Image processing apparatus, its control method, and program

Abstract

To provide an image processing device that can specify an external device used by a user who sets a consumable supply whenever a consumable supply is set and can limit available features of external devices used by other users, and to provide a method for controlling the same and a program.SOLUTION: In a printer 100 connected to external devices 600A-600C, when an ink cassette detection unit 155 detects switching from a state where an ink ribbon cassette 200 is not installed to a printer 100 to a state where the ink ribbon cassette 200 is installed to the printer 100, a CPU 151 sets one of the external devices 600A-600C as a manager device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program, and particularly to an image processing apparatus that prints image data from a plurality of external devices, a control method thereof, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Image processing apparatuses such as printers (hereinafter simply referred to as printers) are often shared by a plurality of users. That is, a printer is configured to be connectable to a plurality of external devices such as smartphones and personal computers, and can print image data sent from smartphones and personal computers. However, if unrestricted use of the printer is permitted to an unspecified number of users from a plurality of external devices connectable to the printer, problems such as increased consumption of paper, ink, etc. will occur. Therefore, Patent Document 1 describes a method of setting a function that permits use for each external device used by each user, and allowing each user to use only the permitted functions.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the method of Patent Document 1, even a user who has prepared consumables such as ink and paper to be used in the printer and set them in the printer can only use the permitted functions. Therefore, while it is desirable not to impose restrictions on the functions that can be used for the external devices used by the user who has set the consumables in the printer, it is desirable to restrict the functions that can be used according to the situation for the external devices used by other users.

[0005] For example, if unlimited printing from external devices is permitted for users who have not prepared consumables, the consumables may run out before users who have prepared them can use them, preventing them from printing. Therefore, it is desirable to restrict the available functions so that users who have not prepared consumables cannot print without limit from external devices.

[0006] Furthermore, since consumables are not always prepared by the same user, it is necessary to identify the external devices being used by the user who installed the consumables in the printer each time consumables are loaded into the printer.

[0007] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program that can identify the external device used by the user who set the consumables each time they are set, and can restrict the functions that can be used by external devices used by other users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an image processing device that connects to a plurality of external devices, and in response to detecting a switch in the image processing device from a state where consumables are not installed to a state where they are installed, one of the plurality of external devices The external device used by the user who has installed the consumables is the image processing device. It is characterized by having a configuration means for setting it as an administrator device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, each time a consumable is set, the external device used by the user who set it can be identified, and the functions available on external devices used by other users can be restricted. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the entirety of a printer as an image processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]Figure 1 is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette. [Figure 3] This is a disassembled perspective view of an ink ribbon cassette. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a diagram of the ink ribbon in its unfolded state. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printer. [Figure 6] This is a cross-sectional view showing the printer's printing operation. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view showing the printer's printing operation. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart of the administrator device configuration process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This figure shows a display screen that is notified to an external device in Figure 5, according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart of the printing process when image data is received from an external device, which is the administrator device set in step S806 of Figure 8. [Figure 11] This is the printer settings screen displayed on an external device. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart of the printing process performed by a printer. [Figure 13] This figure shows the result of image merging performed in step S1204 of Figure 12. [Figure 14] This is a flowchart of the printing process subroutines performed in step S1008 in Figure 10 and step S1205 in Figure 14. [Figure 15] This is a flowchart of the administrator device configuration process according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 14.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entirety of a printer 100 as an image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of the printer 100 seen from the top surface side, and FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view of the printer 100 seen from the bottom surface side.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1(a), on the top surface of the printer 100, a power button 101 and a display unit 102 are arranged, and on its side surface, a lid 103 and an ink ribbon cassette insertion port 104 are arranged.

[0014] The power button 101 is a button for turning on the power of the printer 100 by the user's pressing.

[0015] The display unit 102 can blink and light up, and when the power of the printer 100 is turned on, the display unit 102 lights up. The case where the display unit 102 blinks will be described later.

[0016] The lid 103 is a lid configured to be openable and closable in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 1(a).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1(a), the ink ribbon cassette insertion port 104 is inside the printer 100, and the user can insert and remove the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the direction of arrow B with the lid 103 open.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1(b), on the bottom surface of the printer 100, a paper cover 105 and a paper loading unit 106 are arranged.

[0019] The paper cover 105 is a cover pivotally supported so as to be openable and closable in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. 1(b).

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1(b), the paper loading unit 106 is inside the printer 100, and the user can load the paper 300 cut to a predetermined length with the paper cover 105 open. Also, the paper 300 loaded in the paper loading unit 106 is pulled out one by one into the printer 100 by a paper feeding mechanism provided in the printer 100, which will be described later.

[0021] The ink ribbon cassette 200 will be described below using Figures 2 and 3.

[0022] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 200. Figure 2(a) is a top-view perspective of the ink ribbon cassette 200, and Figure 2(b) is a bottom-view perspective of the ink ribbon cassette 200. Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 200.

[0023] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the housing of the ink ribbon cassette 200 consists of an upper case 201, a first lower case 202, and a second lower case 203. The upper case 201, the first lower case 202, and the second lower case 203 are made of resin.

[0024] Inside the casing of the ink ribbon cassette 200, the supply bobbin 204, the take-up bobbin 205, and the ink ribbon 210 are arranged.

[0025] The supply bobbin 204 and the take-up bobbin 205 are both identical in shape and made of resin, with the ink ribbon 210 wound around the supply bobbin 204. The supply bobbin 204 is rotatably held by the upper case 201 and the first lower case 202, and the take-up bobbin 205 is rotatably held by the upper case 201 and the second lower case 203. By rotating the take-up bobbin 205, the ink ribbon 210 wound around the supply bobbin 204 can be wound onto the take-up bobbin 205. The upper case 201 has a first bridge section 201A (Figure 2(a)) and a second bridge section 201B (Figure 2(b)). The first bridge section 201A and the second bridge section 201B allow the supply bobbin 204 and the take-up bobbin 205 to be held at a constant distance from each other.

[0026] Figure 4 is an unfolded view of the ink ribbon 210.

[0027] As shown in Figure 4, the ink ribbon 210 has yellow dye 211, magenta dye 212, cyan dye 213, and an overcoat layer 214 applied in that order, and a strip-shaped marker 215 is applied to the leading edge of each side. The marker 215 is a black line, and the ink ribbon sensor, described later, can detect when the light irradiated by the marker 215 is blocked by the marker 215. In addition, two markers 215 are applied to the leading edge of the yellow dye 211, while one marker 215 is applied to the leading edge of the other colors. This distinguishes the leading edge of the yellow dye 211 from the leading edge of the other colors. This distinction is identified by the ink ribbon sensor, and based on this identification result, the printer 100 can recognize the leading edge position of the yellow dye 211.

[0028] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of printer 100.

[0029] In Figure 5, the printer 100 includes the aforementioned power button 101 and display unit 102, as well as a CPU 151, ROM 152, RAM 153, print control unit 154, ink cassette detection unit 155, and communication unit 156.

[0030] The CPU 151 performs system control and calculations for the printer 100. The ROM 152 stores the printer 100's system control program and other programs. The CPU 151 reads programs from the ROM 152 and controls each part based on the read programs.

[0031] RAM 153 temporarily stores image data. The print control unit 154 generates print data based on the image data stored in RAM 153 and sends it to the print unit (not shown in Figure 5) for printing.

[0032] The ink cassette detection unit 155 can detect whether or not the ink ribbon cassette 200 is installed in the printer 100.

[0033] The communication unit 156 controls communication with multiple external devices 600, such as smartphones and personal computers, that are connected to the printer 100. In other words, the printer 100 is configured to be connectable to multiple external devices 600. In this embodiment, the case in which three external devices 600A, 600B, and 600C are connected to the printer 100 will be described as an example.

[0034] Figures 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views showing the printing operation of printer 100. Figure 6(a) is a cross-sectional view showing printer 100 in standby mode, Figure 6(b) is a cross-sectional view showing printer 100 in paper feeding mode, and Figure 6(c) is a cross-sectional view showing printer 100 after paper feeding is complete. Figure 7(a) is a cross-sectional view showing printer 100 at the start of printing, Figure 7(b) is a cross-sectional view showing printer 100 in the middle of printing, and Figure 7(c) is a cross-sectional view showing printer 100 after paper ejection.

[0035] As shown in Figure 6(a), the printer 100 includes a thermal head 110, a head support shaft 112, a head arm 111, a heat sink 114, a platen roller 120, a paper feed roller 130, a separator plate 131, and a paper guide 132. The printer 100 also includes a paper feed sensor 141, a paper output sensor 142, an ink ribbon sensor 150, an ink cassette detection unit 155, a transport roller 160, a driven roller 161, and a built-in battery 170.

[0036] The head arm 111 is rotatably supported around the head support shaft 112. The thermal head 110 is supported by the head arm 111 and can rotate from the standby position shown in Figure 6(a) to the printing position shown in Figure 7(b), thereby generating a pressing force between it and the platen roller 120.

[0037] As shown in Figure 6(a), in the standby state, the thermal head 110 is biased clockwise around the head support shaft 112 by a head biasing spring (not shown). The thermal head 110 is positioned in a standby position that maximizes the distance from the platen roller 120 to prevent interference when inserting or removing the ink ribbon cassette 200. The heat sink 114 is attached to the thermal head 110 and is configured to transfer the heat generated by the thermal head 110 to the heat sink 114. The platen roller 120 is rotatably positioned in the printer 100 and is configured to rotate in accordance with the transport of the paper 300.

[0038] The paper feed roller 130 is driven and rotated by a drive source (not shown). The paper feed roller 130 can also move from a retracted position spaced away from the paper 300 as shown in Figure 6(a) to a paper feeding position in contact with the paper 300 as shown in Figure 6(b).

[0039] The paper guide 132 is lifted by the paper 300 during paper feeding and is rotatably supported from the position shown in Figure 6(a) to the position shown in Figure 6(b). Furthermore, the paper guide 132 is always biased downward and is in contact with the separation plate 131 shown in Figure 6(a).

[0040] The paper feed sensor 141 and the paper output sensor 142 are sensors that detect the presence or absence of paper 300 by shining light on the back surface of the paper 300 and detecting the reflected light of the irradiated light.

[0041] The ink ribbon sensor 150 is a sensor that shines light onto the wall surface of the ink ribbon cassette 200 and detects the reflected light, and when the reflected light is blocked by the marker 215, it detects the position of the marker 215. The ink cassette detection unit 155 is a sensor that shines light onto the upper case 201 of the ink ribbon cassette 200 and detects the reflected light, thereby detecting that the ink ribbon cassette 200 has been installed in the printer 100.

[0042] The conveyor roller 160 can be driven and rotated by a drive source (not shown). The driven roller 161 is a driven roller that faces the conveyor roller 160 and is configured to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the conveyor roller 160.

[0043] The internal battery 170 is housed above the paper 300 inside the printer 100. The internal battery 170 is a lithium-ion rechargeable battery and is configured to be rechargeable by receiving power from an external power source (not shown).

[0044] Next, using Figures 6 to 9, we will explain the process of configuring the administrator device from multiple external devices 600 connected to the printer 100.

[0045] Figure 8 is a flowchart of the administrator device configuration process according to this embodiment. Figure 9 is a diagram showing the display screen that is notified to the external device 600 according to this embodiment.

[0046] When the power button 101 is pressed by the user and the printer 100 is powered on, the CPU 151 starts executing the administrator device setting process shown in Figure 8 based on the program read from the ROM 152.

[0047] In step S801, the CPU 151 uses the ink cassette detection unit 155 to determine whether or not an ink ribbon cassette 200 is installed in the printer 100. If the ink cassette detection unit 155 detects the ink ribbon cassette 200 and the CPU 151 determines that the ink ribbon cassette 200 is installed, this process is terminated. On the other hand, if the ink cassette detection unit 155 fails to detect the ink ribbon cassette 200 within the specified time from the start of processing in Figure 8, the CPU 151 determines that the ink ribbon cassette 200 is not installed and proceeds to step S802.

[0048] In step S802, the CPU 151 uses the ink cassette detection unit 155 to determine whether or not the ink ribbon cassette 200 has been installed in the printer 100. That is, it determines whether the state of the ink cassette detection unit 155 has changed from a state where the ink ribbon cassette 200 is not detected to a state where the ink ribbon cassette 200 is detected. If the CPU 151 determines that the ink ribbon cassette 200 has been installed in the printer 100 (YES in step S802), it proceeds to step S803.

[0049] In step S803, the CPU 151 uses the communication unit 156 to notify the external devices 600 of a message asking whether or not to configure administrator settings. Specifically, it notifies all external devices 600 (external devices 600A to 600C) connected to the printer 100 of a message instructing them to display the screen shown in Figure 9(a). In response to the display instruction notified by the printer 100 in step S803, the screen shown in Figure 9(a) is displayed on external devices 600A to 600C.

[0050] In this embodiment, we will describe a scenario in which user A, who has installed the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the printer 100, uses external device 600A, while users B and C use external devices 600B and 600C.

[0051] When user A selects the YES button 901 on the screen shown in Figure 9(a) displayed on external device 600A, an administrator setting signal is sent from external device 600A to printer 100. Here, the administrator setting signal is a signal to notify printer 100 that external device 600A is being registered as an administrator device (an administrator application has been made). Upon receiving the administrator setting signal, CPU 151 sends an instruction to display the notification screen shown in Figure 9(b) to external device 600A, the source of the administrator setting signal. In response to this instruction, external device 600A displays a notification screen indicating that it can be set as an administrator device by pressing and holding the power button 101 for a specified time (in this case, 2 seconds) or longer, as shown in Figure 9(b). Note that this embodiment aims to grant administrator privileges to users who have replaced consumables such as ink ribbon cassettes. Therefore, external device 600 may display a replacement confirmation screen before displaying the screen in Figure 9(a), which includes the message "Have you replaced the ink ribbon cassette / paper?" and buttons indicating "Yes" and "No". In this case, only external devices 600 for which the "Yes" button is selected on the replacement confirmation screen may display the screen shown in Figure 9(a) and be made configurable as administrator devices. On the other hand, external devices 600 for which the "No" button is selected on the replacement confirmation screen will notify the printer 100 via the communication unit that the external device 600 will not be configured as an administrator device, similar to when the NO button 902 on the screen shown in Figure 9(a) is selected.

[0052] User A can set external device 600A as an administrator device by pressing and holding the power button 101 for more than 2 seconds (long press) in accordance with the notification screen shown in Figure 9(b) of external device 600A. In other words, when the power button 101 is pressed for more than 2 seconds, the CPU 151 (setting means) sets external device 600A (first external device), which is the source of the administrator setting signal, as an administrator device.

[0053] Furthermore, the administrator device setting process of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, as long as the external device 600A is set as the administrator device when a predetermined operation is performed on the printer 100 after the CPU 151 receives an administrator setting signal from the external device 600A. For example, the predetermined operation on the printer 100 does not have to be a long press of the power button 101 for 2 seconds or more, as in this embodiment, but may be two consecutive operations on the power button 101 (double-click) or an operation on the printer 100's touch panel screen (not shown). Also, while it is desirable to prompt user A to perform a predetermined operation on the printer 100 as in this embodiment, it is not necessary to display the notification screen shown in Figure 9(b) on the external device 600A. For example, instead of displaying the notification screen shown in Figure 9(b) on the external device 600A, the CPU 151 may blink an LED lamp (not shown) on the printer 100, or emit a buzzer sound from an electronic buzzer (not shown) on the printer 100. Alternatively, the notification screen shown in Figure 9(b) may be displayed on the printer 100's touch panel screen (not shown).

[0054] In step S804, it is determined whether a signal (administrator setting signal) indicating that the YES button was pressed on an external device 600 has been received. Specifically, as mentioned above, it is determined whether either the YES button 901 or the NO button 902 was selected on the screen shown in Figure 9(a) displayed on external devices 600A to 600C. If the YES button 901 is selected on any of the external devices 600A to 600C, the CPU 151 notifies the device among the external devices 600A to 600C on which the YES button 901 was selected to display the screen shown in Figure 9(b), and then proceeds to step S805. On the other hand, if the NO button 902 is selected on all of the external devices 600A to 600C, this process ends there. It should be noted that among the external devices 600 connected to the printer 100, it is possible that neither the YES button 901 nor the NO button 902 is selected because the user did not notice that the screen shown in Figure 9(a) was being displayed. Therefore, if neither the YES button 901 nor the NO button 902 is pressed within a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds), the process may be configured to assume that the NO button 902 has been pressed and proceed accordingly. In this case, the external device 600 may notify the printer 100 that the NO button 902 has been pressed after 30 seconds have elapsed. Alternatively, if the external device 600 does not notify the printer of a button press within a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds), the printer 100 may assume that the NO button 902 has been pressed and proceed accordingly. The following describes the process from step S805 onward, using the case where only the YES button 901 is selected on the external device 600A as an example.

[0055] In step S805, the CPU 151 determines whether the power button 101 was pressed for a specified time or longer. If it determines that the power button 101 was pressed for a specified time or longer (YES in step S805), the process proceeds to step S806. On the other hand, if the power button 101 was pressed but the duration was less than the specified time, the process determines that the administrator request has been canceled and returns to step S803. In the above explanation, the administrator request was canceled by pressing the power button 101 of the printer 100. However, in this case, the printer 100 cannot be turned off by pressing the power button 101 while administrator settings are active. For this reason, the administrator request may be canceled by operating another button. Alternatively, the external device 600 may display an administrator request cancellation button, and when the administrator request cancellation button is operated (touched), the external device 600 may notify the printer 100 that the administrator request has been canceled.

[0056] In step S806, the CPU 151 determines that user A, who has installed the ink ribbon cassette 200 into the printer 100, has been pressing the power button 101 for longer than the specified time, and sets the external device 600A as the administrator device.

[0057] Furthermore, in step S803, the screen shown in Figure 9(a) is also displayed on external devices 600B and 600C. Therefore, it is possible that either user B or C, who has not installed the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the printer 100, might select the YES button 901 displayed on external device 600B or external device 600C before user A. However, in that case, the screen displayed on external device 600A for user A, who has installed the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the printer 100, will switch from the screen shown in Figure 9(a) to the screen shown in Figure 9(c). This allows user A to understand that either user B or C is trying to register a device other than external device 600A (external device 600B or external device 600C) as an administrator device (they are making an administrator request). Moreover, user A, who has installed the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the printer 100, can cancel this administrator request by pressing the power button 101. When the screen shown in Figure 9(c) is displayed, the operation to cancel the administrator request may also be performed by operating other buttons on the printer 100 or by operating the cancel button displayed on the external device 600, similar to when the notification screen shown in Figure 9(b) is displayed.

[0058] As mentioned above, in step S805, if user A presses the power button 101 but the duration of the press is less than the specified time, it is determined that user A's administrator request has been canceled and the system returns to step S803. Upon returning to step S803, the CPU 151 re-notifies external devices 600A, 600B, and 600C of the instruction to display the screen shown in Figure 9(a). Therefore, user A, who has installed the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the printer 100, can set external device 600A as the administrator device in response to this re-notification.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment, immediately before step S805, which determines whether the power button 101 has been pressed for a specified time, user A operates the printer 100 by inserting the ink ribbon cassette 200 into the printer 100. In other words, when step S805 starts, only user A, who has been operating the printer 100 immediately before, is able to operate the printer 100 (press the power button 101). This prevents the CPU 151 from mistakenly setting another user as the administrator.

[0060] In step S807, the CPU 151 locks the ink ribbon cassette 200 so that users B and C cannot remove it from the printer 100. Specifically, the CPU 151 moves the thermal head 110 from the standby position shown in Figure 6(a) to the intermediate position shown in Figure 6(b). As a result, the thermal head 110 comes into contact with the second bridge portion 201B of the ink ribbon cassette 200, preventing the ink ribbon cassette 200 from being removed from the printer 100. Details of how to release this lock are omitted, but it can only be performed on the device among the external devices 600A to 600C that was set as the administrator device in step S806. After this lock is performed, this process is terminated.

[0061] According to this process, after the administrator device is configured, the attachment and detachment of the ink ribbon cassette 200 from the printer 100 is locked. This prevents users other than user A, who installed the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the printer 100, from removing the ink ribbon cassette 200 from the printer 100 and starting the administrator device configuration process in Figure 8 again. Specifically, even if a user other than user A tries to start the administrator device configuration process in Figure 8 while this lock is in place, the CPU 151 determines in step S801 that the ink ribbon cassette 200 is installed and terminates the process immediately after starting it. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a new administrator device from being configured after the administrator device has been configured.

[0062] In the above explanation, in step S803, a notification was sent to all connected external devices 600 to display a screen asking whether or not to configure administrator settings. However, instead of notifying all external devices 600 at once, the notification to configure administrator settings may be sent to each external device 600 one by one. In this case, first, a replacement confirmation screen is displayed on one external device 600, allowing the user to select whether or not they have replaced the ink ribbon / paper using the Yes or No buttons. If the Yes button is selected on the replacement confirmation screen, the screen shown in Figure 9(b) is displayed on that external device 600 (displaying the screen in Figure 9(a) is unnecessary), notifying the user that administrator settings can be configured by operating the power button 101 on the printer 100, and prompting them to configure administrator settings. Since only one user has replaced the ink ribbon / paper, if the user of the external device 600 who pressed the Yes button on the replacement confirmation screen does not configure administrator settings, the process shown in Figure 8 may be terminated. If the screen shown in Figure 9(b) is displayed, the process in step S805 is executed, and if the power button 101 is pressed for a specified time or longer, the external device 600 for which administrator requests have been submitted is set as the administrator device. If the No button is selected on the replacement confirmation screen, the replacement confirmation screen is displayed on the next external device 600. If a specified time (e.g., 30 seconds) has elapsed since the replacement confirmation screen was displayed on the next external device 600 (after the printer 100 notified the next external device 600), the process may be considered as if the No button had been selected as described above and the process may proceed. If the No button is selected on the replacement confirmation screen for all external devices 600 (corresponding to No in step S804), the process in Figure 8 is terminated without setting administrator privileges.

[0063] Next, referring to Figure 10, we will explain the functions that user A can operate on printer 100 using external device 600A when external device 600A is configured as the administrator device.

[0064] Figure 10 is a flowchart of the printing process when image data is received from external device 600A, which is the administrator device set in step S806 of Figure 8. In this process, the CPU 151 reads a program from ROM 152 and executes the process based on the read program.

[0065] First, in step S1001, the CPU 151 receives image data from the external device 600 via the communication unit 156 (step S1001).

[0066] In step S1001a, the CPU 151 determines whether the received image data was sent from the administrator device (external device 600A). Here, all image data sent from external device 600 has metadata that includes the ID of the sending device, and the CPU 151 uses this metadata to make the determination in step S1001a. If the received image data was sent from a device other than the administrator device (NO in step S1001a), this process ends. On the other hand, if the received image data was sent from the administrator device (YES in step S1001a), the process proceeds to step S1002. For image data sent from a device other than the administrator device, if the printer 100 is printing, it is spooled, otherwise, unless there is a cancellation instruction as described later, a print job is created and printing is performed, which is a known printing process.

[0067] In step S1002, the CPU 151 determines whether the printer 100 is printing or not. If the printer 100 is not printing (NO in step S1002), the process proceeds to step S1008, where the CPU 151 generates print data in the print control unit 154 based on the received image data and sends the print data to the printing unit to execute the printing process. If the printer 100 is printing (YES in step S1002), the process proceeds to step S1003, where the CPU 151 temporarily stores the image data in the RAM 153.

[0068] In step S1004, the CPU 151 creates a list of print jobs waiting to be printed using the image data stored in RAM 153 and waits to print.

[0069] In step S1005, the CPU 151 determines whether or not it has received a cancellation instruction from the administrator device (external device 600A). The administrator device (external device 600A) has a display function that obtains a list of image data currently being printed and waiting to be printed from the printer 100 and displays it on the screen for user selection. Furthermore, the administrator device (external device 600A) has an instruction receiving function that accepts user input for a cancellation instruction for the image data selected by the user from the obtained list of image data currently being printed and waiting to be printed, and sends it to the printer 100. If the CPU 151 receives a print cancellation instruction from the administrator device (external device 600A) (YES in step S1005), it stops printing the image data for which a print cancellation instruction has been given and proceeds to step S1007. On the other hand, if the CPU 151 does not receive a print cancellation instruction from the administrator device (external device 600A) (NO in step S1005), it proceeds to step S1006.

[0070] In step S1007, CPU 151 sends an error notification to the source of the image data (external device 600B or external device 600C) whose print order was canceled in step S1005, indicating that the print order was canceled by the administrator device (external device 600A). After that, this process is terminated.

[0071] In step S1006, the CPU 151 determines whether the print waiting for the image data started in step S1004 has finished. If the print waiting has not finished (NO in step S1006), the process returns to step S1005. On the other hand, if the print waiting has finished (YES in step S1006), the process proceeds to step S1008.

[0072] In step S1008, the CPU 151 creates print data using the image data temporarily stored in RAM 153 in step S1003, executes the print process to print the data, and then terminates this process.

[0073] In this embodiment, while the printer 100 is printing image data received from a non-administrator device (external devices 600B, 600C), user A can cancel the printing of that data or the printing of image data from a non-administrator device that is in standby mode on external device 600A. In other words, user A, who has installed the ink ribbon cassette 200 in the printer 100, can cancel the printing of any image data other than the image data that user A sent to the printer 100. Therefore, for example, if the printer 100 receives a large amount of image data from external device 600B or external device 600C, user A can cancel the printing of that data on external device 600A. This prevents the ink ribbon 210 from being consumed in large quantities against user A's intention.

[0074] Next, the settings for the printer 100's print mode will be explained with reference to Figures 11 to 13.

[0075] Figure 11 shows the settings screen for printer 100 as displayed on external device 600. Figure 11(a) shows the settings screen for printer 100 as displayed on external device 600A, which is configured as an administrator device, and Figure 11(b) shows the settings screen for printer 100 as displayed on external device 600 (in this case, external device 600B), which is not configured as an administrator device.

[0076] Figure 12 is a flowchart of the printing process performed in printer 100, and Figure 13 is a diagram showing the result of image merging performed in step S1204 of Figure 12.

[0077] External devices 600A, 600B, and 600C connected to printer 100 can all change or view the settings of printer 100. As shown in Figure 11(a), the settings for printer 100 include items for print mode 1101, surface finish 1104, and automatic correction 1007. External device 600A, which is set as the administrator device, displays normal print 1102 and combined print 1103 as selectable print modes 1101. Figure 11(a) shows the state where combined print 1103 is selected by the user on external device 600A, and user A can recognize that combined print 1103 is selected by the thicker border of combined print 1103. The print mode 1101 setting selected by the user on external device 600A is sent from external device 600A to printer 100 and set on printer 100. In addition, printer 100 sends the print mode 1101 setting to all external devices 600. Further details regarding the combined printing 1103 will be provided later.

[0078] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 11(b), in the settings screen of external devices 600B and 600C that are not set as administrator devices, the print mode 1101 (in this case, combined print 1103) set and sent by printer 100 cannot be changed and remains fixed. However, external devices 600B and 600C can refer to the print mode 1101 set on printer 100. For example, in the settings screen of printer 100 displayed on external device 600B when combined print 1103 is selected by the user on external device 600A, as shown in Figure 11(b), normal print 1102 is grayed out and cannot be selected by the user. Therefore, in the settings screen of Figure 11(b), user B cannot change print mode 1101 to normal print, but can see that the current print mode 1101 is set to combined print 1103.

[0079] As shown in Figures 11(a) and (b), the surface finish 1104 can be selected / changed to either gloss 1105 or semi-gloss 1106 on any of the external devices 600A (configured as administrator devices) and 600B and 600C (not configured as administrator devices). Similarly, for the automatic correction 1007, either ON 1108 or OFF 1109 can be selected / changed on any of the external devices 600A (configured as administrator devices) and 600B and 600C (not configured as administrator devices). In other words, when the settings for surface finish 1104 and automatic correction 1007 are changed on one of the external devices 600A to 600C, the changed settings are sent to the printer 100 and applied to the printer 100. The printer 100 then sends the set surface finish 1104 and automatic correction 1007 settings to all external devices 600. Therefore, the changed settings are displayed on the setting screens of all external devices 600.

[0080] Next, the combined printing 1103 in this embodiment will be explained using the flowchart of the printing process in Figure 12.

[0081] When the power button 101 is pressed by the user and the printer 100 is powered on, the CPU 151 reads a program from the ROM 152 and starts executing the printing process based on the read program.

[0082] In step S1201, the CPU 151 receives image data from the external device 600 via the communication unit 156 and stores it in the RAM 153.

[0083] In step S1202, the CPU 151 determines whether the printer 100's print mode 1101 is set to combined print 1103 or not.

[0084] If the result of the determination in step S1202 is that the printer 100's print mode 1101 is set to normal print 1102 and not combined print 1103 (NO in step S1202), then the process proceeds to step S1205. In step S1205, the CPU 151 creates print data in the print control unit 154 based on the image data received in step S1201, executes the print process, and then terminates.

[0085] On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S1202 is that the print mode 1101 of the printer 100 is combined printing 1103 (YES in step S1202), the process proceeds to step S1203. In step S1203, the CPU 151 determines whether the image data received in step S1201 is the specified number of image data. The specified number is the number of image data files that are subject to combined printing 1103, and this specified number is set by the user on the external device 600A which is set as the administrator device.

[0086] If the result of the determination in step S1203 is that the number of image data received by the printer 100 is less than the specified number (NO in step S1203), the process returns to step S1201. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S1203 is that the number of image data received by the printer 100 is equal to the specified number (YES in step S1203), the process proceeds to step S1204.

[0087] In step S1204, the CPU 151 performs image merging based on the image data stored in RAM 153. The image merging process when the specified number of images is 4 is described below. Figures 13(a) and 13(b) are examples of image merging results when the specified number of images is set to 4. Images 1301 and 1304 are images received from external device 600A, image 1302 is an image received from external device 600B, and image 1303 is an image received from external device 600C. When the printer 100 receives the image data of the specified number of images 1301 to 1304 from any of the external devices 600A to 600C, it arranges images 1301 to 1304 in an arbitrary layout and merges all the received images 1301 to 1304. This creates a single image data file. Specifically, as shown in Figure 13(a), a single image data is created in which all images 1301 to 1304 are the same size and arranged side by side. Note that the user may change the layout to one different from the layout shown in Figure 13(a) using the external device 600A, which is configured as the administrator device. For example, the user may change the layout using the external device 600A to one where the last received image data (in this case, image 1304) is placed larger at the top, and the remaining images 1301 to 1303 are placed smaller and smaller from left to right in the lower row (Figure 13(b)), in order of later reception.

[0088] In step S1205, the CPU 151 creates print data in the print control unit 154 from the image data created by the image merging performed in step S1204, sends it to the printing unit, and executes a printing process to complete this process.

[0089] In this embodiment, the print mode 1101 setting of printer 100 can only be changed by external device 600A, which is set as the administrator device, and external devices 600B and 600C, which are not set as administrator devices, cannot change the print mode 1101. Specifically, if user A sets the printer 100's print mode 1101 to combined printing 1103 on external device 600A, users B and C cannot change it to normal printing 1102 on external devices 600B and 600C. Here, combined printing 1103 requires one ink ribbon 210 for four image data, but normal printing requires one ink ribbon 210 for one image, resulting in a large consumption of ink ribbon 210. In other words, by making the print mode 1101 setting of printer 100 changeable only by external device 600, which is set as the administrator, it is possible to avoid the large consumption of ink ribbon 210 against user A's intention.

[0090] Next, the details of the printing process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4, 6, 7, and 14. Figure 14 is a flowchart of the printing process subroutines performed in step S1008 of Figure 10 and step S1205 of Figure 14.

[0091] In step S1401, when the CPU 151 starts the printing unit to read (receive) the print data generated by the print control unit 154, it starts a blinking display on the display unit 102 indicating the print data reading status. Once the printing unit has finished reading the print data, the CPU 151 changes the display unit 102 from blinking to solid and proceeds to step S1402.

[0092] In step S1402, the CPU 151 starts feeding paper. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6(b), the paper feed roller 130 is brought into contact with the paper 300 and rotated clockwise in Figure 6 by a drive source (not shown), transporting the paper 300 towards the inside of the printer 100. As a result, the paper 300 comes into contact with the separation plate 131 provided in the printer 100, and the leading edge of the paper 300 pushes up the paper guide 132. Consequently, only the topmost sheet of paper 300 is transported by the paper feed roller 130.

[0093] In step S1403, the CPU 151 determines whether or not the paper feed sensor 141 has detected the paper 300 that was started to be fed in step S1402. If the paper feed sensor 141 detects the paper 300 as a result of the determination in step S1403 (YES in step S1403), the process proceeds to step S1404. On the other hand, if the paper feed sensor 141 does not detect the paper 300 within the specified time (NO in step S1403), the process proceeds to step S1405. In step S1405, the CPU 151 determines that the paper 300 is not loaded into the paper loading section 106 of the printer 100, notifies the external device 600 of an error indicating that the paper 300 could not be fed, and terminates this process.

[0094] In step S1404, the CPU 151 stops the rotation of the paper feed roller 130, temporarily suspends the paper feeding operation, and then proceeds to step S1406.

[0095] In step S1406, the CPU 151 starts the operation to lead out the yellow dye 211 of the ink ribbon 210. Specifically, the CPU 151 rotates the take-up bobbin 205, located inside the ink ribbon cassette 200, counterclockwise in the figure using a drive source (not shown), with its tip engaged with an engagement part provided on the printer 100. This causes the ink ribbon 210, which is wound around the supply bobbin 204, to be wound onto the take-up bobbin 205. As shown in Figure 4, a marker 215 is provided at the beginning of each color of the ink ribbon 210, and in particular, two markers 215 are provided at the beginning of the yellow dye 211. During the winding of the ink ribbon 210, the CPU 151 detects the markers 215 using an ink ribbon sensor 150 (Figure 6), which is a reflective optical sensor. If the ink ribbon sensor 150 detects two markers 215 consecutively within a specified time (YES in step S1407), the process proceeds to step S1408. In step S1408, the CPU 151 determines that the yellow dye 211 has finished leading out and proceeds to step S1410. On the other hand, if a specified time has elapsed since the start of winding the ink ribbon 210, but the two markers 215 are not detected consecutively within a specified time (NO in step S1407), the process proceeds to step S1409. In step S1409, the CPU 151 determines that there is no remaining ink ribbon 210 in the ink ribbon cassette 200 loaded in the printer 100 and blinks the display unit 102. Furthermore, the CPU 151 notifies the external device 600 of the error that there is no remaining ink ribbon 210 in the ink ribbon cassette 200 and terminates this process.

[0096] In step S1410, the CPU 151 resumes paper feeding. Specifically, it rotates the paper feed roller 130 clockwise in Figure 6 by a drive source (not shown) to resume the paper feeding operation. This rotation of the paper feed roller 130 transports the paper 300 in the direction of arrow D. At this time, the transport roller 160 rotates counterclockwise in Figure 6 in accordance with the rotation speed of the paper feed roller 130 by a drive source (not shown), so the paper 300 enters the nip position between the transport roller 160 and the driven roller 161 without load and is transported further in the direction of arrow D. Once the paper 300 has been nipped by the transport roller 160 and the driven roller 161 and transported in the direction of arrow D, the paper feed roller 130 stops rotating and is pushed up to the retracted position shown in Figure 6(c). After the transport roller 160 stops rotating, it is rotated clockwise in the figure by a drive source (not shown) to transport the paper 300 in the direction of arrow E. At this time, the paper guide 132 is pushed down to the position shown in Figure 6(c), so the paper 300 is transported towards the transport path above the paper stacking section 106. After the CPU 151 starts feeding paper in step S1410, it detects the position of the leading edge of the paper 300 in the transport direction with the paper feed sensor 141, then transports the paper 300 by the paper feed roller 130 for a specified distance, stops the transport, and proceeds to step S1411. In step S1411, the CPU 151 determines that the paper 300 has been stopped at the print start position shown in Figure 7(a), completes the paper feeding operation, and proceeds to step S1412.

[0097] In step S1412, the CPU 151 performs yellow printing. Specifically, the CPU 151 rotates the head arm 111 to stationary the thermal head 110 at the printing position shown in Figure 7(b), and presses the paper 300 and ink ribbon 210 together with the thermal head 110 and platen roller 120. Then, the CPU 151 transports the paper 300 in the direction of arrow D using the transport roller 160, and generates heat in the heating element of the thermal head 110 in response to a printing signal from the print control unit 154. As a result, the yellow dye 211 on the ink ribbon 210 is thermally transferred to the paper 300, and yellow printing is performed. While yellow printing is being performed, the ink ribbon 210 is transported in the direction of arrow D at the same transport speed as the paper 300, while being wound up by a take-up bobbin 205 which is rotated by a drive source (not shown).

[0098] Once the yellow printing in step S1412 is complete, the process proceeds to step S1413 to perform magenta printing, and the CPU 151 performs a return operation. Specifically, the CPU 151 first rotates the head arm 111 to release the contact between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120, and stops the thermal head 110 at the intermediate position shown in Figure 6(c). Then, the CPU 151 uses the transport roller 160 to transport the paper 300 in the direction of arrow E to the printing start position shown in Figure 7(a). At the same time, the CPU 151 starts rotating the take-up bobbin 205, and when the ink ribbon sensor 150 detects the marker 215 located at the front of the magenta dye 212, it stops rotating the take-up bobbin 205, completing the leading edge of the magenta dye 212. At this point, the CPU 151 determines that the return operation is complete and proceeds to step S1414.

[0099] In step S1414, the CPU 151 performs magenta printing. Specifically, the CPU 151 performs magenta printing in the same manner as the yellow printing described above. That is, the CPU 151 rotates the head arm 111 to stationary the thermal head 110 at the printing position shown in Figure 7(b), and presses the paper 300 and ink ribbon 210 together with the thermal head 110 and platen roller 120. Then, the CPU 151 transports the paper 300 in the direction of arrow D using the transport roller 160, and heats the heating element of the thermal head 110 in response to a printing signal from the print control unit 154. As a result, the magenta dye 212 on the ink ribbon 210 is thermally transferred to the paper 300, and magenta printing is performed. While magenta printing is being performed, the ink ribbon 210 is transported in the direction of arrow D at the same transport speed as the paper 300, while being wound up by a take-up bobbin 205 which is rotated by a drive source (not shown).

[0100] Once the magenta printing in step S1414 is complete, the process proceeds to step S1415, where the CPU 151 performs a return operation similar to that in step S1413. Specifically, the CPU 151 first rotates the head arm 111 to release the pressure between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120, and stops the thermal head 110 at the intermediate position shown in Figure 6(c). Then, the CPU 151 uses the transport roller 160 to transport the paper 300 in the direction of arrow E to the printing start position shown in Figure 7(a). At the same time, the CPU 151 starts rotating the take-up bobbin 205, and when the ink ribbon sensor 150 detects the marker 215 located at the front of the cyan dye 213, it stops rotating the take-up bobbin 205, completing the leading edge of the cyan dye 213. The CPU 151 then determines that the return operation is complete and proceeds to step S1416.

[0101] In step S1416, the CPU 151 performs cyan printing. Specifically, the CPU 151 performs cyan printing in the same manner as the yellow printing described above. That is, the CPU 151 rotates the head arm 111 to stationary the thermal head 110 at the printing position shown in Figure 7(b), and presses the paper 300 and ink ribbon 210 together with the thermal head 110 and platen roller 120. Then, the CPU 151 transports the paper 300 in the direction of arrow D using the transport roller 160, and heats up the heating element of the thermal head 110 in response to a printing signal provided by the print control unit 154. As a result, the cyan dye 213 on the ink ribbon 210 is thermally transferred to the paper 300, and cyan printing is performed. While cyan printing is being performed, the ink ribbon 210 is transported in the direction of arrow D at the same transport speed as the paper 300, while being wound up by a take-up bobbin 205 rotated by a drive source (not shown).

[0102] Next, in steps S1412 to S1416, the CPU 151 prints yellow, magenta, and cyan onto the paper 300, and then performs an overcoat print to reduce the degradation of the image printed on the paper 300 due to external factors. For this purpose, the CPU 151 first performs a return operation in step S1417, similar to that in step S1413. Specifically, the CPU 151 first rotates the head arm 111 to release the pressure between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120, and stops the thermal head 110 at the intermediate position shown in Figure 6(c). After that, the CPU 151 uses the transport roller 160 to transport the paper 300 in the direction of arrow E to the printing start position shown in Figure 7(a). At the same time, the CPU 151 starts rotating the winding bobbin 205, and when the ink ribbon sensor 150 detects the marker 215 located at the front of the overcoat layer 214, it stops rotating the winding bobbin 205, completing the leading edge of the overcoat layer 214. As a result, the CPU 151 determines that the return operation is complete and proceeds to step S1418.

[0103] In step S1418, the CPU 151 performs overcoat printing. Specifically, the CPU 151 performs overcoat printing in the same manner as the yellow printing described above. That is, the CPU 151 rotates the head arm 111 to stationary the thermal head 110 at the printing position shown in Figure 7(b), and presses the paper 300 and ink ribbon 210 together with the thermal head 110 and platen roller 120. Then, the CPU 151 transports the paper 300 in the direction of arrow D using the transport roller 160 and heats the heating element of the thermal head 110 in response to a printing signal provided by the print control unit 154. As a result, the overcoat layer 214 on the ink ribbon 210 is thermally transferred to the paper 300, and overcoat printing is performed. While overcoat printing is being performed, the ink ribbon 210 is transported in the direction of arrow D at the same transport speed as the paper 300, while being wound up by a take-up bobbin 205 rotated by a drive source (not shown).

[0104] In step S1419, the CPU 151 performs a paper ejection operation once the overcoat printing is complete. Specifically, the CPU 151 first rotates the transport roller 160 counterclockwise in the figure to eject the paper 300, transporting the paper 300 to the position shown in Figure 7(c) where it is released from the nip of the transport roller 160 and the driven roller 161. At this time, the paper 300 is detected by the paper ejection sensor 142, so the CPU 151 lights up the display unit 102 and also notifies the external device 600 to remove the printed paper 300. After the user removes the printed paper 300, the CPU 151 detects that the paper 300 has been removed by the paper ejection sensor 142, determines that the paper ejection operation is complete, and terminates this process.

[0105] (Second embodiment) A second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 15.

[0106] Furthermore, the same reference numerals and names are used for components identical to those in the first embodiment of the present invention, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0107] Figure 15 is a flowchart of the administrator device setting process according to this embodiment. When an administrator setting signal is transmitted from an external device 600 to the printer 100, the CPU 151 starts executing the administrator device setting process shown in Figure 15 based on the program read from the ROM 152.

[0108] In step S1501, the CPU 151 uses the ink cassette detection unit 155 to determine whether or not an ink ribbon cassette 200 is installed in the printer 100. If the ink ribbon cassette 200 is detected by the ink cassette detection unit 155 and the CPU 151 determines that the ink ribbon cassette 200 is installed in the printer 100, the process proceeds to step S1506. In step S1506, the CPU 151 notifies the external device 600 of an error that it is not possible to set up a new administrator device because the ink ribbon cassette 200 is installed in the printer 100, and terminates this process. On the other hand, if the ink ribbon cassette 200 is not detected by the ink cassette detection unit 155 within the specified time from the start of processing in Figure 15, the CPU 151 determines that the ink ribbon cassette 200 is not installed in the printer 100 and proceeds to step S1502. In step S1502, the CPU 151 notifies the external device 600 to install the ink ribbon cassette 200 into the printer 100, and then proceeds to step S1503.

[0109] In step S1503, the CPU 151 uses the ink cassette detection unit 155 to determine whether or not the ink ribbon cassette 200 has been installed in the printer 100. That is, it determines whether the state of the ink cassette detection unit 155 has changed from a state where the ink ribbon cassette 200 is not detected to a state where the ink ribbon cassette 200 is detected. If the CPU 151 determines that the ink ribbon cassette 200 has been installed in the printer 100 (YES in step S1503), it proceeds to step S1504. On the other hand, if the ink cassette detection unit 155 fails to detect the ink ribbon cassette 200 within the specified time, it proceeds to step S1506. In step S1506, the CPU 151 notifies the external device 600 of an error that the administrator device cannot be set because the ink ribbon cassette 200 has not been installed in the printer 100, and then terminates this process.

[0110] In step S1504, the CPU 151 sets the external device 600 as the administrator device and notifies the external device 600 that it has been set as the administrator device.

[0111] In step S1505, the CPU 151 locks the ink ribbon cassette 200 so that it cannot be removed from the printer 100. Specifically, the CPU 151 moves the thermal head 110 from the standby position shown in Figure 6(a) to the intermediate position shown in Figure 6(b). As a result, the thermal head 110 comes into contact with the second bridge portion 201B of the ink ribbon cassette 200, preventing the ink ribbon cassette 200 from being removed from the printer 100. After performing this lock, the process is terminated.

[0112] This process locks the insertion and removal of the ink ribbon cassette 200 from the printer 100 after the administrator device has been configured. This prevents users other than the administrator from removing the ink ribbon cassette 200 from the printer 100 and starting the administrator device configuration process shown in Figure 15 again. Specifically, even if a user other than the administrator attempts to start the administrator device configuration process shown in Figure 15 while this lock is in place, the CPU 151 determines in step S1501 that the ink ribbon cassette 200 is installed and terminates the process immediately after starting it. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a new administrator device from being configured after the administrator device has been configured.

[0113] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist. For example, in the first and second embodiments, when the ink ribbon cassette 200 switches from a state where it is not installed in the printer 100 to a state where it is installed, one of the external devices 600 connected to the printer 100 is set as the administrator device, but the invention is not limited to this. That is, any consumable for the printer 100 does not have to be the ink ribbon cassette 200, for example, it could be paper 300.

[0114] (Other embodiments) In this embodiment, the system can also be implemented by supplying a program that implements one or more functions to a computer of a system or device via a network or storage medium, and the system control unit of that system or device reads and executes the program. The system control unit has one or more processors or circuits and may include a plurality of separate system control units or a network of a plurality of separate processors or circuits in order to read and execute executable instructions.

[0115] A processor or circuit may include a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Alternatively, a processor or circuit may include a digital signal processor (DSP), a dataflow processor (DFP), or a neural processing unit (NPU).

[0116] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0117] 100 printers 101 Power button 110 Thermal Head 120 Platen Roller 151 CPU 152 ROM 153 RAM 154 Printing Control Unit 155 Ink cartridge detection unit 156 Communications Department 200 Ink Ribbon Cassettes 210 Ink Ribbon 300 sheets 600 External equipment

Claims

1. An image processing device that connects to multiple external devices, An image processing device characterized by comprising setting means for detecting a switch in the image processing device from a state where consumables are not installed to a state where they are installed, and setting one of the plurality of external devices, which is used by the user who installed the consumables, as the administrator device of the image processing device.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the consumable is at least one of ink or paper.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, after detecting the switch, the setting means sets the first external device, which is one of the plurality of external devices, as the administrator device in response to an input from the user of the first external device indicating that the consumables have been installed on the first external device.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the setting means, after detecting the switch, controls the first external device, which is one of the plurality of external devices, to display a message regarding administrator settings, and then, in response to a predetermined operation on the image processing apparatus, sets the first external device as the administrator device.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the predetermined operation is a long press operation on a button provided on the image processing apparatus for a specified time or longer, or two consecutive operations.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the setting means, after an administrator setting signal is transmitted from one of the plurality of external devices, detects the switch within a specified time, and sets the external device that transmitted the administrator setting signal as the administrator device.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the setting means, after receiving an administrator setting signal from one of the multiple external devices, does not detect the switch and notifies the multiple external devices of an error.

8. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the consumables are locked so that they cannot be removed from the image processing apparatus while one of the plurality of external devices is set as the administrator device by the setting means.

9. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that one of the multiple external devices set as the administrator device displays the print mode of the image processing apparatus in a user-selectable manner.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, among the plurality of external devices, the device not set as the administrator device is displayed with the print mode of the image processing apparatus fixed.

11. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein one of the multiple external devices set as the administrator device has a display function for displaying image data waiting to be printed in the image processing apparatus, and an instruction receiving function for displaying a screen for receiving user input for canceling the printing of the image data.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that, when a print cancellation instruction is received from one of the multiple external devices set as the administrator device, an error notification is sent to the device among the multiple external devices that is not set as the administrator device.

13. A method for controlling an image processing device that connects to multiple external devices, A control method characterized by having a setting step in which, upon detecting a switch in the image processing device from a state where consumables are not installed to a state where they are installed, one of the plurality of external devices, which is used by the user who installed the consumables, is set as the administrator device of the image processing device.

14. A computer-executable program that causes a computer to function as a setting means for an image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

Images