the specific job to be interrupted, the interrupt job to be executed, and when the interrupt job is completed, the specific job can be resumed from the point next to where it was interrupted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-83183 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, an interrupt job is not executed until the inspection mode is turned off. In other words, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, even if an interrupt job occurs during an inspection, the interrupt job may not be executed promptly, so there is a certain limit as a configuration having an interrupt function.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an image inspection system, an inspection device, an inspection method, and an inspection program that are capable of quickly executing an interrupt job that occurs during inspection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The image inspection system according to the present invention comprises: an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium based on a job; an acquisition unit that acquires a read image by reading an image formed on the recording medium; an inspection unit that inspects the read image; a reception unit for receiving an interrupt job; a control unit that suspends image formation and inspection of the job being executed when the reception unit receives the interrupt job during execution of the job; Equipped with.

[0008] The inspection device according to the present invention comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires a read image by reading an image formed on a recording medium based on a job; an inspection unit that inspects the read image; a reception unit for receiving an interrupt job; a control unit that suspends image formation and inspection of the job being executed when the reception unit receives the interrupt job during execution of the job; Equipped with.

[0009] The inspection method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: 1. A method for inspecting an image in an image inspection system, comprising: forming an image on a recording medium based on a job; Obtaining a read image by reading an image formed on the recording medium; inspecting the scanned image; Accepting an interrupt job; and When the interrupt job is accepted during the execution of the job, the image formation and inspection of the job being executed are interrupted; has.

[0010] The inspection program according to the present invention comprises: An image inspection program for an image inspection system, comprising: On the computer, A process of forming an image on a recording medium based on a job; A process of acquiring a read image by reading an image formed on the recording medium; A process of inspecting the read image; A process for accepting interrupt jobs; When the interrupt job is accepted during the execution of the job, a process of interrupting image formation and inspection of the job being executed; Execute the command. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, an interrupt job that occurs during an inspection can be quickly executed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main part of a control system in the image inspection system according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of an inspection process of the image inspection system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of operation when an interrupt job occurs in the image inspection system according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5]13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a first interrupt process. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a second interrupt process. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation when an interrupt job occurs in the image inspection system. [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a display on the display unit regarding a process for notifying removal of a printed material. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of printing at a job boundary. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation when an interrupt job occurs in the image inspection system. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a second interrupt process. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a fourth interrupt process. [Figure 13] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a display on the display unit regarding confirmation of combining of printed materials. [Figure 14] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a display on the display unit regarding prohibition of removal of printed matter. [Figure 15] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a display on the display unit regarding confirmation of combining of printed materials. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a second interrupt process. [Figure 17] 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a second interrupt process. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of setting control of a page for interrupting a job. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen of a display unit for displaying a page for interrupting a job. [Figure 20] 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an example of a job list displayed by a display unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the overall configuration of an image inspection system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows the main part of a control system for explaining the flow of signals between the devices constituting the image inspection system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0014] 1 and 2 is a system that inspects the quality of the image printed on paper S (presence or absence of image defects) after an image is formed (output) on paper (recording medium) S by an image forming apparatus 20. Specifically, after the image is formed, the image inspection system 1 reads the image formed on paper S, compares the read image with a reference image, and inspects the image printed on paper S.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the image inspection system 1 includes a paper feeder 10, an image forming device 20, an image reading device 30, and a post-processing device 40.

[0016] The paper feeding device 10 is a device that feeds paper S to the image forming device 20. The image forming device 20 is a device that forms an image on the paper S based on input image data. The image reading device 30 is a device that reads the image on the paper S discharged from the image forming device 20. The post-processing device 40 is a device that is disposed downstream of the image reading device 30 (inspection section) and has multiple paper discharge trays 42, 43, and 44. The paper discharge trays 42, 43, and 44 correspond to the "paper discharge section" of the present invention.

[0017] In the image inspection system 1, the sheet feeding device 10, the image forming device 20, the image reading device 30, and the post-processing device 40 are physically connected in this order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the paper S, and the device main bodies are linked together. As a result, a transport path P for the paper S is formed connecting these multiple devices. This transport path P is branched by the sorting unit 41 of the post-processing device 40 into a path P1 connected to the paper discharge tray 42, a path P2 connected to the paper discharge tray 43 above the paper discharge tray 42, and a path P3 connected to the paper discharge tray 44 below the paper discharge tray 42.

[0018] For the sake of simplicity, the conveying path P in the image forming apparatus 20 is shown as a single line in Fig. 1, but an actual image forming apparatus 20 is provided with a double-sided conveying path for double-sided printing. Also, for the sake of simplicity, the number of paths branching off in the post-processing apparatus 40 is shown as two, P1 and P2, in Fig. 1, but more branching paths can be provided depending on the number of paper discharge trays, etc.

[0019] The paper feeder 10 can store various sizes and types of paper S. The paper feeder 10 includes a paper feed roller for feeding the stored (stacked) paper S one by one, a motor for driving the paper feed roller, and the like.

[0020] The image forming apparatus 20 has an image forming unit 21 of an intermediate transfer type that utilizes electrophotographic process technology. For example, the image forming unit 21 includes a photoconductor drum and an intermediate transfer belt (not shown). In the image forming unit 21, the toner images of each color, Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black), formed on the photoconductor drum are primarily transferred to an intermediate transfer belt (not shown). In addition, the four color toner images are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt, and then secondarily transferred to the paper S to form a toner image. In addition, a fixing unit 22 is disposed downstream of the image forming unit 21 in the conveying direction of the paper S.

[0021] The fixing unit 22 heats and pressurizes the transported paper S onto which the toner image has been secondarily transferred, thereby fixing the toner image to the paper S. The image forming unit 21 and the fixing unit 22 are well-known configurations, and therefore detailed explanations are omitted. In addition, the method of image formation in the image forming device 20 is not limited to the above method, and various other methods can be applied.

[0022] The main body of the image forming apparatus 20 is provided with an operation display unit 25. The operation display unit 25 is configured with, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch panel, and functions as a display unit 26 and an operation unit 27.

[0023] The display unit 26 displays various operation screens, image states, operation statuses of each function, and the like, in accordance with a display control signal input from the control unit 200, which will be described later.

[0024] The operation unit 27 includes various operation keys (so-called hardware switches) such as a numeric keypad, a start key, etc. The operation unit 27 receives various input operations by the user and outputs operation signals to the control unit 200.

[0025] Moreover, the display unit 26 displays various icons (so-called software switches) that can be selected with a cursor (pointer) or the like on various screens described later. The display unit 26 accepts various input operations by the user and outputs operation signals to the control unit 200.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 2, the image forming apparatus 20 includes a control unit 200 that controls the entire image forming apparatus 20. The control unit 200 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 201, a read only memory (ROM) 202, a random access memory (RAM) 203, and the like. The control unit 200 controls the operations of the image forming unit 21, the fixing unit 22, the operation display unit 25, and other units included in the image forming apparatus 20. That is, the CPU 201 of the control unit 200 reads out a program corresponding to the processing contents from the ROM 202 and loads it in the RAM 203. The control unit 200 then cooperates with the loaded program to centrally control the operations of the image forming unit 21, the fixing unit 22, the operation display unit 25, and other blocks in the image forming apparatus 20.

[0027] Other blocks included in the image forming apparatus 20 include an image processing unit, a paper transport unit, and a communication unit. The image processing unit performs various corrections, such as tone correction, on input image data. The paper transport unit drives a plurality of transport rollers that transport the paper S. The communication unit communicates with an external device, such as a server, through a communication network or the like. The image forming apparatus 20 may also be configured as a copy machine that copies an original image onto the paper S. That is, the image forming apparatus 20 may also be configured to include an automatic document feeder such as an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) and an original image scanning device (scanner), etc. These blocks described above are well-known configurations, so illustrations and explanations are omitted.

[0028] 1 and 2, the image reading device 30 has an output image reading section 31 that optically reads an image (toner image) on a sheet S discharged from the image forming device 20. Specifically, the output image reading section 31 optically scans the sheet S and forms an image of reflected light from the sheet S on a light receiving surface of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor (not shown) to read images on both sides of the sheet S. The output image reading section 31 generates read image data based on the reading result. The read image data generated by the output image reading section 31 is input to an inspection section 50 described later.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the post-processing device 40 includes a sorting unit 41. The sorting unit 41 includes a transport roller for transporting the paper S whose image has been read by the image reading device 30, a plurality of discharge trays 42, 43, 44 for discharging the paper S, and switches the discharge destination (transport route) of the paper S. For simplicity, Fig. 2 illustrates a configuration including three discharge trays 42, 43, 44, but the number of discharge trays is arbitrary, and more discharge trays may be provided. The sorting unit 41 includes a switching gate for switching the discharge destination (transport route) of the paper S to one of the paths P1, P2, and P3. The sorting unit 41 also includes a driving source such as a solenoid for driving the switching gate, an interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the image forming device 20 and the inspection unit 50, and the like.

[0030] In addition, post-processing device 40 can be equipped with various additional functions according to the application, such as a cutter that cuts sheets S, a stapler that staples sheets S, a folding mechanism that folds sheets S, and an attachment mechanism that attaches tape to sheets S. These additional functions are well-known configurations, and therefore illustrations and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0031] 2, the image inspection system 1 includes an inspection unit 50 that inspects the quality of an output image formed (output) on the sheet S (presence or absence of image defects) based on read image data generated by the image reading device 30. The inspection unit 50 includes a hardware processor such as a CPU, a ROM, a data storage unit 51 (described later), and the like. The inspection unit 50 executes a job (hereinafter referred to as an "inspection job") of inspecting the quality of an output image (presence or absence of image defects) by having the CPU read and execute a program stored in the ROM.

[0032] In this embodiment, the inspection unit 50 has the function of generating and registering a reference image (sometimes called a correct image) to be used for comparison when performing image inspection, based on the read image generated by the image reading device 30.

[0033] Furthermore, the inspection unit 50 has a function of comparing the read image generated by the image reading device 30 with a reference image to inspect whether or not there is an image defect.

[0034] The inspection unit 50 can be physically incorporated into the housing of the image reading device 30, the post-processing device 40, or the image forming device 20, for example, or can be configured as a device that is physically independent from these devices. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the inspection unit 50 is a device incorporated into the image reading device 30, and is configured to be electrically connected to the control unit 200 of the image forming device 20, etc.

[0035] The image inspection system 1 also includes a PC 60, as shown in Fig. 2. The PC 60 outputs data (hereinafter referred to as reference data) of input image data and printing conditions (various user settings such as the number of pages of the printed matter, the printing method (e.g., double-sided printing / single-sided printing), and the number of copies to be printed).

[0036] 2, the PC 60 supplies such reference data to both the image forming apparatus 20 (control unit 200) and the inspection unit 50. As another example, a relay device may be provided that branches the reference data transmitted from the PC 60 into two and transmits them to the control unit 200 and the inspection unit 50.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the image inspection system 1 includes data storage units 51 and 52 for storing various data such as the above-mentioned reference data.

[0038] Among these, the data storage unit 51 is a part of the inspection unit 50, and is used to temporarily store reference data. The data storage unit 51 also stores various data relating to image defects analyzed by the inspection unit 50.

[0039] Furthermore, the data storage unit 51 saves and accumulates various settings related to image inspection as inspection profile data. Here, the inspection profile includes information indicating the contents of the print job in which the image to be inspected is printed and the printing conditions. The information indicating the printing conditions is, for example, the size of the paper S used for printing, the number of sheets and copies to be printed, whether double-sided printing is performed, etc.

[0040] On the other hand, the data storage unit 52 is provided in the main body (housing) of the image forming apparatus 20, and is connected to the control unit 200 and the CPU of the inspection unit 50 via an interface (not shown). These data storage units 51, 52 can use various data storage media such as HDDs and semiconductor memories.

[0041] In one specific example, first, the image forming apparatus 20 stores setting information for a print job, including information indicating the above-mentioned printing conditions, in the data storage unit 52. Thereafter, when creating an inspection profile, the inspection unit 50 reads out the information indicating the printing conditions from the data storage unit 52 and stores it in the data storage unit 51 as a part of the inspection profile.

[0042] Next, a flow of inspection processing in the image inspection system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the inspection processing in the image inspection system 1 according to this embodiment. The processing in Fig. 3 is executed, for example, when the control unit 200 receives an instruction to execute a predetermined job. The predetermined job is a job including the above-mentioned print job and inspection job, and is a job that executes the inspection processing after execution of the image formation processing based on image data.

[0043] 3, the control unit 200 executes image formation processing for one page (step S101). After step S101, the control unit 200 acquires a read image read by the image reading device 30 of the paper S on which the image is formed in step S101 (step S102).

[0044] After step S102, the control unit 200 executes an inspection process by the inspection unit 50 (step S103). In the inspection process, the read image is compared with a reference image corresponding to the read image. If the difference between the read image and the reference image is large in the inspection process, the control unit 200 detects that the image on the paper S is abnormal. Also, if the difference between the read image and the reference image is small in the inspection process, the control unit 200 detects that the image on the paper S is normal.

[0045] After step S103, the control unit 200 determines whether an image abnormality has been detected (step S104). If the determination result indicates that an abnormality has been detected (step S104, YES), the control unit 200 ejects the paper S to a paper ejection tray for purging (step S105). Then, the control unit 200 sets the page of the image forming process to the same page (step S106), and the process returns to step S101. The paper ejection tray for purging is a tray to which the paper on which an image abnormality has been detected is ejected.

[0046] On the other hand, if no abnormality is detected (step S104, NO), the control unit 200 discharges the paper S to a specified paper discharge tray (step S107). The specified paper discharge tray is a tray to which paper with a normal image is discharged, and is a tray different from the paper discharge tray for purging. In FIG. 1, for example, the paper discharge tray with reference numeral 42 may be the specified paper discharge tray, and the paper discharge tray with reference numeral 43 may be the paper discharge tray for purging.

[0047] Next, the control unit 200 determines whether image formation of all pages in the predetermined job is completed (step S108). If the result of the determination is that image formation of all pages is not completed (step S108, NO), the control unit 200 sets the page of the image formation process to the next page in the predetermined job (step S109), and the process returns to step S101.

[0048] On the other hand, if image formation for all pages is completed (step S108, YES), the control unit 200 creates and outputs an inspection report (step S110). After step S110, this control ends. The inspection report is a report that certifies that the printed matter of the job has been properly inspected.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to execute a job (interrupt job) that interrupts the execution of the above-mentioned specified job. When the interrupt job is executed, the specified job is interrupted. Then, when the interrupt job is completed, the specified job is resumed from the point next to the interrupted point. This makes it possible to interrupt the execution of another job when an urgent need arises to execute another job during the execution of the specified job.

[0050] Specifically, when a user issues an instruction to execute an interrupt job during execution of a predetermined job via the operation unit 27, the control unit 200 accepts the interrupt job. When the control unit 200 accepts an interrupt job during execution of a predetermined job, it interrupts the image formation and inspection of the job being executed.

[0051] When the control unit 200 receives an interrupt job while a specific job is being executed, the control unit 200 inserts a page related to the image formation of the interrupt job between the pages before and after the interruption of the image formation of the specific job. The control unit 200 then controls the execution of the interrupt job to continue from the interrupted point of the specific job. After the processing of all pages of the interrupt job is completed, the control unit 200 resumes the specific job.

[0052] Furthermore, when the control unit 200 receives an interrupt job, if a scanned image inspection of the paper on which an image was formed before the interruption of the job being executed is being performed, the control unit 200 interrupts the inspection at least after the scanned image inspection is completed. Specifically, when the control unit 200 receives an interrupt job, the control unit 200 automatically sets the page at which to interrupt the specified job. Then, the control unit 200 executes the image formation and inspection of the specified job up to the set page at which to interrupt, and then executes the interrupt job.

[0053] In this embodiment, the page at which a given job is interrupted may be, for example, the page corresponding to the image to be formed on the last fed sheet S at the time when the control unit 200 accepts the interrupt job.

[0054] For example, assume that the specified job is a job related to image formation and image inspection of 300 pages. Here, assume that an interrupt job occurs after the 162nd page of paper is fed. In this case, page 162 is set as the page to be interrupted, and a page related to image formation of the interrupt job is inserted between pages 162 and 163. Then, after the paper on which the image corresponding to page 162 is formed has been scanned and inspected, the interrupt job is executed. After the interrupt job is completed, the specified job is resumed from page 163.

[0055] This allows an interrupt job that occurs during an inspection to be quickly executed.

[0056] Furthermore, when the interrupt job does not include inspection of the scanned image of the paper, the control unit 200 controls the inspection unit 50 not to inspect the paper on which the image is formed in the interrupt job. In other words, when the interrupt job does not include an inspection job, the control unit 200 causes the paper on which the image is formed in the interrupt job to pass through the inspection unit 50 and be discharged to the paper output tray.

[0057] This makes it possible to prevent inspection from being erroneously performed in an interrupt job that does not include an inspection job.

[0058] Furthermore, when the interrupt job includes an inspection of a scanned image of a sheet, the control unit 200 switches the reference image used in the inspection from the image related to the inspection of the predetermined job to the image related to the inspection of the interrupt job. Then, after the interrupt job is completed, the control unit 200 switches the reference image used in the inspection from the image related to the inspection of the interrupt job to the image related to the inspection of the predetermined job.

[0059] This makes it possible to prevent a reference image for a different job from being used in the inspection of a predetermined job or in the inspection of an interrupt job.

[0060] The control unit 200 may also change the tray to which paper is discharged between a predetermined job and an interrupt job. For example, when there is a paper discharge tray that can be used for an interrupt job among a plurality of paper discharge trays, the control unit 200 discharges paper for the interrupt job to the available paper discharge tray. The paper discharge tray that can be used for an interrupt job may be a tray to which paper is not currently being discharged, other than the tray to which paper for which no abnormality is detected in the predetermined job is discharged and the tray to which paper for which an abnormality is detected is discharged, for example.

[0061] 1, for example, suppose that the tray onto which paper for which no abnormality was detected in a given job is discharged is output tray 43, and the tray onto which paper for which an abnormality was detected is output tray 42. In this case, the tray that can be used for an interrupt job is output tray 43.

[0062] The control unit 200 also controls to create both the report up to the interruption and the report after the restart as an inspection report for a predetermined job. Specifically, the control unit 200 may control to create an inspection report for a predetermined job by combining the report up to the interruption and the report after the restart.

[0063] This allows the user to easily manage the inspection report since an inspection report is created that combines the report up until the interruption and the report after the resumption.

[0064] The report up to the interruption and the report after the restart may be created separately. This allows the inspection results of each divided job to be checked separately. Also, during execution of a job after the restart, the inspection report up to the interruption can be checked in advance.

[0065] Next, a flow of an interrupt job in the image inspection system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of operation when an interrupt job occurs in the image inspection system 1 according to the present embodiment. Note that the process in Fig. 4 is executed when the control unit 200 receives an instruction to execute an interrupt job during execution of the process in Fig. 3 or a print job that does not include image inspection, for example.

[0066] 4, the control unit 200 acquires an instruction to execute an interrupt job (step S201), and determines whether the currently executed job includes an inspection job (step S202). If the currently executed job does not include an inspection job (step S202, NO), the control unit 200 executes normal interrupt processing (step S203).

[0067] The normal interrupt process is a process of interrupting a job (print job) in progress, executing the interrupt job, and then resuming the job in progress. This process may be, for example, a known process. In step S203, when the normal interrupt process ends and the job in progress ends, this control ends.

[0068] On the other hand, if the currently executed jobs include an inspection job (step S202, YES), the control unit 200 determines whether the interruption jobs include an inspection job (step S204).

[0069] If the result of the determination is that the interruption jobs do not include an inspection job (step S204, NO), the control unit 200 executes a first interruption process (step S205). On the other hand, if the interruption jobs include an inspection job (step S204, YES), the control unit 200 executes a second interruption process (step S206).

[0070] The first interruption process is a process including an interruption job when the interruption job does not include an inspection job, and the second interruption process is a process including an interruption job when the interruption job includes an inspection job.

[0071] After step S205 or step S206, this control ends.

[0072] Next, the flow of the first interrupt process will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the first interrupt process. The process in Fig. 5 is executed, for example, when the process in step S205 shown in Fig. 4 is executed. The processes in steps S101 to S110 in Fig. 5 are the same as those shown in Fig. 3.

[0073] 5, the control unit 200 executes the job being executed up to the interrupted page (step S111). In step S111, the process is executed up to the point where the process of step S105 or step S107 up to the interrupted page in the process of the flowchart in FIG. 3 is completed.

[0074] After step S111, the control unit 200 changes all pages of image formation after the interrupted page (step S112). Specifically, the control unit 200 inserts all pages of image formation processing related to the interrupt job after the interrupted page in the image formation processing job.

[0075] After step S112, the process proceeds to step S101. After step S101, the control unit 200 determines whether the page on which the image forming process has been performed is a page that does not require inspection (step S113). That is, the control unit 200 determines whether the page on which the image forming process has been performed is a page related to an interrupt job.

[0076] If the result of the determination is that the page on which the image formation process has been performed is a page that does not require inspection (step S113, YES), the control unit 200 discharges the paper on which the image has been formed in step S101 to a paper discharge tray for the interrupt job (step S114). After step S114, the process transitions to step S101.

[0077] On the other hand, if the page on which the image formation process has been executed is not a page that does not require inspection (step S113, NO), the process proceeds to step S102. Note that, when an interrupt job occurs after the image formation for the interrupt job is completed and the process proceeds to step S102 and subsequent steps, the process shown in FIG. 4 may be executed.

[0078] Next, the flow of the second interrupt process will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the second interrupt process. Note that the process in Fig. 6 is executed, for example, when the process in step S206 shown in Fig. 4 is executed.

[0079] 6, the control unit 200 executes the job being executed up to the interrupted page (step S301). After step S301, the control unit 200 changes the destination of the paper to be ejected (step S302). In step S302, the control unit 200 changes the destination of the paper to a paper ejection tray different from the tray to which the paper of the job being executed is ejected.

[0080] After step S302, the control unit 200 changes the reference image for the image inspection to an image for the interrupt job (step S303), and executes the interrupt job (step S304). The process of step S304 is the same as the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0081] After the interrupt job is completed in step S304, the control unit 200 changes the destination of the paper (step S305). In step S305, the control unit 200 changes the destination of the paper to the tray to which the paper of the interrupted job was discharged.

[0082] After step S305, the control unit 200 changes the reference image for the image inspection to the image of the interrupted job (step S306), and resumes the interrupted job (step S307). The process of step S307 is the same as the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3. In step S307, when inspection of all pages in the interrupted job is completed, the control unit 200 outputs an inspection report (step S308). In this case, a combined inspection report before and after the interruption may be output.

[0083] After step S308, this control ends.

[0084] According to the present embodiment configured as described above, when an interrupt job is accepted during execution of a predetermined job, the control unit 200 interrupts the image formation and inspection of the job being executed. That is, in this embodiment, when an interrupt job occurs, the image formation and inspection of the job being executed are interrupted and the interrupt job is executed. As a result, the interrupt job that occurs in the middle of an inspection can be executed promptly.

[0085] When an interrupt job is accepted, if a read image inspection of the recording medium on which an image has been formed before the interruption of the image formation of the job being executed is being performed, the image formation and inspection of the job being executed are interrupted at least after the read image inspection is completed.

[0086] This makes it possible to prevent the predetermined job from being interrupted while the scanned image is being inspected, and as a result, the predetermined job can be promptly executed while the inspection is being reliably performed.

[0087] Furthermore, when the interrupt job does not include inspection of the read image, the control unit 200 controls the inspection unit 50 not to inspect the paper on which the image is formed in the interrupt job. This makes it possible to prevent inspection from being performed erroneously in an interrupt job that does not require image inspection.

[0088] In addition, the control unit 200 controls the image forming unit 21 to insert a page related to the image formation of the interrupt job between the pages before and after the interruption of the image formation of the specified job, and form an image. Therefore, the image formation process of the interrupt job can be executed as a series of image formation processes combined with the image formation process of the specified job. As a result, the interval between the interrupt job and the specified job can be shortened, and the overall processing time in the image inspection system 1 can be shortened.

[0089] Furthermore, when the interrupt job includes an inspection of a scanned image of a sheet, the control unit 200 switches the reference image used in the inspection from the image related to the job inspection to the image related to the interrupt job inspection. As a result, it is possible to prevent a reference image of a different job from being used in the inspection of a specific job or the inspection of an interrupt job.

[0090] Furthermore, since the control unit 200 changes the tray to which paper is discharged between a predetermined job and an interrupt job, it is possible to prevent printed materials of a predetermined job from being mixed with printed materials of an interrupt job.

[0091] In the above embodiment, either the first interrupt process or the second interrupt process is executed depending on whether the interrupt job includes an inspection job, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 200 may execute either the first interrupt process or the second interrupt process depending on the number of pages in the interrupt job.

[0092] As described above, the first interrupt process is a process for simply completing the interrupt process by inserting the page of the image formation of the interrupt process into the image formation data of the job being executed. Therefore, if the number of pages in the interrupt job is relatively large, the process for distinguishing between the pages of the interrupt job and the pages of the job that was originally executed (such as the process of step S113 in FIG. 5) becomes more frequent, and the process may take a long time.

[0093] Therefore, the control unit 200 may execute a first interrupt process when the number of pages in the interrupt job is equal to or less than the designated number, and execute a second interrupt process when the number of pages is greater than the designated number. The designated number may be set arbitrarily, and may be set to a number that has little effect on image quality and production time (e.g., 5 pages or less). The designated number may also be set by the user.

[0094] This process may be incorporated after determining NO in step S204 of the flowchart shown in Fig. 4, for example, like the process of step S207 shown in Fig. 7. In the flowchart shown in Fig. 7, if the number of pages of the interrupt job is equal to or less than the designated number (YES in step S207), the first interrupt process is executed (step S205). On the other hand, if the number of pages of the interrupt job is greater than the designated number (NO in step S207), the second interrupt process is executed (step S206) regardless of whether the interrupt job is an inspection job or not.

[0095] In addition, in the second interrupt process executed as a result of the determination of NO in step S207, since an inspection job is not included in the interrupt jobs, the processes of steps S303 and S306 in FIG. 6 do not need to be executed.

[0096] In this way, the first interrupt process can be simplified, and the interrupt job can be completed quickly.

[0097] In the above embodiment, the printed matter of the predetermined job and the printed matter of the interrupt job are discharged separately to one of the multiple paper discharge trays, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if there is no paper discharge tray available for the interrupt job, the printed matter of the predetermined job and the printed matter of the interrupt job may be discharged to the same paper discharge tray.

[0098] For example, in the first interrupt process, in the process of step S114 shown in Fig. 5, the paper is discharged to the same paper discharge tray as in the process of step S107. In addition, in the second interrupt process, the processes of changing the paper discharge destination in steps S302 and S305 shown in Fig. 6 are deleted.

[0099] In this case, the control unit 200 may execute a process for distinguishing between a printed matter resulting from a predetermined job and a printed matter resulting from an interrupt job.

[0100] The process for distinguishing between the jobs may be a process of inserting a separator sheet at the location of the job separator. For example, the control unit 200 inserts a separator sheet between the sheet corresponding to the page where the specified job is interrupted and the sheet corresponding to the first page of the interrupt job. The control unit 200 also inserts a separator sheet between the sheet corresponding to the last page of the interrupt job and the sheet corresponding to the page where the specified job is resumed.

[0101] The process for distinguishing the jobs may be a process of applying some kind of post-processing, such as applying a separator tape, to the job separator by the post-processing device 40. For example, the control unit 200 controls the post-processing device 40 to apply separator tape to the sheet of paper corresponding to the page where the job was interrupted and to the sheet of paper corresponding to the page where the job was resumed.

[0102] The process for distinguishing between the two jobs may be a process for notifying the user to remove the printed materials from the paper output tray at the time of the job separation. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, the control unit 200 controls the display unit 26 to display a message instructing the user to remove the printed materials. Fig. 8 shows an example in which a message is displayed on the display unit 26 indicating that the first job has been interrupted and urging the user to remove the printed materials.

[0103] The process for distinguishing the job may be a process of printing on a sheet of paper corresponding to a position where the job is separated. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 200 controls the image forming unit 21 to print on the margins of the sheets of paper of the interrupted page and the page after the job is resumed. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the printing indicating that the first job was interrupted at the 100th page of the first job and that the first job was resumed at the 101st page of the first job is done on the margins of the sheets. Also, the printing may be done on the margins of the first and last pages of the interrupt job, the first and last pages of the first job, etc. Also, the number of the inspection report may be printed on the margins of the sheets to facilitate checking the inspection report of the job.

[0104] In this way, by executing a process for distinguishing between printed materials from a specified job and printed materials from an interrupt job, even if printed materials from different jobs are discharged to the same paper discharge tray, it is possible to distinguish which job the printed materials belong to, thereby preventing printed materials from being mixed with printed materials from a specified job and printed materials from an interrupt job.

[0105] Furthermore, when the printed matter of a predetermined job and the printed matter of an interrupt job are discharged to the same discharge tray, for example, in the first interrupt process, in the process of step S114 shown in Fig. 5, the paper may be discharged to the same discharge tray as in the process of step S107. Furthermore, when the printed matter of a predetermined job and the printed matter of an interrupt job are discharged to the same discharge tray, the first interrupt process may not be executed.

[0106] This process is executed, for example, according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 10. The flowchart shown in Fig. 10 includes the process of step S208 added after the determination of YES in step S202 of the flowchart shown in Fig. 7.

[0107] In step S208, the control unit 200 determines whether or not there is an available discharge tray. If the determination result indicates that there is an available discharge tray (step S208, YES), the process proceeds to step S204. On the other hand, if there is no available discharge tray (step S208, NO), the process proceeds to step S206.

[0108] Furthermore, in the case where the printed matter of the specified job and the printed matter of the interrupt job are discharged to the same discharge tray, the process of changing the discharge destination of the paper in steps S302 and S305 shown in Fig. 6 may be deleted in the second interrupt process. Also, in the second interrupt process, it may be selected whether the printed matter of the specified job and the printed matter of the interrupt job are discharged to the same discharge tray or to different discharge trays. In this case, one of a plurality of different processes may be executed based on the result of the selection.

[0109] For example, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 11, when the second interrupt process is executed, the control unit 200 determines whether or not there is an available paper output tray (step S401). If the result of the determination is that there is an available paper output tray (step S401, YES), the control unit 200 executes the third interrupt process (step S402). On the other hand, if there is no available paper output tray (step S401, NO), the control unit 200 executes the fourth interrupt process (step S403). After step S402 or step S403, this control ends.

[0110] The third interrupt process is, for example, the same process as the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0111] The fourth interrupt process includes a step of checking whether the printed materials before and after the interruption are properly combined, since printed materials of different jobs are discharged to the same output tray. The fourth interrupt process may be, for example, a flowchart as shown in FIG.

[0112] 12, the control unit 200 executes the job being executed up to the interrupted page (step S501). After step S501, the control unit 200 creates an inspection report up to the interrupted page (step S502). Between step S501 and step S502, for example, a display showing an instruction to prompt the user to remove the printed matter of the job being executed may be displayed as shown in FIG.

[0113] This allows the user to remove the printed materials up to the interrupted page from the paper output tray and evacuate them after interrupting the job.

[0114] After step S502, the control unit 200 changes the reference image for the image inspection to an image for the interrupt job (step S503), and executes the interrupt job (step S504). The process of step S504 is similar to the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0115] After the interrupt job is completed in step S504, the control unit 200 changes the reference image for image inspection to the image of the interrupted job (step S505), and resumes the interrupted job (step S506). The process of step S506 is similar to the process of the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. Furthermore, before the process of step S506 starts, the control unit 200 may perform a process of notifying the user to remove the printed matter of the interrupt job from the paper output tray.

[0116] After step S506, the control unit 200 determines whether or not the combination of the printed materials before and after the interruption has been confirmed (step S507). The combination of the printed materials before and after the interruption is confirmed, for example, by the user.

[0117] For example, the control unit 200 outputs a confirmation command to have the user confirm the combination of the interrupted page and the page after resumption in the printed matter of the job. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 13, an instruction is displayed on the display unit 26 to prompt the user to combine the printed matters before and after the interruption of the job. Fig. 13 shows an example in which the display unit 26 displays an indication that the first job has been divided and printed, a prompt to the user to confirm the combination of the printed matters, and a question to the user as to whether the printed matters have been combined.

[0118] Based on this display, the user combines the printed materials before and after the interruption, and confirms that the printed materials are combined appropriately. After confirming, the user presses the confirmation button on the operation unit 27. This causes the control unit 200 to determine that the combination of the printed materials before and after the interruption has been confirmed.

[0119] If the determination result indicates that the combination of the printed matter before and after the interruption has not been confirmed (step S507, NO), the process of step S507 is repeated. On the other hand, if the combination of the printed matter before and after the interruption has been confirmed (step S507, YES), the control unit 200 ends the inspection (step S508). In other words, the control unit 200 ends the inspection in the inspection unit 50 based on the information on the user's confirmation result in the confirmation command.

[0120] Then, the control unit 200 outputs an inspection report for the job after the restart (step S509). After step S509, this control ends. If it is confirmed by the user that the printed materials before and after the interruption cannot be properly combined, the control unit 200 may be able to acquire information indicating that the printed materials before and after the interruption cannot be properly combined from the user via the operation unit 27. When this information is acquired, the control unit 200 may record in the inspection report that the inspection was not completed.

[0121] In this way, it is possible to check whether the printed materials before and after the interruption have been properly combined, so that the specified job can be properly completed even if it is interrupted by an interrupt job.

[0122] In addition, in the third interrupt process, since the printed matter of the specified job and the printed matter of the interrupt job are discharged to separate output trays, the control unit 200 may execute a process to prohibit the printed matter of the interrupted job from being removed from the output tray.

[0123] The process for prohibiting removal of printed materials from the paper discharge tray may be a process for locking the paper discharge tray from being pulled out when the paper discharge tray is configured to be removable from inside post-processing device 40 .

[0124] The process for prohibiting the removal of printed materials from the paper output tray may be a process for notifying the user not to remove printed materials from the paper output tray. For example, as shown in Fig. 14, the control unit 200 controls the display unit 26 to display a message instructing the user not to remove printed materials. Fig. 14 shows an example in which a message is displayed on the display unit 26 indicating that the inspection of the first job has not been completed and urging the user not to remove printed materials.

[0125] Even if the process for prohibiting the removal of the printed material from the paper discharge tray has been executed, if the user removes the printed material, the control unit 200 may switch from the third interrupt process to the fourth interrupt process.

[0126] As described above, the fourth interrupt process includes a step of checking whether the printed materials before and after the interruption have been combined. Therefore, when removal of a printed material is detected, the control unit 200 controls the display unit 26 to display a message prompting the user to check the printed materials, as shown in Fig. 15. Fig. 15 shows an example in which a message is displayed on the display unit 26 indicating that removal of the printed materials of the first job has been detected and that the combination of the printed materials should be checked.

[0127] In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the third interrupt process or the fourth interrupt process was executed depending on whether or not an available paper output tray was available, but the third interrupt process or the fourth interrupt process may also be executed depending on the execution time of the interrupt job.

[0128] For example, if the number of pages of an interrupt job is relatively large (if the execution time is long), the printouts of the interrupt job are likely to get mixed up, and so it becomes more important to check whether the printouts before the interruption and the printouts after the restart are properly combined. On the other hand, if the number of pages of an interrupt job is relatively small (if the execution time is short), the printouts of the interrupt job can be removed immediately, so some users may not need to check as described above. Also, in the third interrupt process, separate output trays are used for printouts of the job before the interruption and printouts of the interruption job. Furthermore, if the execution time of the interruption job is quite short, the user does not have time to remove the printouts before the interruption (physical work). Since the printouts before the interruption and the printouts after the restart are stacked and discharged to the same output tray while the user does not have time to remove them, the user does not need to check as a result. Also, even if the user had time to remove the printouts before the interruption, if there was no time (for example, about 10 minutes) to check whether the printouts were appropriate, there would be no need for the user to remove the printouts in the first place. For these reasons, if the number of pages of an interruption job is relatively small, the user may not perform the above check.

[0129] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 16, after determining YES in step S401 in Fig. 11, the control unit 200 determines whether the number of pages of the interrupt job is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (step S404). The predetermined number is a number that can be set arbitrarily, and is a value obtained by multiplying the printing speed of the device by the execution time. For example, when the execution time is based on about 10 minutes, if the printing speed of the device is 50 PPM, the predetermined number is 500 pages.

[0130] If the number of pages of the interrupt job is less than the predetermined number (step S404, NO), the process proceeds to step S402. On the other hand, if the number of pages of the interrupt job is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (step S404, YES), the process proceeds to step S403.

[0131] Also, the third interrupt process or the fourth interrupt process may be executed depending on whether or not the user confirmation is set. The user confirmation may be set in advance by the user as to whether or not to perform the confirmation by the fourth interrupt process, for example.

[0132] For example, as shown in Fig. 17, after determining YES in step S404 in Fig. 16, the control unit 200 determines whether or not user confirmation has been set (step S405). If the determination result shows that user confirmation has not been set (step S405, NO), the process proceeds to step S402. On the other hand, if user confirmation has been set (step S405, YES), the process proceeds to step S403.

[0133] In the above embodiment, the page at which a job is interrupted is the page corresponding to the image to be formed on the last sheet fed at the time when the control unit 200 accepts the interrupt job, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 200 may set the page at which a job is interrupted according to the difference between a separator page that separates the job and the number of printed pages.

[0134] The separator page may be, for example, the last page of one of the copies when the job is made up of multiple copies, or the last page of a sequence in variable printing.

[0135] For example, suppose that during execution of a given job, the printed page at the time the control unit 200 accepts an interrupt job is page 50. For example, suppose that the first separator page after page 50 in the job is page 53. In this case, since the difference between the separator page and the printed pages is relatively small, for example, the control unit 200 sets the separator page as the interrupt page.

[0136] Also, suppose that the first separator page after page 50 in the job is page 100. In this case, the difference between the separator page and the printed pages is relatively large, so the start of the interrupt job will be delayed. Therefore, the control unit 200 does not set the separator page as the interrupt page, but sets, for example, page 55 as the interrupt page.

[0137] The setting control of the page to be interrupted is executed, for example, according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 18. The flowchart shown in Fig. 18 is executed appropriately, for example, when the control unit 200 accepts an interrupt job during the execution of a predetermined job.

[0138] 18, the control unit 200 determines whether or not there is a separator page (step S601). If there is no separator page (step S601, NO), the control unit 200 sets a page that can be interrupted as the interruption page (step S602). The page that can be interrupted may be any page, such as a page that corresponds to the last paper fed from the paper feed unit.

[0139] On the other hand, if there is a separator page (step S601, YES), the control unit 200 calculates the difference between the separator page and the printed page (step S603).

[0140] After step S603, the control unit 200 determines whether the difference between the separator page and the printed page is equal to or less than a predetermined value (step S604). The predetermined value is a number that can be set arbitrarily, such as a number of pages that makes the job execution time from the printed page to the separator page relatively short.

[0141] If the result of the determination is that the difference between the separator page and the printed page is greater than a predetermined value (step S604, NO), the process proceeds to step S602. On the other hand, if the difference between the separator page and the printed page is equal to or less than the predetermined value (step S604, YES), the control unit 200 sets the separator page as the interruption page (step S605). After step S602 or step S605, this control ends.

[0142] After determining YES in step S604, the control unit 200 may determine whether the predetermined value is equal to or greater than the interruptible page count. The interruptible page count is, for example, the number of sheets of paper fed into the image forming apparatus 20 when an interrupt job occurs. If the predetermined value is less than the interruptible page count, there is a possibility that the pages will remain unprinted in the image forming apparatus 20 due to the interruption of the job. Therefore, if the predetermined value is equal to or greater than the interruptible page count, the control unit 200 can set the separator page as the interrupted page. Also, if the predetermined value is less than the interruptible page count, the control unit 200 may, for example, set the separator page to the next separator page, and the process may return to step S603.

[0143] The page at which a job is to be interrupted may be set by the user. For example, the user may set the page at which the job is to be interrupted via a setting screen of the inspection unit 50 displayed on the display unit 26 when starting a job (inspection job).

[0144] For example, Fig. 19 shows an example of a setting screen of the display unit 26. On the setting screen, the page at which the job will be interrupted can be set in the "Interruption and interrupt permission level" section. For example, level 1 is a setting that does not allow the job to be interrupted. Level 2 is a setting that allows interruption at a separator page. Level 3 is a setting that allows interruption corresponding to the page at which the interrupt job was accepted.

[0145] Furthermore, the interrupt job causes a given job to be divided into two. Therefore, for example, each of the two divided jobs may be displayed in the job list displayed on the display unit 26. In other words, the control unit 200 may control the display unit 26 to display the job list up to the interruption and the job after it is resumed separately.

[0146] Fig. 20 shows an example in which a first job A, which indicates the job up until the interruption, and a first job B, which indicates the job after the restart, are displayed in the job list. Also, Fig. 20 shows a second job corresponding to the interrupt job at the same time.

[0147] FIG. 20 also shows that the inspection report has been created for each job, but is waiting for confirmation of combining the two jobs.

[0148] In addition, in the above embodiment, the control unit 200 accepts the interrupt job, but the present invention is not limited to this, and another reception unit may accept the interrupt job, and the control unit may obtain information indicating that the reception unit has accepted it.

[0149] In the above embodiment, when an interrupt job is accepted, if a read image inspection of a sheet on which an image has been formed before the interruption of the job being executed, is being performed, the interrupt job is started after the read image inspection is completed, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if an interrupt job does not include an inspection job and there is a conveying route that bypasses the inspection unit or a conveying route that avoids the inspection unit, the interrupt job may be started before the read image inspection is completed.

[0150] In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples of the embodiment of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by them. In other words, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist or main characteristics of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0151] 1. Image inspection system 10 Paper feeder 20 Image forming device 21 Image forming section 22 Fixing section 25 Operation display section 26 Display section 27 Control section 30 Image reader 31 Output image reading unit 40 Aftertreatment device 41 Sorting Department 42,43 Output tray 50 Inspection Department 51,52 Data storage section 60 PC 200 Control section

Claims

1. an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium based on a job; an acquisition unit that acquires a read image by reading an image formed on the recording medium; an inspection unit that inspects the read image; a reception unit for receiving an interrupt job; a control unit that suspends image formation and inspection of the job being executed when the reception unit receives the interrupt job during execution of the job; An image inspection system comprising:

2. When the reception unit receives the interrupt job, if a read image inspection of the recording medium on which the image has been formed before the interruption of the image formation of the job being executed is being performed, the control unit interrupts the image formation and inspection of the job at least after the read image inspection is completed. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

3. The control unit is When the interrupt job does not include an inspection of a read image on the recording medium, the inspection unit is controlled so as not to inspect the recording medium on which an image is formed in the interrupt job. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

4. the control unit controls the image forming unit to insert a page related to the image formation of the interrupt job between pages before and after the interruption of the image formation of the job, and to form an image. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

5. The control unit is setting a page at which the image formation of the job is to be interrupted; and executing the image formation and inspection of the job up to the interrupted page, and then executing the interrupt job. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

6. when the interrupt job includes an inspection of a read image on the recording medium, the control unit switches a reference image used in the inspection from an image related to the inspection of the job to an image related to the inspection of the interrupt job. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

7. the control unit controls the job list on a display medium to display a part up to the interruption of the job and a part after the restart of the job separately. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

8. the control unit controls to create a report up to the interruption of the job and a report after the job is resumed. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

9. The control unit controls to create a report up to the interruption and a report after the restart together. The image inspection system of claim 8.

10. A paper discharge unit having a plurality of trays is further provided, the control unit changes a tray to which paper is discharged between the job and the interrupt job. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

11. Further comprising a paper discharge unit, the control unit executes a process for prohibiting the printout of the interrupted job from being removed from the paper discharge unit. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

12. the control unit executes a process for distinguishing between a printed matter produced by the job and a printed matter produced by the interrupt job. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

13. the control unit controls the image forming unit to print on the margins of the recording medium of the interrupted page and the resumed page of the job. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

14. the control unit automatically sets a page at which the job is to be interrupted; The image inspection system of claim 1 .

15. the control unit sets the page at which to interrupt the job in accordance with a difference between a separator page that is a separator in the job and a printed page. The image inspection system of claim 14.

16. The inspection unit is capable of setting an inspection level for each inspection job, The control unit sets the page to be interrupted in accordance with the inspection level. The image inspection system of claim 14.

17. the control unit outputs a confirmation command to cause a user to confirm the interrupted page and the page after the restart in the printed matter of the job. The image inspection system of claim 1 .

18. The control unit terminates the inspection in the inspection unit based on information of the user's confirmation result in the confirmation command.

20. The imaging inspection system of claim 17.

19. an acquisition unit that acquires a read image by reading an image formed on a recording medium based on a job; an inspection unit that inspects the read image; a reception unit for receiving an interrupt job; a control unit that suspends image formation and inspection of the job being executed when the reception unit receives the interrupt job during execution of the job; An inspection device comprising:

20. 1. A method for inspecting an image in an image inspection system, comprising: forming an image on a recording medium based on a job; Obtaining a read image by reading an image formed on the recording medium; inspecting the scanned image; Accepting an interrupt job; and When the interrupt job is accepted during the execution of the job, the image formation and inspection of the job being executed are interrupted; An inspection method having the following features.

21. An image inspection program for an image inspection system, comprising: On the computer, A process of forming an image on a recording medium based on a job; A process of acquiring a read image by reading an image formed on the recording medium; A process of inspecting the read image; A process for accepting interrupt jobs; When the interrupt job is accepted during the execution of the job, a process of interrupting image formation and inspection of the job being executed; An inspection program that executes the following:

Images