JP6101331B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to printing equipment having a stacking section for stacking the sheet on which an image is printed.

  Some printing apparatuses, such as those for POD, can be connected to a post-processing apparatus with a stacker apparatus having a capacity capable of storing a large amount of printed sheets (see Patent Document 1). ). Such a stacker apparatus can store supplied sheets by stacking them on a plurality of stacker trays. There is a use case in which a large number of printed sheets are packed as they are using such a stacker device.

JP 2010-143718 A

  In order to pack sheets, it is required to specify the number of items to be loaded on the stacker and load them separately according to the specified number. Conventionally, the loading tray is changed for each specified number of sheets. I couldn't. Further, when the number of sheets is designated, there is a problem that it cannot always be guaranteed whether or not the amount of sheets designated by the user can be stacked depending on conditions such as the thickness of a bundle of sheets.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.

The purpose of the present invention is not necessarily packed stacking portion is detected, executes the control for the number of sheets loaded on the loading unit does not exceed the number of the stacked sheets accepted separately from the setting of the copy job There is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention has the following configuration. That is,
An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet;
A sheet conveyance path for conveying a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit;
A stacking unit on which the sheets conveyed along the sheet conveying path are stacked;
Detecting means for detecting the full load of the loading unit;
Execution instruction and image forming job, the number of the stacked sheets to be stacked on the stacking unit, and receiving with means for Ru received from the user,
According to the execution instruction of the image forming job received by the receiving unit, the image forming unit starts an image forming operation, and after starting the image forming operation, the number of sheets discharged to the stacking unit is the receiving unit. Control means for stopping the image forming job based on reaching the number of stacked sheets received by
Wherein, when the number of sheets to be discharged to the stacking unit is full of the loading section is detected by said detection means before reaching the number of stacked sheets of the sheet received by the receiving unit, the receiving The display unit displays information indicating that the sheet is fully loaded with a number smaller than the number of stacked sheets received by the means .

According to the present invention, even if the full load of the stacking unit is not detected, control is performed so that the number of sheets stacked on the stacking unit does not exceed the number of sheets stacked separately from the copy job setting. This is advantageous in that the usability of the printing apparatus can be improved.

The figure explaining the POD system which concerns on this embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printing system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a printing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is an overview diagram illustrating an operation unit included in the printing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an overview diagram illustrating a key input unit. The figure explaining a touch-panel part. The figure which shows the example of a screen for selecting the sheet | seat process displayed when a sheet | seat process setting key is pressed. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a case where the sheet processing apparatus is a saddle stitch binding machine and a large-capacity stacker in FIG. 3. The figure explaining the internal structure of the high capacity | capacitance stacker which concerns on this embodiment. 6 is a flowchart for explaining printing and paper discharge processing by the printing apparatus. The figure which shows the example of a screen for designating the number of sheets discharged and accommodated in a large capacity stacker. The figure explaining the state determined to be tray full by S1009 of FIG. The figure which shows the case where a tray full is detected with a high capacity | capacitance stacker before the number of printed sheets reaches a designated number. The figure which shows the example of a screen which shows that it has not reached the designated number of sheets in the case of FIG. In Embodiment 2, it is a figure which shows the example of a screen when a stack sensor detects that a tray is full.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution means of the present invention. .

  This embodiment assumes a printing environment different from the office environment, such as a POD environment, in order to cope with the problems described in the background art. Accordingly, the system environment of the entire field of the POD environment including the printing system 1000 will be described here. Such a printing environment itself is one of the features of this embodiment. In this embodiment, a printing environment to which the printing system 1000 can be applied is referred to as a POD system 10000 because it is suitable for a POD environment.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a POD system according to the present embodiment.

  The POD system 10000 includes a printing system 1000 according to the present embodiment, a server computer 103, and a client computer 104 (hereinafter referred to as a PC). A paper folding machine 107, a case binding machine 108, a cutting machine 109, a saddle stitch binding machine 110, a scanner 102, and the like are also provided. In this way, a plurality of devices are connected to each other via the network 101 to constitute the POD system 10000.

  The printing system 1000 includes a printing apparatus main body 100 and a sheet processing apparatus 200. As an example of the printing apparatus 100, in the present embodiment, a description will be given of a multi-function peripheral having a plurality of functions such as a copy function and a PC print function, but only a PC print function for printing print data from a PC. Alternatively, it may be a single function type printing apparatus having only a copy function. Hereinafter, this multi-function peripheral is also referred to as an MFP (multifunction processing apparatus).

  Here, the paper folding machine 107, the cutting machine 109, the saddle stitch binding machine 110, and the case binding machine 108 are defined as the sheet processing apparatus 200 provided in the printing system 1000. This is because these apparatuses are devices capable of executing sheet processing on sheets printed by the printing apparatus 100 included in the printing system 1000. For example, the paper folding machine 107 executes a folding process for a sheet printed by the printing apparatus 100. The cutting machine 109 executes a cutting process for a sheet printed by the printing apparatus 100 in units of a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets. The saddle stitch bookbinding machine 110 executes a saddle stitch bookbinding process for a sheet printed by the printing apparatus 100. The case binding machine 108 executes case binding processing on the sheet bundle printed by the printing apparatus 100.

  However, in order to execute various sheet processes in these sheet processing apparatuses, a printed matter printed by the printing apparatus 100 according to a job is taken out from a paper discharge unit of the printing apparatus 100 by an operator, and the sheet processing apparatus to be processed In addition, it is necessary to set the printed material. As described above, when a sheet processing apparatus other than the sheet processing apparatus 200 (FIG. 3) included in the printing system 1000 is used, an intervention operation by an operator is required after the printing process by the printing apparatus 100. On the other hand, when sheet processing is performed on a sheet printed by the printing apparatus 100 using the sheet processing apparatus 200 (FIG. 3) included in the printing system 1000, after the printing process is performed by the printing apparatus 100. No operator intervention is required. This is because the sheet printed by the printing apparatus 100 can be directly supplied from the printing apparatus 100 to the sheet processing apparatus 200.

  Specifically, the sheet conveyance path inside the printing apparatus 100 is configured to be connectable to the sheet conveyance path of the sheet processing apparatus 200. As described above, the sheet processing apparatus 200 and the printing apparatus 100 included in the printing system 1000 itself are physically connected to each other. In addition, both the printing apparatus 100 and the sheet processing apparatus 200 include a CPU and are configured to be capable of data communication. As described above, the printing apparatus 100 and the sheet processing apparatus 200 are electrically connected to each other.

  Next, the configuration of the printing system 1000 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the printing system 1000. 2, all units included in the printing system 1000 are included in the printing apparatus 100 except for the sheet processing apparatus 200 (a series of sheet processing apparatuses that can be configured by a plurality of inline type sheet processing apparatuses). Has been. That is, the sheet processing apparatus 200 is a sheet processing apparatus that can be attached to and detached from the printing apparatus 100, and is configured to be provided as an option of the printing apparatus 100. As a result, it is possible to provide the necessary number of inline finishers for the required number in the POD environment.

  The printing apparatus 100 includes a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk 209 (hereinafter referred to as HDD) that can store data of jobs to be processed. Further, the image forming apparatus 100 has a copy function for temporarily storing image data from the scanner unit 201 provided in the printing apparatus 100 itself in the HDD 209, reading out the image data from the HDD 209, and printing the image data with the printer unit 203. In addition, job data received from an external device such as the PC 103 or 104 via the external I / F unit 202 unit is stored in the HDD 209 and then printed by the printer unit 203. In other words, the printing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment may be a printing apparatus capable of color printing or a printing apparatus capable of monochrome printing, and may have any configuration as long as various controls described in the present embodiment can be executed. .

  The printing apparatus 100 also includes an operation unit 204 having a display unit, which is an example of a user interface unit (UI unit) included in the printing system 1000. Other examples of the user interface unit provided by the printing system 1000 include the display unit of the PCs 103 and 104, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like.

  A controller unit (hereinafter referred to as a control unit) 205 corresponding to an example of a control unit included in the printing system 1000 comprehensively controls processes and operations of various units included in the printing system 1000. The ROM 207 stores various control programs executed by the CPU of the control unit 205 according to the present embodiment. The ROM 207 also stores a display control program for displaying various UI screens on the display unit of the operation unit 204 including a user interface screen (hereinafter referred to as UI screen). The CPU of the control unit 205 can execute various operations according to the present embodiment by reading and executing the program of the ROM 207. In addition, a program for interpreting PDL (page description language) code data received from an external device (PC 103, 104, etc.) via the external I / F 202 and executing an operation for developing it into raster image data (bitmap image data), etc. Stored in the ROM 207. A RAM 208 stores image data, various programs, and setting information transmitted from the scanner unit 201 and the external I / F 202 via the memory controller 206. The HDD 209 stores the image data compressed by the compression / decompression unit 210. The HDD 209 is configured to be able to hold a plurality of data such as print data of a job to be processed. The control unit 205 prints data of a job to be processed input via various input units such as the scanner unit 201 and the external I / F unit 202, and transmits the data to an external device via the external I / F 202. You can also In this way, the control unit 205 controls various output processes of job target data stored in the HDD 209. The compression / decompression unit 210 compresses / decompresses image data stored in the RAM 208 and the HDD 209 by various compression methods such as JBIG and JPEG.

  Based on the above configuration, the control unit 205 of the printing system 1000 also controls the operation of the inline type sheet processing apparatus 200.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the printing system 1000 according to the embodiment.

  As described above, the printing system 1000 is configured such that a plurality of inline type sheet processing apparatuses can be cascade-connected to the printing apparatus 100. Further, the inline type sheet processing apparatus that can be connected to the printing apparatus 100 is configured to be installed in an arbitrary number according to the use environment in order to improve the effect of the present embodiment under specific restrictions. In order to make the explanation clearer, in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, it is assumed that N sheet processing apparatuses 200 can be connected as a series of sheet processing apparatus groups. Further, in order from the first sheet processing apparatus, sheet processing apparatuses 200a, 200b,... Are shown, and the Nth sheet processing apparatus is shown by a sheet processing apparatus 200n. In this way, a plurality of inline type sheet processing apparatuses can be connected, and the number of connections is also arbitrary. Of course, in order to improve the utilization efficiency of the offline type sheet processing apparatus, a POD environment in which the administrator determines that the inline type sheet processing apparatus is unnecessary is assumed. For example, even when an inline type sheet processing apparatus is not used, the printing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment can be used. Further, for example, when a plurality of inline type sheet processing apparatuses are cascade-connected to the printing apparatus 100, the order in which the plurality of sheet processing apparatuses are connected is also within the limits of a specific user such as an administrator. It can be changed and decided arbitrarily. However, since such a mechanism is a mechanism for improving user convenience, it does not necessarily have to be an essential constituent requirement. That is, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Further, for example, a system configuration in which the number of inline type sheet processing apparatuses that can be used in the printing system 1000 and the connection order of these apparatuses are uniformly defined may be employed. Any system configuration or apparatus configuration is included in the present invention as long as at least one of various jobs can be executed.

  A plurality of large-capacity paper feeders 50 (50a, 50b, .about.50n) can be connected to the printing apparatus 100. The printing apparatus 100 includes a scanner unit 201 at the top and a printer engine that forms (prints) an image by electrophotography. Since the image forming method using this printer engine is well known, the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 4 is an overview diagram illustrating the operation unit 204 included in the printing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment.

  The operation unit 204 includes a key input unit 402 that can accept user operations with hard keys, and a touch panel unit 401 as an example of a display unit that can accept user operations with soft keys (display keys).

  FIG. 5 is an overview diagram illustrating the key input unit 402.

  When the user operates the power switch 501, the control unit 205 controls to selectively switch between the standby mode (normal operation state) and the sleep mode. The control unit 205 accepts the operation of the power switch 501 when a main power switch (not shown) that supplies power to the entire printing system is in an ON state. In the sleep mode, the printing apparatus 100 stops the program in an interrupt waiting state to reduce power consumption in preparation for printing with print data from the PC or facsimile reception.

  A start key 503 is a key for starting processing of a target job. A stop key 502 is a key for interrupting the processing of the accepted job. A numeric keypad 506 is a key for inputting numerical values for various settings. A clear key 507 is a key for canceling various parameters such as numeric values set by the user via the numeric keypad 506. A reset key 504 is a key for invalidating all the various settings set for the job to be processed by the user and returning the setting values to the default state. A user mode key 505 is a key for shifting to a system setting screen for each user.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the touch panel unit 401.

  The touch panel unit 401 has a touch panel display including a liquid crystal display unit and a transparent electrode pasted on the display screen. The touch panel unit 401 has a function of accepting various settings from the operator and a function of presenting information to the operator. When it is detected that the location corresponding to the display key in the effective display state of the liquid crystal display unit is pressed by the user, the CPU of the control unit 205 follows the display control program stored in the ROM 207 in advance on the touch panel unit 401. The operation screen corresponding to the key operation is displayed. FIG. 6 shows an example of an initial screen displayed when the printing apparatus 100 is in the standby mode (there is no job to be processed by the printing apparatus 100).

  Here, when the copy tab 601 is pressed by the user, the control unit 205 displays an operation screen for a copy function provided in the printing apparatus 100. When the transmission tab 602 is pressed by the user, the control unit 205 displays an operation screen for a data transmission (Send) function such as fax or e-mail transmission provided in the printing apparatus 100. When the box tab 603 is pressed by the user, the control unit 205 displays an operation screen for a box function included in the printing apparatus 100. The box function is a function using a plurality of data storage boxes (hereinafter referred to as “boxes”) that can be distinguished and used for each user virtually provided in advance in the HDD 209. In addition, when the extended tab 604 is pressed by the user, the control unit 205 displays a screen for setting extended functions such as scanner settings. When the system monitor key 617 is pressed by the user, a display screen for notifying the user of the state and status of the MFP is displayed on the display unit 401.

  A color selection setting key 605 is a display key for enabling the user to select in advance whether color copy, black-and-white copy, or automatic selection. A magnification setting key 608 is a key for displaying a setting screen that allows the user to execute magnification settings such as equal magnification, enlargement, and reduction. When the double-sided key 614 is pressed by the user, the control unit 205 displays a screen that allows the user to set whether to execute single-sided printing or double-sided printing in the print processing of the job to be printed. When the paper selection key 615 is pressed, the control unit 205 displays a screen that allows the user to set the paper feed unit, sheet size, and sheet type (media type) required for the print processing of the job to be printed. Let When the character key 612 is pressed, the control unit 205 displays a screen that allows the user to select an image processing mode suitable for a document image such as a character mode or a photo mode. When the density setting key 611 is operated, the density of the output image of the job to be printed can be adjusted.

  In addition, the control unit 205 displays a message in the status display field 606 of the touch panel unit 401 that allows the user to check the operation state of an event that is currently occurring in the printing apparatus 100 such as a standby state, warming up, printing, jam, or error. Etc. are displayed. In addition, the control unit 205 causes the display field 607 to display information for allowing the user to confirm the print magnification of the job to be processed. The display field 616 displays information for allowing the user to confirm the sheet size and paper feed mode of the job to be processed. The display column 610 displays information on the number of copies of the job to be processed and information for allowing the user to check what number is being printed during the printing operation. As described above, the control unit 205 causes the touch panel unit 401 to display various information to be notified to the user. Further, when the interrupt key 613 is pressed by the user, the control unit 205 stops the printing of the job being printed by the printing apparatus 100 so that the user's job can be printed. When the application mode key 618 is pressed, a screen for setting various image processing and layout such as page continuous shooting, cover / interleaf setting, reduced layout, and image movement is displayed.

  Next, an example of further attention points of the present embodiment will be described. The control unit 205 displays, as a target job setting, a display that enables a user to accept a sheet processing execution request from the sheet processing unit included in the inline type sheet processing apparatus 200 included in the printing system 1000. To display. As an example of this, for example, the control unit 205 causes the touch panel unit 401 to display a “sheet processing setting” key 609. When the “sheet processing setting” key 609 is pressed, the control unit 205 selects a sheet desired by the user from among sheet processing selection candidates that can be executed using the inline type sheet processing apparatus included in the printing system 1000. Make the process selectable. The “sheet processing setting” key 609 is also referred to as a “finishing key”. In the following description, “sheet processing” is also referred to as “finishing”.

  Regarding “punch processing”, in the POD environment, a need for various punch processing (perforation processing for printed sheets) is assumed. Therefore, “2-hole punch (processing to make two holes at the sheet end corresponding to the binding edge of the sheet)” “multi-hole punch (30 holes at the end of the sheet, etc.) corresponding to a plurality of types of punching processes. The process of making a hole) ”is illustrated. These processes can be executed by the punch unit included in the saddle stitch binding machine so as to correspond to the above configuration. In other words, it may be configured such that these punching processes can be executed using other apparatuses and units. However, as illustrated above, the apparatus corresponding to the definition of the inline finisher can be used in the printing system 1000, and the apparatus not corresponding to this is prohibited from being used in the printing system 1000. For example, in this example, when the “sheet processing setting” key 609 is pressed, the screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the touch panel unit 401.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for selecting a sheet process displayed when the sheet process setting key 609 is pressed.

  The control unit 205 makes it possible to accept an execution request for sheet processing to be executed by the sheet processing apparatus 200 on a sheet printed in the target job via the display of FIG. However, the control unit 205 determines the sheet processing apparatus candidates that can be selected in FIG. 7 according to the installation status of the sheet processing apparatus that the printing system 1000 includes. For example, in FIG. 7, an execution request for any one of a plurality of types of sheet processing illustrated in FIG. 7 can be received from the user for a sheet printed by the printer unit 203.

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which nine types of sheet processing can be selectively executed by using an inline type sheet processing apparatus included in the printing system 1000. In other words, sheet processing that cannot be executed by the printing system 1000 is not a candidate for selection in FIG. For example, if the sheet processing apparatus capable of selectively executing the case binding process and the sheet binding process is not provided, or if the sheet processing apparatus is out of order, the bookbinding instruction key 707 in FIG. 708 is not displayed or is not selectable even if displayed. Further, when a sheet processing apparatus capable of executing sheet processing other than these nine types is provided, a display key for enabling the user to accept the sheet processing execution request is added to the display of FIG. May be. In this way, an erroneous operation of the user when receiving a sheet processing execution request from the user is prevented.

  In executing such control, the control unit 205 acquires system configuration information for specifying which sheet processing apparatus is included in the printing system 1000 as the sheet processing apparatus 200. In addition, status information indicating whether or not an error has occurred in the sheet processing apparatus 200 is acquired and used in the control. The control unit 205 acquires the information by, for example, manual input by the user via the UI unit, or the sheet processing apparatus itself transmits a signal when the sheet processing apparatus 200 is connected to the printing apparatus 100. It may be automatically acquired based on a signal output via a line. On the premise of such a configuration, the control unit 205 causes the touch panel unit 401 to display content based on the acquired information.

  Note that the printing system 1000 can accept a print request for a job to be processed and a sheet processing request required for the job from an external device such as the PC 103 or 104. When a job is input from the external device in this way, a function equivalent to the display in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display unit of the external device that is the transmission source of the print data. As an example of this, a printer driver setting screen is displayed on the display unit of the PC 103 or 104. However, when the display of the UI of the external device is executed in this way, the control unit of the external device executes the control. For example, when a later-described printer driver UI screen is displayed on the display units of the PCs 103 and 104, the CPU of the PC executes the control subject.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a case where the sheet processing apparatus includes a saddle stitch binding machine and a large-capacity stacker in FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the large-capacity stacker according to the present embodiment.

  The large-capacity stacker has three conveyance paths: a straight path 901, an escape path 902, and a stack path 903. The straight path 901 conveys the sheet received from the preceding apparatus to the subsequent apparatus, and is also called a through path in the inline sheet processing apparatus. A straight path 901 is a sheet conveyance path for passing a sheet of a job that does not require sheet stacking processing by the stacking units 904 and 905 to a subsequent apparatus. The escape path 902 is used when discharging without stacking on the stacking units 904 and 905. For example, when a subsequent sheet processing apparatus is not connected and output confirmation work (proof printing) or the like is performed, the printed material is conveyed to the escape path and discharged to the discharge tray via the escape path 902. So that it can be taken out. Note that a plurality of sheet sensors required to detect the sheet conveyance status and jam are provided in the sheet conveyance path of the large-capacity stacker.

  A CPU (not shown) of the large-capacity stacker notifies the control unit 205 of sheet detection information from each of these sensors via a signal line for performing data communication with the control unit 205. Based on the information from the large-capacity stacker, the control unit 205 acquires the status of sheet conveyance and jam in the large-capacity stacker. When another sheet processing apparatus is cascade-connected between the sheet processing apparatus 200 and the printing apparatus 100, the information of the sensor of this large capacity stacker is notified to the control unit 205 via the CPU of the sheet processing apparatus. Is done. Further, the stack path 903 of the large-capacity stacker is a sheet conveyance path for executing a stacking process for a sheet of a job that requires a stacking process of sheets by the stacking units 904 and 905.

  In the system configuration of FIG. 8, for example, when the “mass stack processing” key 709 of FIG. 7 is pressed, the control unit 205 controls to convey the sheet to the stack path 903 provided in the large-capacity stacker. The sheet thus conveyed to the stack path 903 is discharged to the stacking unit 904 or 905 at the position of the abutting plate. The stacking units 904 and 905 have extendable stays, and sheets are stacked on the stays. Under this stay is a cart, and the sheets loaded on this stay can be carried to another offline finisher. When the front door of the large-capacity stacker is closed, the stay rises to the upper position, and when the front door is opened (or instructed to open) by the operator, the stay is lowered.

  There are two types of stacking of sheets in the stacking unit: flat stacking and shift stacking. In the flat stacking, sheets are always stacked at the same position. Shift stacking is a method in which sheets are shifted in the back direction in a predetermined number of copies or job units, and a stack is provided for each bundle of sheets. As described above, the large-capacity stacker that can be used as an inline type sheet processing apparatus is configured to be able to execute a plurality of types of stacking methods when executing stacking processing of sheets discharged from the printer unit 203. The control unit 205 can execute such various operation instructions to the apparatus.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for designating the number of sheets discharged and stored in the large capacity stacker.

  This screen is displayed on the touch panel unit 401 of the operation unit 204. An “ON” key 1101 is a key for enabling a function for designating the number of sheets stored in the large-capacity stacker, and an “OFF” key 1102 is a key for disabling the function. When the “ON” key 1101 is pressed to enable this function, the sheet stacking process on the stacking unit is terminated when the number of sheets designated in 1103 is reached. When the “OFF” key 1102 is pressed, sheets are stacked until the sheet sensor detects that the tray is full. A designated number key 1103 is a key for designating the number of sheets to be accommodated in the stacker, and can designate up to the maximum stacking capacity of the stacker (here, 5000 sheets). In FIG. 11, the “ON” key 1101 is pressed to activate the function, and “5000 sheets” corresponding to the maximum load capacity is set.

  Although not shown in FIG. 11, when a plurality of large-capacity stackers are connected as shown in FIG. 8, a stacker designation column for designating which large-capacity stacker is to be discharged and accommodated is illustrated. 11 screens may be provided. Alternatively, when there are a plurality of stacking units (tray) in one large-capacity stacker (FIG. 9), a tray designation field for designating which tray to eject and store is provided on the screen of FIG. May be.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating printing and paper discharge control processing by the printing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. A program for executing this processing is stored in the ROM 207 and is executed under the control of the CPU of the control unit 205.

  In this process, the number of sheets stored in the large-capacity stacker is set on the operation unit 204 of the printing apparatus 100 using the screen shown in FIG. Is started after the user has set

  First, in S1001, it is determined whether or not the copy start key 503 has been pressed, and waits until the copy start key 503 is turned on. When the copy start key 503 is pressed, printing is started. In step S1002, the number a of sheets discharged to the large-capacity stacker and the number b of printed sheets staying in the printing apparatus 100 are acquired, and the total value (a + b) is set. It is determined whether it is less than the number of discharged sheets (X). When the number is small, printing of sheets for the number of discharged sheets (X) has not been completed, and the process advances to step S1003 to determine whether the designated tray is full (tray full). If the sheet is not full, the sheet can be discharged and stacked on the tray, and the process proceeds to S1004. The printed sheet is discharged to the designated tray, and the process proceeds to S1001. Here, the term “full” means not only the case where the amount of sheets actually reaches the maximum capacity (predetermined amount) of the tray, but also the cause of the sheet curling before reaching the maximum capacity. Therefore, the case where it is determined that the sheet amount has reached the maximum accommodation amount is also included.

  If it is determined in step S1003 that the designated tray is full, the process advances to step S1005 to determine whether there is another tray that can discharge paper. If there is another tray that can be discharged, the process advances to step S1006 to determine that tray as a new discharge destination tray. In step S1007, the printed sheet is discharged to the tray, and the process advances to step S1001. If there is no other tray capable of discharging in S1005, the process proceeds to S1008 and the tray full display 2 is performed. The tray full display 2 shows a state in which the tray designated as the paper discharge destination and other trays are full before printing the designated number of sheets.

  On the other hand, if (a + b) ≧ X in step S1002, since printing for the designated number of sheets has already been completed, the process proceeds to step S1009 to determine whether the tray designated as the paper discharge destination is full. If it is not full, the process advances to step S1010, the printed sheet is discharged to the designated tray, and the process advances to step S1011. In step S1011, it is determined whether or not all printed sheets have been discharged to the designated tray. If not, the process returns to step S1009 and the above-described processing is executed. finish.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S1009 that the designated tray is full, the process advances to S1013 to determine whether there is another tray capable of discharging paper. If there is another tray that can eject paper, the process proceeds to S1014, where the tray that can be ejected is determined as a new paper discharge destination tray, and the process proceeds to S1010, where printed sheets are ejected to that tray. If there is no other tray capable of discharging in S1013, the process proceeds to S1015 and the tray full display 1 is performed. The tray full display 1 indicates a state in which printing of the designated number of sheets has been completed, but the tray designated as the paper discharge destination and other trays are full.

  Although the above description assumes a case where there are a plurality of trays, when there is only one tray, the determination processing in S1005 and S1013 is not necessary, and the process proceeds to the tray full display 2 or 1 in S1008 or S1015.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state where the tray is determined to be full in S1009 of FIG.

  Here, a case will be described in which, when the designated number X is set to 5000, the tray designated as the paper discharge destination is full. Here, 4969 sheets have already been discharged to the large-capacity stacker, and the printing of 5000 sheets including the stay of the printing apparatus 100 has been completed. If there is another tray that can be discharged, the discharge destination is switched to that tray (S1014), and if not, the tray full display 1 is performed. Here, a display for instructing to remove the sheets stacked on the tray designated as the paper discharge destination is performed.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a case where the tray full is detected by the large-capacity stacker before the number of printed sheets reaches the specified number. That is, the case where it is determined in S1003 of FIG. In FIG. 13, the stack sensor detects 4965 sheets and the tray is full.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen indicating that the designated number of sheets has not been reached or that the paper stacking amount is insufficient in the case of FIG.

  In FIG. 14, it is assumed that in the large-capacity stacker, a stacking failure due to the curling of sheets or the like has occurred, so that it is detected that the tray is full before the designated number of sheets is accommodated. Accordingly, in such a case, the “curl correction” key 1401 can be instructed to correct the curl of the sheet. A “print resume” key 1402 is a key for instructing to resume printing. The “to other function” key 1403 is a key for instructing to close the current screen and use another function. A “Cancel” key 1404 is a key for instructing to cancel this print job.

  By performing the control as described above, it is possible to specify and store the number of sheets stored in the paper discharge destination. The paper discharge destination can be switched according to the number of sheets stored.

  Also, when the number of sheets to be stored is specified for the paper discharge destination and the sheets are discharged and stored, the specified number of sheets is reached even when it is detected that the paper discharge destination is full. Can show whether or not. Also, if it is a false detection due to sheet stacking failure at the paper discharge destination, a countermeasure can be presented.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the number of sheets to be stored is specified with respect to the sheet discharge destination, it is possible to notify whether or not the specified number of sheets has been stored. Further, even when it is detected that the tray is full before reaching the designated number, it is possible to notify the user of the coping method.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The hardware configuration of the system and apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen when the stack sensor detects that the tray is full in the second embodiment. This shows a display example when the tray full display 2 is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 13 shows a case where 4965 sheets have detected that the tray sensor is full, and the number of printed sheets has not reached the designated number. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 15, the number of printed sheets does not reach the designated number and the tray is full. FIG. 15 shows that 4965 sheets are full with respect to the designated number (5000 sheets).

  A “print resume” key 1501 is a key for the user to resume printing. The “to other function” key 1502 is a key for closing this screen and instructing another function. A “Cancel” key 1503 is a key for canceling this print job.

  By performing the control as described above, the user can know the number of discharged sheets with respect to the designated number of sheets. Further, it can be recognized that the tray is full before printing the designated number of sheets.

  According to the second embodiment as described above, it is possible to cope with a case where the discharge destination is detected to be full while the designated number of sheets are not printed.

  As described above, according to the printing system according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  It is possible to cope with problems as assumed in the background art. In addition, it is possible to construct a convenient printing environment that can be used not only in the office environment but also in the POD environment. In addition, it is possible to cope with the needs of the actual work site in the printing environment such as POD, such as the need to operate the system with high productivity as much as possible and the need to reduce the operator's work load as much as possible.

  According to the above-described first and second embodiments, when it is determined that the paper discharge destination is full, it is possible to automatically switch to another paper discharge destination that can be accommodated and discharge the sheet to that paper discharge destination. . When it is determined that the paper discharge destination is full, the user may be notified whether the designated number of sheets have been printed or whether there is another paper discharge destination that can be accommodated. it can.

  When a specified tray (first stacking unit) is full and automatically switched to another tray (second stacking unit) when one job is executed, the job is printed. It is necessary to distinguish between the printed sheet and the sheet printed in another job. In such a case, it is desirable to be able to identify the sheet bundle on the tray by shift paper discharge or the like.

  When the tray is switched during the job, it is desirable to display on the display unit of the operation unit 204 how many sheets have been discharged to which tray at the end of the job.

  Thus, it is possible to construct a flexible printing environment that can cope with use cases and needs assumed in a POD environment as assumed in the past, and can provide various mechanisms for commercialization of products.

  In the present embodiment, it has been described that printed sheets are discharged and stored from the printing apparatus 100 to the large-capacity stacker. However, the printing apparatus includes one or a plurality of large-capacity stackers (trays). The printed sheet may be accommodated there.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. Absent. For example, in the present embodiment, the control unit 205 of the printing apparatus 100 is the main body of various types of control. However, the control unit 205 is configured so that part or all of the various types of control can be performed by the printing apparatus 100 and another external controller. May be.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to construct a convenient printing environment that can be used not only in the office environment but also in the POD environment. In addition, for example, it is possible to cope with actual work site needs in a printing environment such as POD, such as the need to operate the system with high productivity and the need to reduce the workload of the operator.

  In other words, the stackability of a specified number of pages in the stacker apparatus can be ensured without depending on the sheet type of the sheet, and user convenience can be improved. In this way, it is possible to construct a convenient and flexible printing environment that can cope with use cases and needs that can be assumed in the POD environment.

(Other examples)
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Printing apparatus, 201 ... Scanner part, 204 ... Operation part, 205 ... Controller part, 200 ... Sheet processing apparatus

Claims (13)

An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet;
A sheet conveyance path for conveying a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit;
A stacking unit on which the sheets conveyed along the sheet conveying path are stacked;
Detecting means for detecting the full load of the loading unit;
Execution instruction and image forming job, the number of the stacked sheets to be stacked on the stacking unit, and receiving with means for Ru received from the user,
According to the execution instruction of the image forming job received by the receiving unit, the image forming unit starts an image forming operation, and after starting the image forming operation, the number of sheets discharged to the stacking unit is the receiving unit. Control means for stopping the image forming job based on reaching the number of stacked sheets received by
Wherein, when the number of sheets to be discharged to the stacking unit is full of the loading section is detected by said detection means before reaching the number of stacked sheets of the sheet received by the receiving unit, the receiving A printing apparatus, wherein information indicating that a sheet is full with a number smaller than the number of sheets received by the means is displayed on a display unit. The control means, prior SL control for the number of sheets loaded stops the image forming job when it reaches the number of sheets which is accepted by the previous Ki受 with means on the loading section, the effective predetermined mode The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is executed on the basis of the fact that it is configured. Wherein, the printing apparatus according to prompting to message the user to perform the curl correction to claim 1, wherein the notifying by displaying on the display unit together with the information. Previous means with Ki受 the printing device according to the number of the sheet, in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that accepted via the operation screen displayed on the display unit. The control means is arranged in the stacking unit based on the number of sheets discharged on the stacking unit and the number of printed sheets on which an image is formed by the image forming unit and stays in the printing apparatus. 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not the number of stacked sheets reaches the number of sheets received by the receiving unit. The control unit determines whether there is another stacking unit capable of discharging when the detection unit detects that the sheet is full, and switches the discharge destination to the other stacking unit when determined to be present. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming job is continued. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit receives the number of copies as the setting of the image forming job. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit receives a setting for setting the stacking unit as a discharge destination as the setting of the image forming job. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display the number of sheets stacked on the stacking unit together with the information. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display a message that prompts the removal of the sheets stacked on the stacking unit together with the information. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes a user to input the number of sheets stacked on the stacking unit using a numeric keypad. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is a stack sensor. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming job is a copy job.

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