JP5134708B2 - Image forming apparatus and image forming method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method for forming an aggregate page in which a plurality of pages included in a document are aggregated into one page.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) have a color printing function for printing an image in color using each toner of CYMK (cyan, yellow, magenta, black), and monochrome using a black monochrome toner. It has a monochrome printing function that prints images with. Some image forming apparatuses have a function of printing a plurality of pages in a single page.

  When a color image page and a monochrome image page are mixed in a plurality of pages to be aggregated, when the image forming apparatus prints the aggregate page by the color printing function, color printing is also performed for the monochrome image page. It will be. In that case, since color printing takes longer than monochrome printing, the time required to print all consolidated pages is longer.

  For this reason, in Patent Document 1, an aggregate page in which color image pages are aggregated and an aggregate page in which monochrome image pages are aggregated are generated, and color printing is performed on the aggregate page in which color image pages are aggregated. There has been disclosed an image forming apparatus that performs monochrome printing for aggregated pages.

  In addition, when color pages and monochrome image pages are mixed in the pages to be aggregated, if color printing is also performed for monochrome image pages, color printing is more expensive than monochrome printing. Therefore, there is a problem that the printing cost becomes high.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 2, the order of image data to be aggregated is changed or color conversion is performed, and the image data is converted into a set of the same kind of image data (a set of image data consisting of one color, and an image data consisting of two colors. Or a group of image data composed of three or more colors).

  In addition, in a conventional image forming apparatus, when a page of a color image and a page of a monochrome image are mixed in a plurality of pages to be aggregated, color printing is performed for the portion of the color image page in the aggregate page, Some monochrome image pages are printed in black.

  However, if a pattern is included in the page portion of the color image and the page portion of the monochrome image, and the monochrome image page portion is printed in black, the page portion of the color image and the page of the monochrome image Colors will not be aligned between the parts.

  For this reason, Patent Document 3 discloses an image processing apparatus that prints a pattern included in a monochrome page using each toner of CMYK in the same manner as the pattern of the color page portion.

  Some conventional image processing apparatuses perform pre-scanning in order to determine whether a color image is included in a document. This image forming apparatus reads all originals and stores image data obtained as a result in a memory. Then, the image forming apparatus reads all the image data from the memory, and determines whether or not a color image is included in the aggregated image data.

  When the color image is included in the aggregated image data, the image forming apparatus reads all the image data from the memory, generates color aggregated image data, and stores the aggregated image data in the memory. When a color image is not included in the page to be aggregated, the image forming apparatus reads all image data from the memory, generates monochrome aggregated image data, and stores the aggregated image data in the memory. Thereafter, the image forming apparatus reads the aggregated image data from the memory and prints the aggregated image data.

  However, in this image forming apparatus, it is necessary to store all the image data in the memory, so that a large memory capacity is required, and since it is necessary to read out all the image data twice, the processing speed is reduced. There is a problem.

  For this reason, Patent Document 4 discloses an image forming apparatus that sequentially reads image data to be printed every time the aggregated image data is printed, instead of performing pre-scanning and reading all image data at once. .

JP 2005-20419 A JP 2009-10769 A JP 2009-206610 A JP 2004-229129 A

  However, the above-described prior arts of Patent Documents 1 to 4 do not support the user's editing work when the user performs editing such as insertion or deletion of pages included in the aggregated page on the preview screen. .

  In recent years, an image forming apparatus capable of performing the editing process on the preview screen has been developed. As a result of the user performing the editing on the preview screen, the user is not aware of the color image on the aggregate page. There may be a case where a page and a monochrome image page are mixed. In such a case, if the image forming apparatus is set to perform monochrome printing, monochrome printing that is not intended by the user is wasted.

  In addition, when the image processing apparatus does not permit editing such that a color image page and a monochrome image page are mixed in the aggregated page, the user may mix the color image page and the monochrome image page in the aggregate page. Without noticing, the user cannot grasp why the above editing is not permitted, and the user cannot efficiently perform the editing work.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of effectively supporting a user's editing work when the user performs editing work such as insertion and deletion of pages included in a consolidated page, and an image An object is to provide a forming method.

  In order to solve the above problems, a first technical means of the present invention is an image forming apparatus that forms an aggregate page in which a plurality of pages included in a document are aggregated into one page, and includes attribute information of each page. A storage unit for storing; a display unit for displaying a preview screen in which icons corresponding to each page included in the document are arranged in page order; and an arrangement order of the icons made by the user on the preview screen displayed on the display unit An instruction receiving unit that receives from the user a change instruction that instructs to change the arrangement order of each page according to the change of the page, and when the instruction receiving unit receives the change instruction, based on the attribute information, An aggregation determination unit that determines whether or not pages with different attributes are mixed in the same aggregation page due to a change in the order of arrangement, and the aggregation determination unit If the that page is determined will be mixed in the same aggregate page, and controls the display unit, characterized in that it comprises a display control unit for displaying a warning message on the display unit.

  According to a second technical means of the present invention, in the first technical means, the instruction receiving unit corresponds an icon corresponding to a page included in a document on which the aggregated page is to be formed to another page of the document. It is characterized in that a change instruction is received from the user, which is inserted in front of the icon to be changed and instructed to change the order of the pages.

  According to a third technical means of the present invention, in the first or second technical means, the instruction accepting unit displays an icon corresponding to a page included in a document different from the document, for the page included in the document. When a change instruction for instructing to change the order of the pages inserted before is received from the user, and when the instruction reception unit receives the change instruction, the aggregation determination unit, the attribute information, and Based on the page attribute information included in the other document, it is determined whether or not pages with different attributes are mixed in the same aggregated page due to the change in the arrangement order.

  According to a fourth technical means of the present invention, in the third technical means, the display unit arranges icons corresponding to the pages of the original in page order, and displays icons corresponding to the pages of the other original. A preview screen arranged in order is displayed.

  According to a fifth technical means of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth technical means, the instruction receiving unit instructs to delete a page included in the original and change an arrangement order of the pages. A change instruction to be received is received from a user.

A sixth technical means of the present invention, in the first to fifth one of technical means, the merge determination unit, for aggregate page containing the page that the arrangement order is changed, different pages of the attribute whether but with determining whether would be mixed in approximately the page said population, another combine pages behind than about page said population, or different pages of the attributes will be mixed in the different combine pages The display control unit controls the display unit when the aggregation determination unit determines that pages with different attributes are mixed in the aggregation page with respect to the aggregation page. , A warning message is displayed on the display unit, and when it is determined that pages with different attributes are mixed in another aggregated page, It controls the display unit, characterized in that to display a warning message on the display unit.

  According to a seventh technical means of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth technical means, the attribute information is information on whether an image of each page is a color image or a monochrome image. The display control unit further comprising a page forming unit that aggregates a plurality of pages in which the color image page and the monochrome image page are mixed into one page to form a color or monochrome aggregated page. A color aggregated page is formed by the page forming unit when it is determined by the aggregation determining unit that a page of a color image and a page of a monochrome image are mixed in the same aggregated page, Alternatively, a message notifying that a monochrome aggregate page is formed is displayed on the display unit as the warning message.

  According to an eighth technical means of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth technical means, the attribute information includes information on whether each page image is a color image or a monochrome image. A change prohibition processing unit for prohibiting the change of the arrangement order when it is determined by the aggregation determination unit that a page of a color image and a page of a monochrome image are mixed in the same aggregated page The display control unit is prohibited from changing the arrangement order when the aggregation determination unit determines that a color image page and a monochrome image page are mixed in the same aggregation page. A message notifying that is displayed on the display unit as the warning message.

  According to a ninth technical means of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighth technical means, the display unit displays the pages having different attributes in different modes on the preview screen. .

  According to a tenth technical means of the present invention, there is provided an image forming method for forming a consolidated page by combining a plurality of pages included in a document into one page, and icons corresponding to the respective pages included in the document are arranged in page order. A display step for displaying the preview screen, and a change instruction for instructing the user to change the order of the pages in accordance with the change of the order of the icons made by the user on the preview screen displayed in the display step. A receiving instruction receiving step, and a page having a different attribute by changing the arrangement order based on attribute information of each page stored in the storage unit when the changing instruction is received in the receiving instruction step. Are determined to be mixed in the same consolidated page, and the consolidated determination step Different pages of said attributes when it is determined that will be mixed in the same aggregate page, characterized in that it comprises a, a warning message display step of displaying a warning message in.

  According to the present invention, a preview screen in which icons corresponding to the respective pages included in the document are arranged in the page order is displayed, and each page is changed according to the change of the order of the icons made by the user on the displayed preview screen. By receiving a change instruction instructing to change the arrangement order from the user and changing the arrangement order based on the attribute information of the image data of each page stored in the storage unit when the change instruction is received It is determined whether or not pages with different attributes are mixed in the same consolidated page, and a warning message is displayed when it is determined that pages with different attributes are mixed in the same consolidated page. Therefore, when the user performs editing operations such as insertion and deletion of pages included in the aggregated page, the user's page editing operation is effectively supported. It can be.

It is a figure explaining an example of the page aggregation process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining an example of the page aggregation process in the case of inserting a page. It is a figure explaining another example of the page aggregation process in the case of inserting a page. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the preview screen which receives the edit instruction of a page from a user. It is a figure which shows an example of the preview screen which receives the edit instruction | indication of the page which inserts the page contained in another original from a user. It is a figure which shows an example of the preview screen which displays a warning message. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of image forming processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of normal printing processing. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing procedure of an aggregate printing process. It is a figure explaining an example of the prohibition process of a page edit process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, an image forming process according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a page aggregation process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 shows pages 1a to 1j of a document image sequentially read by the image forming apparatus. The symbol “C” attached to the page indicates that the page is a color image, and the symbol “M” indicates that the page is a monochrome image. On the touch panel of the image forming apparatus, icons corresponding to the pages 1a to 1j shown in FIG. 1 are displayed as a preview screen in the page order. Here, the icon is an image obtained by reducing the image of each page 1a to 1j of the document image and displaying the image so as to be visible.

  Here, the image forming apparatus is an apparatus that forms an image such as an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), a printer, a copier, or a facsimile. Hereinafter, a case where the image forming apparatus is an MFP will be described.

  This image forming apparatus has an aggregate copy function (Nin1 copy: N is a natural number of 2 or more) that aggregates and prints a plurality of pages included in a document read by scanning. In this aggregate copy, an aggregate page in which a plurality of read pages are aggregated into one page is generated, and the generated aggregate page is printed.

  FIG. 1 shows aggregated pages 2a to 2e obtained by consolidating two pages into one page. In the following, a case where 2 in 1 copying is performed will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to other consolidated copying such as 4 in 1 copying.

  When scanning an original, the image forming apparatus determines whether each page included in the original is a color image page or a monochrome image page, performs color printing on the color original page, and outputs a monochrome image page. For, monochrome printing is performed.

  However, in the case where an aggregate copy is performed and a color image page and a monochrome image page coexist on the aggregate page, the image forming apparatus converts the color image page into a monochrome image page and converts the monochrome image page to a monochrome image page. An aggregate page including only image pages is generated, and monochrome printing is performed on the generated aggregate page.

  For example, in FIG. 1, when all the pages to be aggregated are color image pages (page 1a and page 1b, page 1g and page 1h, page 1i and page 1j), the image processing apparatus aggregates color images. Pages (aggregated pages 2a, 2d, 2e) are generated.

  When the pages to be aggregated are both monochrome image pages (page 1e and page 1f), the image forming apparatus generates a monochrome image aggregation page (aggregation page 2c).

  Further, when the page to be consolidated includes a color image page (page 1c) and a monochrome image page (page 1d), the image forming apparatus converts the color image page (page 1c) into a monochrome image page. To generate an aggregate page (aggregated page 2b) including only monochrome image pages.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a page aggregation process when inserting pages. FIG. 2 shows a case where page 1g is inserted before page 1f. On the touch panel of the image forming apparatus, icons corresponding to the pages 1a to 1j shown in FIG. 2 are displayed as a preview screen in the page order. The user drags the page 1g on the touch panel and inserts the page 1g in front of the page 1f. By doing so, the image forming apparatus is instructed to execute the page 1g insertion process.

  As in the case of FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus, when all pages to be consolidated are color image pages (page 1a and page 1b, page 1i and page 1j), 2a, 2e) are generated and color printing of the aggregated pages is performed.

  Further, when the pages to be aggregated are a color image page and a monochrome image page (page 1c and page 1d, page 1e and page 1g, page 1f and page 1h), the image forming apparatus selects a color image page. An aggregate page (aggregate pages 2b, 2c, 2d) including only the monochrome image page is generated by converting into a monochrome image page, and the aggregate page is printed in monochrome.

  Here, when the page 1g is inserted between the page 1e and the page 1f and the arrangement order of the pages 1f to 1j is changed, the image processing apparatus changes the arrangement order of the color image page and the monochrome image page. Are mixed in the same aggregated page.

  In the example of FIG. 2, as a result of inserting the page 1g, a color image page and a monochrome image page are mixed in the aggregate page 2c, and the page 1g is printed in monochrome. A warning message 3 indicating that the page 1g is to be printed in monochrome is displayed. Since the page 1h is also printed in monochrome, the image processing apparatus displays a warning message 3 indicating that the page 1h will be printed in monochrome for the page 1h (not shown).

  As a result, when the user edits the pages included in the aggregated page, the user can be notified that the printing process of the page is monochrome printing, and effectively assist the user in editing the page. Can do.

  The image forming apparatus also receives a permission instruction receiving area 3a for accepting an instruction from the user to permit the pages 1g and 1h to be printed in monochrome, and a prohibition instruction receiving area for accepting an instruction to not allow the page 1g, 1h from the user. 3b is displayed on the touch panel together with the warning message 3.

  When the user touches the permission instruction reception area 3a in the warning message 3 displayed for each of the pages 1g and 1h, the image processing apparatus executes the insertion process for the page 1g. Thereafter, when receiving a print instruction for the aggregate pages 2a to 2e from the user, the image processing apparatus prints the aggregate pages 2a to 2e. In this case, the image processing apparatus performs color printing on the consolidated pages 2a and 2e, and performs monochrome printing on the consolidated pages 2b to 2d.

  When the user touches the prohibition instruction reception area 3b, the image processing apparatus cancels the execution of the page 1g insertion process. When the print instruction is received from the user, the image processing apparatus prints the aggregated page in which the pages are aggregated in the original arrangement order. Note that instead of canceling the execution of the page 1g insertion process, the insertion process is executed, and color printing is performed on the aggregated pages 2c and 2d including the pages 1g and 1h to which the prohibition instruction receiving area 3b is touched. You may make it perform.

  As described above, regarding the aggregated page 2c including the page 1g among the pages 1f to 1j whose arrangement order has been changed, whether or not the color image page and the monochrome image page are mixed in the aggregated page 2c. At the same time, for the aggregated page 2d including the pages 1f and 1h after the page 1g, it is determined whether or not the color image page and the monochrome image page are mixed in the aggregated page 2c. Therefore, not only the consolidated page 2c in which the page 1g is inserted but also other pages 1h affected by the insertion of the page 1g can be notified to the user that monochrome printing is performed, and the user's page editing can be performed. Work can be effectively supported.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining another example of the page aggregation processing when inserting pages. FIG. 3 shows a case where a page 4 read from a document other than the document including pages 1a to 1j is inserted before page 1f.

  Here, on the touch panel of the image forming apparatus, an icon corresponding to each page of another document including page 4 is displayed as a preview screen together with an icon corresponding to pages 1a to 1j. By dragging the page 4 displayed in (1) and inserting the page 4 before the page 1f, the image forming apparatus is instructed to execute the insertion process of the page 4.

  As in the case of FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus, when all pages to be aggregated after inserting page 4 are color image pages (page 1a and page 1b, page 1h and page 1i), An image aggregation page (aggregation pages 2a and 2e) is generated, and color printing of the aggregation page is performed. Note that the aggregated page 2f includes only the page 1j, but since the page 1j is a color image, the image forming apparatus generates a consolidated page of the color image and performs color printing of the aggregated page. .

  When the pages to be aggregated are a color image page and a monochrome image page (page 1c and page 1d, page 1e and page 4, page 1f and page 1g), the image forming apparatus selects the color image page. An aggregate page (aggregate pages 2b, 2c, 2d) including only the monochrome image page is generated by converting into a monochrome image page, and the aggregate page is printed in monochrome.

  Here, when page 4 is inserted before page 1 f and the arrangement order of pages 1 f to 1 j is changed, the image processing apparatus changes the arrangement order so that the color image page and the monochrome image page are the same. It is determined whether or not they are mixed in the aggregated pages.

  In the example of FIG. 3, as a result of inserting page 4, a color image page and a monochrome image page are mixed in the consolidated page 2 c, and page 4 is printed in monochrome. A warning message 3 is displayed to the effect that page 4 will be printed in monochrome. Since the page 1g is also printed in monochrome, the image processing apparatus displays a warning message 3 that the page 1g will be printed in monochrome for the page 1g (not shown).

  Further, the image forming apparatus receives a permission instruction receiving area 3a for accepting an instruction from the user to permit printing of pages 4 and 1g in monochrome, and a prohibition instruction receiving area for accepting an instruction to not allow it from the user. 3b is displayed on the touch panel together with the warning message 3.

  When the user in the warning message 3 displayed for each of the pages 4 and 1g touches the permission instruction reception area 3a, the image processing apparatus executes the insertion process for the page 4. Thereafter, when receiving a print instruction for the consolidated pages 2a to 2f from the user, the image processing apparatus prints the consolidated pages 2a to 2f. In this case, the image processing apparatus performs color printing for the consolidated pages 2a, 2e, and 2f, and performs monochrome printing for the consolidated pages 2b to 2d.

  When the user touches the prohibition instruction reception area 3b, the image processing apparatus cancels the execution of the page 4 insertion process. When the print instruction is received from the user, the image processing apparatus prints the aggregated page in which the pages are aggregated in the original arrangement order. In addition, instead of canceling the execution of the page 4 insertion process, the insertion process is executed, and color printing is performed on the aggregated pages 2c and 2d including the pages 4 and 1g to which the prohibition instruction receiving area 3b is touched. You may make it perform.

  As described above, when it is determined that the page of the color image and the page of the monochrome image are mixed in the same aggregate page as a result of the user changing the order of the pages on the preview screen, the monochrome aggregate page is displayed. Since the warning message 3 indicating that printing is to be performed is displayed, it is possible to notify the user that a monochrome aggregated page is to be printed, and to effectively assist the user in editing the page. .

  In the preview screen, the user inserts an icon in front of another icon in the same document, or inserts an icon of a page of another document in front of an icon of a document page to be printed. Since the instruction to change the order of pages is received, the user can easily edit the page.

  Next, a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus 10 includes an input unit 11, a display unit 12, a network interface unit 13, a telephone line interface unit 14, a page forming unit 15, a storage unit 16, and a control unit 17.

  The input unit 11 is an input device configured by a touch pad or the like. The display unit 12 is a display device configured by a liquid crystal panel or the like. The input unit 11 and the display unit 12 are combined to form a touch panel.

  The network interface unit 13 is a processing unit that communicates with other communication devices via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The telephone line interface unit 14 is a processing unit that communicates with other apparatuses such as a FAX apparatus via a telephone line.

  The page forming unit 15 is a processing unit that executes various image forming processes. The page forming unit 15 includes a print processing unit 15a, a copy processing unit 15b, a scan processing unit 15c, and a FAX processing unit 15d.

  The print processing unit 15a is a processing unit that performs print processing of document data. For example, if all pages consolidated into one page are color images at the time of consolidated copying, the print processing unit 15a generates image data of the consolidated pages of color images, and performs color printing of the generated image data. In addition, when all pages consolidated into one page are monochrome images, the print processing unit 15a generates image data of aggregated pages of monochrome images and performs monochrome printing of the generated image data.

  Further, when the pages to be integrated into one page include both a color image page and a monochrome image page, the print processing unit 15a converts the color image page into a monochrome image page, and only the monochrome image page exists. The image data of the aggregate page included is generated, and the generated image data is printed in monochrome.

  The scan processing unit 15b is a processing unit that performs a document scanning process. The scan processing unit 15b performs a process for determining whether the image data obtained by the scan process is a color image or a monochrome image after executing the document scan process, and a process for assigning a page number to the image data. Also do it.

  The copy processing unit 15c is a processing unit that performs a copy process of document data. When performing the copy process, the copy processing unit 15c requests the scan processing unit 15b to scan the document, and requests the print processing unit 15a to print the image data obtained as a result. The FAX processing unit 15d is a processing unit that performs FAX transmission / reception processing.

  The storage unit 16 is a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk device. The storage unit 16 stores data such as document data 16a, page attribute information 16b, and job setting information 16c.

  The document data 16a is image data of a document read by the scan processing unit 15c or FAX image data received by the FAX processing unit 15d.

  The page attribute information 16b is attribute information of each page in which image data is stored as the document data 16a. Specifically, the page attribute information 16b includes information on whether the image data of each page stored as the document data 16a is a color image or a monochrome image, information on the page number of each page, and the like. Is included.

  The job setting information 16 c is job setting information input by the user operating the input unit 11. For example, the job setting information 16c includes information on whether or not page aggregation is performed, information on the number of pages to be included in one page when performing page aggregation, and a page by inserting a page of a document different from the document to be copied. Information for specifying another document to be displayed on the preview screen is included.

  The control unit 17 is a control device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the image forming apparatus 10 as a whole. The control unit 17 includes a job setting reception unit 17a, an instruction reception unit 17b, a document edit processing unit 17c, an aggregation determination unit 17d, and a display control unit 17e.

  The job setting receiving unit 17 a is a processing unit that receives job setting information from the user via the input unit 11. The job setting receiving unit 17a stores the received setting information in the storage unit 16 as job setting information 16c.

  The instruction receiving unit 17 b is a processing unit that receives an instruction to edit a document to be printed from the user via the input unit 11. For example, the instruction receiving unit 17b receives from the user an instruction to change the page arrangement order by inserting a page. The document editing processing unit 17c is a processing unit that performs editing processing of a document to be printed in accordance with the editing instruction received by the instruction receiving unit 17b.

  When the instruction receiving unit 17b receives an instruction to change the page arrangement order, the aggregation determining unit 17d causes the color image page and the monochrome image page to be mixed in the same integrated page by changing the arrangement order. It is a process part which determines whether it becomes.

  The display control unit 17 e is a processing unit that controls display of information on the display unit 12. For example, when the aggregation determining unit 17d determines that the color image page and the monochrome image page are mixed in the same aggregated page, the display control unit 17e controls the display unit 12 to display the display unit 12 displays a warning message 3.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a preview screen 20 that receives a page editing instruction from a user. The preview screen 20 is displayed by the display unit 12 under the control of the display control unit 17e.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a page display area 21 and movement buttons 22 a to 22 d are displayed on the preview screen 20. In the page display area 21, icons 23d to 23g corresponding to the respective pages described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 are displayed.

  Here, the symbol “C” attached to the icon 23d indicates that the page corresponding to the icon 23d is a color image, and the symbol “M” attached to the icons 23a to 23c is those icons. It shows that the pages corresponding to 23a to 23c are monochrome images. In addition, the icons (for example, the icon 23b and the icon 23c) of each page aggregated into one page are connected by a connecting line 24 so that the user can easily check each page aggregated into one page.

  Here, when the user touches the movement buttons 22a to 22d, the display of the icons 23a to 23d scrolls in the direction corresponding to the movement buttons 22a to 22d, and the icons not displayed in the page display area 21 are displayed. Become. When the user drags the icons 23 a to 23 d and moves the icons 23 a to 23 d to the outside of the page display area 21, the page display area 21 scrolls according to the movement and is displayed in the page display area 21. No icon will be displayed.

  The user drags one of the icons in the page display area 21 and inserts the icon in front of another icon, thereby corresponding to the dragged icon in front of the page corresponding to the other icon. The image forming apparatus can be instructed to insert a page.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a preview screen 20 that receives from a user an instruction to edit a page for inserting a page included in another document. The preview screen 20 is also displayed by the display unit 12 under the control of the display control unit 17e. Here, the icons (icon 23a and icon 23b, icon 23c and icon 23d, icon 23e and icon 23f) that are aggregated into one page are connected by a connecting line 24, and the user is associated with each page that is aggregated into one page. Can be easily confirmed.

  On the preview screen 20, a page display area 21 and movement buttons 22a to 22d are displayed. In the page display area 21, icons 23a to 23f indicating the pages of the first document to be aggregated and icons 25a to 25f indicating the pages of the second document are displayed.

  The movement buttons 22a to 22d are the same as the movement buttons 22a to 22d described in FIG. When the user drags the icons 23a to 23f and 25a to 25f and moves the icons 23a to 23f and 25a to 25f outside the page display area 21, the page display area 21 scrolls according to the movement. Icons that are not displayed in the page display area 21 are displayed.

  In this page display area 21, the user drags any icon of the second document and inserts the icon before the icon of the first document. The image forming apparatus can be instructed to insert a page corresponding to the dragged icon.

  In this way, the display unit 11 displays the preview screen 20 in which icons corresponding to the pages of the first document are arranged in the page order and icons corresponding to the pages of the second document are arranged in the page order. Since the accepting unit 17b accepts the page editing process on the preview screen 20, the user can easily edit the page when the page included in the second document is inserted between the pages included in the first document. Can be.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the preview screen 20 that displays the warning message 3. The preview screen 20 is also displayed by the display unit 12 under the control of the display control unit 17e. This warning message 3 is the same as the warning message 3 described with reference to FIG.

  Here, in the page display area 21, in addition to the warning message 3, icons 23 a to 23 d of pages to be consolidated into one page and icons 26 a to 26 c indicating the respective consolidated pages are displayed.

  In addition, the icon 23b of the page of the color image that is to be monochrome printed by being aggregated together with the monochrome image is displayed in a manner different from the other icons 23a, 23c, and 23d. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the icon 23b is highlighted by being surrounded by a highlight frame 27 or the like. In addition, the highlighted display for the icon 23b may be a blinking display or a display using a color different from the display color of the other icons.

  In this way, by displaying the icon 23b of the page of the color image that is to be monochrome printed by being aggregated together with the monochrome image in a manner different from the other icons 23a, 23c, and 23d, for which page Thus, the user can easily recognize whether the warning message 3 is displayed.

  In the example of FIG. 7, the warning message 3 is displayed below the icon 23b. However, the warning message 3 may be displayed on the upper side, the right side, or the left side of the icon 23b, or may be displayed over the icon 23b. Also good.

  Next, a processing procedure of the image forming process according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of image forming processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the job setting receiving unit 17a of the image forming apparatus 10 receives input of job setting information from the user via the input unit 11 (step S101). The job setting information is information on whether or not page aggregation is performed, information on the number of pages to be included in one page when page aggregation is performed, and a document other than the document to be copied as described with reference to FIG. Information for specifying another document to be displayed on the preview screen when the page is inserted and the page is edited.

  Then, the display control unit 17e reads the document data 16a from the storage unit 16 (step S102). Thereafter, the display control unit 17e generates image data of a preview screen that displays each page of the document to be printed based on the document data 16a, and controls the display unit 12 to display the generated preview screen ( Step S103).

  Here, the display control unit 17e refers to the setting information of the job received in step S101, and if the setting information is set to perform page aggregation, as shown in FIG. A preview screen 20 is displayed in which each page consolidated into one page is connected by a connecting line 24.

  Further, the display control unit 17e refers to the setting information of the job that has been accepted in step S101, and when the information specifying another document to be displayed on the preview screen is set in the setting information, FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the preview screen 20 including icons 25a to 25f indicating the respective pages of the other original and icons 23a to 23f indicating the respective pages of the original to be printed is displayed.

  Thereafter, the instruction receiving unit 17b determines whether or not an instruction to execute a process performed on the preview screen has been received from the user via the input unit 11 (step S104). If the process execution instruction has not been received from the user (NO in step S104), the determination process in step S104 is continued until the execution instruction is received.

  When a process execution instruction is received from the user (YES in step S104), the aggregation determination unit 17d refers to the setting information of the job received in step S101 and performs page aggregation on the setting information. Is determined (step S105).

  If the setting information is not set to perform page aggregation (NO in step S105), the aggregation determination unit 17d, the display control unit 17e, and the print processing unit 15a perform normal printing without page aggregation. Processing is executed (step S106). The normal printing process will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

  When the setting information is set to perform page aggregation (YES in step S105), the aggregation determination unit 17d, the display control unit 17e, and the print processing unit 15a perform the aggregation print processing with page aggregation. Is executed (step S107). This collective printing process will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

  After the process of step S106 or the process of step S107, this image forming process ends.

  Next, the normal printing process shown in step S106 of FIG. 8 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing procedure of the normal printing process.

  First, the instruction receiving unit 17b of the image forming apparatus 10 determines whether or not the execution instruction of the process received from the user in step S104 of FIG. 8 is an instruction to change the page arrangement order such as page insertion (step S104). S201).

  When the execution instruction is an instruction to change the page arrangement order (YES in step S201), the document editing processing unit 17c follows the page arrangement order change instruction received in step S104 in FIG. The arrangement order is changed (step S202).

  If the execution instruction is not an instruction to change the page arrangement order (NO in step S201), the document editing processing unit 17c executes a process in which the execution instruction is received (step S205). For example, as such a process, there is a process of converting all color image pages included in a document into monochrome image pages.

  After the process of step S202 or step S205, the print processing unit 15a determines whether a print instruction has been received from the user via the input unit 11 (step S203).

  When a print instruction is received from the user (YES in step S203), the print processing unit 15a performs normal printing without page aggregation processing (step S204), and the normal printing processing ends.

  If the print instruction is not received from the user within a predetermined time (NO in step S203), the job setting receiving unit 17a cancels the job setting received in step S101 of FIG. 8 (step S206), and this normal The printing process ends.

  Next, the collective printing process shown in step S107 of FIG. 8 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing procedure of the aggregate printing process.

  First, the instruction receiving unit 17b of the image forming apparatus 10 determines whether or not the execution instruction of the process received from the user in step S104 of FIG. 8 is an instruction to change the page arrangement order such as page insertion (step S104). S301).

  If the execution instruction is not an instruction to change the page arrangement order (NO in step S301), the document editing processing unit 17c executes a process in which the execution instruction is received (step S310). For example, as such a process, there is a process of converting all color image pages included in a document into monochrome image pages.

  Then, the print processing unit 15a determines whether or not a print instruction has been received from the user via the input unit 11 (step S308). When a print instruction is received from the user (YES in step S308), the print processing unit 15a performs consolidated printing with page aggregation processing (step S309), and the normal printing processing ends.

  If the print instruction is not received from the user within the predetermined time (NO in step S308), the job setting receiving unit 17a cancels the job setting received in step S101 of FIG. 8 (step S312), and this normal The printing process ends.

  In step S301, when the process execution instruction is a page order change instruction (YES in step S301), the aggregation determination unit 17d instructs the page order change instruction received in step S104 in FIG. By changing the order of the pages according to the above, the attribute information of the page whose combination is changed in the aggregated page is read from the page attribute information 16b of the storage unit 16 (step S302). Specifically, the aggregation determination unit 17d reads information on whether the image of the page whose combination is changed in the aggregation page is a color image or a monochrome image.

  Thereafter, the aggregation determination unit 17d determines whether or not a color image page and a monochrome image page are mixed in the aggregation page whose page combination is changed (step S303).

  In the case where a color image page and a monochrome image page are mixed in the aggregated page (YES in step S303), the display control unit 17e controls the display unit 12 to display as shown in FIG. A warning message 3 is displayed to warn that the printing process for the consolidated page is monochrome printing (step S304).

  Thereafter, the instruction receiving unit 17b determines whether or not an input permitting monochrome printing has been received from the user within a predetermined time (step S305). Specifically, the instruction receiving unit 17b determines whether or not the permission instruction receiving area 3a illustrated in FIG. 7 is touched by the user within a predetermined time.

  If an input for permitting monochrome printing has not been received from the user within a predetermined time (NO in step S305), the document editing processing unit 17c discards the instruction to change the page arrangement order received in step S104 (step S104). S311).

  Thereafter, the print processing unit 15a determines whether a print instruction is received from the user within a predetermined time via the input unit 11 (step S308). When a print instruction is received from the user within a predetermined time (YES in step S308), the print processing unit 15a generates an aggregate page, and further executes print processing for the generated aggregate page (step S309). This consolidated printing process ends.

  In step S308, if the print instruction has not been received from the user within the predetermined time (NO in step S308), the job setting receiving unit 17a cancels the job setting received in step S101 (step S312). The aggregate printing process ends.

  In step S303, when the page of the color image and the page of the monochrome image are not mixed in the aggregate page whose page combination is to be changed (NO in step S303), the aggregation determination unit 17d changes the page combination. It is determined whether or not the mixed determination process in step S303 has been completed for all consolidated pages (step S306).

  If the mixed determination process has not been completed for all the aggregate pages (NO in step S306), the process proceeds to step S302, and the attribute of the page whose combination is changed in the aggregate page for which the mixed determination process has not been completed. Information is read (step S302), and the subsequent processing is continued.

  In step S306, when the mixing determination process is completed for all the aggregate pages (YES in step S306), the document editing processing unit 17c follows the page arrangement order change instruction received in step S104. Is changed (step S307).

  Thereafter, the print processing unit 15a determines whether a print instruction is received from the user within a predetermined time via the input unit 11 (step S308). When a print instruction is received from the user within a predetermined time (YES in step S308), the print processing unit 15a generates an aggregate page, and further executes print processing for the generated aggregate page (step S309). This consolidated printing process ends.

  In step S308, if the print instruction has not been received from the user within the predetermined time (NO in step S308), the job setting receiving unit 17a cancels the job setting received in step S101 (step S312). The aggregate printing process ends.

  The embodiments of the image forming apparatus and the image forming method have been described so far. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and a computer program for realizing the functions of the image forming apparatus. The present invention may be implemented in the form of a computer-readable recording medium in which the computer program is recorded.

  Here, as a recording medium, a disk system (for example, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.), a card system (for example, memory card, optical card, etc.), a semiconductor memory system (for example, ROM, nonvolatile memory, etc.), a tape system (for example) For example, various forms such as a magnetic tape and a cassette tape can be employed.

  By recording and distributing a computer program for realizing the functions of the image forming apparatus in the above embodiment or a computer program for causing the computer to execute the image forming method on these recording media, the cost can be reduced, and the portability and general purpose can be reduced. Can be improved.

  Then, the above-mentioned recording medium is mounted on the computer, the computer program recorded on the recording medium is read by the computer and stored in the memory, and the processor (CPU: Central Processing Unit, MPU: Micro Processing Unit) included in the computer is the computer program. Is read from the memory and executed, the function of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment can be realized, and the image forming method can be executed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and corrections can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, when the user performs editing such as insertion of a page included in the aggregated page, and the color page and the monochrome image page are mixed in the aggregated page, the image processing apparatus Although a warning message is displayed to warn that the consolidated page will be printed in monochrome printing, the image processing device prohibits editing that mixes color image pages and monochrome image pages. It is good to do.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a page editing process prohibition process. FIG. 11 shows a case where page 1g is inserted before page 1f. On the touch panel of the image forming apparatus, icons corresponding to the pages 1a to 1j shown in FIG. 11 are displayed as a preview screen in the page order, and the user drags the page 1g on the touch panel and inserts the page 1g before the page 1f. By doing so, the image forming apparatus is instructed to execute the page 1g insertion process.

  As in the case of FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus, when all the pages to be aggregated after inserting the page 1 g are color image pages (page 1 a and page 1 b, page 1 i and page 1 j) An image aggregation page (aggregation pages 2a and 2e) is generated.

  The image forming apparatus generates a monochrome image aggregation page (aggregation page 2b) when the pages to be aggregated are monochrome image pages (page 1c and page 1d).

  When the page 1g is inserted before the page 1f and the arrangement order of the pages 1f to 1j is changed, the aggregation determination unit 17d of the image processing apparatus 10 changes the arrangement order of the color image page and the monochrome image. It is determined whether or not these pages are mixed in the same aggregated page.

  In the example of FIG. 11, the color image page 1g and the monochrome image page 1e are mixed in the aggregated page 2c. As a result, the page 1g is printed in monochrome. A warning message 5 to prohibit the 1g insertion process is displayed. Further, even when the printing of the page 1g is not monochrome printing, the image processing apparatus prohibits the insertion processing of the page 1g when the printing of the subsequent page is changed from color printing to monochrome printing due to the insertion of the page 1g. A warning message 5 is displayed.

  As a result, when the user inserts a page, the user can be notified that the page insertion is prohibited due to the mixture of the color image page and the monochrome image page in the aggregated page. Can help.

  In the above embodiment, when a color image page and a monochrome image page are mixed in the aggregate page, the aggregate page is printed in monochrome printing. However, the aggregate page is printed in color. It is also good to do. In this case, the display control unit 17e causes the display unit 12 to display a warning message that warns that the consolidated page is printed in color.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the page order is changed by inserting a page on the preview screen has been described. However, the page order may be changed by deleting the page on the preview screen. Similarly, the present invention can be applied.

  In this case, the display unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 10 displays a preview screen on which icons of pages included in the document are arranged in page order, and a delete button for receiving an instruction to execute the page deletion process is arranged. The user can instruct the image forming apparatus 10 to delete the page by touching the icon of the page to be deleted and touching the delete button.

  Then, the document editing processing unit 17c of the image processing apparatus 10 performs a process of changing the page arrangement order by deleting the page specified by the user and incrementing the page number of the page behind the deleted page. .

  Furthermore, the aggregation determination unit 17d determines whether or not the color image page and the monochrome image page are mixed in the same aggregation page due to the change in the arrangement order when the aggregation printing is performed. . Subsequently, as in the case of FIG. 2, the display control unit 17e indicates that the printing process is monochrome printing when it is determined that the page of the color image and the page of the monochrome image are mixed in the same aggregated page. The warning message 3 is displayed on the display unit 11.

  In this way, even when the user deletes a page included in the aggregated page, the user can be notified that the printing process is monochrome printing, and effectively assist the user in editing the page. Can do.

  In the above-described embodiment, a warning message is displayed when a color image page and a monochrome image page are mixed in the aggregated page. However, attributes of pages other than the attribute of a color image or a monochrome image are displayed. The present invention can be similarly applied to the case where is used.

  For example, the image forming apparatus may display a warning message when pages of different image formats are mixed in the aggregated page and the format of each page is converted into one of the formats.

  Also, when the output color is set so that color printing or monochrome printing is performed for each page, pages with different output colors are mixed on the consolidated page, and the output color of each page is one of the output colors In the case of conversion to color, the image forming apparatus may display a warning message.

  Further, a warning message may be displayed when pages of different gradations are mixed in the aggregated page and the gradation of each page is converted to any gradation. For example, the image forming apparatus displays a warning message when a two-tone image page and an eight-tone image page are mixed in the aggregate page and the gradation of each page is converted to two gradations. It is good to do.

1a to 1j, 4c to 4h ... icon, 2a to 2e ... consolidated page, 3, 5 ... warning message, 3a ... permission instruction receiving area, 3b ... prohibition instruction receiving area, 10 ... image forming apparatus, 11 ... input unit, 12 Display unit 13 Network interface unit 14 Telephone line interface unit 15 Page forming unit 15a Print processing unit 15b Scan processing unit 15c Copy processing unit 15d FAX processing unit 16 Storage , 16a ... document data, 16b ... image information, 16c ... job setting information, 17 ... control unit, 17a ... job setting receiving unit, 17b ... instruction receiving unit, 17c ... document editing processing unit, 17d ... aggregation determining unit, 17e ... Display control unit, 20 ... Preview screen, 21 ... Page display area, 22a-22d ... Move button, 23a-23f, 25a-25f ... eye Down, 24 ... connecting line, 26 ... highlighted border.

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus that forms an aggregate page in which a plurality of pages included in a document are aggregated into one page,
A storage unit for storing attribute information of each page;
A display unit that displays a preview screen in which icons corresponding to each page included in the document are arranged in page order;
An instruction receiving unit that receives from the user a change instruction that instructs the user to change the arrangement order of the pages in accordance with a change in the arrangement order of the icons made by the user on the preview screen displayed on the display unit;
When the instruction receiving unit receives the change instruction, it is determined whether or not pages with different attributes are mixed in the same aggregated page due to the change in the arrangement order based on the attribute information. An aggregation determination unit;
A display control unit that controls the display unit to display a warning message on the display unit when it is determined by the aggregation determination unit that pages having different attributes are mixed in the same aggregated page;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The instruction receiving unit inserts an icon corresponding to a page included in a document on which the aggregated page is to be formed before an icon corresponding to another page of the document to change the order of the pages. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an instruction to change is received from a user.   The instruction receiving unit inserts an icon corresponding to a page included in a document different from the document into front of the page included in the document to instruct the user to change the order of the pages. When the instruction receiving unit receives the change instruction, the aggregation determining unit determines whether the order of arrangement is based on the attribute information and the page attribute information included in the other document. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not pages having different attributes are mixed in the same aggregated page due to the change.   4. The display unit according to claim 3, wherein icons corresponding to the pages of the document are arranged in page order, and a preview screen in which icons corresponding to the pages of the other document are arranged in page order is displayed. The image forming apparatus described.   The said instruction | indication reception part receives the change instruction | indication which instruct | indicates to delete the page contained in the said original, and to change the arrangement order of each page, From Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Image forming apparatus. The merge determination unit, for aggregate page containing the page that the arrangement order is changed, with different pages to determine whether will be mixed in approximately the page said population of said attributes, behind the about page said population For another aggregate page, it is determined whether or not pages with different attributes are mixed in the other aggregate page, and the display control unit determines the attribute for the aggregate page by the aggregation determination unit. If it is determined that different pages of the aggregated page will be mixed, the display unit is controlled to display a warning message on the display unit, and for the different aggregated page, the page having the different attribute be but when it is determined that will be mixed in the combine page the another, by controlling the display unit, characterized in that to display a warning message on the display unit The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   The attribute information is information indicating whether each page image is a color image or a monochrome image, and a plurality of pages in which the color image page and the monochrome image page are mixed into one page. The display control unit further includes a page forming unit that aggregates to form a color or monochrome aggregate page, and the display control unit converts the color image page and the monochrome image page into the same aggregate page by the aggregation determination unit. When it is determined that they will be mixed, a message notifying that the page forming unit forms a color aggregate page or a monochrome aggregate page is formed as the warning message on the display unit The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus displays the image.   The attribute information is information indicating whether an image of each page is a color image or a monochrome image, and a page of a color image and a page of a monochrome image are the same aggregated page by the aggregation determination unit. And a change prohibition processing unit for prohibiting the change of the arrangement order when the color image page and the monochrome image page are detected by the aggregation determination unit. The message that notifies that the change of the arrangement order is prohibited is displayed on the display unit as the warning message when it is determined that the pages are mixed in the same aggregated page. The image forming apparatus of any one of -6.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays pages having different attributes in different modes on the preview screen. An image forming method for forming an aggregate page in which a plurality of pages included in a document are aggregated into one page,
A display step for displaying a preview screen in which icons corresponding to each page included in the document are arranged in page order;
An instruction accepting step for accepting from the user a change instruction instructing to change the arrangement order of the pages in accordance with a change in the arrangement order of the icons made by the user on the preview screen displayed in the display step;
When the change instruction is received in the instruction receiving step, pages with different attributes are made the same consolidated page by changing the arrangement order based on the attribute information of each page stored in the storage unit. An aggregation determination step for determining whether or not to be mixed;
A warning message display step for displaying a warning message when it is determined in the aggregation determination step that pages having different attributes are mixed in the same aggregation page;
An image forming method comprising:

Images