Printing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a printing device that enables a user to grasp the printable number of sheets.SOLUTION: In a printing device, a control unit executes: an authentication process of authenticating identification information for identifying a user; an image reading process of reading out an image of manuscript; a preview display process of displaying a preview image; and a print process of printing the readout image on a sheet. The control unit, at the preview display process, displays a first printable number of sheets for the user on a display unit together with the preview image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus including an image reading unit.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is an image forming apparatus having a preview function for displaying a preview image before printing execution (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1, the upper limit of the number of printed sheets for each period is set for each user, and a configuration is provided in which a preview image is forcibly displayed for a user whose number of printed sheets exceeds the set upper limit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1, when the number of printed sheets is below the upper limit, the preview image is not displayed. For this reason, printing is executed without the user grasping the number of printable sheets, so there is a problem that if the number of printed sheets exceeds the upper limit value when printing is performed next time, printing may become impossible.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a printing apparatus capable of allowing a user to grasp the number of printable sheets.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an image reading unit for reading an image of a document, a printing unit for printing the image onto a sheet, a storage unit for storing a first printable number which is set for each user and indicates the upper limit of the number of sheets that each user can print using the printing unit, a display unit, an operation unit, and a control unit.

[0007] The control unit performs the following: an authentication process for authenticating identification information to identify the user; an image reading process for reading an image of a document using the image reading unit after the user has been authenticated in the authentication process; a preview display process for forming a preview image representing the state in which the read image, which is the image read by the image reading unit in the image reading process, is printed on a sheet, and displaying the preview image on the display unit; and a printing process for printing the read image on a sheet using the printing unit in response to a print command received via the operation unit after the preview display process has been executed. In the preview display process, the control unit displays the first printable number of pages for the user authenticated in the authentication process on the display unit together with the preview image.

[0008] With the printing device configured as described above, during the preview display process, the first printable page count set by the administrator for each user is displayed on the display unit along with the preview image, allowing the user to understand the number of printable sheets.

[0009] Furthermore, in a printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit further performs a calculation process to calculate a second number of printable sheets, which is the number of sheets that the user authenticated in the authentication process can print using the printing unit after the printing process is executed, based on the first number of printable sheets and the number of sheets read, which is the number of originals read by the image reading unit in the image reading process. In the preview display process, the control unit displays the second number of printable sheets calculated in the calculation process together with the preview image on the display unit.

[0010] With the printing device configured as described above, the preview display process shows the second number of printable pages available after the print process is executed, allowing the user to know how many sheets are available for printing next time. This allows the user to avoid printing in a way that significantly reduces the second number of printable pages, and thus proceed with printing more efficiently.

[0011] Furthermore, in a printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit further performs a first information display process in which, in the image reading process, the image reading unit reads images of a plurality of originals, in the preview display process, a plurality of preview images corresponding to each of the read images of the plurality of originals are formed, the plurality of preview images are displayed on the display unit one page at a time, and first information is displayed on the display unit for each of the plurality of preview images, based on the first number of printable pages, indicating whether each of the read images corresponding to each of the plurality of preview images can be printed by the printing unit.

[0012] With the printing device configured as described above, when multiple preview images are displayed one page at a time, a first piece of information indicating whether or not the preview image is printable is displayed for each preview image. This allows the user to confirm, along with the preview images, which pages are printable and which pages are not.

[0013] Furthermore, in a printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit further performs a second information display process in which, in the image reading process, the image reading unit reads images of a plurality of originals, in the preview display process, a plurality of preview images corresponding to each of the read images of the plurality of originals are formed, the plurality of preview images are displayed on the display unit one page at a time, and based on the first printable number of pages, the control unit further performs a second information display process in which it displays on the display unit for each of the plurality of preview images a second information indicating whether or not all of the read images corresponding to each of the plurality of preview images can be printed by the printing unit.

[0014] With the printing device configured as described above, when multiple preview images are displayed one page at a time, a second piece of information indicating whether all pages can be printed is displayed, allowing the user to confirm whether all preview images can be printed along with the preview images themselves.

[0015] Furthermore, in a printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit further performs a setting process that accepts a setting via the operation unit to determine whether or not to perform the preview display process. If the control unit receives a setting to perform the preview display process in the setting process, it performs the preview display process; if it receives a setting not to perform the preview display process, it does not perform the preview display process.

[0016] With the printing device configured as described above, the user can choose whether or not to perform a preview display during the setup process, allowing the presence or absence of a preview display to be set according to the user's needs.

[0017] Furthermore, in a printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit accepts a setting via the operation unit in the setting process to select one of the following: full page preview setting, single page preview setting, or page-by-page preview setting. When the control unit accepts a setting to select full page preview, the image reading unit reads images of all pages of multiple documents in the image reading process, and displays preview images of at least several pages or all pages from the preview images of all pages on the display unit in the preview display process. When the control unit accepts a setting to select single page preview, the image reading unit reads images of the documents to be printed on one sheet in the image reading process, and displays the preview images to be printed on one sheet on the display unit in the preview display process. When the control unit accepts a setting to select page-by-page preview, the image reading process and the preview display process are repeatedly executed for each document to be printed on one sheet.

[0018] With the printing device configured as described above, the user can select the preview method from full-page preview, single-page preview, or page-by-page preview, according to their preferences.

[0019] Furthermore, a printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure further includes a document tray on which documents are placed, and a detection unit for detecting whether or not there are documents in the document tray. The control unit further performs a detection process to detect whether or not there are documents in the document tray using the detection unit. In the image reading process, the control unit reads images of a plurality of documents using the image reading unit, and in the calculation process, if the detection process detects that there are documents in the document tray, it calculates the second number of printable pages based on the first number of printable pages and the number of pages read plus one, and if the detection process detects that there are no documents in the document tray, it calculates the second number of printable pages based on the first number of printable pages and the number of pages read.

[0020] According to the printing device described above, by changing the second printable page count depending on whether or not there is a document in the document tray, the user can quickly and accurately determine the number of printable pages.

[0021] Furthermore, in a printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit repeatedly performs the image reading process and the preview display process for each document to be printed on one sheet. In the calculation process, each time the image reading unit reads an image of a document to be printed on one sheet in the image reading process, the control unit reduces the second printable number to be displayed on the display unit in the preview display process according to the number of documents read in the image reading process.

[0022] With the printing device configured as described above, each time a document with a number of pages to be printed on a sheet is scanned, the second printable page count displayed on the display unit is reduced according to the number of pages in the scanned document, allowing the user to understand the number of printable pages more accurately.

[0023] Also, in the printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, after executing the preview display process, the control unit further executes a cancel determination process for determining whether a cancel instruction to cancel the printing process is given via the operation unit. When the control unit determines in the cancel determination process that the cancel instruction has been given, the control unit does not execute the printing process.

[0024] According to the printing apparatus having the above-described configuration, when the user checks the preview image and the first printable number of sheets displayed on the display unit and determines not to execute printing, the user can operate the operation unit to cancel the printing process. Thereby, the user can, for example, re-set the printing conditions.

Effect of the Invention

[0025] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the number of printable sheets can be made known to the user.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view showing the appearance of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] It is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the printer unit of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the scanner unit of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart showing an example of the control flow during printing by the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart showing the flow of the all-page preview process by the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing the transition of the display screen of the display unit of the touch panel of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart showing the flow of the one-page preview process by the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the display on the touch panel of a multifunction printer according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 10] This flowchart shows the flow of page-by-page preview processing by the multifunction printer according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] This diagram shows the transition of the display screen of the touch panel display unit when the page-by-page preview setting is enabled on the multifunction printer according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0027] [Overview of the configuration of a multifunction printer] The multifunction device 1 in Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 12. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the multifunction device 1 in this embodiment. The multifunction device (MFP: Multi-Function Peripheral) 1 shown in Figure 1 is an example of a printing device and is equipped with print, copy, scan, and fax functions. Note that the printing device is not limited to a multifunction device equipped with all of the above functions; for example, it may be a multifunction device that does not have a fax function. Hereinafter, the vertical, horizontal, and left-right directions of the multifunction device 1 will be defined as shown by the arrows in Figure 1.

[0028] The multifunction device 1 comprises a printer unit 2 and a scanner unit 3. The printer unit 2 has a printing function that forms an image on a sheet P. The scanner unit 3 has a scanning function that reads an image of a document M and generates image data (hereinafter referred to as scan data) of the read image (hereinafter referred to as scan image).

[0029] The printing method of printer unit 2 is electrophotographic. However, the printing method of printer unit 2 is not limited to electrophotographic; it may also be inkjet. Furthermore, printer unit 2 may be capable of printing both color and monochrome images, or only monochrome images. Scanner unit 3 may be capable of reading both color and monochrome images, or only monochrome images.

[0030] The multifunction printer 1 is equipped with an operation panel 110 on its front. As shown in Figure 1, the operation panel 110 is equipped with a touch panel 110A. The touch panel 110A is constructed by superimposing an input unit 112, such as a pressure-sensitive or capacitive transparent film switch, on a display unit 111, such as a liquid crystal display. Various information and images of operation keys are displayed on the display unit 111.

[0031] More specifically, as shown in Figure 7, the display unit 111 displays operation keys such as the full page preview key 112P1, the single page preview key 112P2, the page-by-page preview key 112P3, the print setting key 112A, the start key 112B, the start key 112C, the start key 112D, the back key 112F, and the forward key 112G. When a user touches one of the operation keys displayed on the display unit 111, the touch operation is received by the input unit 112, and a signal corresponding to that touch operation is input from the input unit 112 to the ASIC 100.

[0032] Thus, the input unit 112 serves as an operation unit to receive user input for the display unit 111. Furthermore, in addition to the input unit 112 of the touch panel 110A, the operation panel 110 is also provided with a cancel button 113 as an operation unit to receive user input. The cancel button 113 is a physical key that the user can operate. Alternatively, a cancel key may be displayed on the touch panel 110A instead of the cancel button 113.

[0033] [Layout of the printed section] Next, the configuration of the printer unit 2 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figure 1, the printer unit 2 includes a housing 20. A feed tray 21 is provided at the bottom of the housing 20 so as to be movable in the front-to-back direction. The feed tray 21 is configured to support multiple sheets P. An output tray 22 is provided at the top of the housing 20. The output tray 22 supports the sheets P on which images have been formed. The sheets P are, for example, A4 size plain paper. The number of feed trays 21 can be changed as appropriate.

[0034] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the printer unit 2 of the multifunction device 1. As shown in Figure 2, the printer unit 2 is equipped with a feed roller 23, a transport path R1, a registration roller 24, a printing unit 4, a fuser 5, transport rollers 25, 26, an discharge roller 27, a re-transport path R2, and reversing rollers 28, 29.

[0035] The feed roller 23 is provided on the feed tray 21 and feeds the sheets P contained in the feed tray 21 one by one to the transport path R1. The transport path R1 is a route that goes from the feed tray 21, through the photosensitive drums 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K and the fuser 5, through the discharge port 2A, and to the discharge tray 22.

[0036] The feeding roller 23, the resist roller 24, the transport rollers 25, 26, the discharge roller 27, and the reversing rollers 28, 29 are a group of rollers that transport the sheet P in the transport path R1 or the re-transport path R2. The resist roller 24 aligns the direction of the leading edge of the sheet P and then transports the sheet P toward the photosensitive drum 6Y.

[0037] The printing unit 4 includes a transfer unit 40, four photosensitive drums 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, four developer units 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K, and an exposure unit 8. The four photosensitive drums 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K correspond to the colors yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively, and are arranged in order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the sheet P, with spacing between them in the front-to-back direction. The photosensitive drums 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K are rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown). Note that the arrangement order of the photosensitive drums 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate.

[0038] The surfaces of each photosensitive drum 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K are uniformly charged by a charger (not shown). Above each photosensitive drum 6Y, 6M, and 6C are four developer units 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K, respectively. Each developer unit 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K contains toner corresponding to the respective color. At the rear lower end of each developer unit 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K are developer rollers 71Y, 71M, 71C, and 71K, respectively.

[0039] An exposure unit 8 is positioned above the four developing units 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K. The exposure unit 8 exposes the photosensitive drums 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K by irradiating them with laser light L based on the image data. As a result, an electrostatic latent image based on the image data formed on the sheet P is formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K.

[0040] The four developing rollers 71Y, 71M, 71C, and 71K supply toner to the respective photosensitive drums 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K. As a result, the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K becomes the developer image.

[0041] Below the four photosensitive drums 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, a transfer unit 40 is positioned along the front-to-back direction. The transfer unit 40 has an endless belt 41 and four transfer rollers 42Y, 42M, 42C, and 42K. The upper surface of the belt 41 moves from front to back while in contact with the four photosensitive drums 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K as the belt 41 rotates.

[0042] The four transfer rollers 42Y, 42M, 42C, and 42K are arranged with a gap between them in the front-to-back direction. Each transfer roller 42Y, 42M, 42C, and 42K is located below the corresponding photosensitive drums 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, with a belt 41 in between them.

[0043] The fuser 5 is located behind the transfer unit 40 and has a heating roller 51 including a heater 53 and a pressure roller 52. The heater 53 is, for example, a halogen heater. The heater 53 heats the sheet P via the heating roller 51. The fuser 5 fixes the developer image onto the sheet P using the heating roller 51 and the pressure roller 52.

[0044] The conveyor roller 25 is positioned downstream of the fuser 5 in the conveyor path R1 and conveys the sheet P toward the conveyor roller 26. The conveyor roller 26 conveys the sheet P toward the discharge roller 27. The discharge roller 27 discharges the sheet P toward the discharge tray 22.

[0045] The re-transport path R2 is a path for transporting the sheet P, which has an image formed on one side, to the passage opening 2B side via the flap 9, then reversing the transport direction with reversing rollers 28 and 29, transporting it downwards, and supplying it to transport path R1 from the underside of the supply tray 21.

[0046] The flap 9 is located above and behind the conveyor roller 25 and is rotatable between a discharge position, indicated by a solid line, which opens the conveyor path R1 and closes the re-conveyor path R2, and a re-conveyor position, indicated by a dashed line, which closes the conveyor path R1 and opens the re-conveyor path R2.

[0047] [Configuration of the scanner unit] Next, the internal configuration of the scanner unit 3 will be explained with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the scanner unit 3 of the multifunction printer 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the scanner unit 3 has a housing 30, a document transport unit 31, and a document cover 32.

[0048] The document transport unit 31 is an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) and is for transporting the document placed on the document tray 31A toward the first reading sensor 35 and the second reading sensor 36. It is integrally provided with the document cover 32. The document M is placed on the document tray 31A with its surface facing upwards.

[0049] The document cover 32 is rotatably mounted on the housing 30 and opens and closes the top surface of the housing 30. The scanner unit 3 may be capable of reading both color and monochrome images, or it may be capable of reading only monochrome images.

[0050] A first contact glass 33 and a second contact glass 34 are provided side by side in the width direction on the upper surface of the housing 30. A first reading sensor 35 is located inside the document cover 32. Inside the housing 30, a second reading sensor 36 is provided below the first contact glass 33 and the second contact glass 34 so as to be movable in the width direction, i.e., in the sub-scanning direction.

[0051] The first reading sensor 35 and the second reading sensor 36 are, for example, CIS (Contact Image Sensors). The original document M, whose image has been read by the first reading sensor 35 and the second reading sensor 36, is transported by the document transport unit 31 along the transport path R3 and discharged into the discharge tray 31B. The transport path R3 extends from the document tray 31A to the left end of the document cover 32, and then curves downward from the left end to the discharge tray 31B.

[0052] This embodiment assumes the case where an image of one side of a document M is read using an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder). Specifically, the image of the surface of the document M, which has been transported by the document transport unit 31, is read by the second reading sensor 36. The second reading sensor 36 is an example of an image reading unit for reading the image of the surface of the document M. When reading images of both sides of the document M, the first reading sensor 35 and the second reading sensor 36 are used as the image reading unit.

[0053] [Electrical configuration of printing equipment] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the multifunction device 1. As shown in Figure 4, the multifunction device 1 further includes an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 100, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) 104, and a communication interface (I / F) 120.

[0054] The ASIC100 is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101. The CPU 101 is an example of a control unit and performs overall control of each part of the multifunction device 1. The ROM 102, RAM 103, NVRAM 104, roller groups 23-29, printing unit 4, touch panel 110A, and communication I / F 120 are electrically connected to the ASIC100. The ASIC100 may also be used as a control unit.

[0055] ROM102 stores various control programs and settings for controlling the multifunction device 1. RAM103 is used as a working area from which various control programs are read, and as a storage area for temporarily storing image data and raster data.

[0056] Here, the multifunction printer 1 has a user management function. The user management function manages the number of pages printed by the multifunction printer 1 for each user over a predetermined period (for example, one month) in an office, and if the number of printed pages exceeds a predetermined first printable limit, it restricts the excess printing by that user. Here, the "first printable limit" is set for each user and indicates the upper limit of the number of sheets P that each user can print using the printing unit 4 of the multifunction printer 1.

[0057] Various data, such as the first printable page count, are pre-stored in the NVRAM 104. The CPU 101 controls the roller groups 23-29, the printing unit 4, the document transport unit 31, and the display unit 111, etc., based on the control program read from the ROM 102.

[0058] The CPU 101 drives the feed roller 23, register roller 24, transport rollers 25, 26, discharge roller 27, and reversing rollers 28, 29 via motors (not shown). The CPU 101 controls the display on the display unit 111 of the touch panel 110A. In addition, when the touch panel 110A is operated by the user, the CPU 101 executes various processes according to the operation of the touch panel 110A.

[0059] The communication interface 120 is connected to a network such as a LAN and enables connection to external devices that have a driver for the multifunction printer 1 installed. The multifunction printer 1 can receive a print start command via the communication interface 120.

[0060] [CPU-driven control flow during printing] Next, the control flow during printing by the CPU 101 will be explained with reference to Figures 5 to 11. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the control flow during printing by the multifunction device 1. In the flowchart shown in Figure 5, first, the CPU 101 performs authentication processing (S1).

[0061] Specifically, in S1, the CPU 101 displays a login screen on the display unit 111 of the touch panel 110A. The user enters a user ID and password by operating the touch panel 110A. The user ID and password are examples of identification information that identify the user.

[0062] The CPU 101 determines that authentication is successful if the entered user ID and password combination is stored in the NVRAM 104. On the other hand, if the CPU 101 determines that authentication has failed if the entered user ID and password combination is not stored in the NVRAM 104, it displays an error screen on the display unit 111 and then displays the login screen again. Alternatively, authentication may be performed using an IC card that stores user identification information.

[0063] After S1, the CPU 101 executes a setting process that accepts various settings related to printing (S2). Here, Figure 7 is a diagram showing the transition of the display screen of the display unit 111 of the touch panel 110A of the multifunction printer 1. As shown in the upper part of Figure 7, the user can make various settings related to printing by operating the keys on the touch panel 110A.

[0064] For example, the user can set the printing conditions for printing on sheet P by operating the print setting key 112A. The number of copies can be changed by operating the number of copies key 112A1 and the number of copies key 112A2. The user can set the scanning conditions for scanning the original document M by operating the setting change key 112Q.

[0065] Furthermore, the user can configure whether or not to display a preview on the display unit 111 by selecting one of the following: the full page preview key 112P1, the single page preview key 112P2, or the page-by-page preview key 112P3. This allows the user to set whether or not to display a preview according to their needs.

[0066] Specifically, when the all-page preview key 112P1 is selected on the touch panel 110A and the "all-page preview setting" is accepted, the multifunction device 1 reads images of all pages of multiple documents M and displays preview images of all pages one by one on the display unit 111.

[0067] Furthermore, if the single-page preview key 112P2 is selected on the touch panel 110A and the "single-page preview setting" is accepted, the multifunction device 1 reads the image of the document M to be printed on one sheet P and displays it on the display unit 111 as a preview image of one page.

[0068] Furthermore, if the page preview key 112P3 is selected on the touch panel 110A and the "page preview setting" is accepted, the multifunction device 1 reads images of all pages of multiple documents M, and each time it reads an image of one page of the document M, it displays a preview image of that page on the display unit 111.

[0069] A "preview image" is any image that corresponds to the scanned image. For example, a preview image is an image that shows the scanned image as it appears when printed on sheet P, that is, an image showing the scanned image positioned within the area of ​​sheet P.

[0070] After S2, the CPU 101 accepts a copy execution command based on the pressing of either the start key 112B or the start key 112C (S3). The user presses the start key 112B to execute a monochrome copy, and the user presses the start key 112C to execute a color copy. When the user presses the start key 112B or the start key 112C, the display screen of the display unit 111 transitions from the upper diagram in Figure 7 to the lower diagram in Figure 7.

[0071] After S3, CPU101 determines whether the preview setting is on or off (S4). If one of the following is selected: full page preview key 112P1, single page preview key 112P2, or page-by-page preview key 112P3, and the preview setting is on (S4: YES), CPU101 determines which preview method is being used (S5). There are three "preview methods": full page preview, single page preview, and page-by-page preview.

[0072] In S5, if the CPU 101 determines that the setting is for full page preview, it executes the full page preview process shown in Figure 6 (S6). If it determines that the setting is for single page preview, it executes the single page preview process shown in Figure 8 (S7). If it determines that the setting is for page by page preview, it executes the page by page preview process shown in Figure 10 (S8).

[0073] On the other hand, if the preview setting is off (S4:NO), the CPU 101 proceeds to S12, and while reading the image of the original document M with the first reading sensor 35 and the second reading sensor 36, prints the scanned image read by the printing unit 4.

[0074] [Full page preview settings] Next, the flow of the full-page preview process (S6) will be explained with reference to Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the full-page preview process by the multifunction device 1. In the full-page preview, images of all pages of the original document M are read, and all preview images corresponding to the read scanned images are displayed one page at a time on the display unit 111.

[0075] In the flowchart shown in Figure 6, the CPU 101 reads the images of all pages of the original document M using the second reading sensor 36 (S21: Image reading process). Next, the CPU 101 obtains the first printable page count from the NVRAM 104 (S22). In this case, the first printable page count for a user with user ID ABC is set to, for example, 75 pages (see the lower diagram in Figure 7).

[0076] Next, the CPU 101 calculates the second number of printable sheets (S23: calculation process). The "second number of printable sheets" is the number of sheets that a user authenticated in the authentication process (S1) can print using the printing unit 4 after the printing process (S11) is executed. Specifically, the CPU 101 calculates the second number of printable sheets by subtracting the number of printed sheets (the number of sheets read multiplied by the number of copies) from the first number of printable sheets. In this case, the second number of printable sheets is 75 sheets - 10 sheets × 1 copy = 65 sheets.

[0077] After S8, the CPU 101 performs a determination process to determine whether the scanned image corresponding to each of the multiple originals M can be printed by the printing unit 4, based on the first printable number of pages and the number of pages to be printed (S24).

[0078] Then, the CPU 101 executes a preview display process (S25). Specifically, in S25, the CPU 101 forms a preview image representing the scanned image read in S21 printed on sheet P, and displays the preview image G1 on the display unit 111 as shown in the lower part of Figure 7.

[0079] In this embodiment, along with the preview image G1, the third display unit 111C of the display unit 111 displays the first number of printable pages and the second number of printable pages for the user authenticated in the authentication process S1. The first display unit 111A displays the user ID. The second display unit 111B displays the number of pages to be printed. The fourth display unit 111D displays the page number of the preview image G1 displayed on the display unit 111.

[0080] Furthermore, the CPU 101 performs a first information display process, which displays the first information I1 on the display unit 111 for each of the multiple preview images. The first information I1 is information indicating whether each scanned image corresponding to each of the multiple preview images can be printed by the printing unit 4. In the example shown in Figure 7, the message "This page can be printed." is displayed on the display unit 111 as the first information I1. With this, the full page preview process (S6) is completed, and the process proceeds to S9 in Figure 1.

[0081] [Page preview settings] Next, the flow of the one-page preview process (S7) will be explained with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the one-page preview process by the multifunction device 1. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the display on the display unit 111 of the touch panel 110A of the multifunction device 1. In the one-page preview, the image of only one page of the original document M is read, and a preview image of the read scanned image is displayed on the display unit 111.

[0082] In the flowchart shown in Figure 8, the CPU 101 reads the image of the surface of the one-page document M using the second reading sensor 36 (S31: Image reading process). After S31, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the document M is in the document tray 31A based on the detection result of the front sensor 37 (S32: Detection process).

[0083] If there is no document M in the document tray 31A (S32: NO), the CPU 101 obtains the first number of printable pages from the NVRAM 104 (S33) and calculates the second number of printable pages (S34: calculation process).

[0084] In S34, CPU101 calculates the second number of printable pages by subtracting the number of printed pages (calculated by multiplying the number of scanned pages by the number of copies) from the first number of printable pages. In this case, the second number of printable pages is 75 pages - 1 page × 10 copies = 65 pages.

[0085] After S34, the CPU 101 performs a determination process (S35) to determine whether all scanned images corresponding to one page of the original document M can be printed by the printing unit 4, based on the first printable page count and the number of pages to be printed. In this case, the number of pages to be printed is 10, which is less than the first printable page count of 75, so it is possible to print.

[0086] Then, the CPU 101 executes the preview display process (S36). Specifically, in S36, the CPU 101 forms a preview image corresponding to the scanned image read in S31 and displays the preview image on the display unit 111. At this time, along with the preview image, the third display unit 111C of the display unit 111 displays the first and second printable page counts for the user authenticated in the authentication process S1.

[0087] On the other hand, if there is a document M in the document tray 31A (S32: YES), the CPU 101 obtains the first number of printable pages from the NVRAM 104 (S37) and calculates the second number of printable pages (S38: Calculation process).

[0088] In S38, the CPU 101 calculates the second number of printable pages by subtracting from the first number of printable pages the number of copies multiplied by the number of copies, which is the sum of the number of original documents M whose images have already been read in S31 (1 page) and the number of pages to be read by the second reading sensor 36 (at least 1 page). In this case, the second number of printable pages will be 75 pages - 2 pages or more × 10 copies = 55 pages or less.

[0089] After S38, the CPU 101 performs a determination process (S39) to determine whether all scanned images corresponding to multiple original documents M can be printed by the printing unit 4, based on the first printable number and the number of printed pages. However, at this point, the scanning of all original document M images has not been completed, and the number of printed pages cannot be calculated.

[0090] Therefore, in S40, the CPU 101 forms a preview image corresponding to the scanned image read in S31, and displays the preview image G2 on the display unit 111 as shown in Figure 9.

[0091] At this time, along with the preview image G2, the third display unit 111C of the display unit 111 displays the first and second printable page counts for the user authenticated in the authentication process S1. With this, the 1-page preview process (S7) is completed, and the process proceeds to S9 in Figure 1.

[0092] [Page-by-page preview setting] Next, the flow of the page-by-page preview process will be explained with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the page-by-page preview process by the multifunction device 1. Figure 11 is a diagram showing the transition of the display screen of the display unit 111 of the touch panel 110A when the page-by-page preview setting is enabled by the multifunction device 1.

[0093] In page-by-page preview mode, each time an image of a page of the original document M is scanned, a preview image corresponding to the scanned image is displayed on the display unit 111, and preview images corresponding to all pages of the original document M are displayed on the display unit 111 one page at a time.

[0094] In the flowchart shown in Figure 10, first, the CPU 101 sets N=1 as the initial value of N, which represents the number of documents M placed in the document tray 31A (S41). After S41, the CPU 101 reads the image of the surface of one page of document M using the second reading sensor 36 (S42: image reading process).

[0095] Next, the CPU 101 determines whether or not there is a document M in the document tray 31A (S43: detection process). If there is a document M in the document tray 31A (S43: YES), the CPU 101 obtains the first number of printable pages from the NVRAM 104 (S48) and calculates the second number of printable pages (S49: calculation process). In S49, the CPU 101 calculates the second number of printable pages by subtracting the number of pages scanned (N+1 or more) multiplied by the number of copies from the first number of printable pages.

[0096] After S49, the CPU 101 performs a determination process (S50) to determine whether N+1 scanned images (the number of originals N scanned so far plus 1) can be printed by the printing unit 4, based on the first printable number and the number of printed pages.

[0097] Then, the CPU 101 executes the preview display process (S51). In S51, the CPU 101 forms a preview image corresponding to the scanned image read in S42 and displays the preview image on the display unit 111. At this time, the first and second printable page counts for the user authenticated in the authentication process S1 are displayed on the third display unit 111C of the display unit 111.

[0098] After S51, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the start key 112D has been pressed (S52). The user checks the displays on the display unit 111, and if they determine that there are no problems with printing, they press the start key 112D to issue a print command.

[0099] If the start key 112D is pressed (S52: YES), the CPU 101 returns to S10 in Figure 5. On the other hand, if the start key 112D is not pressed (S52: NO), the CPU 101 determines whether or not the cancel button 113 was pressed (S53).

[0100] If the cancel button 113 is pressed (S53:YES), the CPU 101 returns to S2 in Figure 5. In this way, if the user notices an error in the print conditions or an image reading error, they can press the cancel button 113 to cancel the print process and restart the setting process in S2.

[0101] On the other hand, if the cancel button 113 is not pressed (S53: NO), the CPU 101 adds 1 to N (S54), returns to S42, and reads the image of the next document M. Thereafter, steps S48 to S53 are repeatedly executed until there are no more documents M in the document tray 31A (S43: YES).

[0102] The upper part of Figure 11 shows an example of the display on the display unit 111 in S51 when the number of scanned pages (N=6). In this case, the second printable number is 75 pages - 7 pages or more × 10 copies = 5 pages or less, as shown in the upper part of Figure 11. The CPU 101 displays the message "All pages can be printed." on the display unit 111 as the second information I21, indicating that at least up to the 7th page M of the original document can be printed.

[0103] The lower part of Figure 11 shows an example of the display on the display unit 111 in S51 when the number of pages read (N=7). In this case, as shown in the lower part of Figure 11, the second printable page count is 75 pages - 8 pages or more × 10 copies = -5 pages.

[0104] The CPU 101 displays the first information I1 and the second information I2 on the display unit 111. In the example shown in the lower part of Figure 11, the first information I11 displays the message "Warning: This page cannot be printed." on the display unit 111, indicating that the document M from the 8th page onward cannot be printed. The CPU 101 also displays the second information I21, the message "Warning: All pages cannot be printed." on the display unit 111.

[0105] If there is no document M in the document tray 31A (S43: NO), the CPU 101 obtains the first number of printable pages from the NVRAM 104 (S44) and calculates the second number of printable pages (S45: calculation process).

[0106] In S45, CPU101 calculates the second number of printable pages by subtracting the number of printed pages (which is the number of pages read multiplied by the number of copies) from the first number of printable pages.

[0107] After S45, the CPU 101 performs a determination process to determine whether all scanned images corresponding to multiple originals M can be printed by the printing unit 4, based on the first printable number and the number of prints (S46).

[0108] Then, the CPU 101 executes the preview display process (S47). Specifically, in S47, the CPU 101 forms a preview image corresponding to the scanned image read in S42 and displays the preview image on the display unit 111. The CPU 101 then completes the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 10.

[0109] In S45 and S49, as the number of scanned documents M N increases, the CPU 101 decreases the second printable page count displayed on the display unit 111 in S47 and S51, updating the display content shown in the preview display process. This allows the user to understand the number of printable pages more accurately.

[0110] Returning to Figure 5, after S6, S7, and S8, the CPU 101 determines whether the start key 112D or the cancel button 113 has been pressed (S9: Cancellation determination process). If the user presses the start key 112D and a print command is received, the CPU 101 determines whether there is a document M in the document tray 31A (S10). On the other hand, if the user presses the cancel button 113 and a cancellation command is received, the CPU 101 returns to S2.

[0111] If the CPU 101 determines in S10 that there is no document M in the document tray 31A (S10: NO), the printing unit 4 executes a printing process to print the scanned image onto sheet P (S11).

[0112] Specifically, in S11, the CPU 101 converts the scan data of the scanned image read by the second reading sensor 36 into raster data. The CPU 101 also feeds the sheet P to the transport path R1 using the feed roller 23 and transports the sheet P to the printing unit 4 using the register roller 24. Subsequently, the CPU 101 prints the raster data on the surface of the sheet P using the printing unit 4, and then discharges the sheet P with one side printed into the discharge tray 22.

[0113] On the other hand, if the CPU 101 determines that there is a document M in the document tray 31A (S10: YES), it reads the image of document M and prints the read image onto sheet P using the printing unit 4 (S12). In this way, the CPU 101 terminates the printing control.

[0114] [Effects of the Embodiment] In the multifunction printer 1 of this embodiment described above, the CPU 101 displays the first printable number set for each user on the display unit 111 along with the preview images G1 to G4 during the preview display processing (S25, S36, S40, S47, S51), so that the user can understand the number of sheets they can print.

[0115] Furthermore, the CPU 101 displays the second number of printable sheets that can be printed after the print process is executed on the display unit 111 during the preview display process (S25, S36, S40, S47, S51), allowing the user to know the number of printable sheets P for the next print job. This makes it possible to avoid printing that would significantly reduce the second number of printable sheets, for example, and to proceed with printing more efficiently.

[0116] Furthermore, users can select a preview method from among full-page preview, single-page preview, and page-by-page preview settings, according to their preferences. When the user selects the page-by-page preview setting, the CPU 101 displays multiple preview images one page at a time, and as shown in the lower diagram of Figure 11, it displays first information I11 for each preview image G4 indicating whether or not that preview image G4 is printable. This allows the user to confirm, along with the preview image G4, which pages are printable and which are not.

[0117] Furthermore, if the user selects the page-by-page preview setting, CPU101 displays a second piece of information indicating whether all pages can be printed, allowing the user to confirm, along with the preview images, whether all preview images can be printed.

[0118] Furthermore, the CPU 101 takes into account the presence or absence of document M in the document tray 31A, and makes the second printable page count calculated when document M is present in the document tray 31A (S32:YES, S43:YES) less than the second printable page count calculated when document M is not present in the document tray 31A (S32:NO, S43:NO). This allows the user to quickly and accurately determine the number of printable pages.

[0119] [Other Embodiments] In the above embodiment of the multifunction printer 1, the case in which the image of a document M placed on the document tray 31A is read using the ADF method has been described, but the invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the image of a single document M placed on the upper surface of the first contact glass 33 may be read using the FB (Flat Bed) method by moving the second reading sensor 36 in the scanning direction.

[0120] Furthermore, although the above embodiment of the multifunction printer 1 describes a case where the printing unit 4 prints a scanned image on one side of the sheet P, the printer is not limited to this, and the scanned image may be printed on both sides of the sheet P. Also, although the image on one side of the original document M is read by the second reading sensor 36, the printer is not limited to this, and the images on both sides of the original document M may be read by the first reading sensor 35 and the second reading sensor 36.

[0121] Furthermore, although the sheet P in the above embodiment of the multifunction printer 1 is described as plain paper, the type of sheet P is not limited to this, and may be, for example, thick paper or thin paper. Also, although the fuser 5 is described as fixing the developer image to the sheet P using a heating roller 51 made of a roller member, it is not limited to this. For example, a heating belt may be used instead of the heating roller 51.

[0122] [Examples of implementation using software] The control block of the multifunction device 1 (especially the CPU 101) may be implemented by logic circuits (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip) or by software.

[0123] In the latter case, the multifunction device 1 includes a computer that executes instructions for a program, which is software that realizes each function. This computer includes, for example, one or more processors and a computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. The object of the present invention is achieved when the processor in the computer reads the program from the recording medium and executes it.

[0124] As the processor mentioned above, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary, tangible medium" such as ROM (Read Only Memory), as well as tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, programmable logic circuit, etc., can be used. Furthermore, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for deploying the program may also be provided.

[0125] Furthermore, the above program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (such as a communication network or broadcast waves). In one aspect of the present invention, the above program can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, which is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0126] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0127] 1 Multifunction device 4 Printing Department 31. Manuscript transport section 31A Document Tray 32 Manuscript cover 35. First reading sensor 36. Second reading sensor 37 Front Sensor 101 CPU 104 NVRAM 111 Display section 112 Input section 113 Cancel button G1, G2, G3, G4 preview images P Sheet M Manuscript S1 Authentication Process S11 Printing Process S21, S31, S42 Image reading process S23, S34, S38, S45, S49 Calculation Process S25, S36, S40, S47, S51 Preview display processing S32, S43 Detection process S53 Cancellation Determination Process

Claims

1. An image reading unit that reads the image of the document, The printing unit prints images onto the sheet, A storage unit that stores a first printable sheet count, which is set for each user and indicates the upper limit of the number of sheets that each user can print using the printing unit, Display unit and Control panel and Control unit and Equipped with, The control unit, An authentication process for authenticating the identification information that identifies the user, After the user authentication is completed in the aforementioned authentication process, an image reading process is performed in which the image reading unit reads the image of the document. The image reading process generates a preview image representing the state in which the read image, which is the image read by the image reading unit, is printed on the sheet, and the preview display process displays the preview image on the display unit. After performing the preview display process, in response to receiving a print command via the operation unit, the printing unit performs a printing process to print the read image onto the sheet. A calculation process that calculates a second printable number, which is the number of sheets that the user authenticated in the authentication process can print using the printing unit after the printing process is executed, based on the first printable number and the number of scanned documents, which is the number of documents scanned by the image scanning unit in the image scanning process. Execute, A printing apparatus characterized in that, in the preview display process, the first printable number of pages for the user authenticated in the authentication process and the second printable number of pages calculated in the calculation process are displayed on the display unit together with the preview image.

2. The control unit, In the image reading process described above, the image reading unit reads images from multiple documents, In the preview display process, a plurality of preview images corresponding to each of the scanned images of the plurality of documents are formed, and the plurality of preview images are displayed on the display unit one page at a time. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that, based on the first number of printable pages, it performs a first information display process which displays on the display unit for each of the plurality of preview images a first information indicating whether or not each of the read images corresponding to each of the plurality of preview images can be printed by the printing unit.

3. The control unit, In the image reading process described above, the image reading unit reads images from multiple documents, In the preview display process, a plurality of preview images corresponding to each of the scanned images of the plurality of documents are formed, and the plurality of preview images are displayed on the display unit one page at a time. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that, based on the first number of printable pages, a second information display process is performed, which displays on the display unit for each of the plurality of preview images a second information indicating whether or not all of the read images corresponding to each of the plurality of preview images can be printed by the printing unit.

4. An image reading unit that reads the image of the document, The printing unit prints images onto the sheet, A storage unit that stores a first printable sheet count, which is set for each user and indicates the upper limit of the number of sheets that each user can print using the printing unit, Display unit and Control panel and Control unit and Equipped with, The control unit, An authentication process for authenticating the identification information that identifies the user, After the user authentication is completed in the aforementioned authentication process, an image reading process is performed in which the image reading unit reads the image of the document. The image reading process generates a preview image representing the state in which the read image, which is the image read by the image reading unit, is printed on the sheet, and the preview display process displays the preview image on the display unit. After performing the preview display process, in response to receiving a print command via the operation unit, the printing unit performs a printing process to print the read image onto the sheet. A setting process that accepts a setting to determine whether or not to execute the preview display process via the aforementioned operation unit, and further, regarding the setting to execute the preview display process, a setting to select one of the following: full page preview setting, single page preview setting, or page-by-page preview setting. Execute, In the aforementioned configuration process, if a setting to execute the preview display process is received, the preview display process is executed; however, if a setting not to execute the preview display process is received, the preview display process is not executed. When the preview display process is executed, the preview display process displays the first printable page count for the user authenticated in the authentication process together with the preview image on the display unit, Furthermore, if the setting to select the full-page preview setting is accepted, the image reading process reads images of all pages of the multiple documents using the image reading unit, and the preview display process displays preview images of at least several pages or all pages from the preview images of all pages on the display unit. If the setting to select the aforementioned one-page preview setting is accepted, the image reading process reads the image of the document to be printed on one sheet using the image reading unit, and the preview display process displays the preview image of the document to be printed on one sheet on the display unit. A printing apparatus characterized in that, when the setting to select the one-page preview setting is accepted, the image reading process and the preview display process are repeatedly executed for each document to be printed on one sheet.

5. A document tray for placing the document, A detection unit that detects whether or not there is a document in the document tray, Furthermore, The control unit, The detection unit further performs a detection process to determine whether or not there is a document in the document tray. In the image reading process described above, the image reading unit reads images from multiple documents, In the aforementioned calculation process, If the detection process detects that there is a document in the document tray, the second number of printable pages is calculated based on the first number of printable pages and the number of scanned pages plus one page. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, if the detection process detects that there are no documents in the document tray, the second number of printable pages is calculated based on the first number of printable pages and the number of pages read.

6. The control unit, The image reading process and the preview display process are repeatedly executed for each document to be printed on one sheet. In the calculation process described above, The printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that each time the image reading unit reads an image of a document to be printed on one sheet during the image reading process, the second printable number displayed on the display unit during the preview display process is reduced according to the number of documents read during the image reading process.

7. The control unit, After executing the preview display process, a cancellation determination process is further executed to determine whether or not a cancellation instruction to cancel the print process has been issued via the operation unit. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that if the cancellation determination process determines that the cancellation instruction has been issued, the printing process is not executed.

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