Image forming apparatus, image forming method and storage medium

• US 9,405,496 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): SARPONG, AKWASI
• Application Number:
  US12/727,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20100271652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,328 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/3.21, 358/1.13, 358/434, 358/1.11, 347/171, 347/188
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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;

and

a processor comprising hardware which causes said print section to execute printing based on a received print request and judges whether or not the image forming apparatus is busy when said print request is received,

wherein said processor comprising hardware is further configured to;

determine a first timing when printing of a print job associated with a preceding print request is completed;

determine whether said print request is received;

determine a second timing when said print request is received;

determine a time period between the first timing and the second timing;

determine whether the time period between the first timing and the second timing is less than a predetermined time period;

judge that the image forming apparatus is busy when the time period between the first timing and the second timing is less than the predetermined time period; and

judge that the image forming apparatus is not busy when the time period between the first timing and the second timing is not less than the predetermined time period,

wherein when the image forming apparatus is busy, said processor comprising hardware prohibits an execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request and when the image forming apparatus is not busy, said processor comprising hardware controls the print section to completely execute the printing based on said print request.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation section comprising a liquid crystal display for adding judgment information for judging whether or not said print request prioritizes printing, to said print request.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor comprising hardware is further configured to judge whether or not the print request prioritizes printing, based on attribute information of said print request.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor comprising hardware is further configured to judge whether or not said print section is busy.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said processor comprising hardware 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 received.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said operation section comprising a liquid crystal display further reports that the execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request was prohibited when said processor comprising hardware prohibits the execution.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said operation section comprising the liquid crystal display reports a page prohibited to be printed when said processor comprising hardware prohibits the execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request.

8. 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.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein said processor comprising hardware 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.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said processor comprising hardware 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 processor comprising hardware prohibited the execution of at least a part of the printing based on said print request.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said operation section comprising a liquid crystal display further reports that said at least part of the printing was executed by said print section when the image forming apparatus was not busy.

12. 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; and

a processor comprising hardware for controlling operations of said reading section, said transmitting/receiving section and said print section,

wherein said processor comprising hardware is further configured to;

determine a first timing when printing of a print job associated with a preceding print request is completed;

determine whether a said print request is received;

determine a second timing when said print request is received;

determine a time period between the first timing and the second timing;

determine whether the time period between the first timing and the second timing is less than a predetermined time period;

judge that one of said reading section, said transmitting/receiving section and said print section is busy when the time period between the first timing and the second timing is less than the predetermined time period; and

judge that one of said reading section, said transmitting/receiving section and said print section is not busy when the time period between the first timing and the second timing is not less than the predetermined time period,

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

when the print request is received, said processor comprising hardware judges whether or not one of said reading section, said transmitting/receiving section and said print section is busy, and

when said processor comprising hardware judges that one of said sections is busy, said processor comprising hardware prohibits an execution of at least a part of printing based on said print request and when one of said sections is not busy, the processor comprising hardware causes the print section to completely execute the printing based on the print request.

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

accepting a print request via a communication network;

causing said print section to execute printing based on said print request;

determining a first timing when printing of a print job associated with a preceding print request is completed;

determining whether said print request has been accepted;

determining a second timing when said print request has been accepted;

determining a time period between the first timing and the second timing;

determining whether the time period between the first timing and the second timing is less than a predetermined time period;

judging that said image forming apparatus is busy when the time period between the first timing and the second timing is less than the predetermined time period;

judging that said image forming apparatus is not busy when the time period between the first timing and the second timing is not less than the predetermined time period;

prohibiting execution of at least a part of printing based on said print request when it is judged that said image forming apparatus is busy; and

controlling the print section to completely execute the printing based on said print request when it is judged that said image forming apparatus is not busy.

14. A non-transitory storage medium in which a program is stored so as to be readable by a computer, which when executed by the computer causes the computer to implement a method comprising:

accepting a print request by an image forming apparatus;

determining a first timing when printing of a print job associated with a preceding print request is completed;

determining whether said print request has been accepted;

determining a second timing when said print request has been accepted;

determining a time period between the first timing and the second timing;

determining whether the time period between the first timing and the second timing is less than a predetermined time period;

judging that the image forming apparatus is busy when the time period between the first timing and the second timing is less than the predetermined time period;

judging that said image forming apparatus is not busy when the time period between the first timing and the second timing is not less than the predetermined time period;

prohibiting execution of at least a part of printing based on said print request when it is judged that said image forming apparatus is busy; and

controlling the print section to completely execute the printing based on said print request when it is judged that said image forming apparatus is not busy.