IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING METHOD AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20100271652A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: SUGIYAMA, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,405,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1213 at an intermediate node or at the final node
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1219 with regard to consumables, e.g. ink, toner, paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1256 User feedback, e.g. print preview, test print, proofing, pre-flight checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1263 based on job priority, e.g. re-arranging the order of jobs, e.g. the printing sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

An image forming apparatus comprises a print section, an accepting section for accepting a print request, and a control section which causes the print section to execute printing on the basis of a print request accepted by the accepting section and judges whether or not the image forming apparatus is busy when a print request is accepted by the accepting section. When the control section judges that the image forming apparatus is busy, the control section prohibits an execution of at least a part of printing based on a print request.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising;

a print section;

an accepting section for accepting a print request; and

a control section which causes said print section to execute printing based on said print request accepted by said accepting section; and

judges whether or not the image forming apparatus is busy when said print request is accepted by said accepting section,

wherein said control section prohibits an execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request when said control section judges that the image forming apparatus is busy.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said control section judges whether or not said print request prioritizes printing;

and

when said control section judges that the print request prioritizes printing, said control section causes said print section to execute the printing based on said print request completely, regardless of whether or not the image forming apparatus is busy.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an addition section for adding judgment information for judging whether or not said print request prioritizes printing, to said print request.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said control section judges whether or not the print request prioritizes printing, based on attribute information of said print request.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said control section judges whether or not said print section is busy.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said control section judges that the image forming apparatus is busy in a case where said print section is executing printing based on another print request when a print request is accepted by said accepting section.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said control section judges whether or not a period of time from a time when printing of the last time was completed to a time when a print request is accepted by the accepting section is within a predetermined, and said control section judges that the image forming apparatus is busy when the control section judges that the period of time is within the predetermined time.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said control section judges whether or not the image forming apparatus is busy based on busyness degree information by time zone representing high and low of a busyness degree by time zone, and judges that the image forming apparatus is busy in a case whether a time when said print request is accepted by said accepting section is included in a time zone in which a busyness degree is high.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation section for performing various kinds of operations,

wherein said control section judges that the image forming apparatus is busy in a case where said operation section is being operated when said print request is accepted by said accepting section.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said control section judges subsequently that the image forming apparatus is busy when a new print request is accepted within a predetermined time after said print request was accepted by said accepting section, and

when said control section judges subsequently that the image forming apparatus is busy, said control section prohibits the execution of at least a part of the printing based on preceding said print request.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first reporting section for reporting that the execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request was prohibited when said control section prohibits the execution.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein said first reporting section reports a page prohibited to be printed when said control section prohibits the execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection section for selecting a page prohibited to be printed when the execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request is prohibited.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein said control section causes said selection section to display a page to be printed based on said print request in preview mode so that said page prohibited to be printed is selected.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said control section causes said print section to execute said at least part of the printing prohibited to be executed when the image forming apparatus is not busy, in a case where said control section prohibited the execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a second reporting section for reporting that said at least part of the printing was executed by said print section when the image forming apparatus was not busy.

17. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

printing means;

accepting means for accepting a print request;

controlling means for causing said printing means to execute printing based on said print request accepted by said accepting means; and

busyness degree judging means for judging whether or not the image forming apparatus is busy when said print request is accepted by said accepting means,

wherein said controlling means prohibits an execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request when said busyness degree judging means judges that the image forming apparatus is busy.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising priority judging means for judging whether or not said print request prioritizes printing,

wherein said controlling means causes said printing means to execute the printing based on said print request completely regardless of whether or not the image forming apparatus is busy, when the priority judging means judges that said print request prioritizes printing.

19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising adding means for adding judgment information for judging whether or not said print request prioritizes printing, to said print request.

20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18,

wherein said priority judging means judges whether or not the print request prioritizes printing, based on attribute information of said print request.

21. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein said busyness degree judging means judges whether or not said printing means is busy.

22. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein said busyness degree judging means judges that the image forming apparatus is busy, in a case whether said printing means is executing printing based on another print request when said print request is accepted by said accepting means.

23. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein said busyness degree judging means judges that the image forming apparatus is busy when a period of time from a time when printing of the last time was completed to a time when a print request is accepted by the accepting section is within a predetermined period of time.

24. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein said busyness degree judging means judges whether or not the image forming apparatus is busy based on busyness degree information by time zone representing high and low of a busyness degree by time zone, and judges that the image forming apparatus is busy in a case where a time when said print request is accepted by said accepting means is included in a time zone in which a busyness degree is high.

25. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising operating means for performing various kinds of operations,

wherein said busyness degree judging means judges that the image forming apparatus is busy in a case where said operating means is being operated when said print request is accepted by said accepting means.

26. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein said busyness degree judging means judges subsequently that the image forming apparatus is busy when a new print request is accepted within a predetermined time after said print request was accepted by said accepting means, and

when said busyness degree judging means judges subsequently that the image forming apparatus is busy, said controlling means prohibits the execution of at least a part of the printing based on preceding said print request.

27. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising first reporting means for reporting that the execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request was prohibited when said controlling means prohibits the execution.

28. The image forming apparatus according to claim 27,

wherein said first reporting means reports a page prohibited to be printed when said controlling means prohibits the execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request.

29. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a selecting means for selecting a page prohibited to be printed when the execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request is prohibited.

30. The image forming apparatus according to claim 29,

wherein said controlling means causes said selecting means to display a page to be printed based on said print request in preview mode so that said page prohibited to be printed is selected.

31. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein said controlling means causes said printing means to execute said at least part of the printing prohibited to be executed when the image forming apparatus is not busy in a case where said controlling means prohibited the execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request.

32. The image forming apparatus according to claim 31, further comprising a second reporting means for reporting that said at least part of the printing was executed by said printing means when the image forming apparatus was not busy.

33. A data processing apparatus, comprising:

a reading section for reading a document and generating data regarding the document;

a transmitting/receiving section for transmitting/receiving data;

a print section for printing data;

an accepting section for accepting a print request; and

a control section for controlling operations of said reading section, said transmitting/receiving section, said print section and said accepting section,

wherein said reading section, said transmitting/receiving section and said print section can operate in parallel,

when a print request is accepted by said accepting section, said control section judges whether or not one of said reading section, said transmitting/receiving section and said print section is busy;

when said control section judges that one of said sections is busy, said control section prohibits an execution of at least a part of printing based on said print request.

34. An image forming method using an image forming apparatus including a print section, comprising:

a acceptance step of accepting a print request;

a control step of causing said print section to execute printing based on said print request accepted at said acceptance step; and

a busyness degree judgment step of judging whether or not said image forming apparatus is busy when said print request is accepted at said acceptance step,

wherein an execution of at least a part of printing based on said print request is prohibited at said control step when the image forming apparatus is judged to be busy at said busyness degree judgment step.

35. A storage medium in which a print control program is stored so as to be readable by a computer, said print control program comprising:

a step of causing a computer connected to an image forming apparatus so as to be communicatable therebetween to set a print request;

a step of causing said computer to transmit said print request to said image forming apparatus; and

a step of causing said computer to report that an execution of at least a part of printing based on said print request was prohibited because said image forming apparatus was busy.