JP3853743B2 - Department management control system and department management control program for digital MFP - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a department management control system for a digital multi-function peripheral having a plurality of input means and output means in an office or the like, and more particularly when a plurality of jobs from the plurality of input means are generated simultaneously when processing is performed by the digital multi-function peripheral. The present invention relates to a department management control system for a digital multi-function peripheral that can automatically perform interrupt processing from a highly urgent job or a high priority job.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in offices and the like, digital copying machines have been frequently used instead of analog digital copying machines. In this digital copying machine, image data read by a normal document reading means (scanner unit) is temporarily stored in a storage means such as a hard disk HDD or a semiconductor memory for each page, and is stored in this storage means when outputting to paper. A memory copy mode for reading out the read image data.
[0003]
In this memory copy mode, for example, when printing 100 copies of a series of 10 originals, it is necessary to scan as many times as the number of times to output on a sheet with a normal analog copying machine, so 10 × 100 = 1000 times. Although it is necessary to scan, if the memory copy mode of the digital copying machine is used, a series of 10 documents are read once and stored in the storage means. After that, the scanner unit is opened. Therefore, even when a copy image of the first document is being output on a sheet, there is an advantage that the next document can be read and the next job can be reserved if the first document has been read. .
[0004]
Therefore, when a large amount of copying is performed in the previous job and it takes a long time to complete, even if this job is not completed, the original job of the subsequent job is set and the job is reserved, so that the job is sequentially executed. Since it can be completed, the user can leave the copier and do other work, which has greatly helped to improve work efficiency in the office.
[0005]
As described above, since the digital copying machine can be used in the office because it can efficiently obtain a large amount of copies, it is of a type that sequentially executes a plurality of reserved jobs. For example, when a sudden copy of a document for a meeting or a job requested by an important department is entered, if the previous job is being executed or a job reservation is entered, those jobs will be completed A new copy could not be made.
[0006]
An invention for solving such problems of the conventional digital copying machine is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. In the digital copying machine as described above, a department management code is assigned to each department in the office, and a usage state, for example, a cumulative count value or a limit count value in a printing process for each department is determined by the department management code. When managing, a priority is assigned to each department management code for each department, and when a reserved job is output, it is executed according to the priority of the department management code associated with this job. To do. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to preferentially output important department jobs in a digital copying machine.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-31270 A (claims 2 and 4, paragraphs [0015] to [0017])
[0008]
However, with the recent development of computer technology and mounting technology, in the office, not only functions as a digital copying machine, but also digital multifunction devices that incorporate a printer function, an image scanner function, a facsimile function, etc. are often used. It has become like this. In order to understand the present invention, first, the basic configuration of such a digital multi-function peripheral will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0009]
As shown in FIG. 1, the digital multifunction peripheral 10 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, a job control unit 24, An information storage unit 26, an output control unit 28, a printing unit 30, and an internal memory 32 are provided. The facsimile unit 14 may not be provided in the digital multi-function peripheral, and it is impractical to restrict the reception or transmission of a simple facsimile. However, when the received facsimile data is printed and distributed to each department, it may be subject to management by gate.
[0010]
The operation unit 12, facsimile unit 14, scanner unit 16, external memory interface 18, and various host interfaces 22 constitute input means for the digital multi-function peripheral 10, and input image processing / generation unit 20 that manages these input data, respectively. Connected to.
[0011]
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 and receives facsimile data from the outside and image data supplied via the input image processing generation unit 20 according to a predetermined communication method.
[0012]
The external memory interface 18 includes various interfaces such as a parallel interface, serial interface, USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE 1394, and PC-Card bus that are used for general purposes. The external memory interface 18 includes a semiconductor memory, an HDD, and a CD. , CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, FD, and other external memories (storage means) 36 are connected, and the input / output of various image data can be performed only through these external memories 36. It is also used as an input means such as an administrator ID and department ID.
[0013]
The various host interfaces 22 are computer PCs corresponding to the respective departments via the network 38.₁40-1, PC₂40-2, PC₃40-3,... Are connected to PCn 40-4 and server 40-5 for managers.
[0014]
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.
[0015]
The output control unit 28 prints the image data sent through 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 it in the unit memory 36. Or computer PC of each department through various host interfaces 22₁40-1, PC₂40-2, PC₃40-3,..., PCn 40-4, and the server 40-5 for manager. Note that a dedicated host PC 48 is connected to the digital multi-function peripheral 10 via the output control unit 28 to display image data processed via the output control unit 28, and an administrator server if necessary. It may have 40-5 functions.
[0016]
The operation of each process of the digital multi-function peripheral 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In using the digital multi-function peripheral 10, the user first inputs at least a department ID in step S1. This department ID may be input from the operation unit 12 of the digital multifunction peripheral 10 or may be input using an external memory 36 such as an IC card, or the computers 40-1 to 40 of each department. -4 may be input via the network 38, and can be appropriately selected according to the function of the digital multifunction peripheral 10 to be used. If the image data needs to be distributed to other departments, the distribution destination is entered at this time.
[0017]
Next, in step S2, image data is input from various input means, and the data sent by the input image processing / generation unit 20 is processed according to the individual 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 data. Further, additional information other than information necessary for data generation is used for entrusting the management to the job control unit 24.
[0018]
Thereafter, in step S3, the job control unit 24 refers to the data recorded in the information storage unit 26, and sets the image data for each page based on the image data and additional information sent from the input image processing / generation unit 20. Generate page information and job information for each job. In step S4, predetermined image data output processing is performed.
[0019]
In the output process in step S4, the output control unit 28 executes output of designated data for the image data from the job control unit 24. At that time, data conversion processing is performed according to the output destination. For example, in the case of printing processing to the printing unit, decompression processing of compressed data is performed, or in the case of storage / storing in the external memory 36, conversion to a predetermined file format is performed. Also in the case of file transmission to 40-4 or the like or transmission by E-Mail, the data conversion into the designated file format is performed, and then the actual output operation is started. When each output operation is completed normally, a completion report is sent to the job control unit 24. Next, after receiving a normal output completion report in step S5, a count-up output process of a predetermined cumulative count value of each department is performed in step S6.
[0020]
The basic operation principle of the digital multi-function peripheral has been described above. As is apparent from the description of FIG. 1, the input processing of the digital multi-function peripheral is not limited to the image input from the scanner section 16 but the facsimile section 14. Computer PC corresponding to each department via various external memories (storage means) 36 via external memory interface 18, various host interfaces 22 and network 38₁There are also various data inputs from the servers 40-1 to 40-4 and the server 40-5 for the manager. In addition, the output processing is not only performed on the paper in the printing unit 30 but also via the external memory interface 18. Computers or administrator server PCs that are stored in various external memories (storage means) 36 or that correspond to each department via various host interfaces 22 and networks 38₁Many processes for transmitting to 40-1 to 40-5 are also being used.
[0021]
Therefore, in the digital multi-function peripheral 10, there are also duplication of jobs among a plurality of input means and duplication of jobs among a plurality of output groups. More than things.
[0022]
[Sections to be solved by the invention]
However, even in such a case, in a conventional digital multi-function peripheral, for example, in the case of facsimile reception processing and use of a scanner function, a part of a job that has been executed or reserved in advance is excluded except for some parallel processing. Since it was executed sequentially, if it is necessary to copy output urgently, such as during document output, or if there is a request for printing from an important department, that processing If parallel processing cannot be performed, it is necessary to go to the installation location of the digital multi-function peripheral 10 and interrupt it by operating the panel of the operation unit 12 to interrupt the job, which is troublesome and troublesome.
[0023]
Further, simply determining the priority order based on the department code as disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 cannot consider the difference in the importance of the job due to the difference between a plurality of input means, and therefore corresponds to the lower priority order. Since the job of the department to be always deferred, there was a problem that the dissatisfaction of the parties became very strong.
[0024]
The inventor has conducted various studies to solve the problems inherent in the above-described conventional digital multi-function peripheral, and as a result, for all combinations between a plurality of input means and a plurality of output means in each department. By assigning priority with management codes and then assigning all management codes and priority among all departments uniquely, jobs can be executed sequentially in order of priority except those that can be processed in parallel. In this case, if it is necessary to urgently execute a job to which a lower priority is assigned, the priority can be temporarily raised by the administrator authority only during the period during which the job is executed. As a result, it has been found that it is possible to respond to an emergency or a job request from an important department, and the present invention has been completed.
[0025]
That is, according to the present invention, in a digital multi-function peripheral having a plurality of input units and a plurality of output units, when a job request is simultaneously generated from a plurality of input units, or a job output request to a plurality of output units is simultaneously performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a department management control system for a digital multi-function peripheral that can automatically perform processing sequentially from a job with a high priority and a job with a high urgency when it occurs.
[0026]
  The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitution. That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, in a digital multi-function peripheral having a plurality of input means and a plurality of output means,
  The digital multifunction peripheral isPredetermined priorities for combinations of department codes, input means and output means associated with each jobIf there is an input for changing the priority of a specific job using a specific ID, and the priority of the specific job determined by the priority set in the priority management table A job control means for temporarily changing and preferentially processing until the completion of the job,
  The job control means includesWhen a plurality of jobs are input simultaneously from the input means,Priority set in the priority management tableDepending on the output processingWhen there is an input for determining the order and changing the priority of a specific job using a specific ID, the priority of the specific job determined by the priority set in the priority management table is set to the job Until it is completed, change temporarily and give priority to processingA department management control system for a digital multi-function peripheral is provided. According to this aspect, even if a plurality of jobs are input from the input unit of the digital multi-function peripheral, the job having the higher priority is automatically executed. Therefore, the user goes to the place where the digital multi-function peripheral is installed. This eliminates the need for interrupt processing, leading to faster and more efficient work in the office. Also,Since it is essential to input a specific ID (administrator ID or emergency ID) for changing the priority, a certain restriction can be given to the change of priority.
[0027]
In this aspect, it is preferable that the priority is managed in association with a unique management code corresponding to all combinations of a department code, a plurality of input units, and a plurality of output units. In such an embodiment, since a unique management code is assigned to all input / output processes of all departments, priority setting management can be easily performed.
[0028]
Further, according to this aspect, the plurality of input units are a scanner unit, a facsimile unit, a computer via a network, and an external storage unit via an external memory interface, and the plurality of output units are via a facsimile unit and a network. A computer, an external storage unit via an external memory interface, and a printing unit for paper. In this way, most of the functions of the office processing equipment used in the current office can be covered in addition to the functions as a digital copying machine. It will be possible to connect.
[0029]
In this aspect, it is preferable that the department code, the management code, and the priority are managed inside the digital multi-function peripheral, a server via a network, or a host PC directly connected to the digital multi-function peripheral. With such a configuration, input becomes easier than managing by operating the panel of the digital multi-function peripheral, so management can be performed more easily.
[0030]
In this aspect, the department management setting information including at least the department code, the management code, and the priority is sent via an operation unit, a computer via a network, or an external memory interface using an administrator ID. It is preferable that the change can be made by receiving a command from the external storage means. If it becomes such a mode, when it becomes necessary to change the priority and other management information in accordance with the review and change of the business of each department, it becomes possible to easily change while maintaining confidentiality. .
[0031]
Further, in this aspect, when jobs having the same priority are received simultaneously, a mechanism is provided for selecting whether to give priority to the previously received job or to perform both jobs alternately by time division. It is desirable that If it becomes such a mode, even if it is a job for which priority cannot be clearly determined, priority change or simultaneous parallel processing can be selected as necessary. It is not necessary to set the upper and lower sides, the system can be configured flexibly, and the dissatisfaction of the user due to the low priority being reduced can be reduced.
[0032]
In this aspect, it is preferable that the priority can be temporarily changed only for the job by adding an administrator password to the job from the input means. For example, even if an urgent copy is required at a meeting or the like, even a user who normally has to wait for a lower priority executes the job with priority. As a result, it becomes possible to lead to faster and more efficient operations in the office.
[0033]
  Further, according to this aspect, the priority of the designated job among the waiting jobs can be set by inputting an administrator password for the waiting jobs, where the plurality of jobs overlap. It is preferable that only the job can be changed temporarily. If it becomes such a mode, even if a job of another department that happens to take time to finish is being executed, it is interrupted and executed among multiple jobs that are temporarily waiting or a job that was suddenly needed As a result, it is possible to lead to faster and more efficient operations in the office.
  According to another aspect of the present invention, a priority management table in which a predetermined priority is set for a combination of a department code, an input unit, and an output unit associated with each job, and a specific ID is used. When there is an input to change the priority of a specific job, the priority of the specific job determined by the priority set in the priority management table is temporarily changed until the completion of the job. A computer that constitutes a digital multi-function peripheral having a plurality of input means and a plurality of output means.
When a plurality of jobs are input simultaneously from the input means, a function for determining the order of output processing according to the priority set in the priority management table, and priority for a specific job using a specific ID When there is an input to change the degree, the priority of the specific job determined by the priority set in the priority management table is temporarily changed and processed with priority until the job is completed. A department management control program for realizing the function as job control means is provided. According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a computer program that realizes a department management system for an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention.
[0034]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, specific examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the digital multi-function peripheral according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the digital multi-function peripheral. The same operation as the digital multi-function peripheral shown in FIG. The detailed description will be omitted as the same reference numerals are given.
[0035]
The digital multifunction peripheral 10 of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 is specifically different from that of FIG. 1 in the configuration of the information storage unit 26 connected to the job control unit 24. That is, according to the present invention, an ID (password) is assigned to each department, and at the same time, a unique management code is assigned to all combinations of input / output means, and the management code for each department is assigned to the management code of the information storage unit 26. It is stored in the table 42, and further, a processing priority is assigned to the management codes of all departments and stored in the priority table 44, and a count value management table 46 for storing various count values for each department code is provided. It is.
[0036]
That is, priorities are determined and stored in advance for all input / output processes of all departments that are uniquely defined, and if multiple jobs overlap, processing is performed based on the priority of each job. Decide the order to do. In this case, it is not necessary to give different priorities to all jobs, and the same priority may be given to a plurality of jobs.
[0037]
If you want to perform urgent processing from a department with low priority, you can temporarily raise the priority of the job only during the job execution period by administrator authority or by entering the emergency processing ID. It is possible to cope with emergencies by preparing means that can perform the above.
[0038]
The “department” in the present invention means not only an organization composed of a plurality of members such as a “clerk” unit, a “group” unit, and a “section” unit, but also an individual ID ( It also includes the case where it means an individual who has been assigned a password.
[0039]
The management code table 42 and the priority table 44 according to the present invention are managed from the server 40-5 on the network 38 to which the digital multi-function peripheral 10 is connected or the host PC 48 directly connected to the digital multi-function peripheral 10. It is made so that it can be managed.
[0040]
Next, the operation of each process of the digital multi-function peripheral according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4, but detailed description of the same operation as that already described in FIG. 2 will be omitted. First, when job 1 is processed by the digital multi-function peripheral 10, the user first inputs at least a department ID in step S11. When it is necessary to distribute the image data to other departments, the distribution destination ID is input at the same time. Next, in step S12, image data is input from various input means, and the data sent from the input image processing / generation unit 20 is processed according to the individual data. Thereafter, in step S13, the job control unit 24 refers to the data recorded in the information storage unit 26, and page information for each page based on the image data sent from the input image processing / generation unit 20 and the additional information. And job information for each job. That is, the corresponding management code is obtained by referring to the management code table 42 of the information storage unit 26 from the input department ID and the input means to which the image data is input, and then the management code table 42 with reference to the priority table 44. Get priority.
[0041]
Here, it is determined whether or not there is an interrupt job in step S14. If there is no interrupt job, the image data corresponding to job 1 is transmitted to the output control unit 28 in step S15, and then designated in step S16. Predetermined output processing is performed on the output means, and if it is determined in step S17 that it has not been normally output, it is repeated until it is normally output, and if it is determined that it has been normally output, Proceeding to S18, a count-up operation of the count value management table 46 provided for each department code in the information storage unit 26 is executed, and the processing of the job 1 is ended.
[0042]
On the other hand, when the interrupt job 2 is started when these operations are performed, the interrupt job 2 is input with the department ID in step 21 and the image data in step S22 as in the case of job 1. In the input and step S23, the job control unit 24 refers to the management code table 42 of the information storage unit 26 to obtain the corresponding management code, and then refers to the priority table 44 to obtain the priority of the department facing management code. Is done. Next, in step S14, it is determined whether or not there is an interrupt process, and the process proceeds to step S24, where the priority order of job 1 and the priority order of job 2 are compared.
[0043]
If it is determined that the priority order of job 1 is higher, the process proceeds to step S25, and the job control unit 24 controls to transmit the image data of job 1 after transmitting the image data of job 1, Next, the process proceeds to step S16, and the output process is executed sequentially. Conversely, if it is determined in step S24 that the priority order of job 2 is higher, the process proceeds to step S26, where the job control unit 24 first suspends the processing of job 1, and then in step S27, the first job 2 After the image data is transmitted, the remaining image data of job 1 is controlled to be transmitted, and then the process proceeds to step S16 to sequentially execute the output process.
[0044]
In the present invention, since all image data input from a plurality of input means is converted into page information of pages by the input image processing / generation unit 20, even if the initial processing is interrupted by interrupt processing, Since interruption and start of reprocessing are performed in units of pages, it is possible to avoid, for example, interruption in the middle of a page during printing processing or printing starting from the middle of a page.
[0045]
In addition, when it is set so that jobs with the same priority exist, the priority of both jobs may be the same. In such a case, although not shown in the figure, the priority is assigned to the previously received job. Provided with a mechanism for selecting whether to give (FIFO format) or to perform both jobs alternately (Round Robin format) in a time-sharing manner, a panel of the operation unit 12, an external memory 36, a computer 40-1 of each department,. -You may make it selectable from 40-4, host PC48, etc.
[0046]
Furthermore, when it is necessary to urgently execute a job to which a low priority is assigned, a period for executing the job by using an administrator ID or a special ID assigned for emergency use Since the priority can only be temporarily increased, interrupt processing can be executed with almost no waiting even for an urgent job.
[0047]
Here, the case where the processing of jobs 1 and 2 is duplicated has been described, but it is obvious to those skilled in the art that when three or more jobs are duplicated, the processing can be performed sequentially in the order of priority. Let's go.
[0048]
In addition, when multiple jobs are concentrated, multiple jobs may be waiting while one job is being executed. However, if it is necessary to quickly process the waiting job, Can be interrupted, by inputting the administrator password from the panel of the operation unit 12, the host PC 48, the computers 40-1 to 40-4 of each department, etc. It is preferable that the priority of the designated job can be changed temporarily only for the job.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the present invention, even when a digital multi-function peripheral having many input / output means is shared and used by many people and multiple departments, the priority order is high, and in the case of emergency input / output Can be preferentially interrupted, and jobs can be automatically executed sequentially, so that it has an excellent effect of speeding up work and improving efficiency.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a conventional digital multifunction peripheral.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation principle of the digital multi-function peripheral shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a digital multifunction peripheral according to the present invention.
4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation principle of the digital multi-functional peripheral of the present invention shown in FIG. 3;
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Digital MFP
12 Operation unit
14 Facsimile Department
16 Scanner section
18 External memory interface
20 Input image processing / generation unit
22 Various host interfaces
24 Job control section
26 Information storage unit
28 Output controller
30 Printing Department
36 External memory
40-1 ... 40-4 Computer
40-5 Server for administrators

Claims (9)

In a digital multi-function peripheral having a plurality of input means and a plurality of output means,
The digital multi-function peripheral uses a priority management table in which a predetermined priority is set for a combination of a department code, an input unit, and an output unit associated with each job, and a specific job using a specific ID. If there is an input to change the priority, the priority of the specific job determined by the priority set in the priority management table is temporarily changed and prioritized until the job is completed. And job control means for
The job control means determines the order of output processing according to the priority set in the priority management table when a plurality of jobs are input simultaneously from the input means , and specifies using a specific ID If there is an input to change the priority of the job, the priority of the specific job determined by the priority set in the priority management table is temporarily changed until the job is completed. Account management control system of the digital MFP characterized by the processing.   The plurality of input units are a scanner unit, a facsimile unit, a computer via a network, and an external storage unit via an external memory interface, and the plurality of output units are via a facsimile unit, a computer via a network, and an external memory interface. 2. The department management control system for a digital multi-function peripheral according to claim 1, wherein the department management control system is an external storage means and a printing means for paper.   2. The digital composite according to claim 1, wherein the priority is managed in association with a unique management code corresponding to all combinations of a department code, a plurality of input means, and a plurality of output means. Machine department management control system.   4. The digital according to claim 3, wherein the department code, management code, and priority are managed in the digital multifunction peripheral, on a server via a network, or on a host PC directly connected to the digital multifunction peripheral. Department management control system for multifunction devices.   The department management setting information including at least the department code, the management code, and the priority is received from the external storage means via the operation unit, the computer via the network, or the external memory interface using the administrator ID. 4. The department management control system for a digital multi-function peripheral according to claim 3, wherein the department management control system is capable of being changed by the digital multi-function peripheral.   A mechanism is provided for selecting whether to give priority to a previously received job or to perform both jobs alternately by time division when the priorities of the plurality of jobs are equal. 1. A department management control system for digital multifunction peripherals according to 1.   The priority can be temporarily changed only for the job by adding an administrator password to the job from the input means. Department management control system for digital multifunction devices.   By entering an administrator password for a job that has been waiting for a job that has been overlapped, the priority of the specified job among the jobs that have been waited for is temporarily set only for that job. 2. The department management control system for a digital multi-function peripheral according to claim 1, wherein the department management control system is adapted to be changed to   A priority management table in which a predetermined priority is set for a combination of department code, input means and output means associated with each job, and input for changing the priority of a specific job using a specific ID Is set in the priority management table. Job control means for temporarily changing and prioritizing the priority of the specific job determined by the priorities until completion of the job, and a plurality of input means and a plurality of output means. In a computer constituting a digital multi-function peripheral,
  When a plurality of jobs are input simultaneously from the input means, a function for determining the order of output processing according to the priority set in the priority management table, and priority for a specific job using a specific ID When there is an input to change the degree, the priority of the specific job determined by the priority set in the priority management table is temporarily changed and processed with priority until the job is completed. A department management control program characterized by realizing a function as a job control means.

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