JP2005045551A - Image processor having section management function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processor having a section management function provided with a means for suitably informing a necessary member constituting a section of information necessary for error or manner violation generated in relation with the section management function. <P>SOLUTION: If an error generated during printing processing and facsimile transmitting processing is left as it is or a printed matter or an original is left as it is when the section management function is effective in the image processor having the section management function to which a plurality of terminals in each section are connected through a network, a user's terminal by which the processing is instructed is informed of the neglect, and when the neglect of the error or the neglect of the printed matter or the original is continued even after the lapse of previously determined first time, also a terminal of a notification destination which is previously registered in the section to which the user belongs is informed of the neglected state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having a department management function, and in particular, in an image processing apparatus having a department management function for processing images from a plurality of image input means connected to a network so that error processing can be appropriately performed. The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus.

  In recent years, in particular, in an enterprise, in order to save the installation space for various office equipment, not only a copying machine function, but also an image processing apparatus integrated with an image scanner function, a facsimile function, a printer function, etc. are often used. It has become. Such an image processing apparatus is usually connected to a terminal (PC) or server of each department via a local area network (LAN) or the like, and further executes input / output processing of image data to an external storage device via various interfaces. In the image processing apparatus, once received or inputted image data is stored in an image memory, and thereafter output processing such as print output and data transfer is performed. .

  On the other hand, such an image processing apparatus is often shared by a plurality of departments because of its excellent capabilities, so in particular from the viewpoint of budget and environmental load, the printer function and the copier function In order to prevent unlimited output and prevent wasteful consumption of paper and toner, the number of output sheets to be used when using a printing function such as the above is managed for each department. For example, when using the printing function, a limit count value is set in advance for the amount of paper used and the amount of toner consumed, and when the cumulative number of printed sheets and the cumulative amount of toner used reach this limit count value, By controlling to stop the printing operation, appropriate operation management is performed for each department for the use of printing functions such as a printer function and a copier function.

  In this case, when printing is performed by issuing a print instruction from the user's terminal via the network, the print operation is performed by adding the department ID to which the user belongs to the print data, and the corresponding print is performed correspondingly. If the department ID entered by the user is not registered or the ID is not entered, the printing process is not executed and the output for each department is performed. In general, it is possible to manage the number of sheets and print billing management, and to suppress printing from outside the registered department.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, an ID (identification) code is stored in advance in a printer connected to a network, and only when print data received from an external device has data that matches the ID code. A printer capable of printing is disclosed. Further, in Patent Document 2 below, efficient management / operation of a printer is performed by setting permission / non-permission of use of the printer for each terminal connected to the network in the printer itself connected to the network. A printer system is disclosed.

  On the other hand, when an error such as paper jam or out of paper occurs in the image processing apparatus, the user determines whether to cancel all subsequent printing or whether to cancel the error and continue printing. Otherwise, it is often unknown, and when the department management function is valid, charging may be related to the predetermined output in some form. It was difficult to perform the process.

  Similarly, when a sheet printed according to the output instruction is left in the image processing apparatus, the printed sheet is discarded or data is stored in a highly volatile storage device in the image processing apparatus. Similarly, it is difficult for a third party to perform the process of turning off the power when the user is present because the situation is unknown.

  In the user himself / herself, especially when using a printer function or the like in the image processing apparatus, the user is generally at a distance away from the image processing apparatus, and may not notice the error of the image processing apparatus. . In addition, when the user is expected to take a certain amount of time for processing, such as when performing a large amount of printing processing, the user may take an action such as removing his / her seat during printing. Even if an error notification is received from the apparatus to the user's terminal, it is not known.

  However, since the printing process is stopped during the occurrence of an error in the image processing apparatus, it is inconvenient for other users if the error repair process is not performed immediately in the image processing apparatus shared between the departments. In addition, when charging is performed according to the occupation time of the image processing apparatus, unintentional charging may occur for the department to which the user belongs unless the occurrence of an error is noticed.

  On the other hand, if the printed paper is left as it is or if the paper, toner, or staple has run out just after the printing process is completed, it will be left to the next printer, or it will not be necessary for the RAM disk etc. It is an action that should be condemned as a violation of manners, such as forgetting to erase the data when it is written, but not related to user billing. There is a problem that such an action cannot be suppressed in the image processing apparatus.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 3 below, a client is requested to execute a job through the network for the purpose of solving the above-described problems of the prior art, and when an error occurs, this job is requested to be executed. An image processing apparatus for notifying an error occurrence to a client via a network is provided with an error job management means for monitoring a confirmation state of the client with respect to the error occurrence notification. If the notification of error occurrence is not confirmed by the client before the time elapses, the error occurrence is notified to a pre-registered device on the network (for example, the administrator of the image processing device), and the error occurrence is confirmed. If the error is not resolved before the preset second time elapses, Preregistered device image processing apparatus adapted to notify (e.g. all users that use the image processing apparatus) of occurrence of the network is disclosed.

JP-A-5-330152 (Claims, paragraphs [0011] to [0018]) JP-A-9-288552 (Claims, paragraphs [0006] to [0010], FIG. 6) JP 2002-209035 (Claims, FIG. 6)

  However, in the case of an image processing apparatus having a department management function, especially when a limit count value over error occurs, the error is affected by the person belonging to the same department as the user, and is not related to other departments. It is. However, the method of Patent Literature 3 may notify an error to a user terminal that is not directly related.

  In addition, in some image processing apparatuses having a department management function, when the facsimile function is used, the department limit count is set to charge for each communication time. An error in a communication state such as a facsimile transmission error under such department management is an error that affects not only the sender but also a person in the same department. In such a case, even if it is transmitted to a user in another department, there is a high possibility of leaving it to someone else, and conversely, it becomes a serious problem for a user in the same department.

  As a result of various studies to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, the present inventors have found that an error or the like during printing processing or facsimile transmission processing is caused in each department unit in the image processing apparatus having the department management function. As a result of the management, it has been found that the use of the image processing apparatus for each department can be performed more smoothly, and the present invention has been completed. That is, the present invention provides an image processing apparatus having a department management function that includes means for appropriately notifying necessary department members of necessary information for an error or manner violation occurring in relation to the department management function. It is an object.

  The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configurations. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in an image processing apparatus having a department management function in which a plurality of terminals for each department are connected via a network, the print processing is performed when the department management function is enabled. When an error occurred during a facsimile transmission process or when a printed matter or an original is left, a notification is sent to the terminal of the user who issued the process instruction, and a predetermined first time has elapsed. In addition, when the error is left or the printed matter is continuously left, a notification destination terminal registered in advance in the department to which the user belongs is also notified.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the image processing apparatus having the department management function according to claim 1, wherein at least one pre-registered notification destination terminal can be registered / changed for each department. It is characterized by the above.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus having the department management function according to the first or second aspect, the predetermined notification destination terminal is an administrator terminal for each department, and It is selected from the terminals of the members of each department.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus having the department management function according to the third aspect, in the case of notifying the administrator terminal for each department, at least an IP address, a PC Notification is made by adding the information of the user who has instructed the processing selected from the name.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus having the department management function according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a predetermined second time longer than the first time is further provided. When the error is left or the printed matter or the original is still left after the elapse of time, notification is made to the terminals of all members of the department to which the user belongs.

  Furthermore, the invention according to claim 6 is the image processing apparatus having the department management function according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the leaving of the error or the leaving of the printed matter is resolved, It is characterized in that a release notification is automatically made to the terminal that has been notified.

  The present invention has the following effects by providing the above configuration. That is, according to the image processing apparatus having the department management function according to claim 1 of the present application, when the user receives a notification of an error or the like in the department to which the user who has caused the error or committed the manner violation belongs In addition, if you do not notice the notification of the error, etc. for convenience, or if you leave troublesome error processing, you will be notified to other members of the department, etc., to promptly resolve the error etc. In addition, since the notification destination is a member of the same department as the user, there is a high possibility that an appropriate process can be performed compared to the third party even when there is no user who has caused the error. The department count value can be prevented beforehand from being unintentionally counted due to an error.

  Further, according to the image processing apparatus having the department management function described in claim 2 of the present application, one or more notification destinations can be registered for each department, and the members of the notification destination can be on a business trip or vacation. Since the notification destination can be easily changed even in the absence, error handling can be flexibly handled.

  In addition, according to the image processing apparatus having the department management function according to claim 3 of the present application, it is possible to arbitrarily select a terminal of a person who is familiar with the configuration of the image processing apparatus for each department. The use efficiency of the image processing apparatus is improved.

  Further, according to the image processing apparatus having the department management function described in claim 4 of the present application, it is possible to easily identify the user who has caused the error, so that the content of the error is serious and the printer is managed. Even if it is something that can only be resolved by the manager who is, it is possible to make an immediate contact and improve the use efficiency of the image processing apparatus. In addition, since the managers of each department can know the errors of each member, there is no need to leave each member to handle the error psychologically, and usage manner is inevitably improved. .

  Further, according to the image processing apparatus having the department management function described in claim 5 of the present application, when an error or the like is left for a long time, all the members of the department to which the user belongs are notified of the error or the like. The error notification is surely transmitted to the department in which the error has occurred, and even when there is no error occurrence, an appropriate response can be made and the error can be resolved more reliably.

  Furthermore, according to the image processing apparatus having the department management function described in claim 6 of the present application, the members of the department can confirm the elimination of the error, and by knowing the error release state from each other, This eliminates the wasteful labor that many department members perform for the release, so that the work can be performed more smoothly.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments shown below are examples of an image processing apparatus having a department management function for embodying the technical idea of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to specify the image processing apparatus having the department management function of this embodiment, and can be applied equally to those included in the technical scope described in the claims. is there.

  Note that the image processing apparatus in the present invention means a device that processes a document or image subject to some department management, such as at least a printing function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function connected to a network. The following describes an example in which print processing is performed in an image processing apparatus having a plurality of functions such as a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function. However, the present invention is also applicable to a single function device such as a printer, scanner, or facsimile that performs department management. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that this is possible.

  First, the image processing apparatus 10 having a department management function used in common in each embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing apparatus of the present invention includes at least an operation unit 12, a facsimile unit 14, a scanner unit 16, an external memory interface 18, an input image processing / generation unit 20, various host interfaces 22, job control. Section 24, information storage section 26, output control section 28, printing section 30, and internal memory 32. Note that the facsimile unit 14 may not be provided in the image processing apparatus, and further, it is impractical to restrict the reception or transmission of a simple facsimile. However, if the department limit count value is set to charge per communication time when sending a facsimile, or the received facsimile data is printed and distributed to each department. In some cases, it may be subject to departmental management.

  The operation unit 12, the facsimile unit 14, the scanner unit 16, the external memory interface 18, and various host interfaces 22 constitute input means for the image processing apparatus 10, and input image processing / generation unit 20 for managing these input data, respectively. Connected to.

  The operation unit 12 includes at least a touch panel type input unit, and also serves as an input unit such as an administrator ID and a department ID and a selection unit for various operations. The facsimile unit 14 is connected to a public telephone line 34 and transmits / receives facsimile data from the outside and image data supplied via the input image processing / generation unit 20 according to a predetermined communication method.

  The external memory interface 18 includes various interfaces such as a general-purpose parallel interface, serial interface, USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE 1394, and PC-Card bus. The external memory interface 18 includes a semiconductor memory, an HDD, An external memory (storage means) 36 such as a CD, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a DVD, a DVD-R, a DVD-RW, a DVD-RAM, or an FD is connected, and various kinds of image data are transmitted via the external memory 36. As well as input / output of the administrator ID and department ID.

  In addition, the various host interfaces 22 are connected via a network 38 to terminals 40-1, 40-2,... And manager terminals (may be servers) 40-n corresponding to each department. ing. In this case, the terminals 40-1, 40-2,... Corresponding to the respective departments may belong to the same department, or may include those belonging to other departments. .

  The job control unit 24 includes an information storage unit 26 that is a recording unit composed of an HDD, a non-volatile memory, and the like having detailed information of department codes for managing detailed settings of various department information, cumulative count values, and the like as necessary. The information stored in the information storage unit 26 is added to the image data via the input image processing / generation unit 20 that processes the input data, and is sent to the output control unit 28. Is successfully completed, the cumulative count value of the information storage unit 26 is counted up, and the information is stored in the information storage unit 26.

  The information storage 26 includes a department code correspondence management table previously associated with an IP address or a PC name corresponding to each department for which department management is performed in the image processing apparatus 10, and is charged for each department. A cumulative count value indicating how much processing has been performed for each processing is stored, and a limit count value is stored for each processing of each department as necessary.

  The output control unit 28 prints the image data sent via the input image processing / generation unit 20 and the job control unit 24 on a sheet by the printing unit 30 according to the purpose, or stores the image data in the external memory 36. Alternatively, the information is transmitted to the terminals 40-1, 40-2, 40-3,..., The manager terminal 40-n of each department through various host interfaces 22. Note that a dedicated host PC 48 is connected to the image processing apparatus 10 via the output control unit 28, and the image data processed by the output control unit 28 is displayed on the host PC 48. In some cases, it has the function of.

  When the image processing apparatus 10 is used, first, as an initialization operation, registration and setting of departments subject to department management are performed from the operation unit 12, the host PC 48, or a server for managers. Register the IP address or PC name, limit number, etc. Normally, each of the department terminals 40-1, 40-2,... And the department manager's terminal 40-n is registered by designating separate IP addresses or PC names one by one.

  Also, regarding processing when image data with an IP address or PC name not registered in any department is sent, whether to cancel this job, whether to issue an error notification, Alternatively, whether or not to continue the process without being subject to department management is registered, and further, for each department, a person who receives a notification of an error other than the user is designated and registered. These various settings are stored in the information storage unit 26 via the job control unit 24.

  The registered department information can be displayed and confirmed on the display means of the operation unit 12 or the host PC 48, and can be corrected and changed as necessary. Furthermore, registration and confirmation of various settings can be confirmed and changed also on the terminal 40-n of the manager of each department via the various host interfaces 22 and the network 38.

  The operation of each process of the image processing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 to 4 in association with the configuration of the image processing apparatus 10 described in FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a main routine of the image processing apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a first subroutine related to error processing, and FIG. 4 shows a second subroutine related to error processing. It is a flowchart.

  In the image processing apparatus 10 of the present invention, first, in step S1, it is determined whether department management is being performed. If the department management is not performed, the use of the image processing apparatus is not particularly restricted, so image data is input in step S2 'and the process proceeds to step S5. If department management is performed, in step S2, the user inputs at least a department ID and image data. The department ID may be input from the operation unit 12 of the image processing apparatus 10 or may be input using the external memory 36 such as an IC card, or the terminals 40-1 and 40 of each department. -2... Or the like may be input via the network 38, and can be appropriately selected according to the function of the image processing apparatus 10 to be used. If it is necessary to distribute the image data to other departments, it is possible to input the distribution destination at the same time. Note that there are processes that do not have a department ID added and are not subject to department management, such as facsimile reception, but in this case, the same process as when no department management is performed is performed. The administrator of the image processing apparatus 10 appropriately sets whether or not to perform the processing when another image processing operation without a department ID is performed. do it.

  Next, it is determined by referring to the data in the information storage unit 26 whether or not the department ID input in step S3 is registered. If the department ID is registered, it is determined in step S4. The department flag is turned on and the process proceeds to step S5. If no department ID is input or registered, the process is terminated as it is. Even when it is determined that the ID input in step S3 is not registered, the administrator of the image processing apparatus 10 can appropriately determine whether or not to perform the process. Good.

  Next, in step S5, image data input from various input means is captured, and the image data sent in the input image processing / generation unit 20 is processed according to the individual image data. For example, if the data is written in an intermediate language such as PDL (page description language), the data is rasterized, compressed as necessary, and rasterized data such as scan data In this case, compression processing is performed as necessary, and in the case of data in a predetermined format such as file data, compression processing, rasterization processing, temporary storage in an internal file system, etc. are performed as necessary. An information source for performing these processes is determined by header information added to the header portion of each image data. Further, additional information such as a department ID and a terminal IP address other than information necessary for generating image data is used for entrusting management to the job control unit 24.

  Thereafter, in step S6, the job control unit 24 refers to the data recorded in the information storage unit 26, and sets the page data for each page based on the image data and the additional information sent from the input image processing / generation unit 20. After generating page information and job information in units of jobs, the output control unit 28 outputs specified data to the image data from the job control unit 24. At this time, data conversion processing according to the output destination is performed. For example, if it is a printing process to the printing unit, the compressed data is decompressed, or if it is stored / stored in the external memory 36, it is converted into a predetermined file format, and each department terminal 40-1, In the case of file transmission to 40-2, etc. or transmission by E-Mail, the data conversion into the designated file format is performed and then the actual output operation is started.

  Until it is determined in step S7 that all input image data has been output, whether or not errors such as a memory shortage, a processing speed shortage, a document jam, a paper jam, or a paper shortage have occurred periodically in step S11. If no error has occurred, the process returns to step S6 to output predetermined image data. When each output process is completed normally, a completion report is sent from the output control unit 28 to the job control unit 24. Based on this completion report, a predetermined cumulative count value of each department is counted up in step S8. Perform output processing.

  The above is the basic operation principle of the image processing apparatus 10 having the department management function. As is apparent from the description of FIG. 1, the input processing of the image processing apparatus 10 is performed by the image input from the scanner unit 16. In addition to the facsimile unit 14, various external memories (storage means) 36 via the external memory interface 18, various host interfaces 22, and terminals 40-1, 40-2 corresponding to each department via the network 38. There are also various data inputs from the terminal 40-n for the manager, and in addition, the output processing is not only printing processing on the paper in the printing unit 30, but also various external memories (storage means) via the external memory interface 18. 36, terminals 40-1, 40-2,... And management corresponding to each department via various host interfaces 22 and networks 38 Processing and transmits to the terminal 40-n of use are also often used.

  Next, the case where an error has occurred will be described. Until it is determined in step S7 that all image data has been output, in step S11, the memory is insufficient, the processing speed is insufficient, the document is jammed, and the paper is jammed. Then, it is determined whether or not an error such as out of paper has occurred. If it is determined that an error has occurred, the process proceeds to an error processing subroutine in step S12. In this error processing subroutine, as shown in FIG. 3, first, in step S15, an error is notified to the user. This error notification may be performed in accordance with the type of input means to which image data has been input in step S2. For example, when various image data are input by operating the image processing apparatus 10 itself, it is displayed on at least the display unit of the touch panel type input means of the operation unit 12 or the dedicated host PC 48 and further stored in the information recording unit 26. .. Based on the data such as the IP address and PC name being used, the terminal 40-1, 40-2... An error notification indicating that it is in progress is made. This is because, for example, the user may set an original on the auto feeder (ADF) and leave the image processing apparatus 10 during the image output process. This is so that it can be transmitted to. When various image data is directly input from the terminals 40-1, 40-2, etc. used by the user, first, an error notification is sent to the terminals 40-1, 40-2,. Do.

  Next, in step S16, it is determined whether or not the department flag is ON. If the department flag is not ON, the department management is not performed, so that the fact is displayed in step S20. Prompt to perform normal error processing and end processing.

  If it is determined in step S16 that the department flag is ON, it is first determined in step S17 whether or not the error is repaired. If the error is repaired, the original process is performed, in this case, step S6. Returning to the above, image data output processing is performed.

  If it is determined in step S17 that the error has not been repaired, it is determined in step S18 whether a predetermined time (for example, 3 minutes) has elapsed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S17 again, and the processes of steps S17 and S18 are repeated until the predetermined time has elapsed.

  If it is determined in step S18 that the predetermined time has elapsed, in step S19, an error notification is sent to the terminal of the member of the department to which the predetermined user belongs, and the error is repaired for a predetermined time if necessary. Notify that it is left unattended. This indicates that the user who performed the output operation did not perform any error repair processing in response to the error notification in step S15, but the user has left his / her seat. Therefore, an error notification is sent to the members of the department to which the user belongs to prompt an error repair process. The member of the department that receives this error notification may be a manager of the department to which the user belongs, or may be one or more members arbitrarily selected from the members of the department to which the user belongs. In this case, no error notification is sent to members of a department different from the department to which the user belongs. After this error notification is performed, the process returns to step S17 again, and the processing of step S17 to step S19 is repeated until the error is repaired. If it is determined in step S17 that the error has been repaired, in step S23, all persons who have received the error notification are notified that the error has been repaired, and the process returns to the original step, in this case, step S6. Return.

  In such a configuration, in the department to which the user who issued the error belongs, the image processing apparatus 10 automatically notifies the user's terminal first of the error and then the department member's terminal after a predetermined time. Therefore, if the user who has instructed the predetermined output does not notice the error notification, or if the troublesome error processing is left and the error repair processing is not performed by the predetermined time, the user's An error notification is sent to the terminal of the member of the department to which he belongs. Therefore, a member of the department to which the user belongs can perform error repair processing, and further, a member of the department to which the user belongs can instruct the user to directly repair the error, so that the user generates an error. In addition, there is an increased opportunity to know this, and in addition, contact with the user himself / herself through a member of the department to which the user belongs also serves as a compulsory force that prompts the user to correct the error. When an error is repaired, members of the same department can confirm the resolution of the error, and by knowing the error release status from each other, many department members can process the error. This eliminates the wasteful labor required to perform the operation, and makes it possible to perform the work more smoothly.

  In this error processing subroutine, after notifying the user's terminal of an error, if the error is not repaired even after a predetermined period of time, the error notification subroutine is configured to notify the member of the department to which the user belongs. However, FIG. 4 shows a modified example in which the user is more strongly prompted to perform error repair processing. In the second error processing subroutine shown in FIG. 4, it is determined whether or not the error is repaired in step S17. If the error is repaired, an error repair notification is issued in step S23, and the process returns to the original step. Is the same as the error processing subroutine shown in FIG. 3, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  In this second error processing subroutine, if it is determined in step S17 that the error has not been repaired, it is determined in step S24 whether or not a predetermined first predetermined time (eg, 3 minutes) has elapsed. . If the first predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S17 again, and the processes of steps S17 and S24 are repeated until the first predetermined time has elapsed.

  If it is determined in step S24 that the first predetermined time has elapsed, in step S25, an error is notified to the terminal of the member of the department to which the user belongs, and the error is repaired for a predetermined time if necessary. Notify that it is left unattended. In this case, no error notification is sent to members other than the department to which the user belongs.

  Thereafter, in step S26, it is determined whether or not a predetermined second predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) has elapsed. If it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S17 again to repair the error. Steps S17 to S26 are repeated until If the error is repaired during this time, an error repair notification is made in step S23, and the process returns to the original process. Further, if it is determined in step S26 that the second predetermined time has elapsed, in step S27, an error notification is issued to all the department member terminals, and the processing in steps S17 to S27 is performed until the error is repaired. repeat. In this case, however, no error notification is sent to members other than the department to which the user belongs.

  If it becomes such a configuration, it is notified to the entire terminals of the members of the department to which the user who performed the output processing that an error has occurred in the image processing apparatus 10 and that this error has been left unattended, Prompt resolution of errors can be promoted, and even if there is no user who has generated an error, there is a high possibility that appropriate processing can be performed compared to a third party. The department limit count value can be prevented in advance without being unintentionally counted up due to an error.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the printing process is normally performed and the count-up process is performed, the printed matter printed in step S9 is not left on the tray as it is without being taken out as necessary. It is judged whether or not. If it is determined in step S9 that the department management process has not been left, the department flag is turned off in step S10 to clarify that the department management processing has been performed normally. If it is determined in step S9 that it is left unattended, it is not a serious error, but it is a manner violation and is treated as an error. In step S13, the error processing subroutine shown in FIG. move on. Since the processing in the error processing subroutine shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is the same as that described in step S12, description thereof is omitted. If this error is repaired, the process proceeds to step S10, the department flag is turned off, and the series of processes is terminated.

It is a figure for demonstrating the basic composition of the image processing apparatus which has a department management function used by this invention. It is a flowchart showing the main routine of the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart showing a 1st error processing subroutine. It is a flowchart showing a 2nd error processing subroutine.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image processing apparatus 12 Operation part 14 Facsimile part 16 Scanner part 18 External memory interface 20 Input image processing / generation part 22 Various host interfaces 24 Job control part 26 Information storage part 28 Output control part 30 Printing part 36 External memory 40-1, 40-2 Terminal 40-n Department administrator server

Claims (6)

  In an image processing apparatus having a department management function in which a plurality of terminals for each department are connected via a network, when the department management function is enabled, an error occurred during printing processing and facsimile transmission processing or When the printed matter or the original is left unattended, a notification is sent to the terminal of the user who issued the processing instruction, and the error or the printed matter or the original is left unattended even after a predetermined first time has elapsed. An image processing apparatus having a department management function, characterized in that notification is also made to a previously registered notification destination terminal of a department to which the user belongs when continuing.   The image processing apparatus having a department management function according to claim 1, wherein at least one pre-registered notification destination terminal can be registered and changed for each department.   3. The department management function according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined notification destination terminal is selected from an administrator terminal for each department and a member terminal of each department. Image processing device.   When notifying the administrator's terminal for each department, the information of the user who instructed the process selected from at least the IP address and the PC name is added and notified. An image processing apparatus having a department management function according to claim 3.   Further, if the error or the printed matter or the document is left standing even after a predetermined second time longer than the first time has elapsed, the terminals of all members of the department to which the user belongs The image processing apparatus having a department management function according to claim 1, wherein notification is made to the user.   The release notification is automatically made to the terminal that has made the notification when the error or the leaving of the printed matter or the document is canceled. An image processing apparatus having the department management function according to claim 5.

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