Image forming apparatus and image forming method

Abstract

To provide an image forming device capable of calling attention of a user who has set printing papers in a paper feed tray when jamming is determined to be caused due to improper setting of the printing papers.SOLUTION: The image forming device includes a user authentication unit for authenticating a user allowed to perform printing, a paper set detection unit for detecting setting of printing papers in a paper feeding tray, a storage device for storing a user authenticated in setting of the printing papers in the paper feeding tray as a supply user, a paper feed jamming detection unit for detecting occurrence of paper feed jamming, and a control unit for controlling printing; the control unit determines whether or not the printing papers are set improperly when paper feed jamming occurs, and when determined to be improper, the supply user is then required to confirm a set state when the supply user uses the device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method that, when a paper feed jam is suspected to be caused by improperly setting the printing paper, prompts the user to check the setting state of the printing paper. [Background technology]

[0002] An image forming device having one or more paper feed trays for setting print paper determines that a paper feed jam has occurred (paper jam in the paper feed section) if the print paper does not reach a paper passage sensor installed in the transport path within a predetermined time after paper feed has started.The device then stops transporting the print paper and prompts the user to remove the print paper that could not be transported from the transport path by using a message display or other means.

[0003] A paper feed jam can occur when inappropriate printing paper, for example wrinkled or too thick, is set. However, even if the printing paper is appropriate, a paper feed jam can occur if the printing paper is not set properly in the paper feed tray. For example, if the paper guides that position the printing paper are tightened too much, the printing paper will get pinched in the paper guide and smooth feeding will be prevented. Conversely, if the paper guides are too loose, the printing paper will not be set in the correct position, causing skewed feeding or wrinkles, which can lead to a paper feed jam.

[0004] The following techniques are known regarding jams caused by printing paper. When a no-feed jam occurs in which paper is not properly transported from the paper storage unit to the image forming unit, it is determined whether it is the first sheet since the paper feed cassette was inserted or removed, or whether the paper in the paper feed cassette has not been used for a long time. Then, a message according to the cause of the jam is displayed. For example, if it is the first sheet since the cassette was inserted or removed and has not been used for a long time, it is determined that the paper was not properly set. Then, a message is displayed saying "Please reset the paper in the cassette" (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0005] Furthermore, the following techniques are known for displaying guidance on how to clear a paper jam caused by paper. If it is the first time a jam has occurred, the user is asked to carry out recovery work (remove the jammed paper) and the job is resumed. On the other hand, if jams occur repeatedly in the same location, a question such as "Is the leading edge of the paper wrapped around the fixing device?" is displayed. If NO is entered in response to the question, it is assumed that the problem lies with the paper and guidance such as "Turn over the paper you are using for copying" is displayed (for example, see Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-152983 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-203412 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the user who is using the image forming device when a jam occurs is not necessarily the one who loaded the print paper in the paper feed tray. If another user loaded the print paper in an improper manner, the fact that the jam occurred due to improper loading will not be communicated to the user who loaded the print paper, and the user cannot be alerted.

[0008] In other words, if the user who improperly sets printing paper in the paper feed tray is different from the user who uses the paper feed tray after setting the printing paper and a paper feed jam occurs, the user who set the printing paper cannot be notified that a paper feed jam has occurred and alerted. This invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and is designed to alert the user who set the printing paper in the paper feed tray when it is determined that a jam has occurred because the paper was improperly set in the paper feed tray. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] This invention provides an image forming device comprising a paper feed tray for storing printing paper, a user authentication unit for authenticating a user who is authorized to print, a paper set detection unit for detecting the setting of printing paper in the paper feed tray, a memory device for storing the user who is authenticated when printing paper is set in the paper feed tray as the refill user of that paper feed tray, a paper feed mechanism for feeding the printing paper from the paper feed tray, a paper feed jam detection unit for detecting the occurrence of a paper feed jam during the paper feeding, and a control unit for controlling printing including authenticating the user, detecting the setting of the printing paper, storing the refill user, and detecting the paper feed jam, wherein the control unit determines whether or not a paper feed jam has occurred due to improper setting of the printing paper by the refill user when a paper feed jam has occurred, and if it determines that the paper feed jam was improper, requests the refill user to confirm the set condition when using the device in the future.

[0010] Also, from a different perspective, the present invention provides an image forming method including the steps of: a control unit of an image forming apparatus authenticating a user who is permitted to perform printing; detecting the setting of printing paper in a paper feed tray using a paper set detection unit; storing in a storage device the authenticated user when printing paper is set in the paper feed tray as a refill user of that paper feed tray; feeding the printing paper from the paper feed tray using a paper feed mechanism; detecting the occurrence of a paper feed jam during the paper feed using a paper feed jam detection unit; controlling printing on the fed printing paper; and, when a paper feed jam occurs, determining whether or not the setting of the printing paper by the refill user was improper, and if it is determined that it was improper, requesting confirmation of the set state when the refill user uses the paper in the future. Effect of the Invention

[0011] The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage device that stores a user who is authenticated when printing paper is set in a paper feed tray as a refill user of that paper feed tray, and when a paper feed jam occurs, the control unit determines whether or not the refill user set the printing paper improperly, and if it determines that it was improper, requests confirmation of the set state when the refill user uses the paper feed tray thereafter, so that when it is determined that a paper feed jam occurred because the printing paper was set improperly in the paper feed tray, attention is called to the user who set the printing paper rather than the authenticated user who was printing when the paper feed jam occurred, which in turn makes it possible to prevent paper feed jams caused by printing paper being set in an improper state. The image forming method according to the present invention also provides the same effects. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a multifunction peripheral which is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a mechanical configuration of a main body portion of the multifunction peripheral shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the multifunction peripheral 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. [Figure 4] 11 is a first flowchart showing a process for alerting a user to a paper feed jam, which is executed by a control unit in this embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11 is a second flowchart showing the process of alerting a user to a paper feed jam, which is executed by the control unit in this embodiment. [Figure 6] 13 is a third flowchart showing the process of alerting a user to a paper feed jam, which is executed by the control unit in this embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of data used by the control unit 110 in the processes shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. [Figure 8]11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a paper setting state confirmation message that is displayed by the control unit to a user in this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a paper setting status confirmation message that is displayed on a copy operation screen by the control unit in this embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0014] <Configuration example of image forming apparatus> Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a multifunction peripheral which is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the mechanical configuration of a main body of the multifunction peripheral 100 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the multifunction peripheral 100 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. 1 and 3, the multifunction device 100 has an operation unit 105, an image reading device 111 that reads a document, an image forming device 115 that forms an image, a drawer-type paper feed tray 18, and a manual paper feed tray 19. Furthermore, the multifunction device 100 has an original transport unit 103 that transports an original to the reading section, and discharge trays 39a and 39b.

[0015] In this embodiment, the drawer type paper feed tray 18 has a drawer structure, and print papers are set in the tray with the drawer section pulled out. When the drawer section is inserted with one or more print papers set in a predetermined position according to the paper size, the control section 110 described below lifts up the top end of the set print papers to a predetermined paper feed position where the pickup roller 33 is located. In other words, the drawer type paper feed tray 18 is a lift-up tray. When the drawer type paper feed tray 18 is pulled out, the print papers descend from the paper feed position to the lift-down position. On the other hand, the manual feed tray 19 does not have a lift-up mechanism, but instead has a lift-up type pick-up roller (not shown in Figs. 1 and 2). When one or more print sheets are placed in a predetermined position according to the paper size, the print sheets placed in the manual feed tray 19 become ready to be fed. When feeding, the pick-up roller descends to guide the topmost print sheet to the sheet transport path R1.

[0016] In this embodiment, each of the four drawer-type paper feed trays 18 (paper feed trays 1 to 4 from the top) has a paper size sensor 18a that detects the size of the print paper set, and a paper out sensor 18b that detects the presence or absence of print paper.In addition, there is an insertion / removal sensor 18c that detects whether the drawer is inserted or not, and a paper level sensor 18d that detects the amount of piled up print paper set based on the amount of lift-up of the print paper when inserted. The manual paper feed tray 19 also has a paper size sensor 19a that detects the size of the print paper set therein, and a paper-out sensor 19b that detects the presence or absence of print paper.

[0017] 3, the paper out sensor 18b, the insertion / removal sensor 18c, and the paper level sensor 18d of each drawer-type paper feed tray 18 belong to the paper set detection circuit 41. In addition, the paper out sensor 19b of the manual feed tray 19 belongs to the paper set detection circuit 41. Further, paper passage sensors 45 are disposed on the sheet transport path R1 near the drawer-type paper feed tray 18 and the manual feed tray 19 to detect the passage of fed print paper. These paper passage sensors 45 belong to the paper feed jam detection circuit 43.

[0018] Here, the internal configuration of the multifunction device 100 shown in FIG. 2 will be briefly described. In the multifunction device 100, a color image using each of the colors black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) is printed on a print sheet. Alternatively, a monochrome image using a single color (e.g., black) is printed on a print sheet. For this reason, four of each of the developing units 12, photoconductor drums 13, drum cleaning devices 14, and chargers 15 are provided. In order to form four types of toner images corresponding to the respective colors, four image stations Pk, Pc, Pm, and Py are configured, each corresponding to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow.

[0019] At each of the image stations Pk, Pc, Pm, and Py, a toner image is formed as follows. The drum cleaning device 14 removes and collects residual toner on the surface of the photoconductor drum 13. Then, the charger 15 uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor drum 13 to a predetermined potential. Then, the optical scanning unit 11 scans and exposes the uniformly charged surface to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface. Then, the developing unit 12 develops the electrostatic latent image. As a result, a toner image of each color is formed on the surface of each photoconductor drum 13. The developing unit 12 contains a developer consisting of toner and carrier. The intermediate transfer belt 21 rotates in the direction of an arrow C. A belt cleaning unit 22 removes and collects residual toner from the rotating intermediate transfer belt 21. The toner images of each color formed on the surface of each photoconductor drum 13 are transferred in sequence to the intermediate transfer belt 21 and superimposed on each other, forming a color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21.

[0020] Drawer-type paper feed tray 18, which is a type of paper feed tray, stores sheets and feeds them to secondary transfer unit 23. As shown in FIG. 2, four types of sheets are stored in each tray. Furthermore, a manual feed tray 19, which is a type of paper feed tray, feeds a sheet placed at a predetermined position to the secondary transfer unit 23. The manual feed tray 19 in this embodiment includes a size detection mechanism and a sheet sensor that detects the presence or absence of a sheet at the predetermined position.

[0021] The print sheet is drawn from one of the four drawer-type paper feed trays 18 by the pickup roller 33 and fed to the secondary transfer unit 23 via the sheet transport path R1. Alternatively, the print sheet is fed from the manual feed tray 19 by a pickup roller (not shown) and fed to the secondary transfer unit 23 via the sheet transport path R1. A paper passage sensor 45 (see FIG. 3) is disposed on the sheet transport path R1 downstream of each pickup roller. A registration roller 34 that temporarily stops the print sheet and aligns the leading edge of the print sheet is disposed on the sheet transport path R1. Also disposed are a transport roller 35 that promotes the transport of the print sheet. The registration roller 34 temporarily stops the print sheet, and then transports the print sheet to a nip area sandwiched between the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the secondary transfer roller 23a in accordance with the transfer timing of the toner image.

[0022] When the print sheet passes through the nip area, the color toner image formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 is transferred to the print sheet. After passing through the nip area, the print sheet is sandwiched between the heating roller 24 and the pressure roller 25 of the fixing unit 17 and is heated and pressed. The color toner image is fixed onto the print sheet by this heating and pressure. The print sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 17 is discharged to the discharge tray 39a or 39b. The discharge destination of the print sheet is controlled by the control unit 110, which will be described later, and the transport path is switched by a switching mechanism (not shown) so that the print sheet is guided to either the discharge tray 39a or 39b.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the multifunction device 100 also includes an image processing circuit 120. The image processing circuit 120 includes the control unit 110, a communication circuit 124, and a video controller 125. The image processing circuit 120 may also include an image processing circuit not shown in Fig. 3. For example, the image processing circuit 120 is a circuit for processing an image of a document read by the image reading device 111. The control unit 110 includes a processor, a CPU 121, a RAM 122, and a non-volatile memory 123. The non-volatile memory 123 is composed of a flash memory or a HDD, and stores in advance the control program executed by the CPU 121. It also stores attribute data of the paper feed tray, including the refill user, for each of the drawer-type paper feed tray 18 and the manual feed tray 19. The RAM 122 stores data used in the processing of the CPU and data such as images related to image formation. The CPU 121 executes the control program stored in the non-volatile memory 123, and controls the operation of each unit of the multifunction device 100 shown in FIG. 2 and the processing of data.

[0024] The control unit 110 also includes a user authentication unit 131 that performs user authentication. There are various modes of user authentication, but for example, when performing authentication using a contactless card or an IC tag, or biometric authentication such as fingerprint or face recognition, the hardware resources used for user authentication belong to the user authentication unit 131. As a different mode, for example, when a user ID and password are used, the necessary hardware resources can be provided by the operation unit 105, the non-volatile memory 123, etc., so that the user authentication unit 131 becomes a functional component.

[0025] The operation unit 105 includes input means such as operation keys and a touch panel as hardware resources, and a liquid crystal display as a display means. The operation keys and touch panel receive user operations. The control unit 110 recognizes the received user operations and causes the liquid crystal display to display an operation screen related to the status and settings of the multifunction device 100. The communication circuit 124 is an interface circuit for connecting the multifunction peripheral 100 to a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and enabling communication with external devices such as a host computer 200. The video controller 125 generates a scanning signal related to the image to be printed and sends it to the optical scanning unit 11. The scanning signal controls the scanning exposure by the optical scanning unit to form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image to be printed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 13.

[0026] <Processing for alerting users regarding paper feed jam> Next, a process of alerting the user regarding a paper feed jam executed by the control unit 110 in this embodiment will be described. 4 to 6 are flowcharts showing a process of alerting a user to a paper feed jam among the processes executed by the control unit 110 in this embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of data used by the control unit 110 in the processes shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6. The flowcharts in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 include a configuration of a preferred embodiment in addition to the basic embodiment. The data shown in FIG. 7 may all be stored in the non-volatile memory 123, but a part of the attribute data showing the current state may be stored in the RAM 122. For example, items such as paper size, paper out or not, and logged-in user may be stored in the RAM 122 instead of the non-volatile memory 123 because the current state is detected by a paper size sensor or the like when the power is on. When the power supply of the multifunction device 100 is turned on, the control unit 110 starts the process shown in Figs. 4 to 6 as one of the tasks to be started after the initialization process. The tasks shown in Figs. 4 to 6 are multitasked in parallel with other tasks. The control unit 110 also executes the process shown in Figs. 4 to 6 for each of the four drawer-type paper feed trays 18. Furthermore, the control unit 110 also executes the same process for the manual paper feed tray 19.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 110 judges whether the paper feed tray is in the lift-down state after the power is turned on (step S11). If the paper feed tray is in the lift-down state (Yes in step S11), this indicates that the target paper feed tray was pulled out while the power was off. Therefore, it is judged that there is a possibility that new printing paper has been replenished and set in the target paper feed tray. The control unit 110 first lifts up the tray from the lift-down state to a position where paper can be fed (step S13). Then, the control unit 110 sets "unknown" to the item of the supplementary user that stores the user who set the printing paper, which is one item of the attribute data of the target paper feed tray shown in Fig. 7. In other words, it is considered that the printing paper was set by an unknown user.

[0028] Furthermore, "normal user" is set as a sub-item that represents the attributes of the replenishment user, and as a user-level item that indicates whether or not the user should be warned. A normal user represents a user who does not require a warning. In contrast, the setting for users who should be warned is "cautionary user." If the replenishment user is "unknown," that is, unspecified, it would be against the purpose to issue a warning to an unspecified replenishment user, so when "unknown" is set in the replenishment user item, "normal user" is also set in the user-level item. Furthermore, the control unit 110 sets "Not Confirmed" to the paper set confirmation status item, which is another item of the attribute data of the target paper feed tray. The paper set confirmation status indicates whether or not the authenticated user who will subsequently print has confirmed the status of the paper set in the target paper feed tray when paper has been refilled by an unknown user. If the status is unconfirmed, "Not Confirmed" is set, and if the status has been confirmed, "Confirmed" is set (step S15).

[0029] After a series of processes after power-on shown in steps S11 to S15, the control unit 110 enters a loop process of constant monitoring. The loop process of constant monitoring is a loop that returns to the judgment of step S17 shown in Fig. 4 via the judgment No of step S17 shown in Fig. 4, the judgment No of step S31 shown in Fig. 5, the judgment No of step S51 shown in Fig. 6, and the judgment No of step S71. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned step S11, if the target paper feed tray is not in the lift-down state, that is, if it is in the paper feed position (No in step S11), the control unit 110 advances the process to step S17 and enters into a continuous monitoring loop process. In this case, the attribute data of the target paper feed tray maintains the state before the power was turned off.

[0030] The control unit 110 advances the process to step S17 in the constant monitoring loop process. Below, some events that the control unit 110 monitors in the constant monitoring loop process and the processes that are performed when these events occur will be described. First, the process to be performed when a paper feed jam occurs will be described. This is an event indicated by the determination in step S17. The control unit 110 monitors whether or not a paper feed jam has occurred when feeding paper from the target paper feed tray in the process of step S17.

[0031] If a paper feed jam occurs (Yes in step S17), the paper feed jam occurrence counter is incremented by one (step S21). Then, the control unit 110 determines whether the value of the paper feed jam occurrence counter has exceeded a predetermined threshold value (step S23). If the value of the paper feed jam occurrence counter does not exceed the predetermined threshold value, the control unit 110 returns the process to the constant monitoring loop. The paper feed jam occurrence counter is a counter that counts paper feed jams from a target paper feed tray. When the control unit 110 determines that print paper has been set in the target paper feed tray, it resets the paper feed jam occurrence counter, and when a paper feed jam occurs when feeding paper from the target paper feed tray, it counts up the paper feed jam occurrence counter. The process of step S21 corresponds to this count-up process.

[0032] The threshold value for the judgment in step S23 may be a predetermined fixed value, or may be a value adaptively determined to reflect the situation before the printing paper is set. One example of an adaptively determined value is a value determined based on the frequency of paper feed jams before the printing paper was most recently set. By using an adaptively determined value as the threshold value, it is possible to detect that the frequency (occurrence rate) of paper feed jams has increased by more than a predetermined rate since the most recent printing paper was set compared to before the setting.

[0033] If it is determined in step S23 that the value of the paper feed jam occurrence counter has exceeded the threshold, the control unit 110 sets the user level, which is one item of the attribute data of the target paper feed tray, to "user to be warned" (step S25). This is to ensure that if the logged-in user when the paper feed tray is subsequently refilled with printing paper matches the refill user registered as a "user to be warned," a warning is issued to that logged-in user.

[0034] 7, the control unit 110 not only stores the refill user as attribute data indicating the current state of each paper feed tray, but also stores the history of refill users who have previously placed print paper in each paper feed tray in non-volatile memory 123. The refill user history may be individual for each paper feed tray, but is preferably common to at least paper feed trays of the same type, and may be common data for all paper feed trays.

[0035] A little more about the history of replenishment users will be explained. When new printing paper is set in the target paper feed tray, the control unit 110 sets the authenticated user at that time (logged-in user) as the replenishment user, which is one item of the attribute data indicating the current status. This is because the logged-in user is currently using the multifunction device 100. Before that, the control unit 110 moves the replenishment user that was registered in the target paper feed tray up until that point to the history of replenishment users, and stores it together with information on the date, time, and minute of the move, i.e., the set date, time, and minute indicating the time when new printing paper was set in the paper feed tray. Note that the user level, which is a sub-item of the replenishment user, is also moved together with the replenishment user. If the replenishment user to be moved is already stored in the replenishment user history, the already stored history is deleted to avoid duplicate registration of the history.

[0036] Meanwhile, when the control unit 110 accepts a new user authentication for using the multifunction device 100 and authenticates the new user, the control unit 110 sets the ID of the authenticated user to the login user, which is one item of the attribute data of the target paper feed tray. Then, it checks whether the authenticated user (login user) is stored in the replenishment user history. If the login user is stored in the replenishment user history, the user level of that replenishment user is copied to the user level of the login user. If the login user is not stored in the replenishment user history, the user level of the login user is set to "normal user." Furthermore, the control unit 110 may delete history that is older than a predetermined period by referring to the set date, time, and minute of each supplementary user stored in the supplementary user history. Alternatively, when the supplementary users stored in the history exceed a predetermined capacity, the history may be deleted starting from the oldest.

[0037] Returning to the explanation of the flowchart. 4, the control unit 110 further sets the item of the paper setting confirmation status of the target paper feed tray to "not yet", and returns the process to the constant monitoring loop. Next, a process will be described when insertion or removal of a target paper feed tray is detected in the continuous monitoring loop process. In this embodiment, the paper size sensor 18a, paper out sensor 18b, and paper level sensor 18d of the drawer type paper feed tray 18 are disconnected from the control unit 110 and cannot be detected when the drawer type paper feed tray 18 is pulled out, and are connected to the control unit 110 and can be detected when the target paper feed tray is inserted. However, the invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0038] In the judgment of step S31 shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 110 judges whether the target paper feed tray has been inserted or removed. When it is judged that the target paper feed tray has been pulled out (Yes in step S31), the control unit 110 first lifts up the paper feed tray to a paper feed position (step S33). After the lift-up is completed, the current print paper stack amount (approximate amount of print paper stored in the target paper feed tray) is obtained based on the lift-up amount of the target paper feed tray. By comparing the obtained current print paper stack amount with the stack amount before insertion or removal, it is judged whether new print paper has been set while the target paper feed tray is pulled out (step S35). The print paper stack amount (paper level) before insertion or removal and whether or not there is a paper shortage are data items stored in the non-volatile memory 123 as shown in FIG. 7. When the target paper feed tray is pulled out, the control unit 110 copies the paper level and the paper out status from the attribute data indicating the current status of the target paper feed tray, and stores the status immediately before insertion or removal. Based on at least one of the changes in the paper level and the paper out status before and after insertion or removal, the control unit 110 can determine whether print paper has been set in the target paper feed tray.

[0039] If it is determined that the print paper has not been set (No in step S35), the control unit 110 returns the process to the regular monitoring loop. If it is determined that printing paper has been replenished (Yes in step S35), the control unit 110 resets the jam occurrence counter for the target paper feed tray and sets the paper setting confirmation status to "not yet" (step S37). This is because printing paper has been replenished.

[0040] Next, the control unit 110 judges whether the refill user, which is one item of the attribute data indicating the current state of the target paper feed tray, is a user different from the currently logged-in user (step S39). If the user is different (Yes in step S39), the control unit 110 first copies the refill user to the refill user history. At that time, it stores the information together with the set month, date, time, and minute. In addition, the user level, which is a sub-item of the refill user, is also moved together with the refill user (step S41). If the refill user to be moved is already stored in the refill user history, the already stored history is deleted to avoid duplicate registration. After that, the control unit 110 copies the currently authenticated user, i.e., the logged-in user, to the refill user item of the target paper feed tray. In addition, the user level, which is a sub-item of the logged-in user, is also copied to the user level of the refill user (step S42). If the supplementary user is the same as the login user (No in step S39), there is no need to make a copy, so steps S41 and S42 are skipped.

[0041] Then, control unit 110 refers to the user level item of the refill user of the target paper feed tray and determines whether or not the refill user is a "cautionary user" (step S43). If the user level is not the "cautious user" (No in step S43), the control unit 110 returns the process to the constant monitoring loop. On the other hand, if the user level is the "cautious user" (Yes in step S43), the control unit 110 causes the operation unit 105 to display a message requesting the cautious user to check the state of paper set in the paper feed tray (step S45).

[0042] 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a paper setting status confirmation message 49 that the control unit 110 displays on the copy operation screen 47 of the operation unit 105 in this embodiment. The paper setting status confirmation message 49 shown in FIG. 8 is a message for alerting the user. When the paper setting status confirmation message 49 is displayed, the user cannot start copying unless he or she erases the paper setting status confirmation message 49 by operating the "OK" key displayed together with the message.

[0043] When the control unit 110 determines that "OK" displayed together with the paper setting status confirmation message 49 has been operated (Yes in step S47), it erases the paper setting status confirmation message 49 (step S48). At the same time, it changes the user level, which is one item of the attribute data of the target paper feed tray, from "cautionary user" to "normal user" (step S49). Then, the process returns to the constant monitoring loop.

[0044] Next, a process will be described in which user authentication is performed in the constant monitoring loop process and the user is authenticated from a non-logged-in state. Control unit 110 monitors whether a new user has been authenticated in a constant monitoring loop process (determination of step S51 shown in FIG. 6). If the user has been authenticated (Yes in step S51), it monitors whether the refill user, which is one item of the attribute data of the target paper feed tray, is "unknown" (step S53). If the refill user is "unknown" (step S53), it further checks whether the paper set confirmation status, which is one item of the attribute data of the target paper feed tray, is "not yet" (step S55).

[0045] If the determination at any of steps S51, S53, or S55 is No, the control unit 110 returns the process to the constant monitoring loop. If the determinations in steps S51, S53, and S55 are all Yes, the control unit 110 causes the operation unit 105 to display a message requesting the currently logged-in user to check the paper setting state of the paper feed tray (step S57).

[0046] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a paper setting status confirmation message 49 that the control unit 110 displays on the copy operation screen 47 of the operation unit 105 in this embodiment. The paper setting status confirmation message 51 shown in FIG. 9 is a message that requests a user who logs in after an unknown user has set print paper to confirm the state of the print paper setting. When the user pulls out the target paper feed tray in accordance with the displayed message (Yes in step S59), the control unit 110 erases the paper setting status confirmation message 51 (step S61). Furthermore, the control unit 110 sets the paper setting confirmation status, which is one item of the attribute data of the target paper feed tray, to "completed" (step S63). Then, the process returns to the continuous monitoring loop.

[0047] Next, we will explain the processing that occurs when an authenticated user logs out during continuous monitoring loop processing. In the continuous monitoring loop process, the control unit 110 monitors whether the logged-in user has logged out (determination in step S71). If the user is authenticated (Yes in step S71), the logged-in user, which is one item of the attribute data of the target paper feed tray, is set to "unknown" and the user level of the logged-in user is set to "normal user" (step S73). Then, the process returns to the continuous monitoring loop. The above is the process of alerting the user regarding a paper feed jam executed by the control unit 110 in this embodiment.

[0048] <User warning function for paper feed jams> Next, the following will focus on the function of alerting the user, which is realized by the processes shown in FIGS. The relationship between the basic functions and the processes shown in FIGS. For example, assume that while user A is a logged-in user of multifunction device 100 and is printing, paper feed tray 1 runs out of paper, and user A removes and inserts paper feed tray 1 to load new printing paper into paper feed tray 1.

[0049] When the control unit 110 recognizes that the paper feed tray 1 has been inserted or removed in the loop process of the constant monitoring, the control unit 110 advances the process to Yes in the judgment of step S31 shown in FIG. 5. When the paper feed tray is inserted, it is lifted up (step S33), and based on the lift-up amount (or whether or not there is no paper), it is judged that the printing paper has been replenished (Yes in step S35). Then, the control unit 110 resets the paper feed jam occurrence counter and sets the paper set confirmation status to "not yet" (step S37). If the logged-in user, user A, is different from the replenishment user set up until then for the paper feed tray 1 (Yes in step S39), the control unit 110 copies the replenishment user set up at that time together with its user level to the history (step S41). Then, the control unit 110 sets user A as the replenishment user for the paper feed tray 1 (step S42). At this point, it is assumed that the replenishment user A is not stored in the history. Therefore, the control unit 110 sets the user level to "normal user".

[0050] The determination in the following step S41 is No, and the process returns to the constant monitoring loop process. At this time, it is assumed that the state of the printing paper set by user A was inappropriate. However, the printing paper was set just before the end of user A's print job, and no paper jam occurred until the end of user A's print job. After that, when another user B logs in, the control unit 110 advances the process to Yes in the judgment of step S51 during the continuous monitoring loop process. However, since the user is not an unknown user, the control unit 110 advances the process to No in the judgment of step S53. Next, the control unit 110 checks whether the logged-in user B is stored as a refill user or a refill user history of tray 1 (step S65). If user B is stored in the history (Yes in step S65), the user level is copied to the user level of the logged-in user (step S67). If user B is not stored in the history (No in step S65), the user level of the logged-in user is set to "normal user" (step S69). Then, it returns to the continuous monitoring loop.

[0051] Assume that a paper jam occurs when user B is executing a print job that uses print paper in paper feed tray 1. When a paper feed jam occurs, the control unit 110 advances the process to Yes in the determination of step S17 during the continuous monitoring loop process. The control unit 110 increments the paper feed jam occurrence counter by 1 (step S21), and determines whether the value of the paper feed jam occurrence counter has exceeded the threshold value (step S23). For example, it is assumed that the threshold value is set to 2. When the control unit 110 counts up the paper feed jam occurrence counter until two paper feed jams occur, it returns the process to the continuous monitoring loop (No in step S23). When the third paper feed jam occurs (Yes in step S23), the control unit 110 changes the user level of user A, who is the user who refills the paper feed tray 1, from the previous "normal user" to "cautionary user" (step S25), and returns the process to the continuous monitoring loop.

[0052] It should be noted that even if the logged-in user using MFP 100 at the time the paper feed jam occurs is User B, control unit 110 changes the user level of User A, who is the replacement user at the time the paper feed jam occurs, to "Caution User." At that point, control unit 110 does not immediately display a message for the caution user, but returns the process to the constant monitoring loop. Even if multiple users log in before the paper feed jam occurrence counter reaches the threshold, user A remains the user who replenishes paper feed tray 1, so the user level of user A is also changed to "caution user."

[0053] Supplementary user A is replaced by another logged-in user when another user (e.g. user B) logs in and during that time new printing paper is set in paper feed tray 1 (step S39 in FIG. 5). If a paper feed jam occurs after that, or if it does not occur any more, it is not related to the setting of printing paper by user A, but is treated as related to the setting of printing paper by user B. Note that when user B sets printing paper, control unit 110 stores user A, who was the previous supplementary user, in the supplementary user history together with the user level.

[0054] Thereafter, when user A newly logs in, the control unit 110 advances the process to Yes in the determination at step S53 during the constant monitoring loop process. Since user A is the refill user for paper feed tray 1, the process advances to No in the subsequent determination at step S53, and since user A is stored as a refill user for paper feed tray 1 in the determination at step S65, the process advances to Yes. Then, the control unit 110 copies the user level of user A, who is the refill user, "caution user", to the user level of the logged-in user.

[0055] When user A refills paper in paper feed tray 1 while logged in, control unit 110 determines in step S31 during the constant monitoring loop process that the process proceeds to Yes. In step S35, the process proceeds to Yes, and in step S39, since user A is both the logged-in user and the refill user, the process proceeds to No. Then, in the determination of step S43, since the supplementary user, user A, is a "cautionary user," the process proceeds to Yes, and a message for cautionary users (see FIG. 8) is displayed on the operation unit 105. In this way, the control unit 110 retains the user who refilled the paper feed tray 1 with printing paper as the refill user, and if the paper feed jam exceeds a predetermined threshold, displays a warning message the next time the refill user refills the paper feed tray with printing paper. This is the basic function.

[0056] Next, functions related to the preferred aspects of this embodiment will be described. One preferred function is to prompt the logged-in user to check the status of the paper in the paper feed tray if the user who refills the paper feed tray with paper cannot be identified as the logged-in user. For example, this may be the case when print paper is set in paper feed tray 1 while the power is off. In this case, the control unit 110 recognizes in the determination of step S11 after the power is turned on that paper feed tray 1 is in the lift-down state, and proceeds with the process to Yes. Then, it sets the user who replenished paper feed tray 1 to "unknown." At the same time, it sets the user level to "normal user" and the paper setting confirmation state to "not yet." Then, it returns the process to the continuous monitoring loop process.

[0057] Thereafter, when a new user (e.g., user C) logs in, control unit 110 advances the process to Yes in the determination of step S51 of the constant monitoring loop process. In the subsequent determination of step S53, the user who refilled paper feed tray 1 is "unknown", so the process advances to Yes. Also, in the determination of step S55, the paper setting confirmation status is "not yet", so the process advances to Yes and causes operation unit 105 to display a message requesting confirmation of the paper setting status of the paper feed tray (see FIG. 9).

[0058] Then, when the paper feed tray 1 is inserted or removed (step S59), the message is cleared (step S61), and the paper setting confirmation status of the paper feed tray 1 is set to "Completed" (step S63). Then, the process returns to the constant monitoring loop. It is assumed that user C subsequently logs out and another user (for example, user D) logs in. In this case, since the paper setting confirmation status is set to "Completed" in the determination of step S55, control unit 110 does not display a message requesting confirmation of the paper setting status in the paper feed tray when user D logs in.

[0059] Also, print paper may be loaded into paper feed tray 1 while the user is logged out. When the user logs out, the determination in step S71 of the constant monitoring loop process causes the control unit 110 to proceed to Yes, and sets the logged-in user to "unknown" (step S73), and then returns the process to the constant monitoring loop.

[0060] In this state, for example, when printing paper is set in paper feed tray 1, control unit 110 advances the process to Yes in the judgment of step S31 during the continuous monitoring loop process. In the judgment of step S35, the process advances to Yes and sets the paper set confirmation status to "not yet" (step S37). In the judgment of step S39, the logged-in user is "unknown", and if the set refill user is not "unknown" (Yes in step S39), the refill user is copied to the history (step S41) and set to "unknown" (step S42). In the judgment of step S43, the user level is set to "normal user" for "unknown", and unknown users are not permitted to print, that is, paper feed jams do not occur, so the user is always a "normal user", and the process advances to No and returns to the continuous monitoring loop.

[0061] Thereafter, when a new user logs in, control unit 110 advances the process to Yes in the determination of step S51 of the constant monitoring loop process. In the subsequent determination of step S53, the user who replenished paper feed tray 1 is "unknown", so the process advances to Yes. Also, in the determination of step S55, the paper setting confirmation status is "not yet", so the process advances to Yes and causes operation unit 105 to display a message requesting confirmation of the paper setting status in the paper feed tray (see FIG. 9). This is the functionality of the preferred aspect of this embodiment.

[0062] As mentioned above, (i) An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a paper feed tray for storing print paper, a user authentication unit for authenticating a user who is permitted to execute printing, a paper set detection unit for detecting the setting of print paper in the paper feed tray, a storage device for storing a user who is authenticated when print paper is set in the paper feed tray as a refill user of that paper feed tray, a paper feed mechanism for feeding the print paper from the paper feed tray, a paper feed jam detection unit for detecting the occurrence of a paper feed jam during the paper feed, and a control unit for controlling printing including authentication of the user, detection of the setting of the print paper, storage of the refill user, and detection of the paper feed jam, wherein the control unit determines whether or not a paper feed jam has occurred due to improper setting of the print paper by the refill user when a paper feed jam has occurred, and if it determines that the paper feed jam was improper, requests confirmation of the setting state when the refill user uses the apparatus thereafter. (Embodiment 1)

[0063] In this invention, the paper feed tray stores print paper at a predetermined position and feeds it during printing. Specific examples of such a tray include a pull-out lift-up tray, a cassette-type tray, and a manual feed tray. The pull-out lift-up tray in the above-mentioned embodiment is described in the embodiment as being equivalent to the paper feed tray of this invention. An image forming apparatus may have multiple paper feed trays, such as the multifunction machine shown in the embodiment. In this case, the storage device stores the refill user for each paper feed tray, and the control unit detects a paper feed jam for each paper feed tray and determines whether the tray was set improperly.

[0064] As described above, the image forming apparatus is equipped with a user authentication unit, and only authenticated users can execute printing. The specific form of user authentication may be, for example, a method using a user ID and a password, but is not limited thereto, and may be authentication using a contactless card or IC tag, biometric authentication such as fingerprint or face recognition, or other known methods. Furthermore, the paper set detection unit detects that new printing paper has been set in the paper feed tray. A specific example of this is when the paper feed tray changes from an out-of-paper state to a state in which there is printing paper. However, even if the paper feed tray is not out of paper, the control unit will also determine that printing paper has been set if it detects that new printing paper has been added. The paper set detection circuit in the above-mentioned embodiment corresponds to the paper set detection section of the present invention, and the paper feed jam detection circuit in the above-mentioned embodiment corresponds to the paper feed jam detection section of the present invention.

[0065] The storage device is a non-volatile memory, and retains the replenishment user of the paper feed tray even when the power of the image forming apparatus is turned off. Specific examples of the storage device include, but are not limited to, flash memory and HDD (hard disk drive). When new print paper is set in the paper feed tray, the storage device stores the user authenticated at the time of setting the paper as the replenishment user. If a replenishment user is already stored, the replenishment user is updated. Furthermore, a paper feed jam occurs when the control unit determines that the fed printing paper fails to reach a paper passage sensor installed in the sheet transport path near the paper feed tray within a specified time, or that the detection of the printing paper by the paper passage sensor continues beyond a specified period of time.

[0066] Furthermore, when the control unit determines that a paper feed jam occurred because the refill user set the printing paper improperly, the control unit requests confirmation of the set state when the refill user uses the printer thereafter. Here, the refill user's use thereafter may be, for example, when the refill user finishes printing, logs out, and is re-authenticated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may also be, for example, when a newly authenticated user sets new printing paper in a paper feed tray stored as a refill user, or when a new printing paper is set in another paper feed tray. In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example is given of a case where a newly authenticated user sets new printing paper in a paper feed tray stored as a refill user.

[0067] Further, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. (ii) The control unit may determine that the printing paper was improperly set when the frequency of paper feed jams occurring after the printing paper was set is higher than a predetermined condition compared to the frequency of paper feed jams occurring before the printing paper was set (Embodiment 2). In this way, if the frequency of paper feed jams occurring after the printing paper is set becomes higher than before the printing paper was set, it can be determined that the printing paper was set improperly.

[0068] (iii) When printing paper is set in the paper feed tray while the power is off or the user authentication has not been performed, the control unit may store in the storage device that the user who refilled the paper feed tray is unknown, and when printing paper is set by an unknown refill user, the control unit may request the first authenticated user to check the status of the set paper. (Embodiment 3) In this way, even if printing paper is set without user authentication, the subsequently authenticated user can be allowed to check the condition of the paper, thereby preventing paper feed jams caused by printing paper being set in an inappropriate state.

[0069] (iv) The paper set detection section may be a circuit that detects whether or not printing paper is set in the paper feed tray. In this way, it is possible to detect the setting of printing paper in the paper feed tray by detecting the change from a state in which there is no printing paper in the paper feed tray to a state in which there is printing paper. (Fourth embodiment)

[0070] (v) The paper feed tray may be a pull-out or removable lift-up tray, the paper set detection unit may include a circuit that detects insertion / removal or attachment / detachment of the paper feed tray to lift up the tray, and the control unit may control the lift-up when the paper feed tray is inserted / removed or attached, detect the amount of stacked print paper based on the lift-up position, and determine that new print paper has been set based on the change in the amount of stacked paper before and after the insertion / removal or attachment (Embodiment 5). In this way, even if new printing paper is replenished before the paper supply tray runs out, the setting of printing paper in the paper supply tray can be detected based on the change in the amount of paper piled up before and after insertion / removal or detachment.

[0071] (vi) One aspect of the invention includes an image forming method including the steps of: a control unit of an image forming device authenticating a user who is permitted to perform printing; detecting the setting of printing paper in a paper feed tray using a paper set detection unit; storing in a storage device the authenticated user when printing paper is set in the paper feed tray as a refill user of that paper feed tray; feeding the printing paper from the paper feed tray using a paper feed mechanism; detecting the occurrence of a paper feed jam during the paper feeding using a paper feed jam detection unit; controlling printing on the fed printing paper; and, when a paper feed jam has occurred, determining whether the occurrence is due to improper setting of the printing paper by the refill user, and if it is determined that the occurrence was improper, requesting confirmation of the set condition when the refill user uses the image forming method thereafter.

[0072] The aspects of the present invention include any combination of the above-mentioned aspects. In addition to the above-mentioned embodiment, various modifications of the present invention are possible. These modifications should not be interpreted as not falling within the scope of the present invention. The present invention should include all modifications within the scope of the claims and the equivalent meanings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 11: optical scanning unit, 12: developing unit, 13: photoconductor drum, 14: drum cleaning device, 15: charging unit, 17: fixing unit, 18: drawer type paper feed tray, 18a, 19a: paper size sensor, 18b, 19b: paper out sensor, 18c: insertion / removal sensor, 18d: paper level sensor, 19: manual feed tray, 21: intermediate transfer belt, 22: belt cleaning unit, 23: secondary transfer unit, 23a: secondary transfer roller, 24: heating roller, 25: pressure roller, 34: registration roller, 33: pickup roller, 35: transport roller, 39a, 39b: ejection tray, 41: paper set detection circuit, 43: paper feed jam detection circuit, 45: paper passage sensor, 47: copy operation screen, 49, 51: paper set status confirmation message 100: multifunction device, 103: document transport unit, 105: operation unit, 110: control unit, 111: image reading device, 115: image forming device, 120: image processing circuit, 121: CPU, 122: RAM, 123: non-volatile memory, 124: communication circuit, 125: video controller, 131: user authentication unit, 200: host computer Pk, Pc, Pm, Py: Image station, R1: Sheet transport path

Claims

1. a paper feed tray for accommodating print paper; a user authentication unit that authenticates users who are permitted to execute printing; a paper set detection unit that detects the setting of printing paper in the paper feed tray; a storage device for storing a user who is authenticated when printing paper is set in the paper feed tray as a refill user of the paper feed tray; a paper feed mechanism for feeding the printing paper from the paper feed tray; a paper feed jam detection unit that detects occurrence of a paper feed jam during paper feeding; a control unit that controls printing including authentication of the user, detection of the setting of the printing paper, storage of the refill user, and detection of the paper feed jam; When a paper feed jam occurs, the control unit determines whether or not it is due to the refill user improperly setting the printing paper, and if it is determined that it was improper, the image forming device requests confirmation of the setting status when the refill user subsequently refills printing paper into the paper feed tray or when the refill user logs out and is re-authenticated.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines that the printing paper was improperly set when the frequency of paper feed jams occurring after the printing paper is set is higher than a predetermined condition compared to the frequency of paper feed jams occurring before the printing paper was set.

3. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when printing paper is set in the paper feed tray while the power is off or when the user authentication has not been performed, the control unit stores in the memory device that the user who refilled the paper feed tray is unknown, and when printing paper is set by an unknown refill user, the control unit subsequently requests the first authenticated user to check the status of the set paper.

4. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper set detection section is a circuit that detects whether or not printing paper is set in the paper feed tray.

5. the paper feed tray is a pull-out or removable lift-up tray, the paper set detection unit includes a circuit that detects insertion / removal or attachment / detachment of the paper feed tray and lifts up the tray, The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls lift-up when the paper feed tray is inserted or removed, detects the amount of stacked printing paper based on the lift-up position, and determines that new printing paper has been set based on a change in the amount of stacked paper before and after the insertion or removal.

6. A control unit of the image forming apparatus authenticating a user who is permitted to execute printing; detecting the setting of print paper in a paper feed tray using a paper setting detection unit; storing a user who is authenticated when printing paper is set in the paper feed tray in a storage device as a refill user of the paper feed tray; feeding the print paper from the paper feed tray using a paper feed mechanism; detecting an occurrence of a paper feed jam in the paper feed using a paper feed jam detection unit; A step of controlling printing on the fed printing paper; The image forming method includes a step of determining whether a paper feed jam has occurred due to improper setting of printing paper by the refill user, and if it is determined that the jam has occurred due to improper setting of printing paper by the refill user, requesting confirmation of the setting state when the refill user subsequently refills printing paper into the paper feed tray or when the refill user logs out and is re-authenticated.

Images