JP4195779B2 - Printer and printing system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printer and a printing system that are connected to a plurality of terminal devices and perform printing using consumables such as toner, ink, and recording paper.
[0002]
[Prior art]
There are printers that are connected to a plurality of terminal devices (for example, personal computers) via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and that perform print processing in response to a print processing request from each of these terminal devices. Since this printer is used jointly by a plurality of users, it has a greater influence when an error such as a shortage of consumables such as a recording paper out or a toner out or a paper jam occurs compared to a printer dedicated to each user. Therefore, when an error occurs, it is required to perform recovery operations such as replenishment of consumables and removal of jammed paper without delay.
[0003]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-20277 describes a printer having a function of notifying a terminal device of a printer manager or a network manager when an error occurs. According to this, the recovery work can be performed without delay by seeing the warning notified by the administrator.
[0004]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-230286 introduces a printer having a function of predicting a recording paper out time and informing the user terminal device of the time before the recording paper out occurs. According to this, since the user can know in advance the occurrence time before the recording sheet runs out, the recording sheet can be replenished at an appropriate time. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the operation of the printer from being stopped due to running out of paper.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the printer disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-20277, the administrator's terminal device always receives a warning. In this way, if the administrator is present, the administrator can perform the recovery work without delay, but if the administrator is not present, the printer can continue until the other person notices the error. Will be left unrecovered, so it will take time to recover.
[0006]
In the printer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-230286, a warning is sent to the terminal device that has requested the print processing in addition to the administrator's terminal device. However, this printer only notifies the estimated time when the recording paper runs out when it receives the request, and after this notification, the printing process is continued until the recording paper runs out. . For this reason, the user who has received the notification tends to neglect to replenish the recording paper. In this case, the operation stop due to the recording sheet running out cannot be prevented, and it takes time to recover.
[0007]
In addition, in any of the above printers, if the person who has been notified is absent or fails to perform recovery work, a person other than the person who has received the notification, for example, a person in the seat near the installation site of the printer, When an error occurs, a person who is in the vicinity of the printer will perform the recovery work. In this way, if the person who performs the recovery work is determined by the environment or accident, regardless of whether or not the printer is being used, it may cause unfairness to users who are using the printer jointly. It can be.
[0008]
In order to solve the above-described problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printer and a printing system in which error recovery is performed quickly and the recovery work is equally shared by each user. .
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the print system of the present invention is a print system comprising a plurality of terminal devices and a printer that performs print processing in response to a print processing request from each terminal device. At least one terminal device is selected from operating terminal devices when an error occurs in the printer and a means for checking the status, and warning information on the occurrence of the error is notified to the selected terminal device. A warning device comprising means is provided.
[0010]
Preferably, the printer includes means for detecting the error and means for notifying the warning device that an error has occurred when the error is detected. Examples of the error include a shortage of consumables used at the time of printing and a paper jam. Examples of the consumables include toner, ink, and recording paper.
[0011]
The warning device includes means for calculating a cumulative value of print request amounts of the plurality of terminal devices, and the selected terminal device is in a case where the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing is still in operation. If the terminal device that has made the most recent print processing request has already finished operating, the terminal device that has the largest cumulative value obtained by the calculating means among the operating terminal devices. It is preferable that A plurality of printers may be provided. Furthermore, the warning device may be provided in a printer.
[0012]
The printer of the present invention has a consumable storage unit that stores consumables used during printing, is connected to a plurality of terminal devices, and receives a print processing request from each terminal device and performs a print process The means for checking the remaining amount of the consumables in the consumables storage unit, the means for checking the operating state of each terminal device, and when the remaining amount of the consumables is below a reference value, And a means for notifying the terminal device selected from the terminal devices that there is a shortage of consumables.
[0013]
Means for calculating a cumulative value of the print request amount of each terminal device, and the selected terminal device is the terminal device when the terminal device that requested the latest print processing is in operation; When the terminal device that has requested the most recent print processing has already finished operating, it is preferable that the terminal device that has the largest cumulative value obtained by the calculating unit among the operating terminal devices. Examples of the consumables include toner, ink, and recording paper.
[0014]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer for detecting a paper jam of a recording paper in a printer connected to a plurality of terminal devices and receiving a print processing request from each terminal device and printing on the recording paper. And means for notifying a warning that a paper jam has occurred to a terminal device selected from the operating terminal devices when the paper jam is detected. It is characterized by that.
[0015]
Means for calculating a cumulative value of print request amounts of the plurality of terminal devices, and the selected terminal device is a terminal device when the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing is in operation; When the terminal device that has requested the most recent print processing has already finished operating, it is preferable that the terminal device that has the largest cumulative value obtained by the calculating unit among the operating terminal devices.
[0016]
The printer of the present invention has a consumable storage unit that stores consumables used during printing, is connected to a plurality of terminal devices, and receives a print processing request from each terminal device and performs a print process The means for checking the remaining amount of consumables in the consumables storage unit, the means for calculating the expected use amount of consumables required for the print processing when the print processing request is received, and the remaining amount When it is determined that the remaining amount is not equal to or more than the scheduled usage amount, the consumables are insufficient for the terminal device that has requested the print processing. Means for notifying a warning to that effect, and when the warning is notified, the print processing is not started until the consumables are replenished. The consumables are, for example, toner, ink, recording paper, and the like.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As shown in FIG. 1, a print system 2 to which the present invention is applied includes a plurality of terminal devices PC1 to PCn, a printer 3, and a warning device 4. Each terminal device PC1 to PCn is, for example, a personal computer, and includes a display 8 and a personal computer main body 7. For example, an OS (Operating System) and various application software that operates on the OS are installed in each of the terminal devices PC1 to PCn. Each terminal device PC1 to PCn and the printer 3 are connected via a LAN (Local Area Network) using, for example, a data bus 6, a hub, a router, and the like.
[0018]
The users of the terminal devices PC1 to PCn create various documents by operating various application software. When a user prints a document or the like created by each terminal device PC1 to PCn using the printer 3, a print instruction is issued from various application software. When a print instruction is given, the terminal devices PC1 to PCn make a print processing request to the printer 3. The printer 3 receives this print processing request and performs print processing.
[0019]
The warning device 4 selects one of the terminal devices PC1 to PCn when an error such as a shortage of consumables such as toner or recording paper or a paper jam occurs in the printer 3, and the selected terminal device is selected. To alert you. Upon receiving this notification, the selected terminal device displays the warning information on the display 8, for example. This warning information includes a message that an error has occurred and a message that prompts the user to resolve the error. As a result, the user of the selected terminal device learns that an error has occurred in the printer 3 and performs a recovery operation for the printer 3.
[0020]
However, if the user of the terminal device that has received the notification is not in the seat, even if the warning information is notified, the user cannot know this. The user is not always present, and after issuing a print instruction, the user may leave the seat without confirming the completion of the print processing. In such a case, since the recovery of the printer 3 is delayed, the warning information needs to be notified to the terminal device in which the user is present.
[0021]
For this reason, the warning device 4 selects a terminal device that the user is considered to be present as a terminal device that should be notified of the warning. Whether or not a user is present is determined by examining the operating status of each user's terminal device. Here, the operating status refers to whether or not various applications are activated or whether or not a screen saver is activated on the assumption that the power supply of the terminal device is turned on.
[0022]
The screen saver is software for protecting the display 8 from burn-in. When the screen saver is activated, for example, an image having a relatively low luminance is displayed on the display 8. This screen saver is automatically activated when there is no input from the keyboard or mouse within a preset time. Therefore, when the screen saver is activated, it is considered that the probability that the user is away is high.
[0023]
In order to check whether the screen saver or various applications are activated, for example, activation check software is installed in each of the terminal devices PC1 to PCn. In response to a confirmation request from the warning device 4, the activation check software confirms whether a screen saver or various applications have been activated, and returns a response to the warning device 4. The warning device 4 can check the operating status of each of the terminal devices PC1 to PCn based on this response.
[0024]
Instead of such activation check software, for example, activation notification software may be used. This activation notification software notifies the warning device 4 when the screen saver and various applications are activated and terminated without waiting for a confirmation request from the warning device 4.
[0025]
Further, when each terminal device PC1 to PCn makes a print processing request to the printer 3, the information is also sent to the warning device 4. Based on this information, the warning device 4 manages the print request amounts of the terminal devices PC1 to PCn.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 2, in the printer 3, the cartridge 12 is set in the printer main body 11 so as to be replaceable. In addition to the toner chamber 14 filled with the toner 13, the cartridge 12 is provided with a photosensitive drum 15, a charging roller 16, and a developing roller 17, which are in the form of a so-called process cartridge.
[0027]
A paper cassette 20 is detachably set in the printer main body 11. The sheet cassette 20 stores a plurality of cut sheet type recording sheets 21. The recording paper 21 at the top of the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out by the paper feed roller 22 and fed toward the pair of transport rollers 23. The conveyance roller pair 23 nips the recording paper 21 and conveys it to the print stage 25. A transfer roller 24 is disposed on the print stage 25, and the transfer roller 24 contacts the photosensitive drum 15 when the cartridge 12 is set.
[0028]
As is well known, the photosensitive drum 15 is provided with a photoconductive film on the outer peripheral surface of a metal cylinder, and contacts the charging roller 16 on the outer peripheral surface. The charging roller 16 receives power from a charging circuit in the printer main body 11 and charges the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 15. At the time of printing, the photosensitive drum 15 rotates clockwise at a constant speed, and its outer peripheral surface is uniformly charged.
[0029]
The semiconductor laser 26 is driven according to image data and generates intensity-modulated laser light. This laser light is incident on the rotating photosensitive drum 15 through the polygon mirror 27. The polygon mirror 27 performs raster scanning by oscillating laser light in the axial direction (main scanning direction) of the photosensitive drum 15. The photosensitive drum 15 is neutralized by the portion irradiated with the laser beam, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the outer periphery thereof.
[0030]
The toner 14 in the toner chamber 13 adheres to the outer periphery of the rotating developing roller 17 and is conveyed. While the toner 14 adheres to the developing roller 17 and is conveyed, the toner 14 passes through a regulating blade (not shown), and is charged with a polarity opposite to that of the photosensitive drum 15 by friction with the toner. When the toner 14 is conveyed to the photosensitive drum 15, it is attracted to the photosensitive drum 15 by electrostatic force, so that the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 15 is visualized as a toner image.
[0031]
As the photosensitive drum 15 rotates, the toner image moves to the transfer position. At this transfer position, the recording paper 21 is sandwiched between the transfer roller 24 and the photosensitive drum 15 and moved at the same speed as the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 15. Since the transfer roller 24 is biased to a potential opposite to that of the toner image, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 15 is transferred to the recording paper 21.
[0032]
The recording paper 21 onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed toward the fixing device 29. The fixing device 29 includes a pair of fixing rollers 30 and a heater (not shown), and heats and melts the toner. The melted toner is adsorbed on the recording paper 21. The fixed recording paper 21 is discharged from the printer main body 11.
[0033]
Recording paper sensors 31a and 31b for detecting the passage of the recording paper 21 are disposed at the entrance and the exit of the print stage 25, respectively. Each of the recording paper detection sensors 31 a and 31 b is for detecting a paper jam in the printer 3. As each of the recording paper detection sensors 31a and 31b, for example, a photo sensor is used, and a detection signal is sent to the controller 41 when the recording paper 21 passes. The controller 41 determines whether a paper jam has occurred based on the presence or absence of this detection signal.
[0034]
FIG. 3 shows an electrical configuration of the printer 3 and the warning device 4. The printer 3 includes a controller 41, a printing unit 42, a remaining toner measuring unit 43, a remaining paper measuring unit 44, a first memory 45, a paper jam detecting unit 46, a display panel 47, and a communication control unit 48.
[0035]
The controller 41 controls each part of the printer 3 in sequence. In addition, when a shortage of consumables such as toner or recording paper or a paper jam occurs, a warning to that effect is displayed on the display panel 47. The display panel 47 is provided on the outer surface of the printer main body 11 together with an operation panel (not shown).
[0036]
The printing unit 42 includes a recording system such as a laser 26 and a polygon mirror 27, a fixing device 29, a motor that drives the transfer roller 24, the cartridge 12, the paper feeding roller 22, and the conveying roller 23, and charging that applies a voltage to the charging roller 16. It consists of a circuit and the like. When receiving a print processing request from each of the terminal devices PC1 to PCn, the controller 41 operates the printing unit 42 in response to the print processing request to execute the print processing.
[0037]
The toner remaining amount measuring unit 43 measures the remaining amount of toner in the toner chamber 13 and sends a signal corresponding to the remaining amount to the controller 41. The recording paper remaining amount measuring unit 44 measures the remaining amount of the recording paper 21 in the paper feeding cassette 20 and sends a signal corresponding to the remaining amount to the controller 41.
[0038]
When one print process is completed, the controller 41 compares the remaining amounts of the toner 14 and the recording paper 21 with the respective reference values, and determines whether or not each remaining amount exceeds the respective reference value. Determine. When the remaining amount is equal to or less than the reference value, the controller 41 displays a warning on the display panel 47 that recording paper or toner is insufficient. Further, the controller 41 sends this warning information to the warning device 4. Reference values for the toner 14 and the recording paper 21 are stored in the first memory 45 in advance.
[0039]
FIG. 4 shows an example of a toner remaining amount measuring unit. A pair of windows are formed on both side walls of the toner chamber 13, and transparent plates 63 and 64 are attached inside these windows. A linear light source 65 and a linear sensor 66 are arranged so as to sandwich the transparent plates 63 and 64.
[0040]
The toner remaining amount measuring unit 43 includes a line light source 65 and a line sensor 66. The line light source 65 is emitted for a certain time by the controller 41 during measurement. The signal from the line sensor 66 is taken into the controller 41, and the remaining amount of toner is calculated from the light receiving state.
[0041]
As the line light source 65, a light source 65a such as an LED provided in a line shape is used. Further, a rod-like fluorescent lamp can be used as the line light source 65. As the line sensor 66, a plurality of photosensors 66a provided in a line shape, or a line image sensor such as a CCD is used.
[0042]
When measuring the remaining amount of toner, the controller 41 emits the line light source 75. Of the light emitted from the line light source 65, light emitted from a position lower than the toner 14 is blocked by the toner 14. However, the light emitted from a position higher than the toner 14 travels without being blocked by the toner 14 and enters the line sensor 66.
[0043]
If the remaining amount of toner is large, the photo sensor 66a located on the lower side is shielded from light, so that only the photo sensor 66a on the upper side detects light from the line light source 65. As the remaining amount of toner decreases, the lower photo sensor 66a also detects light. The controller 41 calculates the remaining amount of the toner 14 by checking which photo sensor is shielded from light or to which photo sensor the light is detected.
[0044]
FIG. 5 shows an example of the recording paper remaining amount measuring unit 44. Similarly to the toner remaining amount measuring unit 43, the recording paper remaining amount measuring unit 44 includes a line light source 71 and a line sensor 72. Transparent plates 73 and 74 are attached to windows formed on both side walls of the paper feed cassette 20. A line-shaped light source 71 and a line-shaped sensor 72 are arranged so as to sandwich the transparent plates 73 and 74. The controller 41 calculates the remaining amount of the recording paper 21 from the light detection signal of each photosensor 72a.
[0045]
Although the example in which the toner remaining amount measuring unit 43 and the recording paper remaining amount measuring unit 44 are provided in the printer main body 11 is described, the toner remaining amount measuring unit 43 may be provided in the cartridge 12 or the recording paper. The remaining amount measuring unit 44 may be provided in the sheet feeding cassette 20.
[0046]
The paper jam detection unit 46 includes recording paper sensors 31 a and 31 b and a timer 51. When starting the printing process, the controller 41 starts the rotation of the paper feed roller 23. At the same time, the timer 51 is operated, and if there is no detection signal from the recording paper sensor 31a even after the predetermined time T1 has elapsed, it is determined that a paper jam has occurred near the entrance of the print stage 25.
[0047]
If there is a detection signal from the recording paper sensor 31a, the printing process is continued. At this time, the timer 51 is once reset and then operated again. If there is no detection signal from the recording paper sensor 31b even after the predetermined time T2 has passed, it is determined that a paper jam has occurred in the print stage 25.
[0048]
The predetermined times T1 and T2 are stored in the first memory 45 in advance. When the controller 41 determines that a paper jam has occurred, the controller 41 stops the printing process, displays warning information indicating that a paper jam has occurred on the display panel 47, and sends the warning information to the warning device 4.
[0049]
The communication control unit 48 includes, for example, a LAN card and the like, and controls communication between the printer 3 and each of the terminal devices PC1 to PCn and the warning device 4.
[0050]
The warning device 4 includes a CPU 81, a second memory 82, a print request amount calculation unit 83, and a communication control unit 84. The communication control unit 84 controls communication with the terminal devices PC1 to PCn and the printer 3. When receiving the warning information from the printer 3, the CPU 81 selects one terminal device from among the terminal devices PC1 to PCn, and notifies the selected terminal device of the warning information.
[0051]
In selecting a terminal device to be notified of warning information, the CPU 81 first checks the operating state of the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing. For example, when the terminal device PC1 makes a print processing request to the printer 3, the operating state of the terminal device PC1 is checked. When the terminal device PC1 is in operation, the terminal device PC1 is selected as a terminal device that should be notified of warning information.
[0052]
On the other hand, when the terminal device PC1 is not operating, the current operating status of the other terminal devices PC2 to PCn is checked. If only one terminal device is currently operating, the terminal device is selected as the terminal device to which the warning information should be notified.
[0053]
When there are a plurality of currently operating terminal devices, the past print request amounts of those terminal devices are checked, and the terminal device having the largest print request amount is selected. Warning information is notified to the terminal device selected in this way.
[0054]
The second memory 82 records print processing request history information based on print processing requests from the terminal devices PC1 to PCn. This history information includes the time when the print processing request is issued and the requested data amount.
[0055]
The print request amount calculation unit 83 calculates the cumulative value of the print request amount of the currently operating terminal device based on the history information. As the accumulated value, for example, the accumulated value of the data amount requested for printing by each terminal device PC1 to PCn, or the total number of times requested for printing processing is used.
[0056]
As the accumulated value of the data amount, for example, the accumulated value for the latest 3 hours is used. Of course, it may not be the latest 3 hours, may be a longer time, or may be a shorter time. Moreover, you may use the accumulated value of the day at the time. These are appropriately selected.
[0057]
Hereinafter, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. When the printer 3 receives a print processing request from each of the terminal devices PC1 to PCn, the print processing is started based on the request.
[0058]
When a paper jam occurs during the printing process, warning information to that effect is displayed on the display panel 47 and sent to the warning device 4. The warning device 4 selects a terminal device that should be notified of the warning information. First, the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing from the history information is specified, and the current operating state of this terminal device is checked. When the terminal device is in operation, the terminal device is selected as a terminal device that should be notified of warning information.
[0059]
When this terminal device is not in operation, the current operation state of each of the other terminal devices is checked to identify the currently operating terminal device. Among these, the terminal device with the largest amount of print requests in the past is selected as the terminal device to be notified of the warning. Then, warning information indicating that a paper jam has occurred is notified to the selected terminal device.
[0060]
When the terminal device receives the notification, the warning information is displayed on the display 8. The user of the terminal device sees this display and knows that a paper jam has occurred, and performs recovery work such as removing the jammed recording paper. When the restoration work is completed, the printing process is resumed.
[0061]
When the printing process is completed, the remaining amounts of toner 14 and recording paper 21 (consumables) are checked. If the remaining amount of toner 14 and recording paper 21 exceeds the reference value, the next print processing request is accepted. When the remaining amount of at least one of the toner 14 and the recording paper 21 is equal to or less than the reference value, the printer 3 indicates that the display panel 47 is short of consumables or that the consumables should be replenished. Display a warning. At the same time, similar warning information is notified to the warning device 4.
[0062]
Upon receiving this warning information, the warning device 4 selects a terminal device that should be notified of the warning in the same manner as when a paper jam occurs. First, the operating state of the terminal device that issued the latest print processing request is checked. When this terminal device is operating, the terminal device is selected. When this terminal device is not in operation, the currently operating terminal device is examined, and the terminal device with the largest amount of print requests in the past is selected. Warning information is notified to the terminal device selected in this way.
[0063]
The user of the terminal device that has received the warning performs recovery work such as replacement of the cartridge 12 and replenishment of the recording paper 21 to the paper feed cassette 20. When the restoration work is completed, the printer 3 accepts the next print processing request.
[0064]
In the above example, an example in which a paper jam is detected during the printing process has been described. However, not only the occurrence of a paper jam but also a shortage of consumables may be detected during the printing process, and a warning for this may be notified. .
[0065]
Also, as shown in FIG. 8, before starting the printing process, the remaining amount of consumables is checked, and the expected use amount required for the accepted print processing is obtained, so that the remaining amount of consumables exceeds the expected use amount. You may make it check whether there is. In this case, when a print processing request is received, the controller 41 operates the toner remaining amount measuring unit 43 and the recording paper remaining amount 44 to check the remaining amount of the toner 14 and the recording paper 21.
[0066]
In addition, the controller 41 obtains a scheduled usage amount of consumables (toner and recording paper) necessary for the received print processing. Then, the calculated expected use amount and the remaining amount are compared to determine whether the remaining amount is equal to or more than the expected use amount. If the remaining amount is greater than or equal to the scheduled use amount, the printing process is started. On the other hand, if the remaining amount is not equal to or greater than the scheduled use amount, a warning that the consumables are insufficient is notified to the terminal device that has issued the print process. The printer 3 stops executing the printing process until the consumable item is replenished. When the consumable item is replenished, the printing process is started.
[0067]
In this way, before starting the printing process, it is checked whether the remaining amount of the consumables is greater than or equal to the expected usage amount, so there is no shortage of consumables during the printing process. In addition, since the printing process is not started unless the consumables are replenished, the user who receives the warning notification does not postpone the recovery work. For this reason, the printer can be quickly recovered without being left unconsumable.
[0068]
In this example, a warning is sent to the terminal device that has requested the print processing without checking the operating status of the terminal device. This is because the warning is sent before the print processing is started. This is because it is highly likely that the user who issued the print instruction is still in the seat. Of course, in this case as well, as in the above example, the terminal device to be notified of the warning may be selected and the warning may be notified to the selected terminal device.
[0069]
FIG. 9 is an example of checking whether or not the remaining amount of consumables after execution of the printing process exceeds a reference value in addition to checking whether or not the remaining amount of consumables is equal to or greater than the scheduled use amount. Before starting the print process, it is highly likely that the user who issued the print instruction is present, so it is more reliable to replenish consumables than when checking the remaining amount of consumables after the print process. Can be assigned to the user who requested the print processing.
[0070]
Also, the timing for checking the error is appropriately selected to be before the printing process, during the process, or after the process. Further, these may be combined as appropriate and checked at a plurality of timings.
[0071]
Further, a plurality of printers 3 may be provided as in the print system 91 shown in FIG. In this case, the warning device 4 notifies the operating terminal device of a warning when an error of each printer 3 occurs. For this reason, the warning device 4 manages history information indicating how much each terminal device PC1 to PCn has requested printing to the respective printer 3. This history information is used when selecting a terminal device to be notified of the warning. In this example, an example in which two printers 3 are provided is described, but three or more printers may be provided. A plurality of warning devices 4 may be provided. In that case, it is preferable to divide into groups and to predetermine the printer 3 that one warning device 4 is in charge of. Further, a warning device 97 may be built in like the printer 96 shown in FIG.
[0072]
In the above example, one terminal device is selected from a plurality of terminal devices, and a warning is notified to the selected terminal device. For example, after a warning is sent to one terminal device, If recovery work such as replenishment of consumables is not performed even after the set time has elapsed, another terminal device may be selected and a warning may be notified.
[0073]
In the above example, the operation status of each terminal device is checked to check whether the user is present. However, instead of checking the operation status of each terminal device, for example, infrared The presence of the user may be confirmed using a temperature sensor that reacts to body temperature, such as a sensor. In this case, for example, a temperature sensor is provided in a mouse or a keyboard. Based on the signal from the temperature sensor, the warning device checks whether the user is present and notifies the user's terminal device of the warning. According to this, it is possible to notify the user of the printer error more reliably.
[0074]
In the above example, the laser printer has been described as an example. However, the present invention may be applied not only to the laser printer but also to an inkjet printer or a thermal printer. When applied to an ink jet printer, ink is used instead of toner. Further, although an example using a cut sheet type recording paper has been described, a printer that sets a recording paper roll obtained by winding a long recording paper on a roll and cuts it to a predetermined size after printing may be used.
[0075]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, the present invention checks the operating states of a plurality of terminal devices when an error occurs in a printer that receives a print processing request from each terminal device and performs print processing. Since at least one terminal device is selected from among the terminal devices, and the warning information about the occurrence of the error is notified to the selected terminal device, the user of the terminal device can surely know the occurrence of the error The printer can be restored quickly.
[0076]
In addition, when the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing is operating as the selected terminal device, the selected terminal device is the terminal device, and the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing has ended operation. Since the terminal device having the largest cumulative value obtained by the calculating means among the other operating terminal devices is used, the printer restoration work is fair to each user according to the usage status of the printer. Can be shared.
[0077]
Further, when a print processing request is received, a planned use amount of consumables necessary for the print processing is calculated, it is determined whether the remaining amount is equal to or more than the planned use amount, and the remaining amount is the planned use amount If it is determined that there is no more, a warning that there is a shortage of consumables is given to the terminal device that has requested the print processing, and if the warning is notified, the consumables are replenished. In this case, the printing process is not started until the user receives the warning, so that the recovery work is not postponed and the printer can be recovered quickly.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a print system.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a printer.
FIG. 3 is a block configuration diagram showing an electrical configuration of a printer and a warning device.
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a toner remaining amount measuring unit.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a recording paper remaining amount measuring unit.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example in which a paper jam is detected during the printing process and the remaining amount of consumables is checked after the printing process is completed.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure for selecting a terminal device to be notified of a warning.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of checking whether the remaining amount of consumables is equal to the expected usage amount before starting the printing process.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of checking a consumable usage amount and a remaining amount of consumables after using the consumables before starting a print process.
FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a printing system provided with a plurality of printers.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printer including a warning device.
[Explanation of symbols]
2,91 printing system
3,96 printer
4,97 Warning device

Claims (7)

In a printing system comprising a plurality of terminal devices and a printer that receives a print processing request from each terminal device and performs print processing,
Means for checking the operating state of each terminal device, and when an error occurs in the printer, at least one terminal device is selected from the operating terminal devices, and the error occurs for the selected terminal device. provided with and means for notifying the warning information warning device,
The warning device includes means for calculating a cumulative value obtained by adding the print request amounts of the terminal devices.
The selected terminal device is a terminal device that is in operation when the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing is in operation, and the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing has already been operated. The printing system is characterized in that among the terminal devices in operation, the terminal device has the largest cumulative value obtained by the calculating means .   2. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising: means for detecting the error; and means for notifying the warning device that an error has occurred when the error is detected. Printing system.   3. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the error is a shortage of consumables used during printing or a paper jam, and the consumables are toner, ink, or recording paper. The printing system according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the printers are provided. The printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the warning device is provided in the printer. In a printer that has a consumable storage unit that stores consumables used at the time of printing, is connected to a plurality of terminal devices, and receives a print processing request from each terminal device.
Means for checking the remaining amount of consumables in the consumable storage unit;
Means for checking the operating state of each terminal device;
Means for notifying a warning that there is a shortage of consumables for the terminal device selected from the operating terminal devices when the remaining amount of the consumables is below a reference value ;
Means for calculating a cumulative value of the print request amount of each terminal device,
The selected terminal device is a terminal device that is in operation when the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing is in operation, and the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing has already been operated. The printer is characterized in that it is the terminal device having the largest cumulative value obtained by the calculating means among the operating terminal devices. In a printer that is connected to a plurality of terminal devices and receives a print processing request from each terminal device and prints on recording paper,
Means for detecting a jam in the recording paper;
Means for checking the operating state of each terminal device;
Means for notifying a warning that a paper jam has occurred to a terminal device selected from the operating terminal devices when the paper jam is detected ;
Means for calculating a cumulative value of print request amounts of the plurality of terminal devices;
The selected terminal device is a terminal device that is in operation when the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing is in operation, and the terminal device that has requested the latest print processing has already been operated. The printer is characterized in that it is the terminal device having the largest cumulative value obtained by the calculating means among the operating terminal devices.

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