Image forming system, method for controlling the image forming system, and control program

Abstract

This invention provides an image forming system, a control method for the image forming system, and a control program that can shorten the generation time of printed materials sent together with products. [Solution] The image forming system 500 comprises an image forming unit 430 and a control unit 490. The image forming unit 430 forms an image on paper. The control unit 490 controls the image formation by the image forming unit 430 based on the attributes of the recording medium. The image forming system 500 has a first mode in which it performs control based on a change in the attributes of the recording medium when it continuously performs the formation of an image on a first recording medium having first attributes and the formation of an image on a second recording medium having second attributes different from the first attributes, and a second mode in which it does not perform control based on a change in the attributes of the recording medium.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming system, a control method for an image forming system, and a control program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, BtoC (Business to Consumer) transactions through EC (Electric Commerce) sites have been on the increase. Products purchased through an EC site are packed in cardboard boxes or the like, or enclosed in envelopes at a logistics center and delivered to a consumer (orderer). At this time, printed materials such as flyers related to the product are often sent together with the product.

[0003] Currently, among the flyers preprinted at a printing company or the like and stored in large quantities in the warehouse of the logistics center, an operator picks up the necessary flyers according to the instructions of the EC operator and manually creates a set of flyers by stacking them in the specified order. The created set of flyers is enclosed or included when the product is shipped.

[0004] Such a set of flyers is, for example, created in advance by an operator for each purchased product or number of purchases of a customer during the operator's free time and stored in a number of boxes arranged on a predetermined shelf for each product. The set of flyers is picked by the operator from the shelf when enclosing it with the product. By creating the set of flyers in advance, the picking work of the operator becomes easier. However, for example, if the content of the flyer is time-limited or for some other reason, if the set of flyers to be enclosed is changed, it is necessary to remake the set of flyers. Also, when the set of flyers to be enclosed is changed, flyers that cannot be reused must be discarded. Also, even if there are reusable flyers, space for storing them is required.

[0005] Furthermore, the shipping operations at the logistics center are managed according to a schedule, and in order to avoid storing excess flyers that result from delays in operations, it is necessary to produce flyers and other printed materials in accordance with this schedule. However, since some products need to be delivered on the same day, it is difficult to accurately predict the number of products and flyers to be handled in a day.

[0006] In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for shipping printed materials using printed materials printed by a printer when the inventory in the inventory shelf for managing the inventory of printed materials is less than the number of copies ordered. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-257054 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, while the technology described in Patent Document 1 can compensate for shortages of printed materials on inventory shelves using printed materials produced by a printer, it does not take into account the schedule for shipping the products. Therefore, if there is a delay in the supply of printed materials produced by the printer, the shipping of the products and printed materials may also be delayed.

[0009] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. The main objective of this invention is to provide an image forming system, a control method for the image forming system, and a control program that can shorten the generation time of printed materials to be shipped together with goods. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The above objectives of the present invention are achieved by the following means.

[0011] (1) In an image forming system that generates printed materials to be sent together with a product,An image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, A storage unit that stores information relating to images and recording media formed by the image forming unit in association with information relating to a product; and a generation unit that generates an image forming job for generating printed materials to be sent together with the product, based on images and recording media stored in the storage unit in association with the product to be shipped, and corresponding to the shipping timing of the product being shipped. Based on the attributes of the recording medium, the image forming unit In the aforementioned image forming job Image forming system comprising: a control unit for controlling the formation of an image, and having a first mode for performing control based on a change in the attributes of the recording medium when the formation of an image on a first recording medium having first attributes and the formation of an image on a second recording medium having second attributes different from the first attributes are performed consecutively, and a second mode for not performing control based on a change in the attributes of the recording medium.

[0013] ( 2 ) The attributes of the recording medium include the size of the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording medium is transported, and the control based on a change in the attributes of the recording medium includes cleaning the transfer unit for transferring an image to the recording medium, as described above (1 ) The image forming system described.

[0014] ( 3 The first mode is a mode in which the transfer portion is cleaned when the size of the recording medium is larger than the first size, and the second mode is a mode in which the transfer portion is not cleaned when the size of the recording medium is larger than the first size, and the size of the recording medium is larger than the first size, and the transfer portion is not cleaned when the size of the recording medium is larger than the first size, and the transfer portion is cleaned when the size of the recording medium is larger than the first size, and the transfer portion is cleaned. 2 The image forming system described in ).

[0015] ( 4 ) The attributes of the recording medium include the basis weight of the recording medium, and the control based on a change in the attributes of the recording medium includes changing the temperature of the fixing unit for fixing an image to the recording medium, as described above (1 ) The image forming system described.

[0016] ( 5The first mode is a mode in which when forming an image on a recording medium with a basis weight value of a first value continuously followed by forming an image on a recording medium with a second value smaller than the first value, control is performed to lower the temperature of the fixing unit. The second mode is a mode in which when forming an image on a recording medium with a basis weight value of a first value continuously followed by forming an image on a recording medium with a second value smaller than the first value, control is not performed to lower the temperature of the fixing unit. The image forming system according to the above ( 4 )

[0017] ( 6 )The first mode is a mode in which when forming an image on a recording medium with a basis weight value of a first value continuously followed by forming an image on a recording medium with a second value larger than the first value, control is performed to raise the temperature of the fixing unit. The second mode is a mode in which when forming an image on a recording medium with a basis weight value of a first value continuously followed by forming an image on a recording medium with a second value larger than the first value, control is not performed to raise the temperature of the fixing unit. The image forming system according to the above ( 4 )

[0018] ( 7 )The image forming system according to the above (1 ) ) further includes a setting unit for setting the first mode and the second mode.

[0019] ( 8 )A paper profile generated based on a plurality of types of attributes for setting image forming conditions is associated with and stored in a tray for accommodating paper. The control unit sets the same image forming conditions for different attributes in the paper profile. The image forming system according to the above ( 1 )

[0020] ( 9 ) An image forming system that generates printed materials to be shipped together with a product, An image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium; A storage unit that stores information relating to images and recording media formed by the image forming unit in association with information relating to a product; and a generation unit that generates an image forming job for generating printed materials to be sent together with the product, based on images and recording media stored in the storage unit in association with the product to be shipped, and corresponding to the shipping timing of the product being shipped. Based on the attributes of the recording medium, by the image forming unit In the aforementioned image forming jobA control method for controlling an image forming system comprising a control unit for controlling the formation of an image, wherein the image forming system switches between a first mode in which control is performed based on a change in the attributes of the recording medium, and a second mode in which control is not performed based on a change in the attributes of the recording medium, when the image forming system successively performs the formation of an image on a first recording medium having first attributes and the formation of an image on a second recording medium having second attributes different from the first attributes.

[0021] ( 10 ) An image forming system that generates printed materials to be shipped together with a product, An image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, A storage unit that stores information relating to images and recording media formed by the image forming unit in association with information relating to a product; and a generation unit that generates an image forming job for generating printed materials to be sent together with the product, based on images and recording media stored in the storage unit in association with the product to be shipped, and corresponding to the shipping timing of the product being shipped. Based on the attributes of the recording medium, the image forming unit In the aforementioned image forming job A control program for controlling an image forming system comprising a control unit for controlling the formation of an image, wherein when the system successively performs the formation of an image on a first recording medium having first attributes and the formation of an image on a second recording medium having second attributes different from the first attributes, the control program causes a computer to execute a process to switch between a first mode in which control is performed based on a change in the attributes of the recording medium, and a second mode in which control is not performed based on a change in the attributes of the recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, the generation time for printed materials sent with products is shortened, improving the productivity of printed materials and accelerating their delivery. Therefore, delays in the shipping of products and printed materials can be prevented or suppressed. This allows printed materials such as flyers to be generated in accordance with the shipping schedule. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0023] The advantages and features provided by one or more embodiments of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to define any limitations of the present invention. [Figure 1] This is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of an electronic commerce system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming system shown. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the print information acquisition unit. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram illustrating typesetting settings. [Figure 5] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the manuscript data generation unit. [Figure 6] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the print job generation unit. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus shown. [Figure 8] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 9] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control unit. [Figure 10] This flowchart illustrates the processing steps for printing a flyer using the image forming system of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of printing continuously on paper of different widths when the cleaning function is turned on. [Figure 12] This schematic diagram illustrates the operation of printing continuously on paper of different widths when the cleaning function is turned off. [Figure 13] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a pattern for the flyers included with the product. [Figure 14] As a comparative example, this is a schematic diagram illustrating a shelf with numerous boxes for storing flyers. [Figure 15] This flowchart illustrates the processing steps for printing flyers using the image forming system of the second embodiment. [Figure 16] This schematic diagram illustrates the operation of continuously printing on paper of different types (basis weights) when the fixing temperature control is in ON mode. [Figure 17] This schematic diagram illustrates the operation of printing continuously on paper of different types (basis weights) when the fuser temperature control is off mode. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. Also, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0025] [First Embodiment] (Example of an e-commerce system) Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of an e-commerce (EC) system according to the first embodiment. In this EC system, a customer (orderer) uses a customer terminal 10 to order goods from EC businesses A, B, or C. The figure illustrates the case where an order is placed from the customer terminal 10 to A via the internet. Furthermore, if the customer orders goods from B and C, orders are similarly placed with B and C.

[0026] Orders for products are placed through the shopping cart systems implemented by companies A, B, and C, respectively. The diagram illustrates a case where company A's products are a1-a3, company B's products are b1 and b2, and company C's product is c1. Note that the stock quantity for each product is not shown.

[0027] E-commerce-focused logistics center 30 is a logistics center specializing in e-commerce. The inventory of each company's products is managed in warehouse 200 by warehouse management system 100. Depending on the remaining stock levels, products are transported from companies A, B, and C to e-commerce-focused logistics center 30 and replenished in warehouse 200.

[0028] The e-commerce-focused logistics center 30 is equipped with a warehouse management system 100, a warehouse 200, a printing support system 300, and an image forming apparatus 400 as components of the e-commerce system. The warehouse management system 100 and the printing support system 300 may be implemented by on-premise servers (computers) or by cloud servers.

[0029] When a customer places an order for a product, a picking list is printed from the image forming machine 400 at the e-commerce-focused logistics center 30 according to the order. The picking list, also called a shipping instruction sheet, is a list containing information necessary for the worker to perform the picking work (e.g., the storage location of the product, product code, quantity, etc.). The worker responsible for shipping the product checks the picking list, picks the product stored in the product storage area of ​​warehouse 200, obtains a printed flyer image of the product, inspects the product and the flyer, and then packs them into cardboard boxes. Note that product picking can also be performed by machine (e.g., material handling). Furthermore, the product flyer image is not limited to the flyer of the ordered product, but may include flyer images of related products and services.

[0030] Printed images of product flyers can be discharged into the output tray of the image forming apparatus 400 at the same time the worker sends the products. Furthermore, the order in which the image forming apparatus 400 discharges the printed materials corresponds, for example, to the order in which the products are packaged together with the printed materials.

[0031] Companies A through C each have servers 21 through 23 installed as components of their e-commerce systems. The shopping cart system is implemented by servers 21 through 23.

[0032] The customer terminal 10, the warehouse management system 100 of the e-commerce specialized logistics center 30, the warehouse 200, the printing support system 300, and the image forming apparatus 400, as well as the servers 21 to 23 at companies A to C, constitute the e-commerce system in this embodiment.

[0033] (Customer terminal 10) The customer terminal 10 is, for example, a computer such as a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet that a customer uses to order products. The customer terminal 10 is equipped with input / output devices such as a touchscreen, keyboard, and mouse (not shown). For example, on a shopping site provided on the internet by an e-commerce business operator, the customer uses the input / output devices of the customer terminal 10 to perform operations such as searching for products, selecting products they wish to purchase, and deciding on a payment method.

[0034] (Servers 21-23) Servers 21-23 are computers installed in companies A-C, respectively, and each runs the shopping cart system, outputting a cart list in response to customer orders. The cart list includes information about the products ordered by the customer, customer name, address, and collection requests to the warehouse management system 100. The shopping cart system is a system that provides a mechanism for customers to order and pay for products over the internet. In the mechanism provided by the shopping cart system, customers search for products on e-commerce sites or mail-order sites, add the products they wish to purchase to their shopping cart, and proceed with the purchase procedure to order the products. Payment for the purchased products is made, for example, by credit card. In addition to these shopping cart and payment functions, the shopping cart system may also have order management functions, customer management functions, product management functions, sales promotion management functions, etc. Customers shop using a virtual shopping cart (basket) displayed on the screen of the customer terminal 10. For example, customers can select products by adding the products they wish to purchase to their shopping cart, just as they would when shopping in a physical store.

[0035] Servers 21-23 also generate product information and customer information from the information entered by the customer when ordering products. Hereinafter, product information will also be referred to as product information, and customer information as customer information. Product information includes product-specific information such as product name, serial number, and manufacturing date, as well as information about the product's location in warehouse 200 and the product's delivery company. Customer information includes information such as the customer's name, address, contact information, and the number of times each product has been purchased.

[0036] Furthermore, servers 21-23 transmit product flyer images, which have been pre-created by the e-commerce business operator, to the printing support system 300.

[0037] (EC-focused logistics center 30) <Warehouse Management System 100> The warehouse management system 100 is a WMS (Warehouse Management System) and has functions such as managing the inflow and outflow of goods to and from warehouse 200 and inventory management. When the warehouse management system 100 receives a shipping instruction, it generates a management number based on the cart list and information obtained from warehouse 200. The management number is a number that the warehouse management system 100 and the cart system manage in cooperation. Shipping instructions can be generated, for example, based on shipping requests that each cart system sends to the warehouse management system 100 when it receives an order from a customer. Shipping requests can be included, for example, in the cart list. The warehouse management system 100 generates a shipping list containing the management number and instructions (orders) regarding the goods to be retrieved from warehouse 200, the quantity of goods, etc., every few hours to one day and sends it to the printing support system 300. The shipping list includes information about the timing of goods shipment, such as the shipping date and time.

[0038] In the example shown in Figure 1, warehouse 200 contains goods a1-a3 transported from company A, goods b1 and b2 transported from company B, and goods c1 transported from company C. Warehouse 200 is equipped with sensors to detect the remaining quantity of goods, and information regarding the remaining quantity of goods is transmitted sequentially to the warehouse management system 100. For example, if the remaining quantity of goods stored in warehouse 200 becomes zero or very low, a signal requesting replenishment of goods may be sent from warehouse 200 to the warehouse management system 100.

[0039] <Image Forming System 500> Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming system 500 shown in Figure 1. The image forming system 500 is a system that generates printed materials to be shipped together with ordered goods. Here, in this specification, shipping goods and printed materials together means shipping the printed materials together with the goods, either in a package or enclosed. The image forming system 500 includes a printing support system 300 and an image forming apparatus 400.

[0040] The image forming system 500 of this embodiment has a first mode in which image forming is controlled based on a change in the attributes of the paper (recording medium), and a second mode in which image forming is not controlled based on a change in the attributes of the paper. The attributes of the paper may include, for example, the size, type, basis weight, thickness, physical properties, etc.

[0041] Physical properties include, for example, the surface properties of the paper. The surface properties of the paper can be measured, for example, by a media sensor 457 placed on the paper transport path between the paper feeding section 440 and the transfer section 435 of the image forming apparatus 400, which will be described later (see Figure 7). The media sensor 457 has a light-emitting section and a light-receiving section (not shown). The light-emitting section irradiates light onto the surface of the paper at an oblique angle (for example, an incident angle of 75 degrees), and the light-receiving section detects the amount of specularly reflected and diffusely reflected light from the paper. The media sensor 457 can measure the surface properties of the paper by the absolute value of the light intensity received by each light-receiving section, and the ratio of the amount of specularly reflected light to diffusely reflected light. In addition, the basis weight and thickness can be obtained from the amount of attenuation of light transmitted through the paper, and the type of paper can be determined from the information on thickness and surface properties.

[0042] A printing job (image formation job) for generating printed materials to be shipped with a product may include the formation of an image on a first sheet of paper with a first attribute and the formation of an image on a second sheet of paper with a second attribute. The second attribute is different from the first attribute.

[0043] The image forming system 500 has multiple modes, including a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode, the image forming system 500 controls the process based on changes in paper attributes when forming an image on a first sheet of paper and then on a second sheet of paper in succession. On the other hand, in the second mode, the image forming system 500 does not control the process based on changes in paper attributes. The first mode is a mode that prioritizes the quality of the printed material, while the second mode may be a mode that prioritizes productivity over the quality of the printed material. Specific examples of image forming control in the image forming system 500 will be described later.

[0044] <Printing Support System 300> The printing support system 300 is a system for supporting printing by the image forming apparatus 400, and together with the image forming apparatus 400, it constitutes the image forming system 500. The printing support system 300 has a printing information acquisition unit 310, a document data generation unit 320, and a print job generation unit 330. The printing support system 300 outputs print jobs based on the shipping list, cart list, and product flyer images.

[0045] The printing support system 300 generates print jobs for producing printed materials to be shipped together with products, in response to customer orders for products. When generating print jobs, the printing support system 300 can change the original documents used for printing and their stacking order through typesetting. For example, the printing support system 300 starts the process of generating print jobs when the shipping list is imported from the warehouse management system 100 into the printing support system 300.

[0046] [Print information acquisition unit 310] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the print information acquisition unit 310 shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating typesetting setting information. The print information acquisition unit 310 includes a shipping list import unit 311, a cart list database 312, a typesetting list generation unit 313, a shipping information database 314, and a print list generation unit 315.

[0047] The print information acquisition unit 310 generates a typesetting list and a print list based on the shipping list and the cart list. The typesetting list is information that combines customer information included in the cart list with the orders listed in the shipping list using management numbers, and is a list necessary when performing variable printing of the original data. The print list is a list of the orders to be printed from the orders listed in the shipping list, arranged in the order of printing.

[0048] [Shipping list import unit 311] The shipping list import unit 311 imports the shipping list output from the warehouse management system 100 and outputs the shipping list to the typesetting list generation unit 313. The shipping list includes a list of products to be shipped and shipping timing information for each product.

[0049] [Cartlist Database 312] The cart list database 312 stores cart lists entered from the respective cart systems of companies A through C in its database. The cart list database 312 outputs the cart list information stored in the database to the typesetting list generation unit 313 in response to a request from the typesetting list generation unit 313. For ordered products, the cart list information and the orders listed on the shipping list are not necessarily synchronized, but the cart list information can be read from the database by the typesetting list generation unit 313 at the necessary time. After the cart system receives an order from a customer, it sends a shipping request to the warehouse management system 100, so all the information corresponding to the orders listed on the shipping list is included in the cart list information.

[0050] [Typesetting list generation unit 313] The typesetting list generation unit 313 generates a typesetting list based on the shipping list and cart list information, and outputs the typesetting list to the manuscript data generation unit 320. The typesetting list generation unit 313 compares the orders listed in the shipping list with the database information in the cart list, and generates a typesetting list by combining the customer information corresponding to the orders listed in the shipping list with the shipping list. At that time, the typesetting list generation unit 313 also includes typesetting setting information that defines the generation rules for variable manuscripts for each order in the typesetting list.

[0051] The typesetting list generation unit 313 can switch typesetting setting information according to the shipping timing information listed in the shipping list. As shown in Figure 4, the typesetting setting information is information having a structure consisting of ID, setting name, artwork data, and input coordinates. The figure illustrates data with IDs 1 and 2. For example, the data with ID:1 has a setting name of "September Promotion Campaign", artwork data of "September Campaign.pdf", and input coordinates of "Pattern 1.json". The artwork data is the base data into which variable information is input in variable printing, and in this embodiment, this corresponds to a product flyer image. The input coordinates are the coordinates into which the variable information is input. The product flyer image is, for example, stored in advance in association with the product in the manuscript data generation unit 320, which will be described later.

[0052] The typesetting list generation unit 313 extracts the corresponding data from the typesetting settings information according to the shipping timing information. For example, if the scheduled shipping date in the shipping timing information for an order in the shipping list is in August or early September, the typesetting list generation unit 313 determines that the data with ID:1 in the typesetting settings information is appropriate because the flyer for the "September sales promotion campaign" is suitable. In this case, ID:1 is recorded in the typesetting list as the typesetting settings information for the above order.

[0053] Thus, in this embodiment, the typesetting list generation unit 313 can select the original data to be printed, i.e., the image to be formed on the paper, by switching the typesetting setting data based on the shipping timing information. As a result, when the typesetting list generation unit 313 uses the above-mentioned promotional campaign flyers or flyers with limited-time content as typesetting data, it can select typesetting data with content appropriate for the timing of product shipment.

[0054] Furthermore, the typesetting list generation unit 313 can also switch typesetting settings information based on customer information listed in the cart list. Although not shown in the diagram, the typesetting settings information may include a setting name corresponding to the number of times the product has been purchased, artwork data, and input coordinates.

[0055] [Shipping Information Database 314] The shipping information database 314 is a database that stores shipping lists imported by the shipping list import unit 311. The shipping information database 314 outputs past shipping list information stored in the database in response to a request from the print list generation unit 315.

[0056] [Print list generation unit 315] The print list generation unit 315 generates a print list based on the shipping list. More specifically, the print list generation unit 315 determines the items to be printed from the multiple orders listed in the shipping list based on the shipping timing information included in the shipping list, and generates a print list. The print list generation unit 315 also refers to past shipping list information stored in the shipping information database 314 and adds it to the print list. More specifically, after the typesetting process by the typesetting execution unit 321 (described later) is successfully completed, the print list generation unit 315 determines the orders to be printed from the shipping timing information listed in the shipping list and adds the orders that should be printed at that time to the print list. At that time, the print list generation unit 315 refers to past shipping information in the shipping information database 314, determines the print orders from the shipping timing information, and adds them to the print list.

[0057] [Manuscript data generation unit 320] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the original data generation unit 320 shown in Figure 2. The original data generation unit 320 generates original data based on the product flyer image and the typesetting list, and outputs it to the print job generation unit 330. The original data generation unit 320 includes a typesetting execution unit 321, an output PDF (Portable Document Format) storage database 322, and a typesetting setting database 323.

[0058] The typesetting execution unit 321 executes typesetting processing based on the typesetting list and generates manuscript data to be printed. The generated manuscript data is saved in the output PDF storage database 322. When executing typesetting processing, the typesetting execution unit 321 reads the information necessary for typesetting processing from the typesetting setting database 323 according to the typesetting setting information. The information necessary for typesetting processing is stored in the typesetting setting database 323. The information necessary for typesetting processing includes, for example, a typesetting setting information file that describes the contents of the above-mentioned typesetting setting information. The typesetting setting information file is written in, for example, JSON format. JSON is an abbreviation for JavaScript Object Notation. The typesetting setting information file may include a base plate data file into which variable information is inserted, an insertion coordinate file that indicates the coordinates into which variable information is inserted, and image data for insertion. The insertion coordinate file may also be a JSON file.

[0059] [Print job generation unit 330] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the print job generation unit 330 shown in Figure 2. The print job generation unit 330 generates and outputs print jobs based on the print list and original data. The generated print jobs are sent to the image forming apparatus 400. The print job generation unit 330 includes a job input unit 331 and a print setting database 332.

[0060] The job input unit 331 reads the print settings stored in the print settings database 332 based on the print specifications listed in the print list. The print settings include, for example, the number of pages, the number of copies, the type of paper (recording medium), size, basis weight, single-sided / double-sided printing, post-processing (stapling, binding), and marking (barcode, QR code). The job input unit 331 generates a print job based on the read print settings and the original data.

[0061] <Image forming apparatus 400> Figures 7 and 8 are a configuration diagram and a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus 400 shown in Figure 1, respectively. The image forming apparatus 400 receives a print job from the print support system 300 and forms (prints) an image on paper (recording medium) 41. The print job includes, for example, print data in PDL (Page Description Language) format and print settings. The print data includes, for example, data consisting of the 1st to nth pages. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 400 generates printed materials that are shipped together with the product.

[0062] The image forming apparatus 400 includes an image reading unit 410, an image processing unit 420, an image forming unit 430, a paper feeding unit 440, a paper transport unit 450, a fixing unit 460, a communication unit 470, an operation display unit 480, a control unit 490, and a control switch unit 495. These components are connected to each other via an internal bus so that they can communicate with one another.

[0063] [Image reading unit 410] The image reading unit 410 comprises an optical system consisting of a mirror, a lens, and the like, and a reading sensor. The image reading unit 410 reads a document placed on the reading surface or a document transported by an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) and outputs an image signal.

[0064] [Image processing unit 420] The image processing unit 420 generates print image data based on the print settings and print data included in the print job received from the print support system 300 via the communication unit 470. More specifically, the image processing unit 420 analyzes the print job received from the print support system 300, performs processing such as color conversion, screening, and rasterization on each page of the print data, and generates print image data in bitmap format. The image processing unit 420 has a buffer (memory) for temporarily storing multiple print jobs received from the print support system 300. The image processing unit 420 also has an image memory for temporarily storing the generated print image data.

[0065] Furthermore, the image processing unit 420 performs various image processing operations on the image signal received from the image reading unit 410 to generate print image data. The generated print image data is transmitted to the image forming unit 430.

[0066] [Image forming unit 430] The image forming unit 430 forms an image on the paper 41 based on printed image data using a well-known image formation process such as an electrophotographic method, which includes the steps of charging, exposure, development, and transfer. The image forming unit 430 is composed of a photosensitive drum 431 as an image carrier and a charging unit 432, an optical writing unit 433, a developing device 434, a transfer unit 435, and a cleaning device 438 arranged around it.

[0067] The photoreceptor drum 431 rotates at a predetermined speed by a drum motor (not shown). The charging unit 432 includes a corona discharge electrode positioned around the photoreceptor drum 431, and charges the surface of the photoreceptor drum 431 with the ions generated. The optical writing unit 433 incorporates a scanning optical device and, based on the input print image data, exposes the charged photoreceptor drum 431 to lower the potential of the exposed area, forming a charge pattern (electrostatic latent image) corresponding to the print image data. The developing unit 434 develops the formed electrostatic latent image, visualizes it with toner, and forms a toner image. The transfer unit 435 transfers the toner image on the photoreceptor drum 431 to the paper 41. The transfer unit 435 has an intermediate transfer belt 436 and a secondary transfer unit 437. The cleaning unit 438 includes a brush roller, a lubricant supply unit, a cleaning blade, and a housing that houses these. Transfer residue toner on the intermediate transfer belt 436 is cleaned by the cleaning blade. Furthermore, the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 436 is coated with lubricant by the lubricant supply unit.

[0068] [Paper feed section 440] The paper feeding unit 440 supplies paper 41, which serves as a recording medium, to the image forming unit 430. The paper feeding unit 440 has an upper tray 441 and a lower tray 442, and each tray can store different types of paper 41, such as plain paper and fine paper.

[0069] [Paper transport section 450] The paper transport unit 450 transports the paper 41 within the image forming apparatus 400. The paper transport unit 450 has a transport path 451 and a plurality of transport roller pairs 452 for transporting the paper 41. The paper transport unit 450 also includes a paper inversion unit 453 that inverts the front and back sides of the paper 41 that has been fixed by the fixing unit 460 and discharges it. Furthermore, the paper transport unit 450 includes a circulation transport unit 454 that supplies the fixed paper 41 back to the image forming unit 430. The control unit 490 controls the paper transport unit 450 so that the paper 41, which has been inverted by the paper inversion unit 453, is supplied back to the image forming unit 430 by the circulation transport unit 454, thereby forming an image on both sides of the paper 41.

[0070] The paper 41 supplied from the paper feed unit 440 is transported along the transport path 451 toward the image forming unit 430. The timing of the transport of the paper 41 to the secondary transfer unit 437 is controlled by the registration roller pair 455, which synchronizes with the toner image formed on the photoreceptor drum 431. The paper 41 onto which the toner image has been transferred by the secondary transfer unit 437 is transported to the fuser unit 460. The paper 41 onto which the image has been fixed in the fuser unit 460 is then transported toward the circulation transport unit 454 or discharged into the output tray 456.

[0071] [Fixing section 460] The fuser unit 460 fixes the toner image formed on the paper 41. The fuser unit 460 comprises a hollow heating roller with a heater inside and a pressure roller facing the heating roller. The heating roller and pressure roller are controlled by the heater to a predetermined temperature set according to the paper type, applying heat and pressure to the paper 41 to fix the toner image. The correspondence between paper type and fixing temperature is maintained in the paper profile (hereinafter also simply referred to as "profile").

[0072] A profile is generated based on multiple types of attributes for setting image formation conditions. A profile is a file that describes various image formation condition settings for each attribute of the paper 41, in order to ensure optimal printing. For example, the profile describes settings such as the fixing temperature in the fuser unit 460 and image correction for the type of paper 41 as an attribute of the paper 41. For example, the profile describes image formation conditions such as fixing temperature T1℃ for plain paper and fixing temperature T2℃ for fine paper. In addition, each setting value in the profile is associated with each paper tray of the paper feed unit 440 for each type of paper. For example, the fixing temperature settings for plain paper and fine paper are linked to the upper tray 441 and the lower tray 442, respectively. That is, the fixing temperature for plain paper is applied to the paper supplied from the upper tray 441, and the fixing temperature for fine paper is applied to the paper supplied from the lower tray 442.

[0073] [Communications Section 470] The communication unit 470 connects to, for example, a client terminal via a communication line and sends and receives data such as jobs.

[0074] [Operation display section 480] The operation display unit 480 has an input unit and an output unit (not shown). The input unit includes, for example, a keyboard and a touchscreen, and is used by the operator to input various instructions (inputs) such as text input, various settings, and start commands. The output unit includes a display and is used to show the operator the equipment configuration, job execution status, conditions for post-processing, output image, and the occurrence of abnormalities (jams) in paper transport.

[0075] [Control Unit 490] The control unit 490 controls the image reading unit 410, the image processing unit 420, the image forming unit 430, the paper feeding unit 440, the paper transport unit 450, the fixing unit 460, the communication unit 470, and the operation display unit 480.

[0076] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control unit 490 shown in Figure 8. The control unit 490 includes a CPU 491, an auxiliary storage device 492, a RAM 493, and a ROM 494.

[0077] The CPU 491 controls various parts of the image forming apparatus 400 by executing a control program for the image forming apparatus. The control program is stored in the auxiliary storage device 492 and is loaded into the RAM 493 when executed by the CPU 491. The auxiliary storage device 492 includes, for example, a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive or flash memory.

[0078] In addition to various programs, the auxiliary storage device 492 also stores information such as paper profiles, information about the paper 41 on which the original document is printed by the image forming unit 430 (hereinafter also referred to as "paper information"), product information, and customer information. The paper information is information about the original document to be printed on the paper 41 by the image forming unit 430 and the paper 41 on which the original document is printed, and can be stored in the auxiliary storage device (storage unit) 492 in association with at least one of the product information and customer information. The paper information may include, for example, the file name of the original document and information including the combination of the size and type of paper 41 on which the original document is printed.

[0079] Furthermore, RAM493 stores calculation results and other data generated by the CPU491's execution. ROM494 stores various parameters and programs. The CPU491 executes the control programs mentioned above to implement various functions.

[0080] In this embodiment, the control unit 490 controls the image formation by the image forming unit 430 based on the attributes of the paper 41 by executing a control program. Details of the method for controlling the image formation by the image forming unit 430 will be described later.

[0081] [Control switch section 495] The control switch unit 495 has a DIP switch for switching the cleaning operation mode. The DIP switch is located, for example, on the back of the housing of the image forming apparatus 400 and is configured to be accessible to the user as needed.

[0082] In this embodiment, as shown in Table 1 below, there are two cleaning operation modes: cleaning operation on mode (first mode) and cleaning operation off mode (second mode), which can be switched using the DIP switch. The DIP switch functions as a setting unit for setting or switching the cleaning operation mode.

[0083] [Table 1]

[0084] The DIP switch is set to 0 by default, in which case the cleaning function is turned on. When the DIP switch is set to 1, the cleaning function is turned off.

[0085] Although the explanation described switching the cleaning operation mode using a DIP switch, the system is not limited to this case, and it may also be configured to switch modes using software.

[0086] When forming an image on multiple sheets of paper in succession, if the width of the later sheet is greater than that of the previous sheet, and if dirt remains on the intermediate transfer belt 436 after the image has been transferred to the previous sheet, the edges of the later sheet in the paper width direction, especially the leading edge of the sheet, may become dirty. Paper width refers to the length (size) of the paper 41 in a direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction of the paper 41.

[0087] In this embodiment, when the cleaning operation is ON mode, the control unit 490 controls the cleaning device 438 to clean the intermediate transfer belt 436 when printing continuously on paper 41 and paper with a wider width than paper 41. On the other hand, when the cleaning operation is OFF mode, the control unit 490 does not control the cleaning of the intermediate transfer belt 436. For example, when the cleaning operation is OFF mode, the control unit 490 does not issue a cleaning command to the cleaning device 438.

[0088] When forming images continuously on a plurality of sheets, if the paper width of a subsequent sheet is larger than that of the previous sheet, by performing cleaning, it is possible to remove the dirt on the intermediate transfer belt 436 due to the image formation on the previous sheet. On the other hand, if the intermediate transfer belt 436 is not cleaned after the image formation on the previous sheet, the intermediate transfer belt 436 may remain dirty. However, if the dirt on the paper is not a problem, such as when it is sufficient if the printed content can be confirmed even if the subsequent sheet is dirty, by turning off the cleaning operation, the productivity of the printed matter when continuously forming images on a plurality of sheets can be improved.

[0089] <Printing method of flyers in an EC system> FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the flyer printing method by the image forming system 500 of the first embodiment. Further, FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of continuously printing on sheets with different widths when the cleaning operation is on, and FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of continuously printing on sheets with different widths when the cleaning operation is off.

[0090] Hereinafter, the case where a customer orders product a1 of Company A will be exemplified. The same applies to the case where the customer orders other products of Company A or products of Company B or Company C. The processing in step S101 in FIG. 10 is realized by the server 21 of Company A. Also, the processing in steps S102 to S104 in the same figure is realized by the server of the EC-specific logistics center 30. Further, the processing in steps S105 to S113 in the same figure is realized by the CPU 491 of the image forming apparatus 400 executing a control program.

[0091] First, the customer operates the customer terminal 10 to order product a1 on the EC site of Company A. The customer terminal 10 transmits order information to the cart system of Company A. The order information may include information such as the order date and time of product a1, product name, quantity, customer name, address, contact information, consignee name, consignee address, etc.

[0092] Company A's shopping cart system accepts an order (step S101) and generates product information for product a1 and customer information based on the received order information and production information for product a1 (e.g., serial number, manufacturing date, production line, etc.). Company A's shopping cart system outputs a cart list containing product information and customer information to the warehouse management system 100 and the printing support system 300.

[0093] When the warehouse management system 100 receives a shipping instruction, it generates a management number and creates a shipping list for the goods based on the cart list and information about the inventory items obtained from the warehouse 200.

[0094] Next, the print information acquisition unit 310 acquires the shipping list (step S102). More specifically, the shipping list acquisition unit 311 acquires the shipping list and sends it to the typesetting list generation unit 313 and the shipping information database 314. The shipping list is stored in the shipping information database 314.

[0095] Next, the print information acquisition unit 310 acquires the cart list (step S103). The acquired cart list is stored in the cart list database 312.

[0096] The typesetting list generation unit 313 generates a typesetting list based on the shipping list and cart list information, and outputs the typesetting list to the original data generation unit 320. The original data generation unit 320 generates original data based on the typesetting list and the typesetting setting information file stored in the typesetting setting database 323. The print list generation unit 315 generates a print list. Then, the print job generation unit 330 generates a print job based on the print list and the original data, and sends it to the image forming apparatus 400 (step S104).

[0097] Furthermore, the print job generation unit 330 generates print jobs based on the print list and transmits them to the image forming apparatus 400.

[0098] Next, the image processing unit 420 receives the print job through the communication unit 470 and saves the print job in a buffer. The image processing unit 420 then executes the print job saved in the buffer (step S105).

[0099] Next, the control unit 490 checks whether the cleaning operation switch is on or off (step S106). More specifically, the control unit 490 checks the state of the DIP switch of the control switch unit 495. If the cleaning operation switch is on, i.e., the DIP switch is 0 (step S106: YES), the control unit 490 turns on the cleaning operation (step S107). On the other hand, if the cleaning operation switch is off, i.e., the DIP switch is 1 (step S106: NO), the control unit 490 turns off the cleaning operation (step S108). In this embodiment, the case where the cleaning operation is on corresponds to the first mode, and the case where the cleaning operation is off corresponds to the second mode. The first mode is a mode in which the intermediate transfer belt 436 is cleaned when, following the formation of an image on paper of a first size (first recording medium) with a paper width greater than the first size, an image is formed on paper of a second size (second recording medium) with a paper width greater than the first size. The second mode is one in which the intermediate transfer belt 436 is not cleaned when, following the formation of an image on paper of a first size, an image is formed on paper of a second size with a larger paper width than the first size.

[0100] Next, the image forming unit 430 prints the original document onto the paper (step S109). The control unit 490 controls the image forming unit 430 to form an image on the paper based on the print image data generated by the image processing unit 420.

[0101] Next, the control unit 490 checks whether the cleaning operation is on or off (step S110). If the cleaning operation is on (step S110: YES), the control unit 490 determines whether the width of the next sheet of paper is greater than the width of the previously printed sheet of paper (step S111). In other words, the control unit 490 determines whether there has been a change in the width (attribute) of the paper. For example, as shown in Figure 11, if the width of the next sheet of paper 43 is greater than the width of the previously printed sheet of paper 42 (step S111: YES), the control unit 490 controls the cleaning device 438 to perform cleaning of the intermediate transfer belt 436 (step S112). Then, the control unit 490 determines whether printing is complete or not (step S113). Similarly, after printing sheet 44, the control unit 490 controls the cleaning device 438 to perform cleaning of the intermediate transfer belt 436 because the width of the next sheet of paper 45 is greater than the width of the previously printed sheet of paper 44. Furthermore, cleaning of the intermediate transfer belt 436 is also performed after printing sheet 46. Then, as shown in the example in Figure 11, if the print job includes 7 pages of images and printing on paper 47 is complete, the control unit 490 terminates processing for the print job. If printing on paper 47 is not complete, the process returns to step S109.

[0102] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 12, if the cleaning operation is not on, i.e., the cleaning operation is off (step S110: NO), the control unit 490 does not perform cleaning after printing each sheet of paper, regardless of the difference in width between the previously printed sheet and the next sheet. Then, the control unit 490 proceeds to the process of determining whether printing is complete or not (step S113). Also, even if the cleaning operation is on (step S110: YES), if the width of the next sheet of paper is not greater than the width of the previously printed sheet of paper (step S111: NO), the control unit 490 proceeds to the process of determining whether printing is complete or not (step S113) without performing cleaning. In other words, if the width of the next sheet of paper is equal to the width of the previously printed sheet of paper, or if the width of the next sheet of paper is smaller than the width of the previously printed sheet of paper, the control unit 490 terminates processing for the print job without performing cleaning.

[0103] Thus, in this embodiment, cleaning of the intermediate transfer belt 436 is performed only when the cleaning operation is on and the width of the next sheet of paper is greater than the width of the sheet of paper printed immediately before. Otherwise, cleaning is not performed. In other words, in the first mode, the control unit 490 performs control (cleaning of the intermediate transfer belt 436) based on the change in the paper width (attribute). On the other hand, in the second mode, the control unit 490 does not perform control (cleaning of the intermediate transfer belt 436) based on the change in the paper width (attribute).

[0104] (An example of a pattern chart for a flyer included with the product) Figure 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a pattern chart for flyers included with products. The pattern chart shows the image, image description, file name, and page stacking order for each page of the flyer. The figure illustrates a pattern chart for flyers included with cat food. According to the pattern chart, the flyer is sent to the customer along with the product upon their first purchase of a subscription.

[0105] (Current shipping process as a comparative example) Figure 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a shelf 610 on which numerous boxes 620 for storing flyers 700 are arranged. Currently, a shelf 610 is installed in the flyer storage area 600 of the e-commerce specialized logistics center 30, and numerous boxes 620 for storing flyers 700 are arranged in a row on this shelf 610. When shipping products, workers pick the flyers 700 from the shelf 610 where the corresponding flyers 700 are located and pack them together with the products being shipped.

[0106] However, the flyers 700 included with the product come in various patterns depending on the product, subscription status, and purchase frequency. Furthermore, if multiple flyers 700 are included, the stacking order is usually specified in advance by the brand owner. Workers manually pick the flyers 700 while referring to a pattern chart. Because the picking of flyers 700 is done manually, errors are prone to occur.

[0107] Furthermore, as mentioned above, currently, for example, workers create sets of 700 flyers in advance during their free time, depending on the purchased items and purchase frequency, and pick up the created sets of 700 flyers at the same time as picking the products. However, there are cases where the 700 flyers included with products are changed depending on the product, subscription, purchase frequency, etc. Also, the 700 flyers included may change frequently due to changes in seasons or product models. In such cases, the workload of workers at the product shipping site increases. In addition, in such cases, 700 flyers that can still be used after the change may be disassembled from the set and reused, but 700 flyers that cannot be used must be discarded.

[0108] (Effects of the image forming system 500 of this embodiment) The image forming system 500, the control method for the image forming system 500, and the control program according to this embodiment have the following effects.

[0109] The image forming system 500 reduces the generation time of printed materials sent with products, thereby improving the productivity of printed materials and accelerating their delivery. Therefore, delays in the shipping of products and printed materials can be prevented or minimized. This allows printed materials such as flyers to be generated in accordance with the shipping schedule.

[0110] [Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, an image forming system 500 was described that has a cleaning operation on mode in which the execution of cleaning is controlled based on a change in paper width as an attribute of the paper, and a cleaning operation off mode in which the execution of cleaning is not controlled based on a change in paper width.

[0111] In the second embodiment, an image forming system 500 is described that has a fixing temperature control ON mode, which controls the fixing temperature based on the paper type as an attribute of the paper, and a fixing temperature control OFF mode, which does not control the fixing temperature based on the paper type.

[0112] Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure for printing a flyer using the image forming system 500 of the second embodiment. Figure 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of continuously printing on paper of different types (basis weights) when the fixing temperature control is in ON mode, and Figure 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of continuously printing on paper of different types (basis weights) when the fixing temperature control is in OFF mode.

[0113] The following example illustrates the case where a customer orders product a1 from company A. The same applies when the customer orders other products from company A, or products from company B or C. The process in step S201 in Figure 15 is implemented by company A's server 21. The processes in steps S202, S203, S206, and S213 in the same figure are implemented by the server of the EC-specialized logistics center 30. The processes in steps S204, S205, S207-S211, S212, and S214-S216 in the same figure are implemented by the CPU 491 of the image forming apparatus 400 executing a control program. To avoid repetition in the explanation, the explanation of the same configuration as in the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified. The processes in steps S201-S203, S206, S207, S210, and S211 correspond to the processes in steps S101-S103, S104, S105, S109, and S113 in the first embodiment, respectively, so a detailed explanation is omitted. Similarly, the processes in steps S213-S216 are the same as those in steps S206, S207, S210, and S211, respectively, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0114] (Steps S204, S205) The control unit 490 determines whether to apply the same image forming conditions to different paper types in the profile. Whether to apply the same image forming conditions to different paper types may be pre-stored in the auxiliary storage device 492, or it may be configured to be input by the user through the operation display unit 480. If the same image forming conditions are not applied to different paper types, it corresponds to the fixer temperature control ON mode (first mode), and if the same image forming conditions are applied to different paper types, it corresponds to the fixer temperature control OFF mode (second mode). The image forming system 500 switches to either the fixer temperature control ON mode or the fixer temperature control OFF mode.

[0115] If the control unit 490 does not apply the same image forming conditions to different paper types (step S204: NO), it sets different image forming conditions in the profile according to the paper type (step S205). Generally, the basis weight differs depending on the paper type. For example, the basis weight of plain paper is 80 g / m². 2 In contrast to that, the basis weight of high-quality paper is 130 g / m². 2 Generally speaking, high-quality paper has a higher basis weight than regular paper. The higher the basis weight, the higher the fixing temperature needs to be; therefore, in typical fixing temperature control, the fixing temperature for high-quality paper is set higher than that for regular paper.

[0116] (Steps S208, S209) The control unit 490 determines whether the type of paper for the next sheet has changed from the previous sheet (step S208). If the type of paper for the next sheet has changed from the previous sheet (step S208: YES), the control unit 490 adjusts the fixing temperature (step S209). In the fixing temperature control ON mode, the control unit 490 controls the fixing temperature to change (adjust) when image formation is performed continuously on paper with different basis weights. For example, as shown in Figure 16, the control unit 490 determines whether the basis weight is a first value (80 g / m²). 2 The second value (130g / m²) is greater than paper 41. 2 When forming an image on paper 42 (for example, 130 g / m²), control is performed to increase the fixing temperature. The same applies when forming an image on paper 46 after forming an image on paper 45. In addition, the control unit 490 controls the basis weight to a first value (for example, 130 g / m²). 2 A second value smaller than 43 of the paper (for example, 80 g / m²) 2 When forming an image on the paper 44, control is performed to lower the fixing temperature.

[0117] In this way, when fixing an image to paper, fixing is performed at an appropriate fixing temperature setting according to the basis weight of the paper, resulting in less deformation such as curling in the paper after fixing, and producing high-quality printed images. On the other hand, the control unit 490 does not change the fixing temperature if the type of the next paper has not changed from the previous paper (step S208: NO). The control unit 490 does not perform control to change the fixing temperature when continuously forming images on paper with the same basis weight. In the figure, continuously forming images on paper with the same basis weight refers to cases where image formation is performed on paper 43 after image formation on paper 42, and where image formation is performed on paper 45 after image formation on paper 44.

[0118] (Steps S204, S212) On the other hand, if the control unit 490 applies the same image forming conditions to different paper types in a profile (step S204: YES), it sets the same profile for different paper types in the profile (step S212). For example, the control unit 490 sets the same fixing temperature as an image forming condition for both plain paper and fine paper. More specifically, the same fixing temperature is set for the upper tray 441 and the lower tray 442. For example, the fixing temperature used for fine paper is applied to both plain paper and fine paper.

[0119] As shown in Figure 17, in the fixer temperature control off mode, the control unit 490 does not perform control to change the fixer temperature not only when continuously forming images on paper with the same basis weight, but also when continuously forming images on paper with different basis weights. For example, when printing plain paper continuously after fine paper, the control unit 490 controls the fixer temperature to maintain it at the fixer temperature for fine paper, without lowering it to the temperature normally used for fixing plain paper. Also, when printing fine paper continuously after plain paper, the control unit 490 controls the fixer temperature to maintain it at the fixer temperature for plain paper, without raising it to the temperature normally used for fixing fine paper.

[0120] Applying the same fixing temperature to different paper types can cause paper deformation and a decrease in image quality. However, if the quality of the printed material is not a concern, such as when it is sufficient for the printed content to be visible, turning off the fixing temperature control can improve the productivity of printing when continuously forming images on multiple sheets of paper. Therefore, delays in the shipping of goods and printed materials can be prevented or minimized. This allows printed materials such as flyers to be produced in accordance with the shipping schedule.

[0121] As described above, the image forming system 500, the control method for the image forming system 500, and the control program have been explained in the embodiments. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can be appropriately added to, modified, and omitted by those skilled in the art within the scope of its technical concept.

[0122] For example, the printing support system 300 may generate shipping labels, delivery slips, and flyers by combining the entered shipping list with information previously stored in the cart list database 312, etc., without using pre-created manuscript data (e.g., in PDF format).

[0123] While embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated in detail, the disclosed embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting. The scope of the present invention should be interpreted in accordance with the language of the appended claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0124] 10 Customer terminals, Servers 21-23 30 E-commerce-focused logistics centers, 100 Warehouse Management Systems, 200 warehouses, 300 Print Support Systems, 310 Print information acquisition unit, 311 Shipping list import unit, 312 Cart List Database, 313 Typesetting list generation unit, 314 Shipping Information Database, 315 Print list generation unit, 320 Manuscript data generation unit, 321 Typesetting Execution Department, 322 Output PDF Storage Database 330 Print job generation unit, 331 Job submission section, 332 Print Settings Database 400 Image forming apparatus, 410 Image reading unit, 420 Image Processing Unit, 430 Image forming unit, 440 Paper feed section, 450 Paper transport section, 460 Fixing section, 470 Communications Department, 480 Operation display section, 490 Control unit, 491 CPU, 492 Auxiliary storage, 493 RAM, 494 ROM, 500 image forming systems, 600 product storage area, 610 shelves, 630 boxes.

Claims

1. An image forming system for generating printed materials to be shipped together with a product, An image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, A storage unit that stores information about the image and recording medium formed by the image forming unit in association with information about the product, A generation unit generates an image forming job for generating printed materials to be sent together with the product, based on an image and recording medium stored in the storage unit in association with the product to be shipped, and the image and recording medium corresponding to the shipping timing of the product to be shipped. The system comprises a control unit that controls the formation of an image in the image forming job by the image forming unit based on the attributes of the recording medium, When the formation of an image on a first recording medium having the first attribute and the formation of an image on a second recording medium having the second attribute different from the first attribute are performed consecutively, A first mode that performs control based on changes in the attributes of the recording medium, An image forming system having a second mode in which control is not performed based on changes in the attributes of the recording medium.

2. The attributes of the recording medium include the size of the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording medium is transported. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the control based on the change in the attributes of the recording medium includes cleaning of the transfer unit for transferring an image to the recording medium.

3. The first mode is a mode in which the transfer section is cleaned when, following the formation of an image on a recording medium of a first size, an image is formed on a recording medium of a second size which is larger than the first size. The image forming system according to claim 2, wherein the second mode is a mode in which, when the size of the recording medium is greater than the first size, cleaning of the transfer portion is not performed when the size of the recording medium is greater than the size of the first size, following the formation of an image on a recording medium of a first size.

4. The attributes of the recording medium include the basis weight of the recording medium. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the control based on the change in the attributes of the recording medium includes changing the temperature of the fixing unit for fixing an image to the recording medium.

5. The first mode is a mode in which, when an image is formed on a recording medium having a second basis weight value which is smaller than the first value, following the formation of an image on a recording medium having a first basis weight value, the temperature of the fixing unit is controlled to decrease. The image forming system according to claim 4, wherein the second mode is a mode in which, when an image is formed on a recording medium having a second basis weight value smaller than the first value, following the formation of an image on a recording medium having a first basis weight value, control to lower the temperature of the fixing unit is not performed.

6. The first mode is a mode in which, when an image is formed on a recording medium having a second basis weight value greater than the first value, following the formation of an image on a recording medium having a first basis weight value, the temperature of the fixing unit is controlled to increase. The image forming system according to claim 4, wherein the second mode is a mode in which, when an image is formed on a recording medium having a second basis weight value greater than the first value, following the formation of an image on a recording medium having a first basis weight value, control is not performed to raise the temperature of the fixing unit.

7. The image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit for setting the first mode and the second mode.

8. The paper profile, generated based on multiple types of attributes for setting image formation conditions, and the paper tray are associated and stored together. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the same image forming conditions for different attributes in the paper profile.

9. An image forming system for generating printed materials to be shipped together with a product, comprising: an image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium; a storage unit for storing information relating to the image and recording medium formed by the image forming unit in association with information relating to a product; a generation unit for generating an image forming job for generating printed materials to be shipped together with a product, based on an image and recording medium stored in the storage unit in association with the product to be shipped and corresponding to the shipping timing for shipping the product; and a control unit for controlling the image formation in the image forming job by the image forming unit based on the attributes of the recording medium, the control method for controlling the image forming system, The aforementioned image forming system is When the formation of an image on a first recording medium having the first attribute and the formation of an image on a second recording medium having the second attribute different from the first attribute are performed consecutively, A first mode that performs control based on changes in the attributes of the recording medium, A control method for switching to one of the following operating modes: a second mode in which no control is performed based on changes in the attributes of the recording medium; and a third mode.

10. An image forming system for generating printed materials to be shipped together with a product, comprising: an image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium; a storage unit for storing information relating to the image and recording medium formed by the image forming unit in association with information relating to a product; a generation unit for generating an image forming job for generating printed materials to be shipped together with a product, based on an image and recording medium stored in the storage unit in association with the product to be shipped and corresponding to the shipping timing for shipping the product; and a control unit for controlling the image formation in the image forming job by the image forming unit based on the attributes of the recording medium, the control program for controlling the image forming system, When the formation of an image on a first recording medium having the first attribute and the formation of an image on a second recording medium having the second attribute different from the first attribute are performed consecutively, A first mode that performs control based on changes in the attributes of the recording medium, A control program that causes a computer to perform a process to switch to one of the following operating modes: a second mode in which no control is performed based on changes in the attributes of the recording medium; or a second mode in which no control is performed based on changes in the attributes of the recording medium.

Images