JP4119280B2 - Image forming apparatus, image forming apparatus control method, and image processing system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming layer value having a function of inputting image data from various devices to form an electronic file, and editing and printing out the image data converted to the electronic file, and a control method thereof.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an image forming apparatus that inputs image data obtained by various image processing devices such as a scanner device and a facsimile device, converts the image data into an electronic file, and stores it in a large-capacity image storage device such as a hard disk.
In such an image forming apparatus, there is also provided an apparatus capable of re-editing image data converted into an electronic file and storing image data reorganized in units of pages, for example, as an electronic file of a new document. .
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the image forming apparatus having the electronic file conversion function as described above, when image data input from various devices (input sources) is stored as an electronic file, the input is performed in order to maintain the image quality at the time of input as much as possible. There is known a method of saving an electronic file in the original image format.
However, when the input image format is converted to an electronic file in this way, if the image data of a document with a different image format is re-edited into a new document, a new document may be saved depending on the combination of the edits. In some cases, different pages have different attributes and cannot be printed at once.
Even if the print output cannot be performed, it is often possible to save it as an electronic file, and the user creates and saves the document without noticing that printing is not possible. There is a problem of inconvenience and confusion.
[0004]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a control method therefor that can make it easy for a user who edits an image to recognize that the documents cannot be printed at once.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plurality of input units for inputting a plurality of types of image data having different formats, an editing unit for editing the image data, and storing the image data in an electronic file. An image data storage management unit that performs file management, an image forming unit that prints out the image data, and a display unit that displays the image data, and stores the image data in the image data storage management unit And a page information display unit for displaying page information including the page attribute managed by the page attribute management unit on the display unit.
[0006]
The present invention also provides a plurality of input units for inputting a plurality of types of image data having different formats, an editing unit for editing the image data, and storing the image data as an electronic file for file management. An image data storage management unit, an image forming unit that prints out the image data, and a display unit that displays the image data, and a control method for an image forming apparatus, each of which is stored in the image data storage management unit A page attribute management step for managing page attributes of the document, and a page information display step for displaying page information including the page attributes managed by the page attribute management step on the display unit.
[0007]
In the image forming apparatus and the control method thereof according to the present invention, the page attribute of each document stored in the image data storage management unit is managed and the page information including the page attribute is displayed on the display unit. By displaying the page information, the user who edits the image can recognize that the document contains a page that cannot be printed at once, which can be used as a reference for subsequent processing, contributing to improvement of work efficiency. It becomes possible.
In addition, as an additional function, when printing output of a document that includes pages that cannot be printed at once is selected, or when editing processing such as composition of pages that cannot be printed at once is selected, the documents are batched. By notifying the user that the print output cannot be performed as a warning display or by prohibiting editing, it is possible to improve the workability by improving the convenience of the print output and the editing process.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of an image forming apparatus and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the main functional configuration of an image forming apparatus (MFP; multifunction peripheral device) according to an embodiment of the present invention.
This image forming apparatus is provided with an image data storage management unit (so-called filing box) 20 for storing image data as an electronic file in the apparatus body 10 and managing the file. There are a copy input 31, a print input 32, a FAX input 33, 34, a scan input 35, and the like as image data input to the image data. There are 39 mag.
Further, an editing terminal 40 is connected to the apparatus main body 10 via a network, and a document file stored in the image data storage management unit 20 is taken out, subjected to various editing processes, and a new document or an updated document. These files can be created and stored again in the image data storage management unit 20.
[0009]
The input / output images handled by these input / output means include those having different formats. When a document file is created by combining images of different formats, the image data storage management unit 20 performs storage management. However, it is assumed that the printer has a combination that cannot be printed out.
The reason for not unifying the image format in this way is to reduce image quality deterioration and texture change when image data is output from the e-Filing box, thereby handling image data of different formats. When a merge operation for each page occurs, a combination that cannot be printed appears.
Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of this example, such an image file that cannot be printed is displayed to the user as a page profile or a page list, and at the time of editing or print output, notification that printing is impossible is made. It is a thing.
[0010]
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example data structure of management data of the image data storage management unit 20. The image data storage management unit 20 of this example has the largest unit partition called a filing box, and forms a data storage area with a structure as shown in FIG. 2 inside each filing box.
Of these, the part related to the page attribute management function of this example will be described. First, BNNNNNNN shown in FIG. 2 indicates the serial number of the file. The first database folder is a folder for document management, and the box property folder therein stores document attributes at the time of input (that is, input timing, attributes, etc.).
Further, the data folder is a page management folder, and the box folder therein stores page attributes (that is, detailed attributes of each page, for example, input source and color).
The work (editing) folder is a temporary storage folder during editing, and can store various data generated by various editing processes.
[0011]
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an image page property file (page information file) included in the management data of the image data storage management unit 20.
In this example, attributes in page units are managed by a file as shown, and page information corresponding to each member name (item name) is stored.
Among these, “input source identification” is an input source flag indicating whether the input source of the page is “copy image”, “scanned image”, “fax image”, or “print image”.
Specifically, 8-bit data is allocated, and in the case of “copy image”, the flag “1” is set in the first bit, and in the case of “scanned image”, the flag “1” is set in the second bit. In the case of “fax image”, the flag “1” is set in the fourth bit, and in the case of “print image”, the flag “1” is set in the eighth bit.
A page property as shown in FIG. 5 is created by such an image page property file, and is displayed on a display device (not shown) of the editing unit in response to a user request. In this page property, the image format of the page is represented by the name of the input source ("Copy" in the illustrated example), and the user can thereby determine whether the image format matches or does not match with other pages. .
[0012]
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an image document property file (document information file) included in the management data of the image data storage management unit 20.
In this example, attributes in document units are managed by a file as shown in the figure, and document information corresponding to each member name (item name) is stored.
Among these, “input source identification” is an input source flag indicating whether or not each page of the document includes pages of “copy image”, “scan image”, “fax image”, and “print image”. This is expressed by OR operation of “input source identification” for each page by the image page property file described above. For example, when “copy image” and “scan image” exist, the flag “1” is set in the first bit and the second bit.
A page list as shown in FIG. 6 is created by such an image document property file, and is displayed on a display device (not shown) of the editing unit at the request of the user. In this page list, the image format of each page of the document is represented by the name of the input source (in the example shown, “Copy”, “Scan”, “Print”, “Fax”). By using such a page list, it is possible to determine whether the image format of each page in the document matches or does not match.
Whether the user who edits recognizes the combination of image formats that can be batch printed and can know the combination of image formats in the document from the page properties and page list described above, and can it be printed later It is possible to identify whether or not to perform the work corresponding to it.
[0013]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a specific example of a control method during page editing of the image forming apparatus in this example.
First, when image data is input to the filing box (S1), the input source format is stored in a page information file (S2). Further, the corresponding input source flag of the document information file is turned on (S3).
Next, it is determined whether or not page editing is selected (S4). If page editing is selected, it is determined whether to add a page or delete a page. If it is a page deletion (S5), Other pages in the document are searched (S6), and it is determined whether there is the same format as the deleted page (S7). If there is, the process returns to step S4 as it is. If not, the corresponding input source flag of the document information file is turned off (S8), and the process returns to step S4.
[0014]
If a page is added (S9), the combination of the input source flags in the document information file is checked (S10), and it is determined whether or not the combination can be printed out (S11).
If the combination cannot be printed out, the user is notified by display that the page cannot be added (S12). If the combination can be printed out, the image data is copied to the document (S13), and the corresponding input source flag of the document information file is turned on (S14).
After this, if there is a next page edit (S15), the process returns to step S4 and the above processing is repeated. If there is no next page edit, the page edit process is terminated (S16).
In the example shown in FIG. 7, the addition of a page that cannot be printed is immediately prohibited. However, if printing is not possible but filing is possible, the page is simply notified to the user that printing is impossible. Additional editing and saving may be allowed and executed.
[0015]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a specific example of a control method during printing of the image forming apparatus in this example.
First, when a printing process is selected (S21), the combination of input source flags in the document information file is checked (S22), and it is determined whether or not the combination can be printed out (S23).
If the combination cannot be printed out, the user is notified by display that the document cannot be printed out (S24).
If the combination can be printed out, the process proceeds to a printing process for the document (S25).
[0016]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the image forming apparatus and the control method thereof according to the present invention, the page attribute of each document stored in the image data storage management unit is managed, and the page information including the page attribute is displayed on the display unit. Therefore, the display of this page information allows the user who edits the image to recognize that the document contains a page that cannot be printed out at once, and can be used as a reference for the subsequent processing. It is possible to contribute to improvement.
In addition, as an additional function, when a print output of a document including pages that cannot be printed at once is selected, or when an editing process such as compositing of pages that cannot be printed at once is selected, the documents are batched. Thus, by notifying the user that the print output cannot be performed as a warning display or prohibiting the editing, it is possible to improve the workability by improving the convenience of the print output and the editing process.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a main functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a data structure of management data of an image data storage management unit in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG.
3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image page property file of an image data storage management unit in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG.
4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image document property file of an image data storage management unit in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of page properties displayed on the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;
6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a page list displayed by the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of a control method during page editing of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;
8 is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of a control method during print output of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Image forming apparatus body, 20 Image data storage management section, 31 Copy input, 32 Print input, 33, 34 FAX input, 35 Scan input, 36 Print output, 37 File output, 38 E-mail output, 39 FAX output, 40 Editing Terminal.

Claims (13)

A plurality of input means for inputting image data in document units;
Stores image data of a document file input by the input unit, and stores image data for managing page information that is page unit information including input source identification information that can identify the input unit that has input the image data Management means;
Editing means for creating a new document file by synthesizing a plurality of image data of document files managed by the image data storage management means;
Page information display means for displaying page information including the input source identification information managed by the image data storage management means corresponding to the document file image data edited by the editing means;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the page information display unit has a display mode in which the page information is displayed for each page.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the page information display unit has a display mode in which the page information is displayed as a page list for each document file.   When editing of image data is selected by the editing unit, a determination unit that determines whether or not each page of a document created as a result of the editing can be printed at once, and the determination unit performs print output The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a print disapproval notification unit that displays a message to the effect when it is determined that the disagreement is impossible.   When the editing unit selects editing of image data, the determination unit is configured to edit the image data based on page information corresponding to the image data managed by the image data storage management unit. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, prior to execution of the step, it is determined whether or not each page of the document to be created as a result of the editing can be printed out collectively.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a prohibiting unit that prohibits editing when the editing unit selects editing of image data and the determining unit determines that printing is impossible. apparatus. The page information display means is created by the editing means together with page information including the input source identification information managed by the image data storage management means corresponding to the image data of the document file edited by the editing means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein page information corresponding to a new document file is displayed. The page information display means displays page information including the input source identification information corresponding to each of a plurality of image data used for creating a new document file by the editing means as a page list for each new document file. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus has a display mode . This is page unit information that stores image data of a document file input by a plurality of input means for inputting image data in document units and includes input source identification information that can identify the input means that has input image data. Image data storage management step for managing page information;
An editing step of creating a new document file by combining a plurality of image data of the document file managed by the image data storage management step;
A page information display step for displaying page information including the input source identification information managed in the image data storage management step corresponding to the document file image data edited by the editing step;
A method for controlling an image forming apparatus. When editing of image data is selected in the editing step, the page attribute of the new document file created as a result of the editing is read to determine whether each page of the document can be printed out at once. a determination step of the determination if the printout is determined to be impossible by the step, control of the image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the having the print disabled notification step of displaying to that effect Method. 11. The image forming method according to claim 10, further comprising a prohibiting step of prohibiting the editing when image data editing is selected in the editing step and it is determined in the determining step that printing output is impossible. Device control method. The page information display step includes page information including the input source identification information corresponding to the document file image data edited by the editing step and page information corresponding to a new document file created by the editing step. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein display is performed. A plurality of input means for inputting image data in document units;
Stores image data of a document file input by the input unit, and stores image data for managing page information that is page unit information including input source identification information that can identify the input unit that has input the image data Management means;
Editing means for creating a new document file by synthesizing a plurality of image data of document files managed by the image data storage management means;
Page information display means for displaying page information including the input source identification information managed by the image data storage management means corresponding to the document file image data edited by the editing means;
An image processing system comprising:

Images