JPH09194126A - Image recording device and image recording system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent different kinds of paper from mixing in the same bin by fitting a discharging mode designating means which designates a sorter mode or a mail box mode, and discharging paper into a paper discharging part according to a designated discharging mode. SOLUTION: For this record controlling part 72, job control data and so on in printing data which is received from a host are inputted and the number of printing, the number of pages to be printed, size of paper, paper discharging mode (paper discharging to a standard tray 82 or a paper discharging bin 84, with/without electronic sort), and the bin number of the paper discharging bin 84 as a discharging destination are designated. For example, when a sorter mode is designated and a plurality of paper discharging bins 84 are also designated as the discharging destination, the paper discharging bins 84 which are determined to be under an empty condition by a bin state controlling means are confirmed, and recording paper is discharged to the bins 84 which are confirmed under the empty condition one by one.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus and an image recording system, and more particularly, to an image recording apparatus having a plurality of bins for accommodating sheets on which images are recorded, and the image recording apparatus and information processing apparatus. And an image recording system provided with.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an output device of an information processing device such as a workstation or a personal computer, an image representing a processing result (for example, a document) by the information processing device is recorded on a sheet. There is a known printer that outputs the output. In recent years, for the purpose of distributing information and load, a plurality of information processing devices such as workstations and personal computers can be connected to each other via a network, and various resources such as printers connected to the same network can be shared. Such information processing systems have become widespread, and user demands for printers are diversifying year by year.

Further, the printer connected to the network as described above is required to record an image on a sheet by an unspecified number of users, and records the image on each sheet in response to a request from each user. Therefore, if only a single bin is provided as a bin for accommodating the paper on which the image is recorded, different types of paper on which the image is recorded are placed on the single bin in response to requests from different users. Since they are mixed, it is necessary for the user to sort the sheets when the sheets are taken out from the bin, and the work may be very complicated.

Based on the above, printers having a plurality of bins for accommodating sheets have recently appeared on the market in order to meet the diversifying demands of users. It has not been clarified whether it is possible to meet various demands of users by providing a function of discharging in various discharge modes. Further, there has not been clarified a technique for avoiding the mixture of sheets when the function of discharging various bins in a plurality of bins is provided.

In relation to the above, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1-187181 discloses that a copying machine provided with a plurality of bins was first executed in the sort mode when the copying process was attempted. When the print result of the copying process remains in the bin, one bin is emptied from the bins in which the print result of the previous copying process remains, and each bin after the next bin is used (for example, the first bin). -If there is a print result in the third bin, copy processing is performed by leaving the fourth bin and using the fifth and subsequent bins. There is not enough bins with no print result. The technique of repeating up to is disclosed.

Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-282141, a copying machine provided with an interrupt key for interrupting a copying process being executed and performing another copying process is executed before an interrupt instruction. If the total of the number of bins used in the first copying process and the number of copy sets specified in the second copying process executed according to the interrupt instruction is less than or equal to the total number of bins provided in the copying machine. , Making it possible to select a sort mode in the second copying process.

However, all of the technologies described in the above publications are based on the premise that they are applied to a copying machine, and if the printer is provided with a function of discharging in any discharge form, the user of the printer can be provided. There is no description in the above publication, and no suggestion is made regarding how to satisfy the above requirements and how to avoid mixing of sheets when a new function is provided.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and an object of the present invention is to obtain an image recording apparatus capable of ejecting a sheet so as to satisfy various user's requirements regarding sheet ejection.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to eject a sheet so as to meet various user's requirements regarding sheet ejection, and it is possible to avoid mixing different types of sheets in the same bin. It is an object to obtain a recording device and an image recording system.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, an image recording apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 is a recording means for recording an image on a sheet based on input data,
A paper ejection unit having a large number of bins for accommodating the papers on which the images are recorded by the recording means, and a plurality of papers on which the images are recorded are divided into a plurality of bins and ejected as a paper ejection form. A discharge mode designating unit that designates a sorter mode or a mailbox mode that discharges a sheet on which an image is recorded to a specific bin, and a sheet on which an image is recorded by the recording unit are designated by the discharge form designating unit. And a discharge unit that discharges the sheet to the sheet discharge unit according to the discharge mode.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the paper discharge section is provided with a large number of bins, and a plurality of papers on which images are recorded are divided into a plurality of bins and discharged, or an image is recorded. Ejection mode designating means for designating a mailbox mode in which the ejected sheet is ejected to a specific bin is provided, and the ejection means ejects the sheet to the sheet ejection unit according to the ejection mode designated by the ejection mode designating means. It should be noted that the designation of the discharge form by the discharge form designating unit can be automatically performed based on an instruction from the user or based on an instruction such as the number of print copies from the user.

Accordingly, when the sorter mode is designated by the discharge mode designating means, when recording a predetermined number of images of a predetermined document including a plurality of pages on a sheet, the image of each page of the predetermined document is displayed. Since the recorded sheets are discharged in a plurality of bins, the user does not need to sort the discharged sheets.

Further, when the mailbox mode is designated by the discharge form designating means, when recording the image of the predetermined document on the paper, the paper on which the image of the predetermined document is recorded is discharged to a specific bin. . Here, for example, if a plurality of bins are assigned in advance to each user or each group of users, the paper on which the image is recorded based on the data input by a specific user is always discharged to a certain bin. Therefore, it is possible to prevent inconvenience that a sheet on which an image of a highly confidential document is recorded is exposed to the eyes of another user or another user in a different group according to an instruction from a predetermined user. .

Further, in the mailbox mode, when the user is made to designate the bin as the discharge destination, for example, the user designates that the bin as the discharge destination is different for each job or each type of document. It is also possible. In this case, the paper on which the image is recorded based on the data input by the same user as different jobs is discharged to different bins for each job and each type of document. There is no need for the user to perform work such as sorting by job or document type.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the discharge mode designating means for designating the sort mode or the mailbox mode as the discharge mode of the sheet on which the image is recorded is provided, and the sheet on which the image is recorded is designated. Since the sheet is discharged according to the different discharge mode, it becomes possible to discharge the sheet so as to satisfy various user's demands regarding the sheet discharge as described above.

By the way, when the sort mode and the mailbox mode are provided as the discharge modes as described above, the image is recorded in the discharge mode (sort mode or mailbox mode) designated by the user through the discharge mode designation means. Since the bin as the paper discharge destination is determined, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention is used in an environment in which a plurality of users can respectively input data for recording an image on the paper, and a discharge mode. If the ejecting unit simply ejects in accordance with the ejecting form designated by each user via the designating unit, there is a possibility that the sheets on which the images are recorded may be mixed in the same bin due to the data input by different users.

Therefore, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, there is further provided a bin status management means for managing the usage status of each bin of the paper discharge section.

The bin state management means may be configured to include a sensor which is attached to each bin and detects whether or not paper remains in each bin. In addition, when there is a bin which is currently empty but is clear that the paper will be ejected within a predetermined period, the bin state management means determines that the use state of the bin is in use. You can According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the usage status of each bin is managed by the bin status management means, for example, a predetermined bin is used as the discharge destination of the paper on which the image determined by the discharge form designated by the user is recorded. If it is medium, the bin as the discharge destination is determined to be empty by the bin state management unit so that the sheet on which the image is recorded does not mix with the sheets of other users in the same bin. It is also possible to automatically change to the existing bin. As a result, it is possible to prevent the sheets of different users from being mixed in the same bin.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, a display means for displaying the usage status of the paper discharge section managed by the bin status management means is further provided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the usage status of the paper discharge unit managed by the bin status management unit is displayed, for example, the user records an image based on the information displayed on the display unit. It is possible to select the discharge mode so that the discharged sheets do not mix with the sheets of other users in the same bin. As a result, it is possible to prevent the sheets of different users from being mixed in the same bin, and if the user selects the discharge mode so as not to mix with the sheets of other users, the user can assume in advance. Since the paper is discharged to the selected bin in the selected discharge mode, the image is recorded as compared with the case where the bin as the discharge destination is automatically changed to avoid mixing with the paper of other users. The user can easily take out the removed paper.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, when the ejecting means specifies the sort mode or the mailbox mode as the ejecting mode by the ejecting mode designating means, the bin state managing means causes an empty state. It is characterized in that the bins that have been determined to be confirmed are discharged, and the sheet on which the image has been recorded is discharged to the bin that has been confirmed to be in the empty state according to the designated discharge mode.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the sorter mode or the mailbox mode is designated as the discharge form, the discharge means causes the sheet on which the image is recorded to be placed in an empty bin according to the specified discharge form. Is discharged.
For example, when the designated discharge mode is a sorter mode in which the sheet on which the image is recorded is divided into a plurality of (for example, a predetermined number) bins and is discharged, and the number of empty bins is less than the predetermined number, The sheet is discharged after the number of empty bins exceeds the predetermined number. Further, for example, if the specified ejection mode is a mailbox mode in which the paper on which the image is recorded is ejected to a specific bin and the specific bin is not empty, the specific bin is empty. After that, the paper is ejected, or the paper is ejected to another empty bin.

As a result, it is possible to prevent sheets of different users from being mixed in the same bin. In addition,
As described above, in the mailbox mode, when the paper is discharged to another bin different from the specific bin, the user is notified of the discharge destination of the paper (for example, displayed on the display means as described in claim 2). It is preferable.

An image recording system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes an image recording apparatus according to the second aspect, and an information processing apparatus that includes a display unit for displaying information and outputs data to the image recording apparatus. And an image recording device including output means for outputting to the information processing device information indicating the usage status of the paper discharge section managed by the bin state management means. The information processing apparatus is characterized by displaying the usage status of the paper discharge section on the display section based on the information input from the image recording apparatus.

Since the image recording system according to the invention of claim 5 is provided with the image recording device according to claim 2, the image recording device allows the sheet to be filled so as to satisfy various user's demands regarding sheet ejection. It can be discharged. Further, in the invention of claim 5, data or the like for the image recording device to record an image on a sheet is output from the information processing device, and the data or the like is output from the information processing device according to a user's instruction. In the invention of item 5, the image recording apparatus includes an output unit that outputs information indicating the usage status of the paper discharge unit managed by the bin state management unit to the information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus is the image recording apparatus. Since the usage status of the paper discharge unit is displayed on the display unit based on the information input from, the user can, for example, use the information displayed on the display unit to check whether the paper on which the image is recorded is in the same bin It is possible to select the discharge form and the like so that the paper does not mix with the user's paper.

As a result, similarly to the third aspect, it is possible to prevent the sheets of different users from being mixed in the same bin and to prevent the user from being mixed with the sheets of other users. If the discharge mode is selected via the processing device, the paper is discharged in the selected discharge mode to the bin previously assumed by the user, so that the bin as the discharge destination is avoided in order to avoid mixing with the paper of other users. The user can easily take out the paper on which the image is recorded, as compared with the case where is automatically changed. Further, compared to the case where the usage status of the paper discharge unit is displayed on the display unit of the image recording apparatus, the user needs to go to the place where the image recording apparatus is installed in order to confirm the usage status of the paper discharging unit. Since there is no problem, the burden on the user can be reduced.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an image recording apparatus 10 according to the present invention. Image recording device 10
The recording unit 14 includes a recording unit 14 that records an image on the sheet 12, and an image supply unit 16 that controls the operation of the recording unit 14. The recording unit 14 and the image supply unit 16 operate when a predetermined DC or AC power is supplied from a power supply unit 18 connected to a commercial power supply (not shown).

The recording unit 14 is composed of a laser beam printer or the like, and various operation command signals 20 and an image signal 22 representing image data to be recorded are input from the image supply unit 16. Then, an image is recorded on one side or both sides of the sheet 12 according to the input image signal 22, and the sheet 12 on which the image is recorded is discharged to the outside. In addition, the recording unit 14 includes a status signal 24 indicating the status of each unit (for example, the size of a sheet accommodated in a cassette tray (not shown), whether or not the fixing unit (not shown) has reached the fixing temperature), and the image supply unit 1.
6, the synchronizing pulse 26 for synchronizing with the image supplying section 16
Output to

As shown in FIG. 3, on the front surface of the main body of the image recording apparatus 10, there are provided a plurality of keys for the operator to input commands and the like and a display section for visually confirming the processing status. The operation panel 28 provided is provided. The operation panel 28 is connected to the image supply unit 16, and an instruction input by an operator operating a key of the operation panel 28 is input from the operation panel 28 to the image supply unit 16 as an instruction signal 30. Also, the image supply unit 16
Outputs an instruction signal 32 indicating a response to the instruction signal 30 and information to be displayed on the display unit to the operation panel 28. The display unit is a liquid crystal display (LCD) or L
ED or the like can be used.

Further, the image recording apparatus 10 is connected to the image recording apparatus 10 when a host (corresponding to the information processing apparatus according to claim 5) such as a personal computer or a workstation requests the image recording apparatus 10 for printing. The print information to be output can be input in a plurality of systems. FIG. 1 shows an example in which print information can be input in two systems, and a host interface (I / F) terminal 34 and a network interface (I / F) terminal 36 are provided as terminals for inputting print information. Two terminals are provided. It should be noted that the print information includes print data that represents the content of a document to be printed, which is composed of text data, and various designations related to printing such as the number of pages of the document to be printed, the number of copies, the size of the printing paper 12 And job control information that represents the job control information.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a schematic configuration of the host with reference numeral 94. The host 94 is the CPU 94A,
It has a ROM 94B, a RAM 94C and an input / output port 94D, which are connected to each other via a bus. The input / output port 94D is a display 94 for displaying various information as the display means according to claim 5.
E, a keyboard 94F for inputting various kinds of information, and a communication control unit 94 that is directly connected to an external device such as the image recording device 10 or via a network and controls communication with the outside.
G is connected.

The host I / F terminal 34 is used for the image recording apparatus 1.
0 is a terminal used when connecting 0 and a host via a communication cable, and is used, for example, when print information is input from a host such as a personal computer (not shown) via a dedicated cable. The network I / F terminal 36 is a terminal used when connecting the image recording apparatus 10 to a network to which a plurality of hosts such as personal computers and workstations are connected. Examples of networks connectable via the network I / F terminal 36 include a digital network such as ISDN and a LAN such as Ethernet. When connecting to a network via the network I / F terminal 36, print information may be input from each of a plurality of hosts connected to the network.

As described above, the image recording apparatus 10 is provided with the host I
There is a possibility that printing is requested by a host such as various personal computers or workstations and printing information is input via the / F terminal 34 or the network I / F terminal 36. The content of the job control information included in the print information output from various hosts is not necessarily unified. For example, in a certain host, the size of the paper 12 and the size of characters are finely specified by the job control information. On the other hand, there is a case where the above-mentioned designation cannot be performed by another host depending on the job control information.

In consideration of the above case, the image recording apparatus 10 can input various instructions regarding printing through the operation panel 28, and the operation panel 28 instructs various input instructions. Image supply unit 1 as signal 30
6 is output. Also, when various instructions are input as job control information from the host, it is possible to input various instructions separately via the operation panel 28. In this case, it is possible to always give priority to the instruction input from the host as job control information via the communication line, or to always give priority to the instruction input via the operation panel 28. It is also possible to give priority to the given instruction. Further, various designations relating to printing may be preset and stored as defaults, and for example, among the various designations relating to printing, items not particularly designated may be printed using default values.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image supply unit 16 includes a CPU 40 that plays a central role in various controls.
The CPU 40 is connected to the system bus 42. A panel interface (I / F) circuit 44 is connected to the system bus 42. The panel I / F circuit 44 is a circuit for interfacing with the operation panel 28,
When the instruction signal 30 is input from the operation panel 28, the panel I / F circuit 44 outputs instruction information corresponding to the instruction signal 30, and the output instruction information is the system bus 42.
Transferred on. Further, the instruction information for displaying the predetermined information on the display of the operation panel 28 is transferred to the panel I / F circuit 44 via the system bus 42, and the panel I / F circuit 44 outputs the instruction signal 32 as an instruction signal 32.
8 is output.

The system bus 42 has a host interface (I / F) circuit 46 and a non-volatile memory device (NVM:
Non-Volatile Memory) 48 is connected. Host I
The / F circuit 46 is connected to the host I / F terminal 34 and the network I / F terminal 36, and the host I / F terminal 3
4 and the print information input via the network I / F terminal 36 are received according to the RS232C standard, the Centronics interface, or the like. The NVM 48 is a storage device that is backed up by a battery (not shown), and can store stored data even when the main body of the image recording device 10 is turned off.

A RAM 50 is connected to the system bus 42. The RAM 50 is a working memory, and a part of its storage area is used as a work memory 50A for temporarily storing data and the like necessary for performing various controls of the image recording apparatus 10, and the storage area Another part of the storage area is used as a reception memory 50B for temporarily storing data and the like input via the host I / F circuit 46, and another part of the storage area is a character pattern described later. Bit map data for one page to be recorded on the paper 12 is generated by electronically editing the character pattern, the image, etc. read from the memory 54 in correspondence with the recording position on the paper 12 or the like. Page memory 50 for
Used as C.

A program memory 52 and a character pattern memory 54 are also connected to the system bus 42. The program memory 52 is a non-volatile memory,
Various programs for controlling the image recording apparatus 10 are stored. The character pattern memory 54 is also composed of a non-volatile memory, and many types of font data (character pattern data) used when printing is performed.
Is stored.

A recording interface (I / F) circuit 58 and a bit map controller 60 are connected to the system bus 42. The recording unit I / F circuit 58 is
The image data temporarily stored in the page memory 50C is sequentially read to generate the image signal 22, and the generated image signal 22 is output to the recording unit 14. Further, the status signal 24, the synchronization pulse 26, and the operation command signal 20 (see FIG. 1) are transmitted to and received from the recording unit 14 via the recording unit I / F circuit 58. The bitmap controller 60 is connected to the page memory 50C and the recording unit I / F circuit 58, respectively, and controls transfer of image data between the page memory 50C and the recording unit I / F circuit 58.

Since the image recording apparatus 10 can be connected to various hosts as described above, it requires programs and character patterns corresponding to various job control information and print data sent from various hosts. May be. Therefore, the image recording device 10 includes the program memory 6 including a ROM of an IC card format or a SIMM format.
2 and the character pattern memory 64 are detachable. Program memory 62 and character pattern memory 64
A plurality of types are prepared in advance according to the type of host to be connected or for realizing a special function required by the operator, and are selectively mounted and used according to the situation.

Further, the image recording apparatus 10 can be expanded with host I / F terminals. When a new host interface is required due to the addition of host I / F terminals, the host I / F circuit 66 is added according to the requested host interface (for example, Centronics interface or Ethernet). . Further, the image recording apparatus 10 is capable of adding a hard disk 68 as needed. The hard disk 68 is used for adding character patterns, saving form data and logo data, saving data input from the host computer, and the like.

Next, the structure of the recording unit 14 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the recording unit 14 includes a recording control unit 72. The recording control unit 72 includes the image supply unit 16 and the paper feeding unit 7.
4, connected to the printing unit 76 and the paper discharge unit 78,
The operation command signal 20, the image signal 22, the status signal 24, and the synchronization pulse 26 described above are transmitted to and received from the image supply unit 16, and the operations of the paper feed unit 74, the print unit 76, and the paper discharge unit 78 are controlled.

As shown in FIG. 4, the image recording apparatus 10 is provided with a plurality of trays 80A, 80B, 80C, 80D, and each tray has a sheet 1 of a different size.
2 are to be accommodated. Further, on the side surface (left side surface in FIG. 4) of the image recording apparatus 10, there is also provided a manual feed tray 86 on which sheets of various sizes can be set. The paper feed unit 74 detects the size of the paper set in each of the trays 80A to 80D and the manual feed tray 86, and when the paper feed of the paper 12 of the predetermined size is instructed, the paper of the predetermined size is set. Paper 1 from a given tray
2 is taken out and supplied to the printing unit 76.

The image signal 22 output from the image supply unit 16 is input to the printing unit 76 via the recording control unit 72. The printing unit 76 uses the paper 12 supplied from the paper feeding unit 74.
On the other hand, an image is recorded by a known electrophotographic method based on the input image signal 22, and the paper 12 on which the image is recorded is discharged to the paper discharge unit 78. The printing unit 76 corresponds to the recording means of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the image recording apparatus 10 is provided with a standard tray 82 (default tray) on the upper surface of the main body and a plurality of paper discharge bins 84 further above the standard tray 82. . The paper discharge unit 78 is responsive to an instruction from the recording control unit 72 to print the print unit 7.
The sheet 12 discharged from the sheet 6 is discharged to either the standard tray 82 or the plurality of sheet discharge bins 84.

In addition, each of the discharge bins 84 is
Sensors 86 for optically detecting the presence or absence of a sheet on the top are attached. The sensor 86 is connected to the recording control unit 72, and the detection result of the sensor 86 is output to the CPU 40 of the image supply unit 16 via the recording control unit 72. Further, in order to distinguish each discharge bin 84, a different bin number is given to each discharge bin 84 in advance.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, by inputting the job control information included in the print information received from the host or the job control information via the operation panel 28, the number of print copies, the number of printed pages,
In addition to the paper size, the paper ejection mode (the ejection destination is the standard tray 82
And the discharge bin 84, whether or not to perform electronic sort), the print mode (sorter mode or mailbox mode), and the discharge bin 84 as the discharge destination of the print result.
It is possible to specify the bin number of. The above print mode corresponds to the “ejection form” of the present invention.

As will be described in detail later, when the sorter mode is specified as the print mode and the plurality of paper discharge bins 84 are specified as the discharge destinations, all the specified plurality of paper discharge bins 84 are in the empty state. If so, a plurality of designated paper discharge bins 84 are used as sorters, and the print results are partially discharged to each paper discharge bin 84 (collection). Further, when the sorter mode is designated as the print mode and the plurality of discharge bins 84 are designated as the discharge destinations, but at least one of the plurality of designated discharge bins 84 is not empty, or the print mode is set. Even when the sorter mode is designated as the above and the discharge bin 84 as the discharge destination is not designated, if the discharge bins 84 in the empty state are equal to or more than the designated number of print copies, these discharge bins 84 Is used as a sorter and the print results are partially discharged to the respective discharge bins 84.

When the mailbox mode is designated as the print mode, the discharge bin 84 having the predetermined bin number as the discharge destination or the discharge bin 84 having the bin number designated as the discharge destination is in the empty state. If so, the print result is discharged to the discharge bin 84. Further, when electronic sort is designated as the paper discharge mode, the print results are discharged in the order corresponding to the collation. The discharge destination in this case is to discharge to the specific discharge bin 84 when the specific discharge bin designated as the discharge destination is empty, and when the mailbox mode is not designated. The sheet is discharged to the standard tray 82.

Next, the management of the state of the paper discharge bin 84 by the CPU 40 of the image supply unit 16 will be described. RAM5
In the work memory 50A of 0, as shown in Table 1 below,
Usage status (used in the sorter mode, used in the mailbox mode, or not used) for each discharge bin 84, a user name when in use, and other (for example, the size of the accommodated paper) A storage area is provided for storing the bin status management information including the items.

[0050]

[Table 1]

As described above, the detection result of the presence / absence of paper by the sensor 86 attached to each paper discharge bin 84 is input to the CPU 40 via the recording control unit 72. CP
In U40, when the printing process is started with a predetermined discharge bin 84 as the discharge destination, as will be described later, the "use state" of the bin state management information is changed to "in use", and other information such as the user name is set. Is registered (may be performed even when printing for ejecting a predetermined ejection bin 84 is reserved). Further, when the detection result of the sensor 86 for the predetermined paper discharge bin 84 changes from "paper present" to "no paper", the CPU 40 changes the "use state" of the predetermined paper discharge bin 84 to "unused". To do.

As described above, the CPU 40 manages the current state of each paper discharge bin 84 by the bin state management information. The above processing corresponds to the bin status management means according to claim 2.

Next, the data receiving process executed by the CPU 40 of the image supply unit 16 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step 100, it is determined whether or not there is access from outside. This determination is affirmed when a signal is received from the host via the host I / F terminal 34 or the network I / F terminal 36, or the operation panel 28 is operated to instruct the display of the state of the discharge bin 84. In the next step 102, the above-mentioned bin status management information is fetched from the RAM 50.

In step 104, if the external access is the reception of a signal from the host, the printer information including the bin status management information is transmitted to the host having the access. The transmission of this printer information is claim 5.
This is processing corresponding to the output means described in. This printer information is, for example, the tray 80A in addition to the bin status management information.
It is configured to include information such as the size of the paper set to 80D. Therefore, in the host, based on the received printer information, as shown in FIG. 15 as an example,
Table 90A showing the usage state of each discharge bin 84, tray 80
Table 9 showing the sizes of the sheets set in A to 80D
Printer status display / print request window 9 including 0B, etc.
0 is a display (for example, the display 9 shown in FIG. 1)
4) etc. will be displayed.

The above processing corresponds to "displaying the usage status of the paper discharge section on the display section". In this case, the user refers to the table 90A and the table 90B in the window 90 to check the usage state of each discharge bin 84 and the usable paper without going to the place where the image recording device 10 is arranged. The size and the like can be easily recognized, and an appropriate discharge destination, print mode, and the like can be determined.

For example, in printing a plurality of copies, if the number of empty discharge bins is greater than or equal to the number of copies to be printed, it can be determined that the print result can be discharged to the discharge bin 84 in the sorter mode, and the empty discharge bins can be determined. If the number of bins is less than the number of copies to be printed, the print results are electronically sorted to the standard tray 82.
It can be judged that it is better to discharge it. If the user wants to use the mailbox mode, the empty output bin 84 or the output bin 8 already used by himself / herself.
If there is 4, it can be determined that the discharge bin 84 can be designated as the discharge destination. If there is no discharge bin 84 as described above, it is determined that the standard tray 82 should be the discharge destination. be able to.

Then, the user selects the standard tray 84 or the discharge bin 84 as the discharge destination (when the discharge bin 84 is selected, the sorter mode or the mailbox mode is also selected as the print mode, and the discharge destination is discharged. Select the paper bin number (however, in the sorter mode, you can select the paper output bin number of the output destination), specify the number of copies, paper size, etc., and then execute printing. To do. As a result, the host prints image information including print control information including job control information including information such as a discharge destination and a print mode specified by the user, and print data indicating the content of a document to be printed. It is transmitted to the device 10.

It should be noted that if the host that has accessed is a host that does not have the function of receiving the printer information transmitted from the image recording apparatus 10 as described above and displaying it on the display or the like, or according to the job control information. If the host cannot specify the discharge destination or the print mode, the above-described processing of step 102 and step 104 is not performed.

If it is determined in step 104 that the external access is an instruction to display the state of the discharge bin 84 due to the operation of the operation panel 28, the bin state management information fetched in step 102 The state of each discharge bin 84 indicated by is displayed on the display unit of the operation panel 28. This processing corresponds to the display means in claim 3. In this case, the user can determine the proper discharge destination, print mode, etc. based on the information displayed on the display unit of the operation panel 28. Thus, the process of step 104 corresponds to the display means according to claim 3.

At the next step 106, it is determined whether or not there is received data. This determination is made when the host is requested to receive print information via the host I / F terminal 34 or the network I / F terminal 36, or the operation panel 2
Affirmative if job control information is entered via the 8 key. When the above determination is denied, the above determination is repeated, but when the above determination is affirmed, the routine proceeds to step 108, and it is determined whether or not there is a free area in the reception memory 50B of the RAM 50.

If there is no free area in the receiving memory 50B, the process returns to step 106, and waits until there is a free area in the receiving memory 50B. If there is a free area, the process proceeds to step 110. In step 110, if the host has requested to receive the print information, the print request from the host is accepted, and the print information sequentially transmitted from the host is received by the host I / F circuit 46 or the host I / F circuit 66. Then, the received print information is transferred as received data to the empty area of the receiving memory 50B via the system bus 42. When the job control information is input via the keys of the operation panel 28, the input is accepted and the input job control information is stored in the reception memory 50B via the panel I / F circuit 44 and the system bus 42. Forward.

In the next step 112, data analysis / printing / paper discharge processing is started (details will be described later), and it is determined in step 114 whether the job is completed. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 106 to repeat the above process, and if the determination is affirmative, the process ends.

Next, referring to the flow chart of FIG.
The data analysis / printing / paper ejection processing executed in U40 will be described. In step 120, the contents of the job control information corresponding to the printing to be executed from the various information stored in the reception memory 50B are analyzed, and the designated number of copies, number of pages to be printed, paper size,
The discharge form, print mode, user name, etc. are determined and the determination result is stored in the RAM 50. It should be noted that part of the processing in step 120 corresponds to the discharge form designating means of the present invention.

In the print information transmitted from the host, the description position and description method of the job control information is the print description language (eg PostScript, HPGL, 201H, E).
(SCP, PCL5, ART, etc.), the job control information is not deleted even after the content of the job control information is analyzed in step 120, and the bitmap data is created from the print data in a later process and received. The job control information is deleted from the memory 50B.

In the next step 122, step 120
On the basis of the result of the processing in (1), it is determined whether the print request from the host is a print request for discharging the print result to the paper discharge bin 84. If the sort mode or the mailbox mode is not designated as the print mode, it can be determined that the print result is a print request to be ejected to the standard tray 82. Therefore, the determination is negative, and the process proceeds to step 124. In step 124, based on the processing result of step 120, it is determined whether or not electronic sort is designated as the paper discharge form. If this determination is also denied, in step 126, "print / discharge processing to standard tray with electronic sort mode off" is performed.

This processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step 170, the bitmap data creation process is activated. This bitmap data creation processing will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. The bitmap data creation process is executed in parallel with other processes including the process shown in FIG.

In step 320, the designated number of print pages is substituted into the variable P, and in the next step 322, an initial value (= 1) is set in the counter N. In step 324, it is determined whether or not the page memory 50C has an empty area for one page or more. If the determination is negative, the page memory 50
Wait until there is a free area of one page or more in C. If the determination in step 324 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 326, and based on the print data (text data or the like: equivalent to “input data” of the present invention) stored in the reception memory 50B, the page memory 50C is stored. Then, the bitmap data of the Nth page is created, and the created bitmap data is stored in the page memory 50C.

In the next step 328, the counter N is counted up and it is determined whether the value of the counter N is less than or equal to the value of the variable P (the number of printed pages). If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 324 and the above process is repeated. As a result, the bitmap data is sequentially created from the print data from the first page to the last page and stored in the page memory 50C.

On the other hand, in parallel with the above process, in the "print / discharge process to the standard tray with the electronic sort mode off" shown in FIG. 7, the number of print copies designated in step 172 is substituted into the variable b, and the step At 174, the designated number of print pages is substituted into the variable p, and the initial values (= 1) are further substituted into the counter m and the counter n (steps 176 and 178).

In step 180, it is determined by the previously started bitmap data creation processing whether or not the bitmap data of the m-th page has been created. If the bitmap data creation has not been completed, the creation is completed. Wait until. If the determination in step 180 is affirmative, step 18
2, the bit map data of the m-th page created and recorded in the page memory 50C is recorded in the recording unit I / F.
Transfer to the recording unit 14 via the circuit 58. In the next step 184, the recording unit 14 is notified of the paper size,
The printing of the m-th page is instructed, and the printing result of the m-th page is instructed to be discharged to the standard tray 82.

As a result, the notified paper size is input to the paper feed unit 74 via the recording control unit 72, and the paper feed unit 74
Then, the tray in which the paper of the input paper size is set is determined, and the paper is taken out from the determined tray and supplied to the printing unit 76. The printing unit 76 includes the image supply unit 16
The bitmap data of the m-th page transferred from the printer is input via the recording control unit 72, and the printing unit 76 prints an image on the sheet supplied from the paper feed unit 74 based on the input bitmap data. Is recorded and is discharged to the paper discharge unit 78.
In addition, the standard tray 82 is notified to the paper discharge unit 78 as a discharge destination via the recording control unit 72, and the paper discharged from the printing unit 76 (print result) is notified to the paper discharge unit 78 as a discharge destination. The sheet is discharged to the standard tray 82.

In the next step 188, the counter n is counted up, and in step 190 it is judged whether or not the value of the counter n is less than or equal to the value of the variable b (= the number of copies). When the printing of a plurality of copies is designated, the above determination is affirmative, and the process returns to step 182 to print the m-th page again. If the determination in step 190 is negative, step 192
Then, in step 192, the bitmap data of the m-th page stored in the page memory 50C is deleted (erased), and in the next step 196, the value of the counter m is incremented.

In step 196, it is determined whether the value of the counter m is less than or equal to the value of the variable p (= the number of printed pages). When the determination is affirmative, the process returns to step 178, only the value of the counter n is returned to the initial value, and the above process is repeated. As a result, the document to be printed is printed by the specified number of prints and the number of pages to be printed, and is sequentially discharged to the standard tray 82. Then, when the determination in step 196 is denied, the processing ends.

Further, in the data analysis / printing / paper discharge process shown in FIG. 6, if the determination in step 124 is affirmative (that is, if the electronic sort is specified and the paper is discharged to the standard tray 82), the step is executed. Moved to 128, "Printing / Discharging to Standard Tray with Electronic Sort Mode On"
I do. This processing will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

The difference between the "printing / paper discharging process to the standard tray with the electronic sort mode on" and the process of FIG. 7 described above is that after all the processes are completed, the first page to the mth page. The bitmap data of all the pages of the eyes is stored in the page memory 50.
If the point to be deleted from C (step 226) and the designated number of prints is 2 or more, it is designated to print the first page to the mth page for each page (steps 208 to 220). The same number of times as the number of printed copies is repeated (the determination as to whether or not the same number of times has been repeated is step 224). As described above, the pages are repeatedly printed in the order corresponding to so-called collation, and the print results are discharged to the standard tray 82 in the print order, so that the print / discharge processing as specified by the job control information is performed. Be seen.

Further, in the data analysis / printing / paper discharging process shown in FIG. 6, when the determination in step 122 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 130, and it is determined whether the designated print mode is the mailbox mode or the sorter mode. To do. When it is determined that the designated print mode is the sorter mode, the process proceeds to step 132, and the "print / paper discharge process in the sorter mode" is performed. This processing corresponds to the discharging means of the present invention. Hereinafter, this processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

At step 350, the bin status management information is fetched from the RAM 50. In the next step 351, b (b: the number of copies) discharge bins 8 are set as the discharge destination of the print result.
It is determined whether or not 4 is specified. When the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 352, and it is determined whether or not all the discharge bins 84 designated as the print result discharge destination are empty, based on the bin status management information previously fetched. If this determination was also positive, as bin number X ₁ to X _b output bin 84 as discharging destinations in step 353, sets the bin number of b pieces of output bin 84 that is specified,
Go to step 356.

On the other hand, step 351 or step 352
Is denied (that is, the discharge bin 84 as the discharge destination of the print result is not designated, and the discharge bin 84 as the discharge destination is designated, but the designated discharge bin 84 is designated. If at least one of them is not empty), the process proceeds to step 354, and the number c of the discharge bins 84 in the empty state (used state is unused) is counted based on the bin state management information previously fetched. Then, it is determined whether the number c of empty bins is greater than or equal to the specified number b of print copies.

If the determination is positive, step 355.
Then, from among the empty discharge bins 84, the b discharge bins 84 for discharging the print result are determined according to a predetermined priority order, and the bin number X of the discharge bin 84 as the discharge destination is determined. After setting _{1 to Xb} , the process proceeds to step 256. When setting the bin number, for example, when the discharge bin 84 as the discharge destination is designated, the bin number of the discharge bin 84 designated as the discharge destination among the empty discharge bins 84. Can be set preferentially, and when the discharge bin as the discharge destination is not designated, for example, the bin numbers can be set in ascending order of the bin numbers. This processing corresponds in more detail to the discharging means described in claim 4.

In step 356, of the bin status management information, the usage status of the discharge bin 84 determined as the discharge destination is set to "in use by the sorter", and information such as the user name is set (this processing is the bin of the present invention. corresponds to the state management unit), the next step 358, performs "printing / output processing in the sorter mode to output bin" number of copies b, and discharge destination bin number as X ₁ to X _b. About this processing
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

This "printing on the discharge bin in the sorter mode /
The difference between the "paper discharge process" and the above-described process of FIG. 7 is that when the recording unit 14 is instructed to print the m-th page in step 244, the m-th page When the recording unit 14 is instructed to discharge the print result of No. 2 to the paper discharge bin 84 of the bin number = Xn, and the value of the counter n is larger than the value of the variable b (= the number of copies) in step 250. In addition, it is determined in step 251 whether or not there is a remaining copy number (described later), and the bitmap data is deleted only when it is determined that there is no remaining copy number (in this case, it is determined that there is no remaining copy number). The preceding bin number Xn is notified to the paper discharge unit 78 via the recording control unit 72, and the paper discharged from the printing unit 76 in the paper discharge unit 78 (print result).
Is discharged to the discharge bin 84 having the bin number notified as the discharge destination.

In the above process, printing of each page is performed b times in succession, while the value of the counter n is incremented every time from the initial value (= 1) in step 238.
Therefore, in the processing shown in FIG. 10, the bin numbers X _{1 to} X _{b are}
The print result is 1 in each of the b empty output bins 84 of
The copies are discharged (collated) one by one, and the print / paper discharge process is performed as specified by the job control information.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 16 as an example, printing is performed by the user A while the discharge bins 84 of bin numbers 3, 5, 7, and 8 are in use (paper is stored). Even when the printing of the number of copies = 5 is requested in the sorter mode, for example, the bin number 1, the bin number 3, 5, 7, or 8 regardless of whether the output bin 84 is using the sorter or the mailbox. The print results are discharged in the sorter mode with the five discharge bins 84 of 2, 4, 6, and 9 as the discharge destinations.

As described above, in this embodiment, the sorter mode can be used even when the empty discharge bins 84 are scattered everywhere and the empty discharge bins 84 are not continuous. Even when the printing in the sorter mode is requested in the above state, the print result is discharged in the sorter mode by using the empty discharge bins 84 that are present everywhere. Note that b is the output destination of the print results.
It is needless to say that when the individual discharge bins 84 are designated and each of the discharge bins 84 is in an empty state, the designated b discharge bins 84 are discharged to the print result. Yes.

If the determination at step 354 is negative, the routine proceeds to step 360, where the number of empty bins c
Is 2 or more. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 362, and the "print / discharge process to the standard tray with the electronic sort mode on" described above (see FIG. 8).
Then, the process proceeds to step 380. As described above, in this process, printing of each page is repeated in the order corresponding to the collation, and the print results are printed in the standard tray 82 in the printing order.
Since the print result is actually discharged, the discharge destination to which the print result is actually discharged is different from the discharge destination (discharge bin 84) previously assumed by the user, but is discharged in a form similar to that designated by the job control information. It will be.

On the other hand, the determination at step 360 is affirmative.
In this case, the number c is vacant in step 364.
As the output destination of the print result
Bin number X of the paper output bin 84₁~ X_CSet. Stay
In 368, as the discharge destination in the bin status management information
The state of use of the determined output bin 84 is referred to as "in use of sorter".
And set the user name and other information, and go to the next step 3
At 70, _C, Destination bin number is X₁~ X_C
As described earlier, in “Sort mode, marking the output bin
"Printing / Discharging process" (see FIG. 10). As a result,
Number X₁~ X _CEach of the c empty output bins 84 of
One copy of each printed result is ejected. In addition, in this process
Number of copies to print_CIs less than the specified number of prints b
Then, the determination of step 251 in the flowchart of FIG.
No, the bitmap data is not deleted.

In the next step 372, the number of remaining copies d to be printed is obtained by subtracting the number of empty bins c from the number of print copies b, and it is determined in step 374 whether the number of remaining copies d is greater than one. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 376, the number of print copies is set to d, and the above-described “print / discharge process to the standard tray with the electronic sort mode on” (see FIG. 8) is performed and step 380 is performed. Move to.
If the determination in step 374 is negative, the remaining number of copies d is 1. Therefore, in the step 378, the “print / discharge processing to the standard tray with the electronic sort mode off” (see FIG. 7). Then, the process proceeds to step 380.
As described above, the print result is discharged in a form close to the designation by the job control information.

At step 380, the discharge information is output. That is, when the process of step 380 is executed, the print result is discharged only to the standard tray 82 or the print result is discharged to the standard discharge tray 84 and the standard tray even though the designated print mode is the sorter mode. This is a case where the paper is discharged separately into 82 and is different from the discharge destination (the discharge bin 84) previously assumed by the user. Therefore, step 3
In 80, a message for notifying the user of the changed discharge destination is printed on paper and discharged to the standard tray 82, or
Alternatively, the message is displayed on the display unit of the operation panel 28. The information notifying the changed discharge destination may be transmitted to the host.

Further, in the data analysis / printing / paper discharging process of FIG. 6, when the designated printing mode is the mailbox mode, steps 130 to 13 are performed.
Then, the process proceeds to step 4 to perform print / paper discharge processing in the mailbox mode. This processing also corresponds to the discharging means of the present invention.
Hereinafter, this processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

At step 400, the bin status management information is fetched from the RAM 50. In step 402, it is determined whether or not the user has designated a specific discharge bin as the discharge destination of the print result. If the determination is positive, step 404
, And based on the bin status management information previously captured,
It is determined whether the discharge bin designated by the user as the discharge destination is empty or is already in use by the same user. If this determination is also affirmative, the bin number of the discharge bin designated by the user as the discharge destination is set as the discharge destination bin number X in step 406, and the process proceeds to step 420.

On the other hand, step 402 or step 404
If the determination is NO, the process proceeds to step 408,
Based on the user name of the user who requests the image recording apparatus 10 to print, it is determined whether or not a specific discharge bin is set as a discharge destination of the print result of the user by default. If this determination is positive, step 41
The process proceeds to 0, and it is determined whether or not the discharge bin 84 set by default is empty based on the bin status management information previously fetched. If this determination is also affirmative, in step 406, the bin number of the discharge bin designated by default is set as the discharge destination bin number X, and the process proceeds to step 420.

In addition, step 408 or step 410
If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 412,
It is determined whether or not there is an empty discharge bin 84 on the basis of the bin status management information previously fetched. When the determination is affirmative, the discharge destination bin number X is set in step 414.
The bin number of the empty paper discharge bin 84 is set, and the process proceeds to step 420. In step 414, when there are a plurality of empty discharge bins 84, the plurality of empty discharge bins 84 are discharged according to a predetermined priority order (for example, ascending order of bin numbers). The paper discharge bin 84 as the destination is selected.

As described above, as shown in FIG. 17 by way of example, when the paper discharge bins 84 of bin numbers 1 to 3 and 5 to 8 are in use (paper is stored), the user sends a mailbox. Even when the printing in the mode is requested, regardless of whether the discharge bins 84 of the bin numbers 1 to 3 and 5 to 8 are using the sorter or the mailbox, for example, the bin numbers 4, 9, and 10 are used. One of them is set as the discharge destination bin number X (except when the discharge bin 84 already in use is designated by the same user as the discharge destination), and the discharge bin of the discharge destination bin number X is described later. The print result is discharged to 84. This processing corresponds in more detail to the discharging means described in claim 4.

If the determination at step 412 is also negative (when there is no empty discharge bin 84), the process proceeds to step 416, based on the bin status management information previously fetched. , Out of the output bins 84 in use,
A paper output bin 8 whose attributes (eg, user name in use, paper size, etc.) match those of the print process to be executed.
It is determined whether or not 4 is present. If the decision is positive,
In step 418, the discharge destination bin number X is set to the discharge bin 84 in use that has the same attribute as the print process to be executed, and the process proceeds to step 420.

In step 420, among the bin status management information, the usage status of the discharge bin 84 corresponding to the discharge destination bin number X determined as described above is set to "mailbox in use" and information such as user name is displayed. To set. In the next step 422, it is determined whether or not electronic sort is designated as the paper discharge form. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 434 after performing "print / discharge process to the discharge bin X with the electronic sort mode off" (see FIG. 12) in step 424. The difference between the "printing / paper discharging process to the paper discharging bin X with the electronic sort mode off" and the process of FIG. 7 described above is that the recording unit 1 in step 306.
4 is for instructing to print the m-th page and for instructing the discharge bin 84 of the bin number = X as the discharge destination.

The above bin number X is notified to the paper discharge unit 78 via the recording control unit 72, and the paper discharged from the printing unit 76 (printing result) is notified to the paper discharge unit 78 as the discharge destination. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge bin 84 of number X. As a result, the document to be printed is printed by the designated number of prints and the number of pages to be printed, and is sequentially discharged to the discharge bin 84 of the bin number X.

When the determination at step 422 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 426, and "printing / sheet discharge processing to sheet discharge bin X with electronic sort mode on" (see FIG. 13) is performed. After that, the process proceeds to step 434. The difference between this "printing to the discharge bin / paper discharge process with the mailbox mode on / electronic sort mode on" and the process in FIG. 8 described above is that the m-th page in the recording unit 14 in step 276. The point is that the printing of the page is instructed and the ejection bin 84 of the bin number = X is instructed as the ejection destination.

The above bin number X is notified to the paper discharge unit 78 via the recording control unit 72, and the paper discharged from the printing unit 76 (printing result) is notified to the paper discharge unit 78 as the discharge destination. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge bin 84 of number X. As described above, each page is repeatedly printed in the order corresponding to the collation, and the print result is discharged to the discharge bin 84 of the bin number X in the printing order.

On the other hand, in the print / paper discharge process in the mailbox mode shown in FIG. 11, when the determination in step 416 is negative (that is, the mailbox mode is specified, there is no empty paper discharge bin 84, If it is not preferable to discharge to any of the discharge bins 84 in use), the process proceeds to step 428, and it is determined whether electronic sort is designated as the discharge form. If the determination is negative, in step 430, the "print / discharge processing to the standard tray with the electronic sort mode off" (see FIG. 7) described above is performed, and if the determination is positive, Step 43
In step 2, the above-described "print / discharge processing to the standard tray with the electronic sort mode off" (see FIG. 8) is performed, and then the process proceeds to step 434.

In the above-described processing, unless the print result is discharged to the discharge bin designated by the user as the discharge destination (when the determination in step 404 is affirmative), the actual discharge destination is the user. The discharge destination (discharge bin 84) assumed in advance may be different or may be different. Therefore, in step 434, except for the above case,
Outputs paper ejection information. Specifically, a message notifying the user of the changed discharge destination is printed on paper and discharged to the standard tray 82, or the message is displayed on the display unit of the operation panel 28. The information notifying the changed discharge destination may be transmitted to the host.

In the above description, the case of performing “collating” in “printing / discharging to the discharge bin in the sorter mode” has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Each page of a plurality of copies of the document is output to a plurality of output bins 8
It is also possible to apply a mode (so-called stacker) in which the sheets are separately discharged.

Further, in the above, the standard tray and the discharge bin discharge the print result so that the printing surface faces downward.
The example is a so-called face-down type tray in which printing and discharging are performed in ascending order of page numbers. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the standard tray or the discharging bin has the printing surface upward. The print result is discharged so that it faces you,
In the case of a so-called face-up type tray, the sheets may be printed and discharged in the descending order of page numbers.

Further, when a plurality of copies of a certain document are electronically sorted to the standard tray 82 or a single paper discharge bin 84, the documents are discharged to the standard tray 82 along the direction orthogonal to the discharge direction to the standard tray 82. If the discharge position is changed (a so-called offset catch tray), especially when the sorter mode is designated but the empty discharge bin 84 is insufficient, a form closer to the discharge form designated by the user can be obtained. This is preferable because the print result will be discharged.

In the above description, in the mailbox mode, an example is described in which the case where the user specifies the bin number as the discharge destination and the case where the bin number is not specified are allowed. The bin number as the ejection destination may be specified by the user. Alternatively, instead of the user designating the bin number as the ejection destination, the bin number may be specified for each user or each group of users. The discharge bin may be determined as the discharge destination based on the bin number set by default.

Furthermore, in the above, an example in which the discharge form designating means sets the discharge form (print mode) based on the input job control information has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the user is not limited to this. Instead of specifying the print mode by, for example, set the sorter mode when multiple copies are instructed, and set the mailbox mode when printing is requested by a specific user. The discharge mode may be set automatically.

Further, in the above, the state of each discharge bin 84 indicated by the bin state management information is displayed on the display of the host or the operation panel 28, but the present invention is not limited to this. In particular, in the case where the user requests printing through a host provided in a position relatively close to the image recording apparatus according to the present invention, the user is in a state of each discharge bin 84. Since it is easy to visually recognize, it is possible to omit the display of the state of each discharge bin 84. Even in this case, if the image recording apparatus is provided with a function corresponding to the bin state management means described in claim 2, it is possible to prevent print results of different users from being mixed in the same discharge bin 84. Needless to say.

Further, in the above, unless the mailbox mode is designated as the print mode and the discharge bin 84 used by the same user is designated as the discharge destination, the print results of different jobs are different from each other in the discharge bin 84. An example of controlling so that the sensor 8 does not mix in the inside is explained.
The bin state may not be managed by 6 or the like, and the sorter mode or the mailbox mode may be set and discharged simply in accordance with the designation from the user or automatically as described above. In this case, the print results of different jobs may coexist in the discharge bin 84, but claim 1 of the present invention also includes such an embodiment.

[0108]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the sheet on which the image is recorded is discharged in a predetermined form into a plurality of predetermined bins in a sorter mode, or the sheet on which the image is recorded is specified. Ejection mode designating means for designating the mailbox mode for ejecting to the bin is provided, and the paper is ejected in accordance with the ejection mode designated by the ejection mode designating means, so that various user's requirements regarding paper ejection can be satisfied. It has an excellent effect that the paper can be discharged.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the usage status of each bin of the paper discharge section is managed by the bin status management means.
It is possible to prevent the sheets of different users from being mixed in the same bin.

According to the invention of claim 3, in the invention of claim 2, the use status of the paper discharge section managed by the bin status management means is displayed. Therefore, in addition to the above effects, an image is recorded. The effect is that the user can easily take out the paper.

In the invention according to claim 4, in the invention according to claim 2, when the sort mode or the mailbox mode is designated as the discharge mode, the bin in the empty state is confirmed and it is confirmed that the bin is in the empty state. Since the paper is discharged in accordance with the discharge mode specified in the bin, in addition to the above effects, it is possible to avoid mixing different types of paper in the same bin.

According to the invention of claim 5, the image recording apparatus is
The information processing apparatus is provided with an output unit that outputs information indicating the usage status of the paper discharge unit managed by the bin state management unit to the information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus discharges the paper based on the information input from the image recording apparatus. Since the usage status of each unit is displayed on the display unit, it is possible to discharge the paper so as to meet various user's requirements regarding paper discharge, and avoid mixing different types of paper in the same bin. It has an excellent effect of being able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of an image recording apparatus according to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image supply unit.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a recording unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of the image recording apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a data reception process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating data analysis / printing / paper discharge processing.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating “print / discharge processing to a standard tray when the electronic sort mode is off”.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating “printing / paper discharging processing to a standard tray when the electronic sort mode is turned on”.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a “print / paper discharge process in a sorter mode”.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating “printing / paper discharge processing to a paper discharge bin in a sorter mode”.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a “print / paper discharge process in a mailbox mode”.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating “printing / paper discharge processing to the paper discharge bin X when the electronic sort mode is off”.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating “printing / paper discharge processing to the paper discharge bin X when the electronic sort mode is turned on”.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a bitmap data creation process.

FIG. 15 is an image diagram showing an example of a printer status display / print request window displayed on the display of the host computer.

FIG. 16 is an image diagram showing an example of a discharge bin that can be used as a discharge destination when printing in the sorter mode is requested while some discharge bins are in use.

FIG. 17 is an image diagram showing an example of a discharge bin that can be used as a discharge destination when printing in the mailbox mode is requested while some discharge bins are in use.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 image recording device 16 image supply unit 40 CPU 76 printing unit 78 paper discharge unit 84 paper discharge bin 86 sensor

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Taiichi Furukawa, 3-7-1, Fuchu, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture Fuji Zerox Co., Ltd., Iwatsuki Plant (72) Kenji Kawana 3--7, Fuchu, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture No. 1 Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Iwatsuki Works (72) Inventor Ichiro Konno 3-7-1 Fuchu, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Iwatsuki Works (72) Inventor Yoshinori Gunji 3-chome, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture 7-1 Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Iwatsuki Plant

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A recording unit for recording an image on a sheet based on input data, a sheet discharge unit having a large number of bins for storing the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording unit, and As a discharge mode, a sort mode for discharging a plurality of sheets on which images are recorded into a plurality of bins and discharging, or a discharge mode designating unit for designating a mailbox mode for discharging the sheets on which images are recorded to a specific bin An image recording apparatus including: a discharging unit configured to discharge the sheet, on which the image is recorded by the recording unit, to the sheet discharging unit according to the discharging mode specified by the discharging mode designating unit. 2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a bin status management unit that manages a usage status of each bin of the paper discharge unit. 3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising display means for displaying a usage status of the paper discharge section managed by the bin status management means. 4. The discharging means confirms the bins judged to be empty by the bin status managing means when the sort mode or the mailbox mode is designated as the discharging form by the discharging form designating means, and the image is displayed. 3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sheet on which is recorded is discharged according to the designated discharge mode to the bin that is confirmed to be in the empty state. 5. An image recording system comprising: the image recording apparatus according to claim 2; and an information processing apparatus that includes a display unit for displaying information and outputs data to the image recording apparatus. The image recording apparatus includes an output unit that outputs information indicating the usage status of the paper discharge unit managed by the bin state management unit to the information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus inputs from the image recording apparatus. An image recording system for displaying the usage status of the paper discharge unit on the display unit based on the information obtained.