JP4715638B2 - Image forming system and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming system and an image forming apparatus.

  Documents, images, and the like created by a word processor, a personal computer, and the like are formed by transferring data to the built-in or external image forming apparatus by data transmission. Various techniques related to processing in case of line abnormality in data transmission have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  This patent document 1 discloses a technique relating to a printing process for transferring data by, for example, IEEE1394. And when that technology is transferring data with other devices, if the lower layer is disconnected, the session is held for a certain period of time, and if the connection is restored within a certain period of time, data transfer is continued. It is characterized by controlling the upper layer as it does. As a result, it is possible to recover from a line disconnection due to carelessness of the user during data transfer.

JP 2000-36824 A

  By the way, in recent years, image forming apparatuses with high image quality and high productivity have been required to have flexible and highly functional UI apparatuses such as various attribute settings and various services of paper stored in a tray through a GUI apparatus. In view of cost performance, short development time, and freedom of GUI design, an image forming apparatus in which a general-purpose personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) or, in some cases, a workstation (hereinafter referred to as WS) is configured as a UI device. May appear. In an image forming apparatus in which a PC is configured as a UI device, it takes a certain time to start and end the PC, and there are many cases where the power supply between the UI device and the image forming device is separated. In such an image forming apparatus, even if either the image forming apparatus main body or the UI apparatus is in a power-off state, each can be operated independently. Further, communication between the image forming apparatus main body and a UI device such as a PC may be disconnected, such as a PC or WS hang-up, even if the power is not turned off.

  In the case where the power supply between the UI device and the image forming apparatus is separated, the power supply between the UI apparatus and the image forming apparatus is taken as a countermeasure when communication is disconnected during job execution. Different ways of processing different from the case of the same configuration are also conceivable.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the technical problems as described above, and an object of the present invention is to perform appropriate control in a case where the UI device falls into a state where it cannot be connected to the printer during job execution. Is to provide.

For this purpose, an image forming system to which the present invention is applied is connected to an image forming apparatus that receives an external print instruction and forms an image on a recording material according to the print instruction, and is communicably connected to the image forming apparatus. A user interface device that accepts input from a user and outputs the image to the image forming apparatus and displays information based on data input from the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus and the user interface apparatus are controlled and supplied with power separately from each other, and the image forming apparatus detects the disconnection of communication between the image forming apparatus and the user interface apparatus. And processing to be performed for a print instruction that has been accepted when communication disconnection is detected by the detection means. Holding means for holding the information, it is characterized in that it comprises a.

The holding means may hold information on a process selected by the user among a plurality of predetermined processes.
The image forming apparatus may further include re-establishing means for re-establishing communication between the disconnected image forming apparatus and the user interface device. In addition, after the communication between the image forming apparatus and the user interface apparatus is reestablished by the reestablishing unit, the image forming apparatus restarts or cancels the print instruction for which the stop process has been performed. it can.
The image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit that acquires and stores information on the stopped print instruction being executed, and the storage unit transmits the stored print instruction information to the restored user interface device. Can be characterized.
The image forming apparatus may further include a storage unit that stores information about whether or not to accept a new print instruction after the disconnection of the communication is detected by the detection unit.
The image forming apparatus includes a device controller, a power source control unit that controls the device controller to a power saving state and a power off state, and a power source control unit that controls the device controller in a power saving state and / or a power source after detecting disconnection of communication by the detection unit. And holding means for holding the elapsed time to be turned off as information.

From another viewpoint, the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied is an image forming apparatus that receives a print instruction from the outside, and is connected to an external user interface device that does not transmit the print instruction to the image forming apparatus. capable configured, controlled and the supply of power to the user interface device is performed separately between the image forming apparatus main body for forming an image on a recording material by a print instruction from the outside, the image forming apparatus main body and the user interface device Holding detection information for detecting that the communication connected in (1) has been disconnected, and processing information including continuation execution to be performed for a received print instruction when communication disconnection is detected by the detection means; and Holding means for holding information on processing to be performed by the image forming apparatus main body against a stop factor that has occurred during continuous execution. It is intended.

The processing information for the stop factor held by the holding unit may include executing an executable print instruction that is not affected by the stop factor.
In addition, a power control unit that controls the image forming apparatus main body to a power saving state and a power off state, and an elapsed time from when the disconnection of communication is detected by the detecting unit until the image forming apparatus main body is turned into a power saving state and / or power off. Storing means as information, and when the image forming apparatus main body is executing a print instruction when the elapsed time held by the holding means has passed, the power control means is in a power-saving state after the end of execution. And / or power off.

According to the first aspect, it is possible to provide appropriate control when the user interface device falls into a state where it cannot be connected to the image forming apparatus during execution of the print instruction.
According to claim 2, it is possible to improve the user-friendliness.
According to the third aspect, it is possible to save time and effort for the user to input characters.
According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to omit the trouble of re-establishing by the user himself / herself.
According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to notify the user of a print instruction to cancel execution.
According to the sixth aspect, it is possible to control the reception of the print instruction after the communication is disconnected.
According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to contribute to power saving of the image forming apparatus.
According to the eighth aspect, it is possible to provide appropriate control when the user interface device falls into a state where it cannot be connected to the image forming apparatus main body during execution of the print instruction.
According to the ninth aspect, it is possible to proceed with execution of executable print instructions.
According to the tenth aspect, it is possible to contribute to power saving of the image forming apparatus.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming system according to the present embodiment.
The image forming system includes a plurality of clients 100 (specifically, 100a, 100b, and 100c), a network 200, an external controller 300, a printer 1, and a UI (User Interface) device 10.

The client 100 transmits job data including, for example, print data described in PDL (Page Description Language), an execution instruction for an image forming operation, and the like to the network 200.
The external controller 300 as a conversion device interprets job data as image data received via the network 200 and transmits the obtained image forming data (bitmap data).
The printer 1 as an image forming apparatus forms an image on a target sheet based on image forming data received from the external controller 300.
The UI device 10 as a user interface device is a device having a separate housing from the printer 1 and is configured by a computer device such as a PC (Personal Computer). The UI device 10 receives settings of various image forming conditions in the printer 1 and transmits the obtained setting data to the printer 1.
In the printer 1, the control unit or the device controller 14 sets various image forming conditions based on the received setting data. Further, the printer 1 transmits the obtained error information to the UI device 10 when an error such as running out of paper occurs. In this case, the UI device 10 displays the received error information on a display or the like. The printer 1 includes a device controller 14 to be described later.

  Here, the UI device 10 has a function that can be operated immediately by supplying power to a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device such as a hard disk drive, a display device such as a liquid crystal display, etc. that constitute a computer device. It can be set to a standby state (non-power-saving state) to be maintained. In addition, the UI device 10 is set to a power saving state that reduces power consumption of the UI device 10 during standby by stopping or reducing power supply to a part of the CPU, memory, storage device, display device, and the like. You can also. More specifically, the UI device 10 is configured by a PC or the like as described above, and the setting data input program or the like operates on an OS such as Windows (registered trademark). Therefore, the UI device 10 controls the power supply state based on a power management standard such as ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface).

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the image forming system according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 1 is connected to an external device via a network. For this reason, the printer 1 can take in image data sent from, for example, an external device via a network.

The printer 1 includes a UI device 10 having a user operation screen 10a (see FIG. 5), an image input unit (scanner) 11 that optically reads an image from a document, and an image output unit 12 that prints image information on paper. And. In the present embodiment, the external controller 300 is arranged outside the printer 1, but it is also conceivable that the external controller 300 is arranged inside the printer 1. In this case, the external controller 300 executes a print job (print instruction) and a scan job by communicating with an external device.
The printer 1 also includes a device controller 14 that controls the UI device 10, the image input unit 11, the image output unit 12, and the external controller 300, and executes a copy job. The printer 1 also includes a switch circuit 15 that is connected to the external controller 300 via a cable (local network) and switches signals among the image output unit 12, the external controller 300, and the device controller 14.

  Here, the UI device 10 is configured to control and supply power separately from the printer 1. More specifically, the UI device 10 may be configured as an external device such as a computer device in addition to the UI device of the printer 1.

  The printer 1 performs processing (print job) for printing image data captured via the network by an image output unit (printer) 12 and image data captured by the image input unit (scanner) 11 of the printer 1 via an external network. A process (scan job) to be transferred to the device is executed. The printer 1 is also configured to execute processing (copy job) in which image data captured by the internal image input unit 11 is processed and printed by the internal image output unit 12.

  The external controller 300 creates image data based on, for example, a job (print instruction) transmitted from an external device via a network, and performs print service through exclusive control with the device controller 14 by an external controller control IF (interface). Is to provide. The external controller 300 controls the scan job by the network IF and provides a scan service.

  When a print job is instructed, the image output unit 12 receives image data, sequentially analyzes control commands, performs an image output operation, and prints an image on paper.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the device controller 14.
As shown in FIG. 3, the device controller 14 includes a memory (NMV) 140, an HDD (hard disk drive) 141, a network control unit 142, a user interface control unit 143, and an external controller control unit (communication control unit). 144, an image output control unit 145, a scanner control unit 146, and a system control unit 147. In addition, each control part 142-147 is implement | achieved by the control program.

The user interface control unit 143 displays information necessary for processing the system status and jobs on the operation screen 10a (see FIG. 5) of the UI device 10, and guides the user.
Also, the user interface control unit 143 monitors the communication status between the UI device 10 and the printer 1 and sends a signal to the system control unit 147 when it detects the disconnection of communication. That is, the user interface control unit 143 has a function as a communication disconnection detection unit that detects disconnection of communication.
The user interface control unit 143 reestablishes communication between the disconnected device controller 14 and the UI device 10. That is, the user interface control unit 143 has a function as communication reconnection means (reestablishment means) for reestablishing communication after the UI device 10 is restored.
In addition, the user interface control unit 143 notifies an external device or the external controller 300, the client 100 (see FIG. 1), the network UI, and the like that the connection with the UI device 10 is disconnected or restored. Also, the job history is transmitted when communication is restored. That is, the user interface control unit 143 has a function as a communication control unit.

  The external controller control unit 144 receives an IF command from the external controller 300 when executing a print job, and executes the print job according to an image input / output sequence for the image output unit 12. Further, the external controller control unit 144 obtains system data in the device controller 14 or system data in the image input unit 11 or the image output unit 12 by communication when the system data is requested from the external controller 300, and performs format conversion processing. I do. In addition, the external controller control unit 144 performs processing associated with a shutdown processing request in the device controller 14 when the power switch (see FIG. 2) is turned off.

The image output control unit 145 performs IF control with the image output unit 12 mainly when executing a copy job, and executes the copy job according to an image input / output sequence for the image output unit 12.
The scanner control unit 146 performs IF control with the image input unit 11 mainly when executing a scan job, and executes the scan job according to an image input / output sequence for the image input unit 11.

  The system control unit 147 arbitrates a plurality of jobs such as a print job and a copy job as the core of the system, and uses system resources. When the system control unit 147 disconnects communication between the UI device 10 and the printer 1 due to a software defect (hangup or stop (end)) or power-off of the UI device 10 during job execution. In addition, job control is performed to determine a job stop method and a job continuation method. That is, the system control unit 147 has a function as job control means.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining processing of the printer 1 according to the first embodiment.
First, the processing content (correspondence) when communication between the UI device 10 and the device controller 14 is disconnected is set through the UI device 10 (step 101). In other words, the user sets a method for stopping and continuing a job being executed on the UI device 10.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 when setting the processing content when communication is disconnected.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the user detects that the communication between the UI device 10 and the device controller 14 is disconnected during the execution of the job by the user interface control unit 143 (see FIG. 3), the processing contents Any one of the four can be selected. Specifically, the options are “immediate stop of job”, “stop in units of job set”, “stop after completion of currently executing job”, and “stop after completion of all accepted jobs”. When the “OK” button is pressed after any one of the four is selected, the selected item is confirmed. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, “immediate job stop” is set as a default.

  Here, “immediate job stop” means that a job being executed is immediately stopped when disconnection is detected. Further, “stop in units of job sets” means that printing is continued until a set being executed is completed, and is stopped when the set is completed. More specifically, when a communication disconnection is detected in the middle of printing one copy of the second document in a print job in which four copies of four documents are printed, two copies of the second sheet without the sorter. The job stops after printing. With the sorter, the second sheet, the third sheet, and the fourth sheet are printed one by one, and the job is stopped.

Further, “stop after completion of the job being executed” means that the job is continued until all the jobs being executed are completed and stopped after the job is completed. That is, in a print job in which four copies of four originals are printed, if the communication disconnection is detected while the second original is being printed, the job is continued until printing of each two copies is completed. . More specifically, in this case, the job is continued in units of jobs. Therefore, when a plurality of jobs are accepted, a job that is not executed remains as it is.
“Stop after completion of all accepted jobs” refers to continuing until all of the already accepted jobs are completed and stopping after completion of all jobs.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the description will be continued. When the processing content is set on the operation screen 10a (see FIG. 5) of the UI device 10, the set processing content is stored in the memory 140 (FIG. 3) as a holding unit by the system control unit 147 (see FIG. 3) of the device controller 14. (See 102) as information (step 102).

  For example, if there is a print job transmitted from an external device via the network, the external controller 300 (see FIG. 2) accepts the print job (step 103), and the device controller 14 (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3). The job is started by control such as (step 104).

  After the job is started, it is monitored by the user interface control unit 143 (see FIG. 3) whether or not the communication between the UI device 10 and the device controller 14 is disconnected (step 105). Then, when communication disconnection is detected, “process at the time of communication disconnection” is started based on the processing content stored in step 102 (step 200). When the job is terminated without detecting disconnection (step 106), it is determined whether there is a job that has not been executed among the accepted jobs (step 107). Start the job, otherwise end it.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining processing at the time of disconnection of communication.
Processing at the time of communication disconnection in the present embodiment is performed as follows. First, the processing content stored in the memory 140 (see FIG. 3) in step 102 (see FIG. 4) is read by the system control unit 147 (see FIG. 3) (step 201). Note that the processing content here is one of “immediate job stop”, “stop in units of job sets”, “stop after completion of currently executing job”, and “stop after completion of all accepted jobs”. is there.

The system control unit 147 executes the read processing content (step 202). That is, if the read processing content is “immediate job stop”, control is performed to immediately stop the job being executed. If “stop in units of job sets” is set, control is performed to stop after the corresponding set is completed. If it is “Stop after completion of running job”, it is controlled to stop after completion of the job being executed. If it is “Stop after completion of all accepted jobs”, all accepted jobs are completed. Control to stop later.
The job stopped in step 202 is managed by the system control unit 147 as job information management means, and the reason for the stop is stored in the memory 140. In other words, the system control unit 147 and the memory 140 constitute a part of a storage unit that acquires and stores information on a stopped job being executed.

  The user interface control unit 143 reestablishes communication between the disconnected UI device 10 and the device controller 14 after the UI device 10 is restored (step 203).

  Thereafter, the system control unit 147 as job information management means determines whether there is a stopped job (step 204). That is, when the processing content read in step 201 is “immediate stop of job” or “stop in units of job sets”, the processing is stopped in the middle of the job. Further, the reason for the stop is stored in the memory 140. An instruction is received from the user on how to process such a stopped job.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 for setting the correspondence of the stopped job.
As shown in FIG. 7, the user can select “resume corresponding job” or “cancel corresponding job”. The system control unit 147 advances the processing of the stopped job in accordance with an instruction from the user (see step 205 in FIG. 6).

  Returning to FIG. 6 and continuing the description, the device controller 14 transmits a job history to the UI device 10. The UI device 10 displays the job history received from the device controller 14 (step 206).

  As described above, when the UI device 10 is configured as an external device of the printer 1, there may be a situation where it is difficult to control the UI device 10 in synchronization with each other. However, in this embodiment, even if one of the UI device 10 and the image forming apparatus main body is inoperable, the other can be operated normally.

  Here, in step 101 shown in FIG. 4, the user can set in advance the acceptance of a job after communication disconnection occurs during the execution of the job. Then, if preset, the setting content is stored in the memory 140 (see FIG. 3) as storage means, and is read out from the memory 140 in step 201 shown in FIG. Further description of accepting such a job will be continued.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen of the UI device 10 configured to accept a job after a communication disconnection occurs during job execution.
On the operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 shown in FIG. 8, the user can select “Do not accept new jobs” or “Perform new acceptance of jobs but do not execute them”. When “Do not accept new job” is selected, the external controller 300 (see FIG. 2) does not accept any new job after the communication is disconnected. On the other hand, when “execute new job but do not execute it” is selected, the external controller 300 (see FIG. 2) accepts the new job even after the communication is cut off. Do not execute the job.

[Second Embodiment]
The present embodiment is almost the same as the flowchart according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, and a description thereof will be omitted. As a difference, in step 101 shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 shown in FIG. 5, the operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 shown in FIG. 9 is also displayed. Further, the processing contents in step 200 shown in FIG. 4 are different.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 for setting processing contents when a job stop factor occurs during job execution after communication disconnection.
As shown in FIG. 9, the user can select “Stop Job Until Job Stop Factor is Cleared” or “Execute Executable Job” as an option when a job stop factor occurs during job execution after communication disconnection. Can be selected.

More specifically, on the operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 shown in FIG. 5, “Stop by job set unit”, “Stop after completion of currently executing job”, or “Stop after completion of all accepted jobs” is selected. The job continues to be executed even after the communication is disconnected. In the present embodiment, processing in the case where some job stop factor occurs during execution of a continuous job is determined in advance.
Therefore, in step 101 shown in FIG. 4, the processing contents other than “immediate job stop” shown in FIG. 5, that is, “stop in units of job sets”, “stop after completion of running job”, or “all received When “Stop after job completion” is selected, an operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 shown in FIG. 9 is displayed.

Examples of the “job stop factor” include a state where a paper jam (jam) or a paper out condition has occurred.
Here, when there are a plurality of sheet feeding trays (not shown) that accommodate sheets to be printed by the image output unit 12 (see FIG. 2), sheets of different sizes can be accommodated for each sheet feeding tray. Therefore, if the job stop factor is, for example, the A4 paper is out of paper, the job cannot be continued or executed if it is a job for printing on A4 paper. However, any job that prints on paper of a size other than A4 paper, such as B5 paper, can be executed without any problem. Therefore, when a job stop factor occurs, it can be assumed that there is an executable job among the accepted jobs. In this embodiment, as described above, even when a job stop factor occurs, when there is an executable job, it is possible to set whether to execute the job.

“Stop job until job stop factor is canceled” here means that if a job stop factor occurs when a job is executed after communication disconnection, all jobs are stopped until the job stop factor is canceled. Stop and do not execute.
In addition, “executable job execution” means that if a job stop factor occurs when the job is executed after disconnection, if there is an executable job among other jobs already accepted, Executing the job. In a specific example, for example, when a paper for A4 paper runs out while a job for printing on A4 paper is executed, but a paper of another size does not run out of paper, For example, if there is a job to print on B5 paper, the job is executed.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining processing at the time of communication disconnection in the second embodiment. That is, FIG. 10 shows the contents of step 200 shown in FIG.
In the present embodiment, first, the processing content stored in the memory 140 (see FIG. 3) is read by the system control unit 147 (see FIG. 3) (step 211). In the present embodiment, the processing content read from the memory 140 includes, in addition to the processing content after communication disconnection, as described above, when a job stop factor occurs during execution of a job after communication disconnection. This processing content is also included.

  The system control unit 147 starts the read processing content (step 212). Until the processing is completed, the system control unit 147 determines whether a job stop factor has occurred (step 213). When the set processing content is completed without causing a job stop factor (step 214), the user interface control unit 143 reopens the disconnected communication as in the case of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Once established (step 215), the UI device 10 displays the job history (step 216).

  When a job stop factor occurs in step 213, the system control unit 147 stores the job stop factor (error cause) in the memory 140, and then executes the processing contents when the job stop factor occurs (step 217). In other words, if the read processing content is “stop job until return”, it is not executed even if there is another executable job. If “executable job is executed”, the system control unit 147 performs control so as to execute a job that can be executed despite occurrence of a job stop factor.

  The user interface control unit 143 reestablishes communication between the disconnected UI device 10 and the device controller 14 after the UI device 10 returns (step 218).

  Then, the system control unit 147 of the device controller 14 reads the job stop factor stored in the memory 140 and transmits the job stop factor to the UI device 10 via the user interface control unit 143. The UI device 10 displays the job stop factor received from the device controller 14 (step 219).

  Thereafter, the system control unit 147 determines whether there is an unexecuted job that has not been executed among the received jobs (step 220). If there is an unexecuted job, the unexecuted job is transferred to the UI device 10. It is displayed (step 221). When the user instructs execution of an unexecuted job displayed on the UI device 10 (step 222), the system control unit 147 executes the instructed unexecuted job (step 223) and ends. Note that it is also conceivable that the user can input the correspondence of a stopped job in the middle of execution using the operation screen 10a shown in FIG.

[Third Embodiment]
The present embodiment is almost the same as the flowchart according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, and a description thereof will be omitted. As a difference, in step 101 shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 shown in FIG. 5, the operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is also displayed. .

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 for setting a power saving state and a condition for shifting to power off for the printer 1.
As shown in FIG. 11, the user can set the time for the printer 1 in advance. That is, the user can set separately the elapsed time until the printer 1 shifts to the power saving state and the elapsed time until the power is turned off. Each set time information is held in the memory 140 (see FIG. 3) as holding means.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the UI device 10 becomes inoperable and cannot be restored during job execution (execution) for some reason, or when the connection with the UI device 10 is disconnected for a long time. First, the device controller 14 of the printer 1 as the power control means waits for the elapse of a time set in advance on the operation screen 10a shown in FIG. 11, and then turns off the power or shifts to the power saving state. The power saving and power-off setting times can be set separately. If the set times for power saving and power off are the same, the power is turned off. Further, when the communication disconnection process shown in FIG. 6 is performed when the set time has elapsed, the process is executed until the series of processes is completed, and the power is turned off or the power saving state is entered.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screen 10a of the UI device 10 for setting the screen save, the power saving state, and the conditions for shifting to power-off for the UI device 10.
As shown in FIG. 12, the user can set the time for the UI device 10 in advance. In other words, the user can separately set the elapsed time until the screen shifts to the screen save, the elapsed time until the power saving state, and the elapsed time until the power is turned off. Each set time information is stored in the memory 140 (see FIG. 3).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the power saving and power-off setting times of the UI device 10 and the printer 1 can be set separately and stored in the memory 140. The UI device 10 can also set the screen save setting time separately, and is stored in the memory 140. Since the UI device 10 can be controlled independently from the printer 1, it is preferable from the viewpoint of energy saving even if it is not the UI device 10 using a PC or WS.
Then, the UI device 10 shifts to screen save, power saving, or power-off when a non-operating state continues for a set time even during a job. At the time of transition, the UI device 10 notifies the printer 1 of the fact.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming system according to an embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining an image forming system according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram explaining the internal structure of a device controller. 4 is a flowchart for explaining processing of the printer according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen of a user interface in the case of setting the processing content at the time of communication disconnection. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process at the time of communication disconnection. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen of the user interface which sets the response | compatibility of the stopped job. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen of a user interface that is set for accepting a job after communication disconnection occurs during job execution. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen of the user interface which sets the processing content when the job stop factor generate | occur | produces during the job execution after communication disconnection. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process at the time of communication disconnection in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen of the user interface which sets the conditions to transfer to a power-saving state and power-off about the printer in 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen of a user interface which sets the conditions which transfer a screen save, a power saving state, and power-off about the user interface in 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer, 1a ... Main body, 10 ... UI apparatus, 10a ... Operation screen, 12 ... Image output part, 14 ... Device controller, 140 ... Memory, 147 ... System control part, 300 ... External controller

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus that accepts an external print instruction and forms an image on a recording material according to the print instruction;
A user interface device that is communicably connected to the image forming apparatus, receives an input from a user, outputs the received image to the image forming apparatus, and displays information based on data input from the image forming apparatus;
Including
The user interface device does not transmit a print instruction to the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus and the user interface apparatus are separately controlled and supplied with power,
The image forming apparatus includes:
Detecting means for detecting disconnection of communication between the image forming apparatus and the user interface device;
Holding means for holding information on processing to be performed with respect to a received print instruction when communication disconnection is detected by the detection means;
An image forming system comprising:   The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit holds information on a process selected by a user among a plurality of predetermined processes.   The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus further includes re-establishing means for re-establishing communication between the disconnected image forming apparatus and the user interface device.   After the communication between the image forming apparatus and the user interface apparatus is re-established by the re-establishing unit, the image forming apparatus restarts or cancels the print instruction for which the stop process has been performed. The image forming system according to claim 3. The image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit that acquires and stores information on the stopped print instruction being executed,
The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit transmits the stored print instruction information to the restored user interface device. The image forming apparatus includes:
The image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores information about whether to accept a new print instruction after the disconnection of the communication is detected by the detection unit. The image forming apparatus includes:
A device controller;
Power control means for controlling the device controller to a power saving state and a power off state;
Holding means for holding as information the elapsed time in which the power supply control means turns the device controller into a power-saving state and / or power-off after the disconnection of communication is detected by the detection means;
The image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising: An image forming apparatus that accepts a print instruction from outside,
Wherein configured to be connectable to an external user interface devices do not send a print instruction to the image forming apparatus, and the user interface device is performed separately control and power supply, the recording material by a print instruction from the outside An image forming apparatus main body for forming an image;
Detecting means for detecting that communication connected between the image forming apparatus main body and the user interface device is disconnected;
When the disconnection of the communication is detected by the detection means, information on processing including continuous execution to be performed for the received print instruction is held, and the image is displayed for the stop factor that occurred during the continuous execution. Holding means for holding information on processing to be performed by the forming apparatus main body;
An image forming apparatus including:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing information for the stop factor held by the holding unit includes executing an executable print instruction that is not affected by the stop factor. Power control means for controlling the image forming apparatus main body to a power saving state and a power off state;
Holding means for holding, as information, an elapsed time from when the disconnection of communication is detected by the detection means until the image forming apparatus main body is in a power-saving state and / or power-off;
Further including
When the image forming apparatus main body is executing a print instruction when the elapsed time held by the holding unit has passed, the power control unit may turn the power saving state and / or the power off after the execution ends. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

Images