Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus capable of efficiently controlling lighting of a lamp for notifying that a printed matter is discharged.SOLUTION: According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an image forming apparatus that performs printing on a medium based on print data transmitted from a data transmission source, the image forming apparatus including a medium detection unit that detects that a printed medium remains, a storage unit that stores information associating the data transmission source with a recipient, a transmission source management unit that specifies the recipient corresponding to the data transmission source based on the information in the storage unit, a recipient management unit that confirms that the recipient is present around the image forming apparatus, and a notification unit that notifies the recipient. And a control part for determining whether or not to perform notification to the recipient by the notification part according to the confirmation result of the recipient.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, and can be applied to, for example, an image forming apparatus such as a FAX or a network printer that notifies completion of ejection of a printed material. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known an image forming apparatus that notifies a user that a printed matter has been discharged by lighting a lamp (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a technology that achieves power saving by defining time periods when the user is likely to be absent (for example, late night hours) and setting the lamp not to light up during those defined time periods. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-1085 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-70170 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in conventional image forming devices, the user must manually set the lamp during off-time, making it impossible to immediately respond to sudden absences of the user.Furthermore, it is also impossible to immediately respond when the user is working during off-time.

[0006] In this regard, if the user were to reset the lighting time each time, it would result in cumbersome work.

[0007] Therefore, there is a demand for an image forming apparatus that can efficiently control the lighting of a lamp to notify the user that a printed document has been discharged, depending on the user's situation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The image forming device disclosed herein is an image forming device that prints on a medium based on print data sent from a data sender, and is characterized by having: (1) a medium detection unit that detects whether the medium on which printing has been performed remains; (2) a memory unit that stores information linking the data sender and a recipient; (3) a source management unit that identifies the recipient corresponding to the data sender based on the information in the memory unit; (4) a recipient management unit that confirms that the recipient is present in the vicinity of the image forming device; (5) an alarm unit that notifies the recipient; and (6) a control unit that uses the source management unit to identify the recipient corresponding to the data sender, confirms the presence of the recipient using the recipient management unit, and determines whether or not to notify the recipient using the alarm unit based on the confirmation result of the recipient. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to efficiently control the lighting of the lamp to notify the user that a printed document has been ejected, depending on the user's situation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the printer according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of a source table and a group table according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing characteristic operations (lamp lighting control during fax reception and printing) of the printer according to the embodiment. [Figure 5]10 is a flowchart showing a characteristic operation (recipient online confirmation process) of the printer according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a characteristic operation (remaining paper monitoring process) of the printer according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of a printer according to a modified embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing examples of a source table and a group table according to a modified embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] (A) Main embodiment An embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following, an example in which the image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure is applied to a printer will be described.

[0012] (A-1) Configuration of the embodiment (A-1-1) Overall configuration FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of the printer 1 of this embodiment.

[0013] The printer 1 has an image forming unit 2 (2K, 2Y, 2M, 2C), a paper feed tray 5, conveying rollers 6 and 7, a writing sensor 8, a conveying belt 9, a fixing unit 10, discharge rollers 13 and 14, a discharge sensor 15, a discharge tray 16, a paper remaining sensor 17 as a media detection unit, and a lamp 18 as an alarm unit.

[0014] Image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C each form a toner image. Image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C each form a toner image of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) toner colors on internal photosensitive drums 3K, 3Y, 3M, and 3C. Image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C transfer the toner image formed on each photosensitive drum 3 to a sheet of paper P, which serves as a medium, using transfer rollers 4 installed opposite each other.

[0015] The paper feed tray 5 is a cassette that stores paper sheets P, and uses a paper feed roller R to feed the paper sheets P one by one onto the transport path RT.

[0016] The conveying rollers 6 and 7 are rollers that convey the fed paper P to the conveying belt 9.

[0017] The writing sensor 8 is a sensor for determining the timing to start writing on the fed paper P.

[0018] The conveyor belt 9 is an endless belt for conveying the fed paper P.

[0019] The fixing unit 10 incorporates a fixing roller 11 and a fixing backup roller 12. The fixing roller 11 is heated (for example, to a temperature of approximately 170°C) by an internal heater (a heating element such as a halogen lamp) to fix the toner image transferred onto the surface of the paper. The fixing backup roller 12 is pressed against the fixing roller 11 by a pressing means (not shown).

[0020] The discharge rollers 13 and 14 are rollers for discharging the paper P on which an image has been formed onto a discharge tray 16.

[0021] The discharge sensor 15 is a sensor for detecting the discharge state of the paper P (transport error, wrapping, etc.).

[0022] The discharge tray 16 is provided at the top of the printer 1 and is used to stack the discharged paper P.

[0023] The remaining paper sensor 17 is a sensor that detects the paper P discharged onto the discharge tray 16 .

[0024] The lamp 18 lights up to notify users around the printer 1 that the discharged paper P remains in the discharge tray 16.

[0025] (A-1-2) Control system configuration Next, we will explain the configuration of the control system of the printer 1. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the printer according to this embodiment.

[0026] In FIG. 1, the printer 1 has the above-mentioned paper remaining sensor 17, the above-mentioned lamp 18, a control unit 101, an image formation control unit 102, an operation display unit 103, an ejection unit 104, a lighting control unit 105, a FAX communication unit 106, a sender management unit 107, a network communication unit 108, a recipient management unit 109, and a memory unit 110.

[0027] The control unit 101 controls each unit and is responsible for the main functions (printing operation, etc.) of the printer 1. The control unit 101 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a timer, an input / output interface unit, etc. (not shown), and the functions of the printer 1 are realized by the CPU executing a program stored in the flash ROM.

[0028] The control unit 101 in this embodiment stores information about the data transmission source (a fax (not shown) or host PC 40) in the storage unit 110 (recipient table 113), and determines whether to notify that the paper P has been discharged depending on whether a user (recipient) corresponding to the data transmission source is present in the vicinity of the device. Whether the recipient is present in the vicinity of the device is determined, for example, by whether communication with the host PC 40 held by the user is possible.

[0029] The control unit 101 detects whether or not the recipient of the printed matter (paper P discharged to the discharge tray 16) is near the printer 1, and turns on the lamp 18. This turns on the lamp 18 when necessary and turns off the lamp 18 when not necessary, making it possible to notify the presence or absence of the printed matter while reducing power consumption. Further details of the control unit 101 will be described in the section on operation.

[0030] The image formation control unit 102 controls the image forming units 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K in accordance with instructions from the control unit 101 to form a toner image on the paper P.

[0031] The operation display unit 103 is installed in a part of the housing of the printer 1 so that it can be operated by the user, and has a display screen that displays various information, and keys and switches that are operated by the user. The operation display unit 103 allows the user to set information for each table (sender table 111, group table 112) stored in the memory unit 110 by key operation.

[0032] The discharge unit 104 controls the discharge of the paper P onto the discharge tray 16 .

[0033] The lighting control unit 105 controls the turning on and off of the lamp 18 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 101 .

[0034] The FAX communication unit 106 transmits and receives FAX data to and from the other party via the telephone network 30. When the FAX communication unit 106 receives FAX data from the telephone network 30, it issues a print instruction to the control unit 101 and notifies the sender management unit 107 of the caller number.

[0035] The sender management unit 107 checks the sender number against a sender table 111 stored in the storage unit 110, and extracts the recipient (or group) corresponding to the sender number. In the case of a group, the sender management unit 107 extracts multiple recipients belonging to the corresponding group from the group table 112, and obtains information identifying the recipient (in this embodiment, the host PC name or IP address). The information of the extracted recipient is stored in a recipient table 113 in the storage unit 110.

[0036] The network communication unit 108 transmits and receives information such as print data to and from the host PCs 40 (40-1 to 40-n) via the local network 20.

[0037] The receiver management unit 109 checks via the network communication unit 108 whether the host PC 40 used by the corresponding receiver on the local network 20 is online or not.

[0038] The storage unit 110 stores data related to the lighting control of the lamp 18. The storage unit 110 has a sender table 111 in which the host PC name and IP address of the recipient corresponding to the calling number and the group ID are registered, a group table 112 in which the host PC name and IP address of the recipient belonging to the group corresponding to the group ID are registered, and a recipient table in which the recipient corresponding to the print request source is temporarily stored.

[0039] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a source table and a group table according to the embodiment.

[0040] In FIG. 3(A), the sender table 111 has an item of "calling number" indicating the calling number of the other party used for FAX communication, and an item of "recipient / group" indicating information identifying the recipient or recipient group stored in association with the calling number.

[0041] For example, in Figure 3(A), the caller ID "03-xxxx-xxxx" designates a terminal (host PC40-1) with the host name "PC0001" as the recipient. The caller ID "028-zzz-zzzz" designates a group "Group_development" as the recipient. Similarly, the caller ID "067-www-wwww" designates a group "Group_manager" as the recipient.

[0042] Figure 3(B) shows group table 112-1 for group "Group_development," and Figure 3(C) shows group table 112-2 for group "Group_manager." That is, the members of Group_development are host PCs 40 with host names "PC0001," "PC0003," and "PC0004," and all of these terminals are recipients of the call number "028-zzz-zzzz."

[0043] Similarly, for the call number "067-www-wwww", the recipients are the hosts PC40 with the host name "PC0002", the IP address "10.49.182.5", and the host name "PC0004", which are members of the group "Group_manager".

[0044] (A-2) Operation of the embodiment Next, the operation of the printer 1 according to the embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the characteristic operations (lamp lighting control during FAX reception and printing) of the printer according to the embodiment.

[0046] (A-2-1) Processing when receiving a fax FIG. 4A shows a flowchart when a FAX is received.

[0047] <s101> When a FAX communication unit 106 receives a FAX via the telephone network 30, it transmits the received data to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 issues an image formation instruction to each image forming unit 2 via the image formation control unit 102, forms a toner image based on the received data on the paper P being conveyed, and fixes the toner image to the paper P using the fixing unit 10.

[0048] <s102> The control unit 101 monitors whether all printed sheets P have been discharged to the discharge tray 16 using a transport sensor (such as the write sensor 8 or the discharge sensor 15), and determines whether all sheets P have been discharged. If the control unit 101 determines that all sheets P have been discharged, the process proceeds to step S107, which will be described later.

[0049] <s103> In addition, the control unit 101 controls the acquisition of the caller number from the FAX communication unit 106 in parallel with the printing process.

[0050] <s104> The sender number acquired by the FAX communication unit 106 is sent to the sender management unit 107. The sender management unit 107 uses the sender table 111 and the group table 112 in the storage unit 110 to determine the recipient corresponding to the sender number.

[0051] <s105> The sender management unit 107 sends the information of the recipient confirmed in step S104 to the recipient management unit 109. At the same time, the sender management unit 107 stores the confirmed information of the recipient in the recipient table 113 of the storage unit 110. The recipient information stored in this recipient table 113 is maintained until the paper P remaining on the discharge tray 16 is removed.

[0052] <s106> The recipient management unit 109 checks whether the recipient (the recipient corresponding to the FAX transmission number) sent in step S105 above is online or not.

[0053] <s107> The control unit 101 waits for completion of ejection of the printed matter (S102-Yes) and confirmation of whether the recipient is online (S106), and then determines whether the recipient of the printed FAX is online.

[0054] <s108> If the control unit 101 determines in step S107 that the recipient is online (S107-Yes), it turns on the lamp 18 and ends the series of processes. Note that if the lamp 18 is already on, this process may be omitted.

[0055] On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in step S107 that the recipient is offline (S107-No), the control unit 101 ends the series of processes while maintaining the state of the lamp 18.

[0056] (A-2-2) Network printing process FIG. 4B shows a flowchart for network printing.

[0057] <s201> When the network communication unit 108 receives a print request from the host PC 40 via the local network 20, it transmits the received print data to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 issues an image formation instruction to each image forming unit 2 via the image formation control unit 102, forms a toner image based on the print data on the paper P being transported, and fixes the toner image to the paper P using the fixing unit 10.

[0058] <s202> The control unit 101 monitors whether all printed sheets P have been discharged onto the discharge tray 16 using a transport sensor (such as the write sensor 8 or the discharge sensor 15), and determines whether all sheets P have been discharged. If the control unit 101 determines that all sheets P have been discharged, the process proceeds to step S205, which will be described later.

[0059] <s203> In addition, the control unit 101 acquires information about the request source of the print request from the network communication unit 108 in parallel with the print processing.

[0060] <s204> The requestor information acquired by the network communication unit 108 is sent to the recipient management unit 109. At the same time, the recipient management unit 109 stores the requestor information in the recipient table 113 of the storage unit 110. The requestor information stored in this recipient table 113 is maintained until the paper P remaining on the discharge tray 16 is removed.

[0061] <s205> The control unit 101 waits for the completion of ejection of the printed matter (S202-Yes) and storage of the request source information (S204), then turns on the lamp 18 and ends the series of processes. Note that if the lamp 18 is already on, this process may be omitted.

[0062] Also, unlike fax reception, in network printing processing, the requester is online immediately after printing, so the online confirmation process here can be omitted.

[0063] (A-2-3) Recipient Online Verification Process (Step S106, details of Step S405 described later) FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a characteristic operation (recipient online confirmation process) of the printer according to the embodiment.

[0064] <s301> The recipient management unit 109 acquires information on the recipient of the printed matter and the source of the print request stored in the recipient table 113 .

[0065] <s302> The recipient management unit 109 uses the network communication unit 108 to send a response command to the local network 20 in response to the acquired host PC name or IP address.

[0066] <s303> The control unit 101 determines whether or not a response has been received in response to the response command sent in step S302. Here, if the recipient is a group, the control unit 101 determines that a response has been received if there is at least one response.

[0067] <S304、S305> If there is no response to the transmitted response command (S303-No), the control unit 101 determines that the recipient is offline. On the other hand, if there is at least one response to the transmitted response command from the recipient (S303-Yes), the control unit 101 determines that the recipient is online.

[0068] (A-2-4) Monitoring process for paper P remaining in discharge tray 16 (processing of steps S102 and S202) 6 is a flowchart showing a characteristic operation (remaining paper monitoring process) of the printer according to the embodiment. The control unit 101 periodically performs this process if even one recipient or print request source is stored in the recipient table 113.

[0069] <s401> The control unit 101 issues an instruction to the discharge unit 104 to check via the paper remaining sensor 17 whether or not the paper P exists (remains) on the discharge tray 16.

[0070] <s402> If there is no paper P on the discharge tray 16, the control unit 101 proceeds to the next step S403, whereas if there is a paper P on the discharge tray 16, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S404, which will be described later.

[0071] <s403> If it is determined in step S402 that no paper P exists in the discharge tray 16 (S402-No), the control unit 101 deletes the recipient and the print request source stored in the recipient table 113.

[0072] <s404> If the control unit 101 determines in the above-mentioned step S402 that paper P is present in the discharge tray 16 (S402-Yes), it checks whether the recipient and the print request source stored in the recipient table 113 are online.

[0073] <s405> If the receiver confirmed in step S404 above is offline, the control unit 101 proceeds to the next step S407, whereas if the receiver is online, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S407 described below.

[0074] <s406> After the above step S403, or if the receiver is online in the above step S405 (S405-No), the control unit 101 turns off the lamp 18 and ends the series of processes.

[0075] <s407> On the other hand, if the receiver is online in step S405 (S405-No), the control unit 101 turns on the lamp 18 and ends the series of processes.

[0076] (A-3) Effects of the embodiment According to this embodiment, the following effects are achieved.

[0077] The printer 1 links the sender with the recipient, and only when the recipient is online (when it can be assumed that the recipient is near the printer 1) can the lamp light up to notify that printed materials remain in the output tray 16. This allows the lamp to light up only when necessary, achieving both notification of remaining paper P and power saving.

[0078] (B) Other embodiments Although various modified embodiments have been mentioned in the above-described embodiments, the following modified embodiments can also be applied.

[0079] (B-1) In the above-described embodiment, a color printer using four colors was used as an example of the image forming apparatus, but the number of colors used for printing is not particularly limited, and a monochrome printer may also be used, for example.

[0080] (B-2) In the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 determines whether a recipient is online by using a response command and checking whether there is a response from the host PC 40, but this is not limited to this. For example, the printer 1 may also make the determination using login records for other user management systems, such as an entry / exit system, a time and attendance management system, or a conference system. In this case, the source table 111 and group table 112 associate the user ID, login name, etc. with the sender, rather than the host PC name or IP address.

[0081] Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of a printer according to a modified embodiment. Printer 1A shown in Fig. 7 differs from printer 1 in Fig. 1 in that network communication unit 108 can access user management system 50 via local network 20, and storage unit 110 stores transmission source table 211 and group table 212.

[0082] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a source table and a group table according to a modified embodiment.

[0083] 8(A), the sender table 211-A has the items of "calling number" indicating the calling number of the other party used for FAX communication, and "USER ID / GROUP ID" indicating the ID (user ID, group ID) managed by the user management system 50 and stored in association with the calling number. For example, for the calling number "03-xxxx-xxxx", the user ID "U_0001" is specified as the recipient.

[0084] 8(B), the source table 211-B has the following items: "USER ID" indicating a user ID managed by the user management system 50; "HOST NAME" indicating the PC name of each host PC 40 corresponding to that user ID; and "IP ADDRESS" indicating the IP address of each host PC 40. For example, the host name of a user ID "U_0001" is PC0001 (PC40-1), and the IP address is "10.49.182.1." In other words, the control unit 101 can confirm the presence of the user by accessing the terminal (PC40-1) with the IP address "10.49.182.1" that is set as the recipient.

[0085] 8(C), the definition of each member for each group ID is realized by the items "GROUP ID" and "USER." For example, it can be seen that the members of a group with a group ID of "G_0001" are terminals with user IDs of "U_0001," "U_0002," and "U_0003."

[0086] (B-3) In the above-described embodiment, whether or not a user is present in the vicinity is determined in network printing, just as when a fax is received. However, in network printing, lamp control similar to that of the prior art may be performed.

[0087] (B-4) In the above-described embodiment, no particular description was given of the processing to be performed when a recipient corresponding to the calling number is not set in the sender table 111. However, for example, when a recipient corresponding to the calling number is not set, it is not necessary to control the lighting of the lamp 18. Also, when a recipient is not set, it is possible to control the lighting of the lamp 18 by using a pre-specified recipient (group) as the default recipient. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1, 1A... printer, 2 (2C, 2K, 2M, 2Y)... image forming unit, 3 (3C, 3K, 3M, 3Y)... photosensitive drum, 4... transfer roller, 5... paper feed tray, 6... transport roller, 7... transport roller, 8... write sensor, 9... transport belt, 10... fuser unit, 11... fuser roller, 12... fuser backup roller, 13... discharge roller, 14... discharge roller, 15... discharge sensor, 16... discharge tray, 17... paper remaining sensor, 18... lamp, 20... local network, 30... telephone network, 40 (40-1 to 40-n)... host PC, 50... user management system 101...control unit, 102...image formation control unit, 103...operation display unit, 104...discharge unit, 105...lighting control unit, 106...FAX communication unit, 107...sender management unit, 108...network communication unit, 109...recipient management unit, 110...storage unit, 111...sender table, 112 (112-1, 112-2)...group table, 113 (211-A, 211-B)...recipient table, 211...sender table, 212...group table, 403...step, 404...step, 405...step, P...paper, R...paper feed roller, RT...conveyance path.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus that prints on a medium based on print data transmitted from a data transmission source, a medium detection unit that detects whether the medium on which printing has been performed remains; a storage unit that stores information linking the data sender and the recipient; a source management unit that identifies the recipient corresponding to the data source based on the information in the storage unit; a recipient management unit that confirms that the recipient is present in the vicinity of the image forming device; a notification unit that notifies the recipient; a control unit that identifies the recipient corresponding to the data sender using the sender management unit, confirms the existence of the recipient using the recipient management unit, and determines whether or not to notify the recipient by the notification unit according to the confirmation result of the recipient; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit notifies the recipient only when the presence of the recipient is confirmed.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recipient management unit confirms that the recipient is present in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus based on whether or not the terminal held by the recipient can be accessed via a network.

4. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data sender is a facsimile machine.

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