Marking system and method for managing marking device

Abstract

To facilitate the management of a marking device to be connected to a network.SOLUTION: A marking device 100a having a display / input part 101 having an input / output function is provided, and the marking device 100a retrieves other marking devices 100b, 200a, 200b on the basis of user's operation. The marking device 100a collects information of respective recognized devices and displays a list. When the user selects a marking device to input setting information, the inputted setting information is sent to the marking device 200a of a setting destination, and the marking device 200a receiving the setting information performs own setting on the basis of the received setting information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a marking system and a method for managing marking devices in the marking system. [Background technology]

[0002] In factories and other places where various products are manufactured, marking devices, such as inkjet printers that continuously spray ink from ink nozzles to print information such as manufacturing dates and serial numbers, are widely used to mark products. A factory production line may have a printer system equipped with several to several dozen marking devices. In such cases, configuring each marking device individually requires a significant amount of work. Therefore, it is desirable to efficiently configure multiple marking devices via a network. Technologies such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are known as examples of such printer systems.

[0003] In the printer system described in Patent Document 1, inkjet printers with common setting items are grouped together, and a master inkjet printer is set as the group master. When setting print specifications for each inkjet printer, a server connected to the network sends a setting request to the master inkjet printer for each setting item. The master inkjet printer then sends setting requests to the other inkjet printers in the group, thereby setting the print specifications for each inkjet printer.

[0004] Patent document 2 also discloses a printer system in which a parent printer and a child printer are connected so that they can communicate with each other, and the printing content set by the parent printer is sent to the child printer, thereby setting the printing content of the child printer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-179715 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-75000 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In a system in which multiple marking devices are connected via a network, it is necessary to standardize functions such as time setting and user authentication to streamline the configuration management of each marking device. To achieve this, a server function that provides these functions must be installed on the network. The technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 can streamline print configuration between multiple inkjet printers. However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires a dedicated server device in addition to the marking devices, and a master inkjet printer must be set up in advance. Furthermore, the printer system described in Patent Document 2 configures the child printers from the parent printer, eliminating the need for a dedicated server device in addition to the marking devices, as in Patent Document 1. However, even in the system disclosed in Patent Document 2, the parent printer and child printer relationship must be predetermined in a one-to-one relationship.

[0007] Generally, in a system in which multiple marking devices are connected via a network, it is necessary to share functions such as time setting and user authentication, and a server that provides these functions is located within the network. Typically, the user must configure the server and the settings required for devices within the network to access the server. Patent Documents 1 and 2 also describe the provision of a master inkjet printer or parent printer, but do not consider how to configure each printer connected to the network, which must be configured by the user. Therefore, there is a concern that the user's management workload will increase, especially as the number of marking devices connected to the network increases.

[0008] In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to enable efficient management of settings of each marking device in a marking system in which multiple marking devices are connected via a network, thereby preventing an increase in the amount of work required for system management by users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the marking system includes a first marking device having a first marking unit, a display unit having input / output functions, and a first control unit to which the display unit is connected and which controls the first marking unit, and a second marking device having a second marking unit and a second control unit which controls the second marking unit.

[0010] The first control unit searches for a second marking device connected to the network, acquires device information about the second marking device from the second marking device recognized by the search, and displays information indicating the statuses of the first and second marking devices on the display unit based on the device information. The first control unit is configured to accept, from the display unit, a selection of either the first marking device or the second marking device and input of setting information for the marking device selected by the selection, and if the selected marking device is the first marking device, configure the first marking device based on the setting information, and if the selected marking device is the second marking device, send the setting information to the second control unit of the selected marking device.

[0011] The second control unit is configured to configure the device based on the configuration information received from the first marking device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In a marking system in which multiple marking devices are connected via a network, the possibility of an increase in the amount of work required for system management by the user can be reduced. Other novel features of the present invention and technical problems solved by these novel features will become apparent from the description and drawings of this specification. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a simplified system configuration diagram showing the configuration of a marking system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an inkjet printer with a display unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an inkjet printer without a display unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing performed when setting up an inkjet printer. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a data configuration diagram illustrating an example of device information. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of processing performed when setting a server function. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a processing flow when an operational server stops. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a process performed when setting up a server using an inkjet printer with a display unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a simplified system configuration diagram showing the configuration of a marking system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing performed when setting a server function in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings referred to in the description of the embodiments, parts having the same or corresponding configurations or functions are designated by the same reference numerals, and descriptions of overlapping parts will be omitted unless particularly necessary.

[0015] **Embodiment 1** FIG. 1 is a simplified system configuration diagram showing the configuration of a marking system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] The marking system of this embodiment includes, as multiple marking devices, inkjet printers 100a and 100b equipped with a display that functions as an interface with a user (hereinafter referred to as inkjet printers with a display or simply as inkjet printers) and inkjet printers 200a and 200b that do not have such a display (hereinafter referred to as inkjet printers without a display or simply as inkjet printers). The inkjet printers 100a and 100b and the inkjet printers 200a and 200b are configured to be able to send and receive information to each other via a network 300. Note that, hereinafter, in this specification, when inkjet printer 100a and inkjet printer 100b are to be distinguished from each other, they will be referred to by a numerical reference number followed by an alphabetic suffix; when there is no need to distinguish between them, the alphabetic suffix will be omitted and they will be referred to as inkjet printer 100. The same applies to inkjet printer 200a and inkjet printer 200b.

[0017] The inkjet printer 100 includes a display / input unit 101 , a device searching unit 102 , a device management unit 103 , a server unit 104 , a control unit 106 , and a printing unit 107 .

[0018] The display and input unit 101 functions as a human-machine interface (HMI) that displays information about the inkjet printers 100 and 200 connected to the network 300, an operation screen for users to input various information, and accepts information input through user operations.

[0019] The device search unit 102 has the function of searching for the inkjet printers 100 and 200 connected to the network 300 and responding to searches from other inkjet printers 100 and 200 .

[0020] The device management unit 103 manages the setting information of the inkjet printer 100, and also collects the operation information of the inkjet printers 100 and 200 recognized by the device discovery unit 102 and monitors whether the printers are alive or dead.

[0021] The server unit 104 functions as a server that provides service functions commonly required for the inkjet printers 100, 200 connected to the network 300 to operate in cooperation with each other. The service functions provided by the server unit 104 include, for example, a function as an authentication server that authenticates users when they operate the inkjet printers 100, 200, and a time synchronization function that synchronizes the times between the inkjet printers 100, 200.

[0022] The client unit 105 has a function as a client for accessing the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100 in which the server function is operating, and for utilizing the various functions provided by the server unit 104 .

[0023] The control unit 106 controls the printing unit 107 in accordance with the printing contents set by the user. As will be described later, the printing unit 107 ejects ink from a nozzle head to print on a printing object. Note that "printing" here includes printing of characters and symbols as well as printing of various figures and patterns.

[0024] The inkjet printer 200 differs from the inkjet printer 100 in that it does not include the display / input unit 101 and the server unit 104, but the other units have the same functional configuration as the inkjet printer 100.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of the inkjet printer 100 with a display unit.

[0026] The inkjet printer 100 includes a controller 21, a panel 22, and a nozzle head 23.

[0027] The controller 21 includes a processing unit (CPU) 211 that performs various arithmetic processing according to a program, a non-volatile memory device (ROM) 212 that stores the programs executed by the CPU 211, a volatile memory device (RAM) 213 that is used to temporarily store data used by the CPU 211 for processing, a display interface (display I / F) 214 to which the panel 22 is connected, a memory device 215 that stores information such as device information and print setting information, which will be described later, and an input / output interface (IF) 216 to which the nozzle head 23 is connected. Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 2, the IF 216 also includes a network interface for connecting to the network 300.

[0028] The CPU 211 reads and executes programs stored in the ROM 212 to implement the functions of the device searching unit 102, device management unit 103, server unit 104, client unit 105, and control unit 106. The storage device 215 is a non-volatile storage device, such as a flash memory, from which data can be read and written. Note that the ROM 212 and the storage device 215 do not necessarily have to be separate devices, and the same storage medium may be used to store programs, setting information, etc.

[0029] The controller 21 may be configured in part or in whole using hardware. For example, at least some of the functions of the device searching unit 102, device management unit 103, and control unit 106 may be realized using a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0030] The panel 22 has a display screen that displays various types of information, and is a touch panel that allows a user to input information by touching the display screen with a finger or the like, and corresponds to the display / input unit 101 in Fig. 1. Instead of such a panel 22, the display / input unit 101 may be, for example, a display device without an input function and an input device such as a keyboard.

[0031] The nozzle head 23 includes a nozzle 11 that ejects ink droplets, a charging electrode 12 that charges the ejected ink droplets, a deflection electrode 13 that deflects the charged ink droplets in the direction of flight, and a gutter 14 that collects ink droplets not used in printing.

[0032] Ink stored in an ink tank (not shown) is pressurized and supplied to the nozzles 11 by a pump 15. Ink collected in a gutter 14 is also temporarily returned to the ink tank, and then supplied again to the nozzles 11 by the pump 15. Ink particles ejected from the nozzle head 23 are deflected by a deflection electrode 13 and adhere to the print target 16. In this way, printing is performed on the print target.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the hardware configuration of the inkjet printer 200 without a display unit.

[0034] The inkjet printer 200 without a display unit differs from the inkjet printer 100 with a display unit in that it does not have a panel 22. Accordingly, the controller 31 does not have the display I / F 214 that the controller 21 has. Furthermore, since the inkjet printer 200 does not have the server unit 104, there is no need for the ROM 312 to hold a program for realizing the functions of the server unit 104.

[0035] In other respects, the inkjet printer 200 without a display has the same hardware configuration as the inkjet printer 100 with a display. Therefore, the explanation of each of the other parts is the same as in Figure 1, so a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted here.

[0036] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing that is carried out when a user configures each inkjet printer when building or changing a marking system in this embodiment.

[0037] A user operates the display and input unit 101 of any inkjet printer 100 equipped with a display unit to access a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and instruct the display of a device list screen of the GUI. Note that in this explanation, it is assumed that the user performs the operation using the display and input unit 101 of inkjet printer 100a (step 1001). In response to the user's instruction to display the device list screen, inkjet printer 100a uses device searching unit 102 to search for devices connected to network 300. The device search is performed using broadcast packets or the like (step 1002).

[0038] When the other inkjet printers 100b, 200a, and 200b connected to the network 300 receive the broadcast packet, they respond to the inkjet printer 100a that sent the packet. The device searching unit 102 detects the responding inkjet printers 100b, 200a, and 200b as inkjet printers on the network 300.

[0039] Next, the inkjet printer 100a exchanges device information with the inkjet printers 100b, 200a, and 200b whose existence has been detected by the device searching unit 102, via the device management unit 103 (step 1003).

[0040] FIG. 5 is a data configuration diagram showing an example of device information exchanged in the device information exchange process in step 1003 described above in this embodiment.

[0041] The device information 700 includes information such as a printer ID that identifies each inkjet printer, a serial number, a device name assigned to the inkjet printer, the version of the software running on the inkjet printer, the model number, the group name, and the server function setting status. The software version information can be used, for example, to determine compatibility between the inkjet printers 100 and 200. The model number information includes hardware information such as whether the target marking device is an inkjet printer and whether it has a display unit. If the inkjet printer has a display unit, the server function setting status information indicates whether the server unit 104 has already started up and the server function is running, and if it is running, whether it is in active mode or standby mode.

[0042] Returning to Figure 4, inkjet printer 100a starts monitoring processing by device management unit 103 for inkjet printers 100b, 200a, and 200b with which it has conducted a search and exchanged device information. During the monitoring processing, device management unit 103 communicates with the device management units 103 of inkjet printers 100b, 200a, and 200b to collect status information such as the amount of ink remaining and the operating status of each printer, and to monitor whether the printers are alive or not. The monitoring processing can be performed using protocols such as ICMP, Modbus / TCP, or REST API, or other proprietary communication protocols (step 1004).

[0043] Next, the inkjet printer 100a generates device list information based on the device information 700 collected in step 1003 using the device management unit 103, and displays it on the display / input unit 101 together with the status information collected in step 1004 (step 1005).

[0044] The user can set groups for the displayed list of inkjet printers. Setting groups makes it possible to display a list of inkjet printers for each group, perform monitoring for only inkjet printers in the same group, share print settings for each group, and activate server functions for each group, as described below. Specifically, the user selects the inkjet printers 100, 200 to be grouped in order from the displayed device list screen and sets a group name as group information for identifying the group. The device management unit 103 notifies each inkjet printer 100, 200 of the group name set by the user as setting information. Upon receiving the notification, the inkjet printers 100, 200 manage the group name in their respective device management units 103. At this time, the device management unit 103 updates the group name in the device information 700 collected from each inkjet printer in step 1003 with the group name set by the user.

[0045] The user can define and set a group that includes any inkjet printers 100, 200. For example, it is conceivable that inkjet printers 100, 200 located on the same production line may be defined as one group, or inkjet printers 100, 200 located on the same floor in a factory may be defined as one group. In this embodiment, inkjet printers 100, 200 for which no group has been set by the user belong to a group called the initial group by default.

[0046] Instead of being set by the user, the group setting of the inkjet printers 100, 200 may be performed automatically by the device management unit 103 of the inkjet printer 100 operated by the user. For example, the user may set device names for each inkjet printer 100, 200 in advance, and the group may be automatically determined based on the similarity of the device names exchanged when exchanging device information in step 1003. Specifically, each inkjet printer 100, 200 may be assigned a device name including the name of the line on which it is located, and inkjet printers with device names that closely match may be determined to be in the same group (step 1006).

[0047] The user can select any inkjet printer 100, 200 from the list of devices displayed on the display and input unit 101, access various information held by the selected inkjet printer 100, 200, and operate and set it. When the user selects an inkjet printer 100, 200 and requests that information be displayed, the device management unit 103 communicates with the device management unit 103 of the selected inkjet printer (assumed to be inkjet printer 200a in this example), obtains information about inkjet printer 200a, and displays it on the display and input unit 101. The information obtained here may include device information, status information, and, for example, print setting information related to various print settings used when the control unit 106 controls the printing unit 107 to print on a print target.

[0048] When the user uses the display / input unit 101 to, for example, give instructions to operate the inkjet printer 200a or change various displayed setting information, the device management unit 103 sends these instructions and changed setting information to the device management unit 103 of the selected inkjet printer 200a, and the device management unit 103 of the inkjet printer 200a operates and sets the inkjet printer 200a (step 1007).

[0049] In this embodiment, as described above, the inkjet printer 100 with a display unit operated by the user searches for other inkjet printers 100, 200 connected to the network 300 and displays them as a list on the display / input unit. The user can select an inkjet printer from the list and set up a group or the settings for that inkjet printer. This allows the user to easily manage the settings for each inkjet printer and the group settings.

[0050] 6 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing performed when setting up server functions. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the inkjet printer operated by the user is inkjet printer 100a. Note that the following explanation assumes that no group has been set up or that all inkjet printers 100 and 200 belong to the same group.

[0051] When the user attempts to set the server functions for time synchronization and authentication, the user operates the display / input unit 101 to select server startup. At this time, if the server unit 104 of an inkjet printer 100 in the same group has already been set as an active server or a standby server and is running, the device management unit 103 notifies the user of this. If the user does not instruct continuation of the process in response to this notification, the processes from step 1102 to step 1106 are not executed (step 1101).

[0052] In step 1101, if the server function has not yet been configured or started, or if the user instructs that processing continue, the device management unit 103 of the inkjet printer 100a being operated by the user checks the device information 700 to see if there are any other inkjet printers 100 with display units in the group.

[0053] If there are other inkjet printers 100 with displays in the same group, the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100a that the user is operating is selected as the active server, and the server unit 104 of the other inkjet printer 100 with a display (in this case, inkjet printer 100b) is selected as the standby server. At this time, if there are multiple inkjet printers 100 other than the user in the group, the device management unit 103 selects the server units 104 of all of these multiple inkjet printers 100 as standby servers. The device management unit 103 notifies the other inkjet printer 100b to start up its server unit 104 as the standby server (step 1102).

[0054] The inkjet printer 100a being operated by the user starts up its own server unit 104 as the active server. Inkjet printer 100b, which has been notified of the standby server startup, starts up its own server unit 104 as the standby server. Note that while it is possible to start up the server unit 104 of any inkjet printer 100 as the active server, it is generally assumed that the inkjet printer 100a currently being operated will operate the longest. Therefore, in this embodiment, to avoid unnecessary switching between the active and standby systems, the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100a being operated is preferentially started up as the active server (steps 1103 and 1104).

[0055] The server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100a activated as the active server and the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100b activated as the standby server monitor each other's status via the device management unit 103. In addition, the server units 104 start synchronizing the data they use so that they can share each other's settings (step 1105).

[0056] After startup is complete, the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100a activated as the active system sends information necessary for access to the other inkjet printers in the group so that the client units 105 of the other inkjet printers 100b, 200a, and 200b in the group will access itself, i.e., the server unit 104 activated as the active system server, for purposes of, for example, time synchronization and user authentication. Based on the information sent, the device management units 103 of the inkjet printers 100b, 200a, and 200b make settings so that the client units 105 can access the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100a (step 1106).

[0057] The above processing activates the server unit 104 operating as the active system and the server unit 104 operating as the standby system. Thereafter, the inkjet printers 100, 200 are able to print on linked print substrates based on functions such as time synchronization provided by the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100a activated as the active system server. Furthermore, when a user attempts to operate an inkjet printer in the group from one of the inkjet printers 100, user authentication is performed using the authentication function of the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100 operating as the active system.

[0058] In this manner, in this embodiment, the inkjet printer 100 operated by the user starts up its own server unit 104 as an active server based on the collected information, and sets up other inkjet printers as clients and as standby servers, thereby facilitating user management. Also, because the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100 operated by the user is started up as an active server, as described above, the active server function can be run on an appropriate inkjet printer 100 that is expected to operate for long periods of time.

[0059] 7 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing when an active server is shut down. An example of a case where an active server is shut down is when the power supply to inkjet printer 100, which server unit 104 is operating as the active server, is shut off in order to stop the operation. Here, the processing when a user shuts down inkjet printer 100a, which server unit 104 is operating as the active server, is described.

[0060] When the user turns off the power to the inkjet printer 100a, the server unit 104 stops the inkjet printer 100a that was operating as the active server (step 1107).

[0061] When inkjet printer 100a stops, communication 1120 for alive monitoring that has been performed between device management unit 103 of inkjet printer 100a and device management unit 103 of inkjet printer 100b, whose server unit 104 is operating as a standby server, is interrupted. Device management unit 103 of inkjet printer 100b detects that inkjet printer 100a has stopped because communication 1120 for alive monitoring that has been performed with inkjet printer 100a has been interrupted (step 1108).

[0062] When inkjet printer 100b detects via device management unit 103 that inkjet printer 100a has stopped, it switches the operation of its own server unit 104 from standby to active. If there are multiple inkjet printers 100 whose server units 104 are operating as standby servers, the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100 with the highest priority is switched to the active server according to a predetermined priority order. The priority order can be determined by the magnitude of the character code value using information that can identify each inkjet printer 100, such as the printer ID, device name, or serial number included in device information 700. Alternatively, during processing such as group setting (step 1006 in FIG. 4), the device information 700 may contain predetermined priority information, or the user may set it (step 1109).

[0063] After server unit 104 of inkjet printer 100b has been switched to the active system, similar to step 1106 described above, client unit 105 changes the settings of all inkjet printers operating in the group (here, inkjet printer 200a and inkjet printer 200b) so that they access itself, i.e., server unit 104 that has newly started operating as the active server (step 1110). Thereafter, operation of the printer system continues with server unit 104 that has been switched to the active system as the new active server.

[0064] In this way, by keeping the server unit of the inkjet printer 100 that was not operated by the user when the server function was set up as described above running as a standby server, even if the inkjet printer 100 whose server unit 104 was running as the operational server stops, the server unit 104 that was running as the standby server can be switched to the operational server, allowing the system to continue operating.

[0065] Furthermore, if there are three or more inkjet printers 100 in a group, when setting up the server function, the server units 104 of multiple inkjet printers 100 other than the inkjet printer 100 being operated by the user can be started as standby servers. As long as any of these inkjet printers 100 is operating, the function as a redundant system can be maintained, thereby further increasing the availability of the marking system.

[0066] 8 is a flowchart showing the process of server setup by the inkjet printer with display unit 100. The server setup process begins when the user displays the device list screen or updates the display on the display / input unit 101 (step 600).

[0067] Inkjet printer 100, which has started processing in response to a user operation, searches for other inkjet printers 100, 200 connected to network 300 using device searching unit 102 (step 601). Next, inkjet printer 100 exchanges device information with the inkjet printers 100, 200 recognized in step 601 using device management unit 103, and collects information about each inkjet printer 100, 200 (step 602). Thereafter, inkjet printer 100 with display unit starts monitoring the other inkjet printers 100, 200 using device management unit 103, and displays a device list created based on the collected device information on display / input unit 101 (step 603).

[0068] The user can set the server functions by operating the device list screen displayed on the display / input unit 101. If the user does not instruct to set the server functions, the inkjet printer 100 ends the process without executing the processes from step 605 onwards. On the other hand, if the user instructs to set the server functions, the inkjet printer 100 proceeds to the process of step 605 (step 604).

[0069] If the user instructs to set up a server in step 604, the inkjet printer 100 checks whether a server function has already been set up and is running within the group, based on the device information collected in step 602. If a server has already been set up within the group, the inkjet printer 100 displays this on the display / input unit 101 and asks the user whether or not to continue the server setting process. If the server has not yet been set up, or if the server has already been set up but the user has selected to continue the server setting process, the inkjet printer 100 proceeds to step 606; otherwise, the inkjet printer 100 ends the process (step 605).

[0070] In step 606, the inkjet printer 100 checks, based on the device information acquired in step 602, whether or not there are other inkjet printers 100 with display units in the group.

[0071] If it is confirmed in step 606 that there are other inkjet printers 100 with displays, the inkjet printer 100 being operated by the user starts up its own server unit 104 as the active server, and starts up the server unit 104 of the other inkjet printer 100 as a standby server (step 607). If it is confirmed in step 606 that there are no other inkjet printers 100 with displays, that is, if there is only one inkjet printer 100 with a display in the group, the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100 being operated by the user is started up as the active server (step 608).

[0072] The inkjet printer 100 sets the client units 105 of the other inkjet printers 100, 200 in the group to access the server unit 104 of the inkjet printer 100 set as the active server, and then ends the process (step 609).

[0073] According to the first embodiment described above, an inkjet printer with a user interface function searches for other inkjet printers connected to a network and displays them as a list on the display / input unit. A user can use this list to set up a group or configure inkjet printers within the network. Furthermore, the inkjet printer operated by the user operates as a server function with itself as the active system and configures other inkjet printers as clients. This makes it easier for users to manage the configuration of each inkjet printer and the configuration of server functions.

[0074] Furthermore, when there are multiple inkjet printers with user interface functions, the standby server function is operated by an inkjet printer with a user interface that is not being operated by the user, so that even if the inkjet printer operating as the operational system stops, operation as a marking system can continue, making it possible to build a highly available marking system.

[0075] In the first embodiment described above, a marking system has been described in which two inkjet printers equipped with a display unit having a user interface function and two inkjet printers without such a function are connected via a network. However, the number of inkjet printers is not limited to this, and the system may include a plurality of inkjet printers, including at least one inkjet printer with a display unit. For example, the system may include at least one inkjet printer with a user interface function and at least one inkjet printer without a user interface. Alternatively, the system may include a plurality of inkjet printers with a user interface function, but no inkjet printer without a user interface function.

[0076] **Embodiment 2** In the first embodiment, a group is made up of multiple inkjet printers connected to a network. In the second embodiment below, we will explain a case where inkjet printers belonging to multiple groups are connected via the same network.

[0077] 9 is a simplified system configuration diagram showing the configuration of a marking system according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, a marking system in which eight inkjet printers are divided into two groups and operated will be described as an example of a marking system in which multiple groups, each including multiple marking devices, are connected to the same network.

[0078] 9, in the marking system of this embodiment, two inkjet printers 100a and 100b equipped with displays are connected to a network 300. In addition, six inkjet printers 200a, 200b, 200c, 200d, 200e, and 200f without displays are connected to the network 300.

[0079] Inkjet printer 100a and inkjet printers 200a, 200b, and 200c make up group A. Similarly, inkjet printer 100b and inkjet printers 200d, 200e, and 200f make up group B. Inkjet printers 100 and 200 in this embodiment have the same configurations as inkjet printers 100 and 200 described in the first embodiment with reference to Figures 1 to 3, and therefore will not be described here.

[0080] Figure 10 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow when setting up server functions in this embodiment. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the two groups described above have been set up in step 1006 of the inkjet printer setting process described in the first embodiment with reference to Figure 4. Note that display-less inkjet printers 200b, 200c, 200e, and 200f have been omitted from Figure 10 for simplicity.

[0081] First, a server function setting process is performed within each group in accordance with the server function setting process described in the first embodiment with reference to Fig. 6. At this time, the inkjet printer 100a operated by the user sets its functions as a server and a client for the inkjet printers 100 and 200 in group A in the same manner as the process shown in Fig. 6. Furthermore, in step 1102 of Fig. 6, if the inkjet printer 100a recognizes the inkjet printer 100b with a display unit that belongs to another group (group B) from the device information 700, it instructs the inkjet printer 100b to activate its server function on behalf of the user. If there are multiple inkjet printers 100 with a display unit in the other group, the inkjet printer 100a selects the inkjet printer 100 with the highest priority and instructs it to activate its server function in the same manner as it did in step 1109 of Fig. 7 when it selected the inkjet printer to switch from standby to active.

[0082] Inkjet printer 100b, which has been instructed to activate the server function, performs the same process as inkjet printer 100a described in FIG. 6, and sets the functions as a server and a client for inkjet printers 100 and 200 belonging to group B (step 1200).

[0083] After the settings of the server unit 104 and client unit 105 in each group are completed, the inkjet printer 100a in group A whose operational server has been started and the inkjet printer 100b in group B whose operational server has been started exchange device information 700 with each other via their respective device management units 103 (step 1201).

[0084] When the inkjet printer 100a being operated by the user confirms that the function of the operational server in the other group has been activated based on the device information 700 acquired from the inkjet printer 100b in the other group (here, group B) through the exchange of device information 700 (step 1202), the inkjet printer 100a displays information on the screen of the display / input unit 101 requesting confirmation as to whether or not to synchronize the settings of the server functions between the server units 104 (step 1203).

[0085] When the user selects synchronization of server function settings through the GUI (step 1204), the server unit 104 of inkjet printer 100a and the server unit 104 of inkjet printer 100b begin synchronization so that they share data related to the server function settings with each other (step 1205).

[0086] According to this embodiment, the server settings are shared among inkjet printers 100 operating as operational systems across the configured groups, making it possible to share information managed by the server, such as user authentication information.

[0087] In this embodiment, when there are multiple inkjet printers 100 with displays in group B, the inkjet printer 100 in group B that will activate the server unit 104 as the active system is selected based on priority by the inkjet printer 100 in group A that the user is operating. This selection may also be made based on the user's selection. In this case, for example, the inkjet printer 100 in group A that the user is operating displays on its screen a list of inkjet printers 100 with displays that belong to group B based on device information, and accepts the user's selection on the screen. Then, the inkjet printer 100 selected by the user from the inkjet printer 100 that the user is operating can be instructed to activate its server function.

[0088] In addition, in this embodiment, the server function settings in group B are performed based on instructions from the inkjet printer 100 in group A that is being operated by the user, but it is also possible for the user to operate the inkjet printer 100 in each group and set the server function for each group.

[0089] According to the embodiment described above, in a marking system in which multiple marking devices, including a marking device equipped with a user interface operated by a user, are connected via a network, the marking device operated by the user searches for other marking devices and provides the user with information about those marking devices. The user can then configure the marking device or a group of marking devices based on that information. This allows the user to easily manage the settings of each marking device and the group settings, thereby reducing the amount of work required for the user to manage the marking system.

[0090] Furthermore, when there are multiple marking devices connected to the network, the marking device operated by the user operates the active server function, and another marking device equipped with a user interface operates the standby server function. This allows the active and standby server functions to be operated by the appropriate device, creating a highly available marking system. Furthermore, even if the number of marking devices connected to the network increases, it is possible to prevent an increase in the amount of work required for user system management.

[0091] The gist of the embodiment described above can be summarized as follows.

[0092] A first marking device equipped with a display unit having input / output functions searches a network to detect multiple marking devices connected to the network, collects device information from the detected multiple marking devices, and displays the information about the multiple marking devices on the display unit. When one of the multiple marking devices is designated and setting information regarding the device settings is input, the input setting information is sent to the designated marking device. The designated marking device configures the device based on the setting information.

[0093] Furthermore, the first marking device receives an input from the display unit instructing the activation of the server, and in response to the input instructing the activation of the server, activates a server function that provides a service for allowing the plurality of marking devices possessed by the first marking device to operate in cooperation with each other, and transmits access information for accessing the server function to the other marking devices, which then configure access to the server function based on the access information.

[0094] In one aspect, when activating the server function, the first marking device refers to device information to determine whether a second marking device equipped with a display unit having input / output functions exists among the multiple marking devices. If a second marking device exists, the first marking device transmits a server activation request to the second marking device. The second marking device receives the server activation request and activates the server function of the second marking device as a standby server.

[0095] In another aspect, the transmission of the setting information includes a process of receiving input of group information for dividing a plurality of marking devices into a plurality of groups and transmitting the group information to a designated marking device. The device information includes the group information, and the transmission of the access information is performed to other marking devices having the same group information as the first marking device set in the device information.

[0096] In this case, when activating the server function, the first marking device refers to the device information and determines whether or not a second marking device that belongs to the same group as the first marking device and has a display unit with input / output functions exists among the multiple marking devices. If a second marking device exists, the first marking device sends a server activation request to the second marking device. The second marking device receives the server activation request and activates the server function of the second marking device as a standby server.

[0097] Furthermore, the first marking device transmits setting information of the server function operating in the first marking device to the second marking device. The second marking device synchronizes the received setting information of the server function of the first marking device with the setting information of the server function of the second marking device. When the second marking device recognizes that the first marking device has stopped, the second marking device switches the server function of the second marking device from a standby system to an active system, and uses the setting information of the server function of the second marking device to take over the provision of the service that was being provided by the server function of the first marking device.

[0098] In one embodiment, when activating the server function, the first marking device refers to device information and determines whether a second marking device that belongs to a different group from the first marking device and has a display unit with input / output functions is present among the multiple marking devices. If a second marking device is present, the first marking device transmits a server activation request to the second marking device. The second marking device receives the server activation request and activates the server function of the second marking device. The second marking device also refers to the device information and selects another marking device that belongs to the same group as the second marking device from the multiple marking devices, and transmits access information for accessing the server function of the second marking device to the other marking device that belongs to the same group. The other marking device that belongs to the same group as the second marking device configures access to the server function of the second marking device.

[0099] Furthermore, the first marking device and the second marking device mutually exchange setting information of the server functions possessed by each of the first marking device and the second marking device, and share the setting information of the server functions possessed by each of the first marking device and the second marking device.

[0100] The present invention does not necessarily have to have all of these characteristic features, and may lack some of these characteristic features, or may be configured by any combination of these characteristic features.

[0101] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiments, a system using an inkjet printer as a marking device has been described as an example. However, other marking devices may be used, such as a thermal printer or a laser marker that uses laser light to print on a substrate. The system may also include a print inspection device that inspects the print quality of characters, symbols, or figures printed on a substrate. In such cases, for example, in FIG. 1, the control unit 106 and printing unit 107 of the inkjet printer 100 or inkjet printer 200 may be replaced with control and printing functions appropriate for the type of printer, or with control and image acquisition functions of the print inspection device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 100a, 100b, 100c... inkjet printers with display units, 200a, 200b, 200c, 200d, 200e, 200f... inkjet printers without display units, 300... network, 101... display and input unit, 102... device search unit, 103... device management unit, 104... server unit, 105... client unit, 106... control unit, 107... printing unit

Claims

1. a first marking device connected to a network, the first marking device comprising a first marking unit, a display unit having an input / output function, and a first control unit to which the display unit is connected and which controls the first marking unit; a second marking unit and a second control unit that controls the second marking unit, and a plurality of second marking devices connected to the network; The first control unit searching for the second marking device connected to the network in response to a first instruction input from the display unit, and acquiring device information related to the second marking device from the second marking device recognized by the search; displaying information indicating the states of the first and second marking devices on the display unit based on the acquired device information; a display unit configured to receive a selection of either the first marking device or the plurality of second marking devices from the display unit and input of setting information for the marking device selected by the selection, and if the selected marking device is the first marking device, to set the first marking device based on the setting information, and if the selected marking device is one of the plurality of second marking devices, to send the setting information to the second control unit of the selected marking device; The second control unit A marking system configured to configure a device based on the configuration information received from the first marking device.

2. the first control unit further comprises a server function for providing a service for allowing the first marking device and the plurality of second marking devices to operate in cooperation with each other, and is configured to start the server function when an instruction to start the server is input from the display unit, and to transmit access information for accessing the server function of the first control unit to the second control units of each of the plurality of second marking devices; 2. The marking system of claim 1, wherein the second control unit is further configured to set access to a server function of the first control unit based on the received access information.

3. 3. The marking system according to claim 2, wherein the setting information input from the display unit includes group information for grouping the first marking device and the plurality of second marking devices, and the setting information sent to the second marking device includes the group information.

4. the device information includes the group information, The marking system according to claim 3, characterized in that the first control unit is further configured to select, based on the group information, the second control unit of a marking device among the plurality of second marking devices that has the same group information as the first marking device, and transmit the access information to the selected second control unit.

5. At least one of the plurality of second marking devices includes a display unit having an input / output function connected to the second control unit, and the second control unit has the server function; the first control unit is further configured to refer to the device information in response to an instruction to activate the server function, and when recognizing that the at least one marking device having the same group information as the first marking device is included in the plurality of second marking devices, transmit a request to activate the server to the second control unit included in the recognized one marking device; The marking system according to claim 4, characterized in that the second control unit is further configured to start the server function possessed by the second control unit as a standby server when it receives a request to start the server from the first control unit.

6. the first control unit is further configured to send information relating to the setting of the server function possessed by the first control unit to the second control unit of the at least one marking device, thereby synchronizing the setting information of the server function possessed by the first control unit with the setting information of the server function possessed by the second control unit of the at least one marking device; The marking system of claim 5, characterized in that the second control unit of the at least one marking device is further configured to, when it recognizes that the first marking device has stopped, take over the provision of the service that was being provided by the server function of the first control unit using the synchronized server function setting information.

7. At least one of the plurality of second marking devices includes a display unit having an input / output function connected to the second control unit, and the second control unit has the server function; the first control unit is further configured to refer to the device information in response to an instruction to activate the server function, and when recognizing that the at least one marking device having group information different from that of the first marking device is included among the plurality of second marking devices, to transmit a request to activate a server to the second control unit included in the one marking device; The marking system according to claim 4, characterized in that, when the second control unit of the at least one marking device receives a request to start the server from the first control unit, the second control unit starts the server function possessed by the second control unit, refers to the device information, and transmits access information for accessing the server function possessed by the second control unit of the at least one marking device to the second control units of the plurality of second marking devices having the same group information as the at least one marking device.

8. The marking system according to claim 7, characterized in that the first control unit and the second control unit of the at least one marking device mutually exchange setting information of the server functions that they each possess, and share the setting information of the server functions that they each possess.

9. At least one of the plurality of second marking devices includes a display unit having an input / output function connected to the second control unit, and the second control unit has the server function; the first control unit is further configured to refer to the device information in response to an instruction to activate the server function, and when recognizing that the at least one marking device is included in the plurality of second marking devices, to transmit a request to activate the server to the second control unit included in the recognized one marking device; The marking system according to claim 2, characterized in that the second control unit of the one marking device is configured to activate the server function possessed by the second control unit as a standby server when the request is received.

10. The marking system according to claim 2, characterized in that the device information includes information for identifying each of the first marking device and the plurality of second marking devices, information for determining whether or not a display unit having the input / output function is present, and information for determining the setting status of the server function.

11. A method for managing a plurality of marking devices in a marking system in which the plurality of marking devices are connected via a network, comprising: a first marking device having a display unit with an input / output function among the plurality of marking devices, searching the network to detect the plurality of marking devices connected to the network; collecting device information about each of the plurality of marking devices from the plurality of marking devices detected by the detection, and displaying the information about the plurality of marking devices on the display unit; accepts, from the display unit, a designation of one of the plurality of marking devices and input of setting information relating to device settings, and transmits the input setting information to the marking device designated by the designation among the plurality of marking devices; A marking device management method including a step of configuring the designated marking device based on the configuration information.

12. The method for managing a marking device according to claim 11, further comprising: receiving an input from the display unit in the first marking device to instruct activation of a server; In response to an input instructing activation of the server, activate a server function of the first marking device that provides a service for operating the plurality of marking devices in cooperation with each other; transmitting access information for accessing the server function to other marking devices in the plurality of marking devices; A method for managing marking devices, comprising a step in which the other marking devices configure access to the server function based on the access information.

13. The marking device management method according to claim 12, wherein the sending of the setting information includes a step of accepting input of group information for dividing the plurality of marking devices into a plurality of groups, and sending the group information to the specified marking device.

14. the device information includes the group information, 14. The method for managing marking devices according to claim 13, wherein the access information is transmitted to the other marking devices whose device information includes the same group information as that of the first marking device.

15. The activation of the server function includes referring to the device information to determine whether or not a second marking device that belongs to the same group as the first marking device and has a display unit with input / output functions is present among the plurality of marking devices, and if the second marking device is present, transmitting a server activation request to the second marking device; 15. The marking device management method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of receiving the server activation request in the second marking device and activating the server function of the second marking device as a standby server.

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