Image forming apparatus, control method for image forming apparatus, and program

Abstract

To provide an image forming device enabling reduction of waiting time of a user who has performed instruction for execution of a job.SOLUTION: An image forming device 100 performs a printing process in accordance with a request for a printing / delivering job from a PC 200 to thereby generate a printed matter, and delivers the printed matter to an automatic printed matter delivering device. When receiving an instruction to executed a predetermined job which cannot be processed concurrently with the printing / delivering job from an operation panel 102, in a state where the printing / delivering job is registered in a job queue, the image forming device 100 performs a predetermined job-priority control by which the predetermined job is executed on a priority basis.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] There is known an image forming apparatus that performs print processing to generate a printed matter in accordance with a print instruction from a user. A user can issue a print instruction to the image forming apparatus from a computer. When a print instruction to the image forming apparatus is issued from a computer, the user needs to go to the image forming apparatus to pick up the printed matter after issuing the print instruction, which is troublesome. In order to reduce such a burden on the user, a printed matter delivery apparatus that delivers printed matters has been developed. The printed matter delivery apparatus receives a printed matter generated by the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus, and delivers the received printed matter to a destination, for example, the seat of the user who issued the print instruction (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Further, a printed matter delivery apparatus including a plurality of printed matter storage units has also been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). It has been studied to collectively process a plurality of print delivery jobs requested within a predetermined period of time using such a printed matter delivery apparatus. For example, the image forming apparatus generates all printed matters for a plurality of print delivery jobs requested within a predetermined period of time, delivers all the generated printed matters to the printed matter delivery apparatus, and the printed matter delivery apparatus stores the printed matters in different printed matter storage units for each requester and delivers the printed matters to each requester. This makes it possible to improve the delivery efficiency of printed matters.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, when processing multiple print and delivery jobs requested within a set time frame, the image forming apparatus cannot execute other jobs that cannot be processed in parallel with the print and delivery jobs until it has completed the generation and delivery of all printed materials for those jobs. This creates a problem where users who have instructed the image forming apparatus to execute other jobs that cannot be processed in parallel with the print and delivery jobs from the apparatus's control panel are unnecessarily kept waiting.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus, a control method for the image forming apparatus, and a program that can reduce the waiting time for a user who has issued an execution instruction for a predetermined job from the operation unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that generates printed materials by performing printing processing in accordance with a request for a print delivery job from an external device, and delivers the generated printed materials to a print delivery device that delivers the printed materials to a designated delivery destination. The apparatus comprises an operating means for receiving instructions from a user and a control means for controlling the execution order of jobs. When a print delivery job is registered in the job queue of the image forming apparatus, and the operating means receives an execution instruction for a predetermined job that cannot be processed in parallel with the print delivery job, the control means performs a predetermined job priority control to prioritize the execution of the predetermined job. The control means determines the execution order of the predetermined jobs based on the setting information regarding the delivery time set when the print delivery job was requested. It is characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the waiting time for a user who issues an execution instruction for a predetermined job from the operation unit can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the network configuration of the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an external view of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the automated print delivery system. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is an external view of the automatic printed material delivery device. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows the procedure for processing print delivery job requests executed on the PC shown in Figure 1. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the process of requesting a print delivery job using a PC. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows the procedure for the job control process performed in the image forming apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 9] This diagram illustrates the operation of an image forming apparatus when it receives an execution instruction for a predetermined job via its control panel, while an image forming apparatus has a print delivery job registered in its job queue. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates the operation of the image forming apparatus when the estimated execution time of a pending print job exceeds the standard time. [Figure 11] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure for setting delivery details in step S108. [Figure 12] Figure 1 shows an example of the delivery details settings screen displayed on the PC screen. [Figure 13] This flowchart shows another procedure for the job control process performed in the image forming apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 14] This diagram illustrates steps S402 and S403 in Figure 13. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the constituent elements described in these embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only thereto.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 is connected to a network 400. A personal computer (PC) 200 is also connected to the network 400. The image forming apparatus 100 can communicate with the PC 200 via the network 400. Although FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which one PC 200 is connected to the network 400 as an example, the present embodiment assumes use in an office, and a plurality of PCs may be connected to the network 400. An access point AP is further connected to the network 400. The image forming apparatus 100 can communicate with devices connected via wireless LAN through the access point AP. For example, the image forming apparatus 100 can communicate with a printed matter delivery apparatus 300 having a wireless LAN function.

[0012] Next, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described. The image forming apparatus 100 is a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having a plurality of functions such as a printing function, a scanner function, a copying function, and a FAX function. The image forming apparatus 100 performs print processing based on an instruction received from the PC 200 to generate a printed matter, and delivers the printed matter to the printed matter delivery apparatus 300. In addition, the image forming apparatus 100 transmits, to the printed matter delivery apparatus 300, information related to the delivery destination of the printed matter, authentication information used when receiving the printed matter, and the like.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an external view of the image forming apparatus 100 in FIG. 1.

[0014] In FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a control unit 101, an operation panel 102, a reading unit 103, a print processing unit 104, a card reader unit 105, a LAN I / F unit 107, a WLAN-I / F unit 108, and a storage device 109. The control unit 101, the operation panel 102, the reading unit 103, the print processing unit 104, the card reader unit 105, and the storage device 109 are connected to each other via a bus 106.

[0015] The control unit 101 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 101 includes a CPU 101a and a memory 101b. The CPU 101a reads and executes a program 109a stored in the storage device 109. The memory 101b temporarily stores intermediate data and the like generated when the CPU 101a executes the program 109a.

[0016] The operation panel 102 is a user interface that accepts operation instructions from a user. The operation panel 102 is configured of a liquid crystal panel or the like. The operation panel 102 includes a display unit 102a that displays various types of information, and an operation input unit 102b that accepts operation instructions from the user by detecting operations performed on the display unit 102a.

[0017] The reading unit 103 reads an image of a document to generate image data. The print processing unit 104 performs print processing based on the image data generated by the reading unit 103 to generate a printed matter. The card reader unit 105 reads a card for personal authentication of a user. The LAN I / F unit 107 is an interface for connecting to a wired network and communicating with an external device. The WLAN-I / F unit 108 is an interface for connecting to a wireless network and communicating with an external device. The storage device 109 stores the program 109a, image data, setting information and the like. Further, the storage device 109 includes a user folder 109b for storing print data used for print processing.

[0018] Next, the configuration of the printed material delivery device 300 will be described. The printed material delivery device 300 receives printed materials from the image forming apparatus 100, stores these printed materials in the collection unit 306 (described later), and delivers the printed materials from the image forming apparatus 100 to the designated delivery destination.

[0019] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the print distribution device 300 shown in Figure 1. Figure 5 is an external view of the print distribution device 300 shown in Figure 1.

[0020] In Figure 4, the printed material delivery device 300 consists of a delivery device control unit 301 that controls the operation of the printed material delivery device 300, and a vehicle unit 302 that moves to a designated location based on pre-stored map information.

[0021] The delivery equipment control unit 301 comprises a control unit 303, an operation panel 304, a vehicle interface unit 305, a collection unit 306, and a discharge unit 307. These are connected to each other via a bus 309. Furthermore, the delivery equipment control unit 301 includes a WLAN interface unit 308 for connecting to a wireless network and communicating with external devices.

[0022] The control unit 303 controls the operation of the delivery device control unit 301. The control unit 303 includes a CPU 303a, RAM 303b, and ROM 303c. The CPU 303a reads and executes the program stored in ROM 303c. RAM 303b temporarily stores intermediate data and the like generated by the CPU 303a executing the program. ROM 303c stores the operation program and the like for the delivery device control unit 301.

[0023] The operation panel 304 is a user interface and accepts operation instructions from the user. The operation panel 304 is composed of an LCD panel or the like. The operation panel 304 includes a display unit 304a that displays various information, and an operation input unit 304b that accepts operation instructions from the user by detecting operations on the display unit 304a. The vehicle I / F unit 305 is an interface for the delivery device control unit 301 to communicate with the vehicle unit 302. The collection unit 306 stores the printed materials received from the image forming apparatus 100. The discharge unit 307 discharges the printed materials stored in the collection unit 306 to the outside. In this embodiment, multiple collection units 306 and discharge units 307 are provided so that printed materials for multiple print delivery jobs requested within a predetermined time can be managed for each requester. The collection unit 306 and discharge unit 307 may be physically integrated. Furthermore, the collection unit 306 and the discharge unit 307 may each be configured independently, or they may be equipped with an arm (not shown) for collecting and discharging printed materials. In addition, the collection unit 306 and the discharge unit 307 may be equipped with a sensor (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of printed materials.

[0024] In the printed material delivery device 300, for example, in a configuration that includes the arm described above, the delivery of the printed material is determined to be complete when the arm completes the discharge of the printed material. In a configuration that does not include the arm described above, the collection unit 306 and the discharge unit 307 are in the shape of a tray or box, and the delivery of the printed material is determined to be complete when the sensor detects that the printed material has been removed from these.

[0025] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure for requesting a print delivery job, which is executed on PC200 in Figure 1. The print delivery job request process in Figure 6 is realized by the PC200's CPU (not shown) executing a program stored in ROM (not shown), etc. As an example, Figure 6 describes the case where user AAA, as shown in Figure 7, requests a print delivery job using PC200.

[0026] In Figure 6, when PC200 detects that user AAA has opened the data to be printed and issued a print command for this data (step S101), it displays a print settings screen on the PC200's display unit (not shown) (step S102). The print settings screen includes settings for selecting the printing device to execute the print process, print range, number of copies, settings for simple print settings, a printer driver setting button, a print execution button, a cancel button, etc. Here, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus 100 has been selected as the printing device to execute the print process.

[0027] Next, PC200 determines whether the printer driver settings button on the print settings screen has been selected by user AAA (step S103). If it is determined in step S103 that the printer driver settings button has been selected, PC200 displays the printer driver settings screen 220 shown in Figure 7 on the PC200's display unit (step S104). The printer driver settings screen 220 includes settings for original size, output paper size, print orientation, page layout, single-sided / double-sided, binding direction, color mode, etc. The printer driver settings screen 220 also includes an automatic delivery checkbox 221, an advanced settings button 222, an OK button 223, and a cancel button 224.

[0028] Next, PC200 determines whether the automatic delivery checkbox 221 is selected for user AAA on the printer driver settings screen 220 (step S105). If it is determined in step S105 that the automatic delivery checkbox 221 is not selected for user AAA, the process proceeds to step S107. If it is determined in step S105 that the automatic delivery checkbox 221 is selected for user AAA, PC200 activates the delivery flag to instruct the print delivery device 300 to deliver the print materials (step S106).

[0029] Next, PC200 determines whether the advanced settings button 222 is selected by user AAA on the printer driver settings screen 220 (step S107). If it is determined in step S107 that the advanced settings button 222 is not selected by user AAA, the process proceeds to step S109. If it is determined in step S107 that the advanced settings button 222 is selected by user AAA, PC200 performs the delivery details setting process (step S108). In the delivery details setting process, the settings information related to delivery specified by the user is set. Next, PC200 determines whether the OK button 223 is selected by user AAA on the printer driver settings screen 220 (step S109).

[0030] In step S109, if it is determined that the OK button 223 was selected by user AAA, the process proceeds to step S110. In step S110, PC200 saves the settings made on the printer driver settings screen 220 to its RAM or similar location and closes the printer driver settings screen 220. The process then proceeds to step S113, which will be described later.

[0031] If, in step S109, it is determined that the OK button 223 is not selected by user AAA, then PC200 determines whether the Cancel button 224 is selected by user AAA on the printer driver settings screen 220 (step S111). If, in step S111, it is determined that the Cancel button 224 is not selected by user AAA, the process returns to step S109. If, in step S111, it is determined that the Cancel button 224 is selected by user AAA, then PC200 clears all the settings on the printer driver settings screen 220 and closes the printer driver settings screen 220 (step S112). Once the printer driver settings screen 220 is closed, the above print settings screen is displayed on the PC200's display.

[0032] Next, PC200 determines whether the print execution button on the print settings screen was selected by user AAA (step S113). If it is determined in step S113 that the print execution button was not selected by user AAA, PC200 determines whether the cancel button on the print settings screen was selected by user AAA (step S114). If it is determined in step S114 that the cancel button was not selected by user AAA, the process returns to step S113. If it is determined in step S114 that the cancel button was selected by user AAA, PC200 terminates this process without sending the print data necessary to execute the print delivery job to the image forming apparatus 100. This print data is the print data generated based on the settings set on the print settings screen and the printer driver settings screen 220.

[0033] In step S113, if it is determined that the print execution button has been selected by user AAA, the PC200 sends the print data to the image forming apparatus 100 (step S115). If the received print data is print data for executing a print delivery job, the image forming apparatus 100 sends the job status information 230 shown in Figure 7, including delivery schedule time information, to the PC200 based on the status of the job queue of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0034] The PC200 determines whether or not it has received job status information 230 from the image forming apparatus 100 (step S116). If it is determined in step S116 that it has not received job status information 230 from the image forming apparatus 100, this process ends. If it is determined in step S116 that it has received job status information 230 from the image forming apparatus 100, the process proceeds to step S117. In step S117, the PC200 displays a notification screen containing the received job status information 230 on its display unit. Next, the PC200 determines whether or not it has received updated job status information from the image forming apparatus 100 (step S118). The determination in step S118 is performed at predetermined intervals. If it is determined in step S118 that it has received updated job status information from the image forming apparatus 100, the process returns to step S117. The PC200 displays a notification screen containing the updated job status information on its display unit. In step S118, if it is determined a predetermined number of times that updated job status information has not been received from the image forming apparatus 100, this process terminates.

[0035] In this way, a print delivery job request is sent from PC200 to image forming apparatus 100. Image forming apparatus 100 performs printing processing based on the received print data to generate a printed document and hands over this printed document to print delivery device 300. Print delivery device 300 delivers the printed document obtained from image forming apparatus 100 to the seat of user AAA, who requested the print delivery job.

[0036] In this embodiment, for example, multiple print delivery jobs requested within a predetermined time are processed together to improve the efficiency of print delivery. For example, the image forming apparatus 100 generates all the print materials for multiple print delivery jobs requested within a predetermined time and hands over all the generated print materials to the print delivery apparatus 300. The print delivery apparatus 300 stores the print materials in different collection units 306 for each requester and delivers the print materials to each requester.

[0037] However, when processing multiple print delivery jobs requested within a predetermined time, the image forming apparatus 100 cannot execute other jobs that cannot be processed in parallel with the print delivery jobs until it has completed the generation and delivery of all printed materials for the multiple print delivery jobs. This creates a problem in which users who have issued instructions to execute other jobs that cannot be processed in parallel with the print delivery jobs from the operation panel 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 are unnecessarily kept waiting.

[0038] In contrast, in this embodiment, when a print delivery job is registered in the job queue of the image forming apparatus 100, and the operation panel 102 receives an execution instruction for a predetermined job that cannot be processed in parallel with the print delivery job, a predetermined job priority control is performed. This predetermined job priority control is a control that prioritizes the execution of the predetermined job.

[0039] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure for job control processing performed in the image forming apparatus 100 shown in Figure 1. The job control processing in Figure 8 is realized by the CPU 101a expanding the program 109a stored in the storage device 109 into memory 101b and executing the expanded program 109a. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 is equipped with a predetermined job priority function that prioritizes the execution of predetermined jobs instructed by the user through the operation panel 102. The predetermined jobs are jobs that cannot be processed in parallel with print delivery jobs. If the image forming apparatus 100 is configured to be multitasking, the predetermined jobs are jobs that generate printed materials, such as hold-print jobs, storage print jobs, and copy jobs. In other words, the predetermined jobs do not include jobs that do not generate printed materials, such as scan transmission jobs or fax transmission jobs that send scanned image data to an external device. A hold-print job is a job in which, when the image forming apparatus 100 receives print data from an external device, it does not immediately execute the printing process of the print data, but instead executes the printing process according to the execution instruction received by the user on the operation panel 102. A storage print job is a job in which the image forming apparatus 100 processes print data specified by the user on the operation panel 102 from among multiple print data stored on a network print server, memory 101b, user folder 109b, etc. In Figure 8, it is assumed that a predetermined job priority function has already been set to either enabled or disabled. The setting of the predetermined job priority function is performed by the administrator of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0040] In Figure 8, first, the CPU 101a determines whether a predetermined job priority function is set to enabled or disabled (step S200). If the predetermined job priority function is set to disabled in step S200, this process ends. If the predetermined job priority function is set to enabled in step S200, the process proceeds to step S201.

[0041] In step S201, the CPU 101a determines whether or not a print delivery job is registered in the job queue. In the image forming apparatus 100, jobs are registered in the job queue in the order they are received, and the jobs are executed in the order they are registered. For example, if one or more print delivery jobs that are currently performing printing or waiting to be printed are registered in the job queue, it is determined that a print delivery job is registered in the job queue. On the other hand, if neither a print delivery job that is currently performing printing nor a print delivery job waiting to be printed is registered in the job queue, it is determined that no print delivery jobs are registered in the job queue.

[0042] If it is determined in step S201 that no print delivery jobs are registered in the job queue, this process terminates. If it is determined in step S201 that print delivery jobs are registered in the job queue, the process proceeds to step S202.

[0043] In step S202, the CPU 101a determines whether or not it has received a user instruction to execute a predetermined job from the operation panel 102. If it is determined in step S202 that the operation panel 102 has not received a user instruction to execute a predetermined job, the CPU 101a executes the print delivery job registered in the job queue. Once the generation and delivery of the printed materials in this print delivery job are complete, this process ends.

[0044] In step S202, if it is determined that the operation panel 102 has received an instruction from the user to execute a predetermined job, the process proceeds to step S203. In step S203, the CPU 101a determines whether the predicted execution time of the predetermined job is equal to or greater than a preset reference time. The predicted execution time of the predetermined job is calculated from the ppm (pages per minute) specification of the image forming apparatus 100, the capacity of the received print data, etc. In this embodiment, as an example, the reference time is set to 5 minutes. If the predicted execution time of the predetermined job is less than the reference time, for example 5 minutes, the process proceeds to step S205, which will be described later. If the predicted execution time of the predetermined job is equal to or greater than the reference time, for example 5 minutes, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0045] In step S204, the CPU 101a notifies affected users of the change in the scheduled delivery time by performing predetermined job priority control. Specifically, the CPU 101a sends updated job status information with the scheduled delivery time to the device that requested the print delivery job, which was requested before the predetermined job and has not yet delivered the printed materials. The display unit of the device that receives this job status information, for example, the PC 200, displays a notification screen with the updated scheduled delivery time.

[0046] Next, in step S205, the CPU 101a performs predetermined job priority control. In this predetermined job priority control, the CPU 101a changes the order of the predetermined job in the job queue to the front of the print delivery jobs waiting to be printed. As a result, the predetermined job is executed with priority over the print delivery jobs waiting to be printed. For example, if a print delivery job that is currently performing a print job is registered in the job queue, the order of the predetermined job in the job queue will be after this print delivery job. In other words, the image forming apparatus 100 continues to execute the ongoing print process without interruption, and executes the predetermined job after completing this print process. This reduces the waiting time for the user who has issued an execution instruction for the predetermined job on the operation panel 102, without interrupting the ongoing print process and producing insufficient printed materials.

[0047] Next, in step S206, the CPU 101a displays a status message on the display unit 102a. For example, if a print delivery job that is currently performing print processing is registered in the job queue in step S205, a message indicating that the print delivery job is currently performing print processing will be displayed on the display unit 102a as a status message. Next, in step S207, the CPU 101a determines whether or not it is possible to start the execution of a predetermined job. In step S207, for example, if the print processing of print delivery jobs that are preceding the predetermined job in the job queue has been completed and the predetermined job is ready to be executed, it is determined that the execution of the predetermined job can be started. On the other hand, if the predetermined job is not ready to be executed, it is determined that the execution of the predetermined job cannot be started. If it is determined in step S207 that the execution of the predetermined job cannot be started, the process returns to step S206. In this way, in this embodiment, a status message is displayed on the display unit 102a until the predetermined job is ready to be executed. In this embodiment, a countdown display until the predetermined job is ready to be executed may also be provided.

[0048] If it is determined in step S207 that the execution of the specified job can be started, this process terminates. The specified job is then executed.

[0049] Next, we will describe the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 when it receives an execution instruction for a predetermined job via the operation panel 102, in which a print delivery job is registered in the job queue. Here, as shown in Table 130 of Figure 9(a), we assume that the image forming apparatus 100 is executing the printing process for print delivery job No. 2, and the printing process for print delivery job No. 3 is waiting. In this state, when user XXX operates the operation panel 102 and issues an execution instruction for the held print job, a status message 140 is displayed on the display unit 102a of the image forming apparatus 100. Subsequently, as shown in Table 131 of Figure 9(b), the order of the held print job in the job queue is changed to the front of the print delivery jobs waiting for printing. Here, for example, if the estimated execution time of the held print job is greater than or equal to a preset reference time, the user affected by the priority execution of the held print job, for example, user AAA, is notified of the change in the scheduled delivery time. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 100 sends updated job status information, including the scheduled delivery time, to user AAA's PC 200. Based on the received job status information, the PC 200 displays the notification screen 250 shown in Figure 10 on its display unit.

[0050] Subsequently, when the image forming apparatus 100 is ready to execute the above-mentioned hold-print job, it starts the hold-print job. As shown in Table 132 of Figure 9(c), once the hold-print job is completed, the image forming apparatus 100 starts the printing process for the next print delivery job (print delivery job No. 3 in Table 133 of Figure 9(d)). After the image forming apparatus 100 completes the printing process for this print delivery job and hands over the generated print to the print delivery device 300, as shown in Figure 9(e), the print delivery device 300 starts delivering the print according to the delivery instructions received from the image forming apparatus 100.

[0051] According to the embodiment described above, when a print delivery job is registered in the job queue and the operation panel 102 receives an execution instruction for a predetermined job that cannot be processed in parallel with the print delivery job, a predetermined job priority control is performed. This allows the predetermined job to be executed preferentially, thereby reducing the waiting time for the user who issued the execution instruction for the predetermined job from the operation panel 102 of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0052] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the predetermined job is a job that generates printed materials. This allows the user who has issued an execution instruction for the predetermined job from the operation panel 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 to receive the printed materials without having to wait unnecessarily.

[0053] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the jobs that generate printed materials are hold-print jobs, storage print jobs, and copy jobs. This allows the image forming apparatus capable of processing print delivery jobs to process hold-print jobs, storage print jobs, and copy jobs received at the operation panel 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 without delay.

[0054] In the above-described embodiment, a predetermined job priority function can be enabled or disabled. This allows the execution of predetermined job priority control to be controlled according to the operating environment of the image forming apparatus 100. As a result, in an environment where multiple print delivery jobs requested within a predetermined time are processed together, the waiting time for the user who issues a predetermined job execution instruction from the operation panel 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 can be reduced. Furthermore, in an environment where multiple print delivery jobs requested within a predetermined time are not processed together, delays in print delivery jobs can be prevented by suppressing the unnecessary execution of predetermined job priority control.

[0055] In the embodiment described above, if the estimated execution time of a predetermined job exceeds the standard time, the client requesting the print delivery job is notified of the change in the scheduled delivery time of the printed materials. This reduces the waiting time for the user who issued the job execution instruction from the operation panel 102 of the image forming apparatus 100, while also informing the client requesting the print delivery job that the delivery time will be delayed.

[0056] In this embodiment, the print delivery device 300 is configured to store the printed materials for multiple print delivery jobs before departing, for example, a configuration in which print delivery jobs received within a unit time of 2 minutes are combined into a single delivery. However, the device is not limited to this configuration. For example, the print delivery device 300 may be configured to store the printed materials for a single print delivery job before departing.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the image forming apparatus 100 is not configured to perform multitasking, the predetermined job may include jobs that do not produce printed materials, such as scan and transmission jobs and fax transmission jobs, in addition to jobs that produce printed materials.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the execution order of jobs may be controlled based on time setting information set when requesting a print delivery job. The time setting information is setting information related to the delivery time. The time setting information is set, for example, in the delivery details setting process of step S108 described above, which is executed when the user selects the detailed settings button 222 on the printer driver settings screen 220.

[0059] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure for setting delivery details in step S108 of Figure 6.

[0060] In Figure 11, PC200 displays the delivery details setting screen 260 shown in Figure 12 on the display unit of PC200 (step S301). The delivery details setting screen 260 includes a setting item 261 that allows the user to input the desired delivery time. The delivery details setting screen 260 also includes a first checkbox 262 and a second checkbox 263, and the user can select either of these two checkboxes. Furthermore, the delivery details setting screen 260 includes a cancel button 264 and an OK button 265.

[0061] PC200 determines whether the user has entered a desired delivery time in setting item 261 of the delivery details setting screen 260 (step S302). If it is determined in step S302 that the user has not entered a desired delivery time in setting item 261 of the delivery details setting screen 260, the process proceeds to step S310, which will be described later. If it is determined in step S302 that the user has entered a desired delivery time in setting item 261 of the delivery details setting screen 260, PC200 sets the entered desired delivery time in the time setting information (step S303). Next, PC200 determines whether the user has selected the first checkbox 262 (step S304).

[0062] In step S304, if it is determined that the user has selected the first checkbox 262, the PC200 adds the normal priority time setting to the time setting information (step S305). The normal priority time setting is a flexible priority setting that allows delivery at any time up to the desired delivery time. The process then proceeds to step S308, which will be described later.

[0063] In step S304, if it is determined that the user has not selected the first checkbox 262, the PC200 determines whether the user has selected the second checkbox 263 (step S306). In step S306, if it is determined that the user has not selected the second checkbox 263, the process proceeds to step S310, which will be described later. In step S306, if it is determined that the user has selected the second checkbox 263, the PC200 adds the preferred priority time setting to the time setting information (step S307). The preferred priority time setting is a priority setting that controls delivery to be made at the preferred delivery time even if preparation for delivery is completed before the preferred delivery time. Next, the PC200 determines whether the user has selected the OK button 265 (step S308).

[0064] In step S308, if it is determined that the user has selected the OK button 265, the PC200 saves the time setting information to the RAM or other location in the PC200 and closes the delivery details setting screen 260 (step S309). The saved time setting information is included in the print data sent to the image forming apparatus 100 in step S115 described above. After that, the delivery details setting process is completed, and the process proceeds to step S109 described above.

[0065] In step S308, if it is determined that the user did not select the OK button 265, the PC200 determines whether the user selected the Cancel button 264 (step S310). In step S310, if it is determined that the user did not select the Cancel button 264, the process returns to step S302. In step S310, if it is determined that the user selected the Cancel button 264, the PC200 clears all time setting information and closes the delivery details setting screen 260 (step S311). After that, the delivery details setting process ends, and the process proceeds to step S109 as described above.

[0066] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing another procedure for the job control process performed in the image forming apparatus 100 shown in Figure 1. The job control process in Figure 13 is similar to the job control process in Figure 8 described above, and the differences from the job control process in Figure 8 will be explained below. The job control process in Figure 13 is implemented by the CPU 101a expanding the program 109a stored in the storage device 109 into memory 101b and executing the expanded program 109a, similar to the job control process in Figure 8. In Figure 13, as in Figure 8, it is assumed that a predetermined job priority function has already been set to either enabled or disabled by the administrator of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0067] In Figure 13, steps S200 to S202 are performed first. Next, the CPU 101a determines whether or not a print delivery job containing time setting information in the print data is registered in the job queue (step S401). The time setting information includes the desired delivery time, normal priority time setting, and desired priority time setting mentioned above. If it is determined in step S401 that no print delivery job containing time setting information in the print data is registered in the job queue, the process proceeds to step S203, and then steps S204 to S207 are performed, after which the process ends.

[0068] In step S401, if it is determined that a print delivery job containing time setting information in the print data is registered in the job queue, the process proceeds to step S402. In step S402, the CPU 101a determines whether the printed materials can be delivered at the desired delivery time when performing predetermined job priority control. The CPU 101a calculates the estimated execution time for a predetermined job for which an execution instruction has been received on the operation panel 102, and makes the determination in step S402 based on this estimated execution time.

[0069] Here, as an example, we will explain the case in the image forming apparatus 100 where the printing process for two print delivery jobs, whose print data includes time setting information, is waiting, as shown in Table 150 of Figure 14(a). Print delivery job No. 2 has a desired delivery time of "15:15" and is a job with a normal priority time setting. Print delivery job No. 3 has a desired delivery time of "15:05" and is a job with a desired priority time setting. For example, as shown in Figure 14(a), suppose user XXX gives an instruction to execute a hold-and-print job on the operation panel 102 at "14:59". If the estimated execution time for this hold-and-print job is, for example, 7 minutes, then prioritizing the execution of this hold-and-print job would prevent the printouts of print delivery job No. 3 from being delivered at the desired delivery time. In such a case, when the CPU 101a performs predetermined job priority control, it determines that the printouts cannot be delivered at the desired delivery time. On the other hand, if the estimated execution time for the held print job is, for example, 1 minute, then even if the execution of this held print job is prioritized, the printed materials from print delivery jobs No. 2 and 3 can still be delivered at the desired delivery time. In such a case, when the CPU 101a performs the predetermined job priority control, it determines that the printed materials can be delivered at the desired delivery time.

[0070] In step S402, if it is determined that the printed materials can be delivered at the desired delivery time after performing the predetermined job priority control, the process proceeds to step S205, where the predetermined job priority control is performed. In step S402, if it is determined that the printed materials cannot be delivered at the desired delivery time after performing the predetermined job priority control, the process proceeds to step S403.

[0071] In step 403, CPU 101a performs other priority control. In this other priority control, CPU 101a controls the execution of a predetermined job as early as possible while ensuring that all print delivery jobs containing time setting information in the print data can be delivered at the desired delivery time. Here, as an example, we will describe the case in the image forming apparatus 100 where the printing process of two print delivery jobs containing time setting information in the print data is waiting, as shown in Table 151 of Figure 14(b). Print delivery job No. 2 has a desired delivery time of "15:15" and is a job with a normal priority time setting. Print delivery job No. 3 has a desired delivery time of "15:05" and is a job with a desired priority time setting. Furthermore, let's assume that user XXX issued an execution instruction for a hold-and-print job on the operation panel 102 at "15:00", and the estimated execution time for this hold-and-print job was calculated to be 7 minutes. In this case, under other priority control systems, as shown in Table 152 of Figure 14(c), the CPU 101a sets the execution order of the held print jobs to a later order than print delivery job No. 3, which has little time before the desired delivery time. Also, as shown in Table 152, the CPU 101a changes the execution order of print delivery job No. 2, which has plenty of time before the desired delivery time, to a later order than the held print jobs. By controlling in this way, it is possible to deliver the printed materials of all print delivery jobs that include time setting information in the print data at the desired delivery time, while reducing the waiting time for users who have issued a command to execute a specific job from the operation panel 102 of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0072] Next, CPU 101a determines whether or not a print delivery job that does not include time setting information in the print data is registered in the job queue (step S404). If it is determined in step S404 that no print delivery jobs that do not include time setting information in the print data are registered in the job queue, the process proceeds to step S206. If it is determined in step S404 that a print delivery job that does not include time setting information in the print data is registered in the job queue, the process proceeds to step S405. In step S405, CPU 101a determines, similar to step S203, whether or not the estimated execution time of the predetermined job is equal to or greater than the reference time.

[0073] In step S405, if it is determined that the estimated execution time of the predetermined job is less than the reference time, the process proceeds to step S206. In step S405, if it is determined that the estimated execution time of the predetermined job is equal to or greater than the reference time, the process proceeds to step S406. In step S406, the CPU 101a, similar to step S204, notifies affected users of the change in the scheduled delivery time by performing predetermined job priority control. After that, the process proceeds to step S206.

[0074] In the embodiment described above, the execution order of jobs is controlled based on the time setting information set when requesting a print delivery job. This makes it possible to deliver all print delivery jobs that include time setting information in the print data at the desired delivery time, while reducing the waiting time for the user who issued the execution instruction for a predetermined job from the operation panel 102 of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0075] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. Furthermore, the present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0076] Furthermore, the disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations and methods. (Configuration 1) An image forming apparatus that generates printed materials by performing printing processing in accordance with a request for a print delivery job from an external device and delivers the generated printed materials to a print delivery device that delivers the printed materials to a specified delivery destination, comprising an operating means for receiving instructions from a user and a control means for controlling the execution order of jobs, wherein when a print delivery job is registered in the job queue of the image forming apparatus, and the operating means receives an instruction to execute a predetermined job that cannot be processed in parallel with the print delivery job, the control means performs a predetermined job priority control to execute the predetermined job preferentially. (Configuration 2) The image forming apparatus according to Configuration 1, characterized in that the predetermined job is a job in which printed material is produced. (Configuration 3) The image forming apparatus according to Configuration 2, characterized in that the jobs that generate the printed material are a hold print job, a storage print job, and a copy job. (Configuration 4) An image forming apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 3, further comprising means for enabling or disabling a function that prioritizes the execution of a predetermined job. (Configuration 5) An image forming apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 4, further comprising means for calculating the estimated execution time of a predetermined job, and means for notifying the client of the print delivery job of a change in the scheduled delivery time of the generated printed materials if the estimated execution time of the predetermined job is equal to or greater than a preset reference time. (Configuration 6) The image forming apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that the control means determines the execution order of the predetermined jobs based on setting information regarding the delivery time set when the print delivery job is requested. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 100 Image forming apparatus 101 Control Unit 101a CPU 102 Control Panel 200 PC 300 Printed Material Delivery Device

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus that generates printed materials by performing printing processing in accordance with a print delivery job request received from an external device, and delivers the generated printed materials to a print delivery device that delivers the printed materials to a specified delivery destination, An operating mechanism that accepts user instructions, It includes control means for controlling the execution order of jobs, When a print delivery job is registered in the job queue of the image forming apparatus, and the operating means receives an execution instruction for a predetermined job that cannot be processed in parallel with the print delivery job, the control means performs a predetermined job priority control to prioritize the execution of the predetermined job. The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the control means determines the execution order of the predetermined jobs based on setting information regarding the delivery time set when the print delivery job is requested.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the predetermined job is a job in which printed material is generated.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the job for which the printed material is generated is a hold print job, a storage print job, or a copy job.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for enabling or disabling a function that prioritizes the execution of the predetermined job.

5. A means for calculating the estimated execution time of the predetermined job, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for notifying the client of the print delivery job of a change in the scheduled delivery time of the generated printed materials if the estimated execution time of the predetermined job is equal to or greater than a preset reference time.

6. A control method for an image forming apparatus that generates printed materials by performing printing processing in accordance with a print delivery job request received from an external device, and delivers the generated printed materials to a print delivery device that delivers the printed materials to a specified delivery destination, the control method for an image forming apparatus that includes an operating means for receiving instructions from a user, It has a control process that controls the execution order of jobs, When a print delivery job is registered in the job queue of the image forming apparatus, and the operating means receives an execution instruction for a predetermined job that cannot be processed in parallel with the print delivery job, the control step performs a predetermined job priority control to prioritize the execution of the predetermined job. The control step is characterized by determining the execution order of the predetermined jobs based on setting information regarding delivery time set when the print delivery job was requested.

7. A program that causes a computer to execute a control method for an image forming apparatus, which performs printing processing to generate printed materials in accordance with a request for a print delivery job received from an external device, and delivers the generated printed materials to a print delivery device that delivers the printed materials to a specified delivery destination, wherein the program causes a computer to execute a control method for an image forming apparatus that includes an operating means for receiving instructions from a user, The control method for the image forming apparatus is: It has a control process that controls the execution order of jobs, When a print delivery job is registered in the job queue of the image forming apparatus, and the operating means receives an execution instruction for a predetermined job that cannot be processed in parallel with the print delivery job, the control step performs a predetermined job priority control to prioritize the execution of the predetermined job. The control step is a program characterized by determining the execution order of the predetermined jobs based on setting information regarding delivery time set when the print delivery job was requested.

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