JPH10139269A - Image forming apparatus, display method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an image forming apparatus, a display method, and a storage medium which can easily determine a distribution destination of a recording medium on a bin of a sorting apparatus. When a user requests image formation, a distribution destination is interpreted from the data, the distribution destination is sequentially allocated to bins of a sorting device, and a recording medium recorded in the bin is discharged. The number of bins (bin positions) and the distribution destinations are displayed in a tabular form on the display unit 201 of the user interface unit 102 as in 207, so that the bin positions of the recording media of each distribution destination that have been discharged can be easily known. To

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus as an image output device connected to a plurality of personal computers (users, clients).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of personal computers, printers connected via a network as document and image output devices have been shared. By sharing printers, space can be saved and centralized management is possible.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional example, various image output requests may occur almost simultaneously from a plurality of users, clients, etc. (hereinafter, referred to as users) because they are shared. In some cases, the recording medium on which an image was formed was ejected in an overlapping manner.

[0004] Therefore, it is difficult for a user to distinguish a desired recording medium from that of another user, and it often takes time to search for the recording medium.

The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an image forming apparatus capable of easily determining a distribution destination or a billing destination (hereinafter referred to as a distribution destination) of a recording medium on a bin of a sorting apparatus. It is an object to provide a display method and a storage medium.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, an image forming apparatus includes the following (1) to (24).
, The display method is configured as in (25) below, and the storage medium is configured as in (26) below.

(1) An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium; and a sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means. Display means for displaying a distribution destination of a recording medium for each group in a state corresponding to a bin for discharging the recording medium, and control means for discharging a recording medium having an image formed in the bin corresponding to the distribution destination. An image forming apparatus comprising:

(2) The image forming apparatus according to (1), further comprising registration means for registering in advance a distribution destination of the recording medium and a bin for discharging the recording medium.

(3) The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein the display means is a display means provided in each bin of the sorting means.

(4) The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein the display means is a display means provided in the user interface section and a display means provided in each bin of the sorting means.

(5) When an image formation request is received from the user, the control means determines whether the distribution destination matches one of the registered distribution destinations. (2) The image forming apparatus according to (2), wherein the image is displayed in association with the same bin as the distribution destination, and when it does not match, the image is displayed in association with an empty bin.

(6) When there is no empty bin when there is an image forming request from the user, the control means sequentially assigns the bin from the uppermost bin in the above (1) or (5). The image forming apparatus according to (1).

(7) The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein when the recording medium on the bin of the sorting unit is removed, the control unit deletes the display of the distribution destination corresponding to the bin on the display unit. apparatus.

(8) The control means according to the above (1), wherein the control means allocates a plurality of bins to a distribution destination of the user when a request for use of the plurality of bins is made at the time of an image forming request from the user. Image forming device.

(9) The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein the control means displays copy, facsimile, etc., which are output functions of the distribution destination, in addition to the display of the distribution destination on the display means.

(10) An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium; and a sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image has been formed by the image forming means. Display means for displaying a distribution destination of a recording medium for each group of image forming requests and a bin for discharging the recording medium in association with each other, and a recording medium having an image formed in the bin corresponding to the distribution destination. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit for discharging the image.

(11) The control means, when the number of distribution destinations is larger than the number of bins of the sorting means, causes one bin to discharge a group of a plurality of recording media having different distribution destinations, and causes the display means to display each bin. (10) The image forming apparatus according to (10), wherein the display unit displays, together with the number of overlapping cases, a group of a plurality of recording media corresponding thereto.

(12) In accordance with a user's instruction to the user interface unit, the control means deletes a part of the display of each bin and a plurality of recording media corresponding thereto in the display means. An image forming apparatus according to (11).

(13) Lighting display means such as a lamp is provided in each bin of the sorting means, and the control means selects the distribution destination of the recording medium when the distribution destination of the recording medium is selected by the user's instruction to the user interface unit. The image forming apparatus according to the above (10), wherein the lighting display means provided in a bin of a sorting means having a recording medium is lit.

(14) An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium; and a sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means. First display means for displaying the distribution destination of the recording medium, control means for discharging the recording medium image-formed to the bin corresponding to the distribution destination of the recording medium, provided on each of the bins; And a second display unit for displaying the presence of the recording medium.

(15) An image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium, and a sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means, are provided by a plurality of users connected to a network. An image forming apparatus for forming an image in response to an image forming request, comprising: first display means provided in each bin of the sorting means for displaying a distribution destination of a recording medium; Extracting the destination information, displaying the distribution destination on the first display means,
An image forming apparatus comprising: control means for discharging a recording medium on which an image has been formed in response to the image forming request to a corresponding bin; and second display means for displaying the presence of the recording medium on the bin of the sorting means. .

(16) The control means (14) or (15), wherein the display on the first display means and the second display means is continued until the recording medium is removed from the bin.
The image forming apparatus as described in the above.

(17) When the recording medium is present in one bin of the sorting unit and the image forming request is received from another user, the control unit allocates another bin of the sorting unit and further assigns another bin. When an image is formed by a user, another bin is sequentially allocated to the bin (1).
4) or the image forming apparatus according to (15).

(18) When the recording medium is present on all the bins of the sorting unit and there is no empty bin, and the image forming request is made by the user, the control unit controls the top or bottom of the sorting unit. The image forming apparatus according to (17), wherein the lower bin is allocated.

(19) When the recording medium is present on all the bins of the sorting unit and there is no empty bin, and when there is an image forming request from the user, the control unit controls the uppermost stage or the last of the sorting unit. The image forming apparatus according to (17), wherein the bins are sequentially allocated from the lower bin.

(20) When allocating one bin of the sorting means to a plurality of distribution destinations, the control means discharges the partition paper for each recording medium of each distribution destination, and then repeatedly discharges the recording medium on which the image is formed. (18) or (1)
9) The image forming apparatus according to the above.

(21) An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium; and a sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means. An image forming apparatus, comprising: first display means provided in each bin for displaying a distribution destination of a recording medium; and control means for discharging a recording medium formed in a bin corresponding to the distribution destination of the recording medium.

(22) An image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium, and a sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means, are provided from a plurality of users connected to a network. An image forming apparatus for forming an image in response to an image forming request, comprising: first display means provided in each bin of the sorting means for displaying a distribution destination of a recording medium; Extracting the destination information, displaying the distribution destination on the first display means,
An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that discharges a recording medium on which an image has been formed in response to the image forming request to a corresponding bin.

(23) Image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium, sorting means such as a sorter and a stacker for sorting the recording medium, interface means for displaying the state of the apparatus, and control means. In the image forming apparatus, the interface unit displays characters indicating the distribution destination of the recording medium and the bin positions of the sorting unit in a matrix, and when the number of distribution destinations is larger than the number of bins of the sorting unit, A plurality of distribution destinations different from each other are assigned to one bin and displayed together with the number of overlapping cases, and input means for inputting an operation instruction from a user is provided.The control means, at a bin position displayed on the user interface means, When the recording medium on which the image of the corresponding distribution destination is formed is discharged, and when the distribution destination of the recording medium is selected by the input unit,
Alternatively, when one distribution destination is selected from the plurality of different distribution destinations, the display of the selected distribution destination is deleted.

(24) Image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium, sorting means such as a sorter and a stacker for sorting the recording medium, user interface means for displaying the state of the apparatus, and control means. An image forming apparatus, wherein the user interface unit displays characters indicating a distribution destination of the recording medium together with the bin position of the sorting unit, and further comprises an input unit for inputting an operation instruction from a user. Each bin is provided with a display means such as a lamp, and the control means discharges the image-formed recording medium of the corresponding distribution destination to the bin position displayed on the user interface means. When the character indicating the distribution destination of the recording medium is selected, the display means of the bin of the sorting means of the corresponding recording medium is turned on. Forming apparatus.

(25) A display method in an image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium; and a sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means. A display method for displaying a distribution destination of a group of recording media on which images are formed and a bin for discharging the recording media in association with each other.

(26) A storage medium storing a program for realizing the display method of (25) via a CPU.

[0033]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to embodiments of a "network printer". The present invention is not limited to a network printer, and realizes an image forming apparatus having a multifunction such as copying and facsimile, an image forming apparatus having a single function, a display method in these image forming apparatuses, and a method of displaying the image. The present invention can also be implemented in the form of a storage medium storing a program.

[0034]

【Example】

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall system configuration of Embodiment 1. Hereinafter, each device and an outline of the operation will be described.

The image forming apparatus 101 is connected by a network cable 107 to a network server 109 and a plurality of PCs (personal computers) 110 of the user. Reference numeral 108 denotes a terminating resistor of the network cable 107. These form a so-called "network printer".

On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 101 has a built-in user interface section 102 and is connected to a recording medium sorting apparatus 103. Sorting device 10
3, reference numeral 104 denotes bins for sorting and holding discharged recording media, and each bin 104 has a paper discharge sensor 1
A bin 05 is provided to detect the presence or absence of a recording medium on the bin 104 for each bin. Reference numeral 106 denotes display means for displaying a distribution destination, such as an LCD display panel or L
ED display panel and the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, a user interface unit 102 displays a message to a user under the control of the control unit of the image forming apparatus 101.
And key input units 202 to 206 through which a user inputs an operation instruction to the image forming apparatus 101.

A menu key 202 is a key for selecting various service modes of the apparatus, and a cursor key 203
Are keys for designating the position of a cursor appearing on the display unit 201, and are composed of four keys: upper, lower, left, and right. The distribution destination display key 204 is a key for selecting a mode in which the distribution destination of the recording medium is displayed on the display unit 201. The key is pressed once to enter the display mode, and is pressed again to return to the original mode. Clear key 205
Is a key for deleting a character or state set by operating the menu key 202 and the cursor key 203. An enter key 206 includes a menu key 202 and a cursor key 2.
This key is used to validate and set the characters and status set by the operation of 03.

Table 207 is an output example of the distribution destination list. The left number on the vertical axis indicates the number of bins (bin positions) of the sorting apparatus 103, and the horizontal axis indicates the number of overlapping cases.

In the above-described configuration, the user operates the PC 110
Consider a case where a document is to be printed.

First, the PC 110 creates a document, inputs a distribution destination name, and gives a print command. The distribution destination name and the document are sent to the image forming apparatus 101 via the network cable 107 and the server 109.

First, the distribution destination name is the computer PC11.
Since the code is sent to the image forming apparatus 101 at the beginning of the print command starting from 0, the control device of the image forming apparatus 101 interprets the code and converts the code into a character string and stores it in a buffer memory for display. .

Next, it is confirmed whether the name stored in the display buffer memory is the same as any of the distribution destination names registered in advance in the distribution destination memory in the control device. If the name is the same as the name already recorded, the name of the display buffer memory is stored in the column of the number of vacant overlaps next to the number of bins in which the name is registered.

If the name stored in the display buffer memory does not match any of the distribution destination names registered in advance in the distribution destination memory in the control device, an empty column of the distribution destination memory is searched for. The character stored in the buffer memory is read out and stored in the distribution destination memory in the control device.

The order of storage in the distribution destination memory is, first, from the first bin of the number of overlapping cases to the maximum bin (in this case, 5). When all the bins are full, the number of overlapping cases is the second. Fill from one bin in the row. Number of overlapping 3
The same applies to the following items.

On the other hand, when the user removes the recording medium on the bin of the sorting device 103, the paper ejection sensor 104 detects the recording medium.
Delete the characters in the distribution list column of the corresponding bin.

The distribution destination information stored in the distribution destination memory is displayed on the display unit 201 of the user interface unit 102 in a table format, for example, as indicated by 207.

On the other hand, since the input document is created by the PC 110 using computer codes, the image forming apparatus 1
In 01, a computer code is interpreted, firstly developed into bitmap data, and then visualized and printed on a recording medium. The printed recording medium is discharged to the corresponding bin 104 of the sorting device 103. Then, a paper discharge sensor 105 provided in the bin 104 from which the recording medium has been discharged detects the presence of the recording medium. When the recording medium is removed, the paper ejection sensor 105 returns to an empty state, and in response to the signal, the control device of the image forming apparatus 101 cancels the display indicating the distribution destination corresponding to the bin 104 returned to the empty state. Perform control.

The above operation will be described with reference to a flowchart.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of image forming apparatus 101. The processing of this flowchart is performed by the CPU in the control device. The same applies to other flowcharts.

When the power switch of the image forming apparatus 101 is turned on, the apparatus is initialized in step S301. For example, the number of bins of the sorting apparatus 103 is checked and set.

When the initialization is completed, the apparatus checks whether there is an image forming request from the network (S302).
If there is no image forming request here, this step S
Polling is performed at 302. If there is an image formation request, the process moves to the next step S303, where the distribution destination information of the document is read out from the image formation request command and stored in the distribution destination name buffer memory in the control device (S303). The procedure for comparing with the already registered name and storing it in the distribution destination memory is as described above.

When the distribution list can be set, S305
Then, the distribution destination list 207 is displayed on the display unit 201 of the user interface unit 102. An example is as shown in FIG.

Next, in step S306, an image is formed on a recording medium in accordance with the image forming request, and in step S307, the recording medium is discharged to a bin corresponding to the sorting apparatus 103.

Thus, a series of image formation is completed, and S302
And waits for the next image forming request. The method of deleting the distribution destination display is as described above.

Next, a method of setting and registering a distribution destination in a specific bin in advance will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the power switch of the image forming apparatus 101 is turned on, initialization of the apparatus is performed. First, in S402, the input keys 202 to 20 of the user interface unit 102 are set.
6 is pressed. If there is no key-in, repeat this step until there is a key-in.
If there is a key-in, it is menu key 2 in S403
02 is determined. If it is not a menu key, it is not in this mode, and the process returns to S402. S for menu key
Proceeding to 404, it is determined whether the mode is the distribution destination setting mode. To be more precise, the operation mode changes according to the number of times the menu key 202 is pressed. If the mode is not the distribution destination setting mode, the process returns to S402. If the mode is the distribution destination setting mode, a distribution destination setting screen is displayed in step S405. Although not shown here, for example, characters and numbers are displayed on the display unit 201 of the user interface unit 102 like a keyboard. In S406, the user operates the cursor keys 203 to select characters one by one on the screen of S405, and sets the distribution destination name by pressing the enter key 206 when the distribution destination name is created. Next, the bin stage of the sorting device 103 is set by operating the cursor key 203 in the same manner. When the bin corresponding to the distribution destination has been set, S407 checks whether the setting is correct. For example, if the user presses the enter key 206 here, OK is determined, and if the clear key 205 is pressed, NG is determined. If it is correct, the setting is stored in the distribution list of the control device in S408, and the process returns to S402. On the other hand, if it is not correct in S407, the process proceeds to S409, and the user is asked whether the setting is reset. In the case of resetting, the process returns to S405, and a distribution destination name setting screen is displayed. If the settings have not been reset, the total is decremented and the process returns to S402.

Next, the display means 106 provided in each bin of the sorting device 103 will be described.

The display means 106 provided in each bin of the sorting device 103 displays information of one stage of the distribution destination list displayed on the display unit 201 of the user interface unit 102,
The information is displayed on the display unit 106 of the corresponding bin 104. If one bin has a group of recording media, one distribution destination name in the distribution destination memory may be displayed. However, if a plurality of recording media are output overlapping one bin,
Display a plurality of corresponding distribution destination names sequentially.

The method of setting the distribution destination in advance is the same as described above.

If a user who has already registered a distribution destination makes an image forming request a plurality of times, the same bin level
The recording medium is output overlapping the first and second cases. An example is shown in FIG. In the figure, “Kamata” registers a name in advance and makes an image forming request three times.

The first image formation request of Kamata is stored in the first bin, which is a field registered in advance. The second and subsequent image forming requests of Kamata are stored in the first, second, and third bins, respectively. Note that, in this figure, the numbers indicating the number of cases are displayed together with 2 and 3 for the second and subsequent times.

In FIG. 5, "YAGUCHI" is a case where three copies of a multi-page document are output and a sorter is designated by one image forming request. In this case, when the control device receives the image forming request and interprets the setting, the sorter is used for three bins, so the corresponding distribution destination list is used for three bins. Also in this case, the numbers 1, 2, and 3 indicating the number of copies are displayed together.

In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus has been described as a printer which is connected to a network and forms an image in response to an image forming request from a user. However, the present invention is applied to a so-called multifunction machine which can be used as a copy machine and a facsimile machine. When applied, bins of sorting means are assigned to a copy user or a group of work units of facsimile reception, and in that case, "copy" and "FAX" are output to the first display means. The displayed function may be displayed.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
By providing a display means for displaying a distribution destination for each group of recording media, it is possible to easily determine to whom the recording media on the bin of the sorting device is addressed.

Further, since a means is provided which allows a specific user to set the distribution destination name and the discharge bin in association with each other in advance, priority can be given to a user who uses the apparatus very frequently.

Further, by providing the display means of the distribution destination in each bin of the sorting means, the distribution destination can be determined more clearly. Further, the display means provided in this bin can be used as a display for knowing the presence or absence of a recording medium by displaying or not displaying.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the overall system configuration of Embodiment 2. Hereinafter, each device and an outline of the operation will be described.

The image forming apparatus 601 is connected to a network server 109 and a plurality of PCs 110 by a network cable 107. Reference numeral 108 denotes a terminating resistor of the network cable 107. They are,
A so-called network printer is formed.

On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 601 has a built-in user interface section 602 and is connected to a recording medium sorting apparatus 603. Sorting device 60
3, reference numeral 604 denotes a bin for sorting and holding the discharged recording medium, and each bin 604 includes a paper discharge sensor 1;
05 is provided, and the presence or absence of a recording medium on the bin 604 is detected for each bin. Reference numeral 606 denotes display means for indicating a bin having a desired recording medium, such as a light bulb or an LED lamp.

As shown in FIG. 7, a user interface unit 602 displays a message to a user under the control of the control device of the image forming apparatus 601.
And key input units 702 to 706 through which a user inputs operation instructions to the image forming apparatus 601.

A menu key 702 is a key for selecting various service modes of the apparatus, and a cursor key 703
Are keys for designating the position of a cursor appearing on the display unit 201, and are composed of four keys: upper, lower, left, and right. A distribution destination display key 704 is a key for selecting a mode in which the distribution destination of the recording medium is displayed on the display unit 201. When the key is pressed once, the display mode is entered. Delete key 705
Is a key that is effective when the display mode is set by operating the display key 704, and is a key for deleting the distribution destination name specified by the cursor key 203. Bin lighting key 706
Is an effective key when the display mode is operated by operating the display key 704. When the user wants to retrieve the distribution destination name specified by the cursor key 703, the user presses this key to display the corresponding bin display means 606. It is lit so that the user can easily determine where the desired recording medium is.

Table 207 is an output example of the distribution destination list. The number on the left side of the vertical axis indicates the number of bins (bin positions) of the sorting apparatus, and the horizontal axis indicates the number of overlapping cases.

In the configuration described above, a case where a document is to be printed from one of the PCs 110 will be considered.

First, the PC 110 creates a document, inputs a distribution destination name, and gives a print command. The distribution destination name and the document are sent to the image forming apparatus 601 via the network cable 107 and the server 109.

First, the distribution destination name is the computer PC11.
Since the code is sent to the image forming apparatus 601 after being coded at the beginning of the print command from 0, the control device of the image forming apparatus 601 interprets the code and converts the code into a character and stores it in a buffer memory for display. .

Next, the empty bin 604 of the sorting device 603 is searched, and the character stored in the buffer memory is read out and stored in the distribution destination memory corresponding to the bin in the control device.

The distribution destination information stored in the distribution destination memory is displayed on the display unit 201 of the user interface unit 602 in a table format such as 207.

On the other hand, since this document is created by the computer code on the PC 110, the image forming apparatus 6
In 01, a computer code is interpreted, firstly developed into bitmap data, and then visualized and printed on a recording medium. The printed recording medium is discharged to a corresponding bin 604 of the sorting device 603. Then, the paper discharge sensor 105 provided in the bin 604 from which the recording medium has been discharged detects the presence of the recording medium. When the recording medium is removed, the paper ejection sensor 105 returns to an empty state, and in response to the signal, the control device of the image forming apparatus 601 deletes the display indicating the distribution destination corresponding to the bin 604 returned to the empty state. Perform control.

The above operation will be described with reference to a flowchart.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of image forming apparatus 601.

When the power switch of the image forming apparatus 601 is turned on, the apparatus is initially set in step S801. For example, the number of bins of the sorting apparatus 603 is confirmed and set.

When the initial setting is completed, the apparatus checks whether there is an image forming request from the network (S802).
If there is no image forming request here, this step S
Polling is performed at 802. If there is an image formation request, the process moves to the next step S803, where the distribution destination information of the document is read from the image formation request command and stored in the distribution destination name buffer memory in the control device. Next, this distribution destination is set in the distribution destination list (S804). In this list, the number of bins is set in order from 1 and the number of overlapping cases is set in order from 1 by finding an empty area.

When the distribution destination list has been set, S805
Then, the distribution destination list 207 is displayed on the display unit 201 of the user interface unit 602. The example is as having shown in FIG.

Next, in step S806, an image is formed on a recording medium in accordance with the image formation request, and in step S807, the recording medium is discharged to a corresponding bin of the sorting apparatus 103.

Thus, a series of image formation is completed, and S802
And waits for the next image forming request. The method of deleting the distribution destination display is as described above.

Next, a case where a distribution destination is displayed by a user's operation and a part of the display content is deleted will be described.

When the user presses the display key 704 of the user interface unit 602, the display enters a "distribution destination display mode", and a distribution destination list such as the list 207 is displayed.
This is because the distribution destination list of the control device is read and the list is displayed on the display unit 201 of the user interface unit 602.

In this mode, the user designates a specific distribution destination in the displayed distribution destination list by operating the cursor key 703, and further presses the delete key 705, the selected specific distribution destination is displayed. delete.

For example, in the distribution list 207, the user designates the first overlap, the fourth bin “Marco”, and sends the delete key 7
By pressing 05, "Mark" is deleted, and instead, "Meguro" is controlled to be moved to the position of "Mark" and displayed. After this, it goes without saying that the user removes the recording medium addressed to "Marco" from the four bins.

Next, the bin display will be described.

First, similarly to the above-described deletion mode, when the distribution destination is displayed, the user operates the cursor key 703 to select a desired distribution destination and presses the bin lighting key 70.
When 6 is pressed, the display means 606 of the bin 104 corresponding to the sorting device 603 is turned on.

For example, by instructing “Okayama” in the second bin of the distribution destination list 207 and pressing the bin lighting key 706, the display means 606 of the corresponding two bins is turned on.

In the embodiment, the image forming apparatus has been described as a printer which is connected to a network and forms an image in response to an image forming request from a user, but is applicable to a so-called multifunction machine which can be used as a copy and a facsimile. Is assigned a bin of the sorting device to a copy user or a group of work units of facsimile reception. In this case, "copy", "F" is displayed on the first display means.
The function output as “AX” may be displayed.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
By allocating one bin of a sorting device such as a sorter for each group of recording media and providing a means for displaying a corresponding distribution destination on a display means of a user interface unit,
It is easy to determine to whom the recording medium is.

Further, even if a large number of image forming requests are concentrated at substantially the same time, a plurality of jobs are discharged in a single bin in a superimposed manner, and the overlapping order is displayed in a matrix list, so that the bins can be easily identified. It is possible to prevent the recording medium from being mixed.

Further, the distribution destination display can be displayed by the user's operation, which is more convenient.

Further, when a part of the recording medium is removed, a part of the distribution destination list can be deleted.

Further, by selecting a desired distribution destination from the distribution destination list, the display means of the corresponding bin of the sorting apparatus is turned on, and a desired recording medium can be easily found.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the overall system configuration of Embodiment 3. In FIG. Hereinafter, each device and an outline of the operation will be described.

The image forming apparatus 901 is connected to a network server 109 and a plurality of PCs 110 by a network cable 107. Reference numeral 108 denotes a terminating resistor of the network cable 107. They are,
A so-called network printer is formed.

On the other hand, a recording medium sorting apparatus 903 is connected to the image forming apparatus 901. Sorting device 90
In 3, reference numeral 904 denotes bins for sorting and holding discharged recording media, and each bin 904 is provided with a first display unit 906 for displaying a distribution destination. The first display unit 906 displays characters on an LED display, a liquid crystal display, or the like, for example.

Each bin 904 is provided with a paper discharge sensor 10.
5 is provided, and when the recording medium is ejected onto the bin 904, it is detected for each bin. Reference numeral 907 denotes second display means for displaying that a recording medium is present on the bin 904 when any one of the paper discharge sensors 105 detects a recording medium, such as an LED lamp or a light bulb. .

In the above-described configuration, a case where a document is to be printed from one of the PCs 110 will be considered.

First, the PC 110 creates a document, inputs a distribution destination name, and gives a print command. This document is sent to the image forming apparatus 901 via the network cable 107 and the server 109. This document is available on PC110
In the image forming apparatus 901, the computer code is interpreted, first developed into bitmap data, and then visualized and printed on a recording medium. . The printed recording medium is discharged to, for example, the uppermost bin 904 of the sorting device 903.

On the other hand, the distribution destination name is the computer PC11.
Since the code is sent to the image forming apparatus 901 at the beginning of the print command from 0, the control apparatus of the image forming apparatus 901 interprets the code, converts the code into a character string and stores it in a buffer memory for display. deep. Next, the empty bin 904 of the sorting device 903 is searched, and the first bin 904 of the bin 904 is searched.
Is displayed on the display means 906.

When the paper discharge sensor 105 provided in the uppermost bin 904 detects the presence of the recording medium, the control device of the image forming apparatus 901 turns on the second display means 907 to discharge the paper onto the bin. Indicates that paper has been printed.

The above operation will be described with reference to a flowchart.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of image forming apparatus 901.

When the power switch of the image forming apparatus 901 is turned on, the apparatus is initialized. First, in step S1001, the number of bins of the sorting apparatus 903 is checked, and the maximum value is set as Nmax. Next, an initial value when bins are sequentially set in S1002 is set. For example, to set from the top, the initial value N is set to 1.

When the initialization is completed, the apparatus checks whether there is an image forming request from the network (S1003).
If there is no image forming request here, this step S
At 1003, polling is performed. If there is an image formation request,
In step S1004, the distribution destination of the document is read from the image formation request command and stored in the display name memory in the control device. Next, in S1005, N of the sorting device 903 is set.
Go to empty bin flag FN. When the flag is 0, it indicates empty. For N, N = 1 in the initial setting S1002.
In this case, it is 1. The empty flag FN will be described later with reference to FIG.

If the flag of F1 is 1 in S1005, that is, if there is no free space, N is set to 2 in S1006. Hereinafter, S
1005 and S1006 are routines for sequentially checking the empty flag. If the flag is 0 in S1005, that is, if there is a vacancy, the process proceeds to S1007, and it is determined whether the N value at that time is smaller than the bin number Nmax set in the initial setting S1001. Here, the N value is set to the initial setting S1001.
When the number of bins is smaller than or equal to the number of bins Nmax set in step S10,
08, the N bin display means of the sorting device 903 displays S10
The characters of the display name memory extracted in step 04 are set (S10
08).

If the value of N is larger than the number of bins Nmax set in the initial setting S1001 in S1007, it means that all the bins are not empty. And a plurality of characters in the display name memory extracted in S1004.

Next, in S1010, the character set in S1008 or S1009 is displayed. In the case of S1008, the characters are displayed in N bins, and in the case of S1009, a plurality of characters are sequentially displayed in one bin. Next, an image is formed on a recording medium in accordance with the image formation request in S1011.
At 1012, the recording medium is discharged to the corresponding bin of the sorting device 903.

Thus, a series of image formation is completed, and S100
Then, the process returns to step S3 to wait for the next image forming request.

Next, the empty flag processing will be described with reference to FIG.

When the power switch of the image forming apparatus 901 is turned on, the apparatus is initialized. First, in step S1101, the number of bins of the sorting apparatus 903 is checked, and the maximum value is set as Nmax. Next, an initial value at the time of sequentially setting bins in S1102 is set. For example, to set from the top, the initial value N is set to 1. Next, in step S1103, all empty flags FN indicating that N bins are empty are set to 0. Next, in step S1104, a flag Fd2 indicating that the second display unit 907 is turned on is set to 0, and the light is turned off.

When the initial setting is completed, it is determined in step S1105 whether or not the N bins are empty. At first, N is 1 in S1102
And look at the top row. Here, if the bin is empty,
In S1107, FN is set to 0, FN is incremented by 1 in S1108, it is determined in S1109 whether N is larger than the number of bins Nmax of the sorting apparatus 103, and if N is smaller than Nmax, the flow returns to S1105.

If N bins are not empty in S1105, FN is set to 1 in S1106, and the flow advances to S1108.

If N is larger than Nmax in S1009, the process advances to S1110 to add all the values of the empty flag FN from 1 to Nmax and determine whether it is 0.
That is, it is determined whether or not all bins are empty. here,
If the sum of FN is 0, all bins are empty, so S
Proceed to 1111 to display the flag Fd2 of the second display unit 907.
Is set to 0, and the display is turned off in S1112.

If the sum of the FNs is not 0 in S1110, there is a recording medium in one of the bins.
The flag Fd2 of the second display means 907 is set to 1 and S1
At 114, the display is turned on.

After the display state of the second display means 907 has been set in S1112 or S1114, N is returned to 1 in S1115, and the flow returns to S1115 to repeat the flag processing routine.

When the empty flag of the N bin changes from 1 to 0, it indicates that the recording medium on the bin has been removed, and this is displayed on the first display means 906 of the N bin. Delete the character setting of the character that is

Next, a modification of FIG. 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the power switch of the image forming apparatus 901 is turned on, the apparatus is initialized. First, in step S1201, the number of bins of the sorting apparatus 903 is checked, and the maximum value is set as Nmax. Next, in step S1202, an initial value for sequentially setting bins is set. For example, to set from the top, the initial value N is set to 1.

When the initialization is completed, the apparatus checks whether there is an image forming request from the network (S1203).
If there is no image forming request here, this step S
At 1203, polling is performed. If there is an image formation request,
In step S1204, the distribution destination of the document is read from the image formation request command and stored in the display name memory in the control device. Next, in S1205, the empty flag FN of the N bin of the sorting device 903 is checked. When the flag is 0, it indicates empty. N is set to 1 in this case because N = 1 was set in the initial setting S1202. The empty flag FN is as described with reference to FIG.

If the flag of F1 is 1 in S1205, that is, if there is no free space, N is set to 2 in S1206. Hereinafter, S
Steps 1205 and S1206 are routines for sequentially checking the empty flag. If the flag is 0 in S1205, that is, if there is a vacancy, the process proceeds to S1207, and it is determined whether the N value at that time is smaller than the number of bins Nmax set in the initial setting S1201. Here, the N value is set to the initial setting S1201.
When the number of bins Nmax is equal to or smaller than the value set in step S1208, the N bin display means 906 of the sorting apparatus 903 displays in step S1208.
Set the characters of the display name memory extracted in.

If the N value is larger than the number of bins Nmax set in the initial setting S1201 in S1207, it means that there is no empty space in all the bins, and the process shifts to S1209 to set the N value to S1.
It is determined whether the number of bins Nmax set in 401 is equal to or less than twice the number of bins Nmax. If the N value is not more than twice Nmax, S
The characters displayed in the (N to Nmax) bin in 1210 and the characters extracted in S1204 are set as the (N to Nmax) bin display. N value is Nma in S1209
If it is not less than twice x, in S1211, the character displayed on the display means of one bin (top bin) of the sorting device 903 and S1 as in S1009 described above.
A plurality of characters in the display name memory extracted in 204 are set.

Next, in S1212, S1208, S1
The character set in 210 or S1211 is displayed.
In the case of S1208, the characters are displayed in N bins, and in the case of S1210 and S1211, a plurality of characters are sequentially displayed in one bin. Next, in step S1213, an image is formed on a recording medium in accordance with the image forming request, and in step S1214, the recording medium is discharged to a corresponding bin of the sorting device 903.

Thus, a series of image formation is completed, and S120
Then, the process returns to step S3 to wait for the next image forming request.

After the recording media are output twice in each bin, in S1211, all the recording media are superimposed on the uppermost stage, but may be superimposed on the lowermost stage, and N is sequentially set to mNmax. (However, m is an integer of 3 or more) may be determined to be less than or equal to determine whether output can be performed m times.

Next, the partition paper will be described.

As described above, when the recording medium is output in a bin of the sorting apparatus twice or more, the maximum size of the image recording apparatus or a predetermined type of recording medium is used. Control may be added so that one sheet is output as a partition paper on the corresponding bin and the second and subsequent outputs are performed thereon.

In the above description, the first display means for displaying the distribution destination is provided for each bin, and the second display means for indicating the presence of the recording medium on any bin is provided. The display of the display means may be interpreted as the display of the second display means, and the second display means may be removed.

The image forming apparatus has been described as a printer which is connected to a network and forms an image in response to an image forming request from a user. However, in the case where the present invention is applied to a so-called multifunction machine which can be used as a copy and facsimile, Bins of the sorting device are assigned to a copy user or a group of work units of facsimile reception, and in this case, the function of outputting "copy" and "FAX" is displayed on the first display means. Is also good.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
By providing the first display means for displaying the distribution destination for each group of recording media, it is possible to easily determine to whom the recording medium is.

In addition, by providing the second display means for indicating the presence of the recording medium, if it is set at a position that is easy to see,
It is possible to easily determine the presence or absence of a recorded recording medium even from a distant place.

Even if the number of bins of the sorting device is limited, a plurality of recording media are output in a single bin by superposing
Multiple corresponding displays can now be displayed in each bin.

In the case where the recording media overlap, a partition paper can be inserted to make it easy to distinguish them.

[0140]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus, a display method, and a storage medium which can easily determine a distribution destination of a recording medium on a bin of a sorting apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall system configuration of a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration and a display example of a user interface unit.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation in a distribution destination setting mode.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a distribution destination list.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the overall system configuration of a second embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration and a display example of an interface unit.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the overall system configuration of a third embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an empty flag process;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation of a modification of the third embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Image forming apparatus 102 User interface unit 103 Sorting apparatus 104 Bin 106 Display means

Claims (26)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; and a sorting unit that has a bin that sorts the recording medium on which an image is formed by the image forming unit. Display means for displaying the distribution destination of the recording medium for each group in a state of being associated with the bin for discharging the recording medium, and control means for discharging the recording medium having the image formed in the bin corresponding to the distribution destination. An image forming apparatus comprising: 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising registration means for registering a distribution destination of the recording medium and a bin for discharging the recording medium in advance. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display means is a display means provided in each bin of the sorting means. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display means is a display means provided in a user interface unit and a display means provided in each bin of the sorting means. 5. The control means, when receiving an image forming request from a user, judges whether the distribution destination matches any of the registered distribution destinations, and if the distribution destination matches, the distribution destination is registered. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image is displayed in association with the same bin as the distribution destination, and when not coincident, the image is displayed in association with an empty bin. 6. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when there is no empty bin when the user requests image formation, the control unit sequentially assigns the bin from the uppermost bin. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means deletes the display of the distribution destination corresponding to the bin on the display means when the recording medium on the bin of the sorting means is removed. Image forming apparatus. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit allocates a plurality of bins to a distribution destination of the user when the user requests use of a plurality of bins when the user requests the image formation. 2. The image forming apparatus according to 1. 9. The image according to claim 1, wherein the control means displays a copy destination, a facsimile, and the like, which are output functions of the distribution destination, in addition to the display of the distribution destination on the display means. Forming equipment. 10. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium; and a sorting unit having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming unit. Display means for displaying a distribution destination of a recording medium for each group of image forming requests and a bin for discharging the recording medium, and discharging the recording medium having an image formed in the bin corresponding to the distribution destination. An image forming apparatus comprising: 11. The control means, when the number of distribution destinations is larger than the number of bins of the sorting means, causes one bin to discharge a group of a plurality of recording media having different distribution destinations, and causes the display means to display each bin with each bin. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a group of a plurality of recording media corresponding thereto is displayed together with the number of overlapping cases. 12. A control means for deleting a part of the display of each bin and a corresponding group of a plurality of recording media on the display means in response to a user instruction to the user interface unit. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein
2. The image forming apparatus according to 1. 13. A lighting display means such as a lamp is provided for each bin of the sorting means, and the control means records the distribution destination when the distribution destination of the recording medium is selected by a user's instruction to the user interface unit. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the lighting display means provided in a bin of the sorting means having a medium is lit. 14. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium; and a sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image has been formed by the image forming means. First display means for displaying the distribution destination of the recording medium provided in each bin, control means for discharging the recording medium image-formed in the bin corresponding to the distribution destination of the recording medium, and An image forming apparatus comprising: a second display unit for displaying the presence of a recording medium. 15. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, and sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means, wherein images from a plurality of users connected to a network are provided. What is claimed is: 1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image in response to a formation request, comprising: first display means provided in each bin of said sorting means for displaying a distribution destination of a recording medium; Control means for extracting information, displaying the distribution destination on the first display means, and discharging the recording medium on which the image has been formed in response to the image forming request to a corresponding bin, and the presence of the recording medium on the bin of the sorting means An image forming apparatus, comprising: a second display unit for displaying a message to be displayed. 16. The control means according to claim 14, wherein the control means continues the display on the first display means and the second display means until the recording medium is removed from the bin. Image forming device. 17. The control unit, when a recording medium is present in one bin of the sorting unit and another image forming request is received from another user, assigns another bin of the sorting unit to another bin. 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein another bin is sequentially allocated when an image is formed. 18. A control unit, wherein a recording medium is present on all bins of the sorting unit and there is no empty bin, and when an image forming request is made by a user, the uppermost unit or the lowermost unit of the sorting unit. 18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein bins are allocated. 19. The control means, when a recording medium is present on all bins of the sorting means and there is no empty bin, and when a user requests image formation, the uppermost or lowermost part of the sorting means. 18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein each bin is sequentially allocated from the bin. 20. When allocating one bin of the sorting means to a plurality of distribution destinations, the control means discharges the partition paper for each recording medium of each distribution destination, and then discharges the recording medium on which the image is formed in an overlapping manner. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein
Alternatively, the image forming apparatus according to claim 19. 21. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium; and a sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means. A first display unit provided in each bin for displaying the distribution destination of the recording medium; and a control unit for discharging the recording medium formed in the bin corresponding to the distribution destination of the recording medium. Image forming device. 22. Image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium, and sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means, wherein images from a plurality of users connected to a network are provided. What is claimed is: 1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image in response to a formation request, comprising: first display means provided in each bin of said sorting means for displaying a distribution destination of a recording medium; An image forming apparatus, comprising: control means for extracting information, displaying a distribution destination on the first display means, and discharging a recording medium on which an image is formed in response to the image formation request to a corresponding bin. 23. An image comprising image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium, sorting means such as a sorter and a stacker for sorting the recording medium, interface means for displaying the state of the apparatus, and control means. In the forming apparatus, the interface means displays characters indicating the distribution destination of the recording medium and the bin positions of the sorting means in a matrix, and when the number of distribution destinations is larger than the number of bins of the sorting means, A plurality of distribution destinations different from each other are assigned to one bin and displayed together with the number of overlapping cases, and input means for inputting an operation instruction from a user is provided.The control means corresponds to the bin position displayed on the user interface means. The recording medium on which the image of the distribution destination to be formed is discharged, and when the distribution destination of the recording medium is selected by the input means, An image forming apparatus that, when one of the distribution destinations is selected, deletes the display of the selected distribution destination. 24. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium; a sorting means such as a sorter or a stacker for sorting the recording medium; a user interface means for displaying a state of the apparatus; and a control means. In the image forming apparatus, the user interface unit includes an input unit that displays a character indicating a distribution destination of the recording medium together with a bin position of the sorting unit, and inputs an operation instruction from a user. The bin is provided with a display means such as a lamp, and the control means causes the bin position displayed on the user interface means to discharge the image-formed recording medium of the corresponding distribution destination. When the character indicating the distribution destination is selected, the display means of the bin of the sorting means having the corresponding recording medium is turned on. An image forming apparatus. 25. A display method in an image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium; and a sorting means having a bin for sorting the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means. A display method, wherein a distribution destination of a group of the recording medium on which the image is formed and a bin for discharging the recording medium are displayed in association with each other. 26. A storage medium storing a program for realizing the display method according to claim 25 via a CPU.