Image processing apparatus

• US 20030202201A1
• Filed: 04/17/2003
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Muto, Takeshi, Miyake, Kouji, Mizude, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,456,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• 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 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

When a request for a change in output information and output order of, or cancellation of an output process of, image data obtained from computers 3 is made by a user, a print server apparatus 1 notifies other users of requested change content and obtains from each user an instruction indicating whether to permit a change process based on the notified change content or not. With this image processing apparatus, when a plurality of users make requests for output processes of respective image data and a change in output order of each image data or the like is requested, other users can confirm the change content and get to other work appropriately so as to enhance the work efficiency.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, which receives plural pieces of image data and plural pieces of output information related to the image data from at least one communication device, decides output order of the image data and outputs the image data based on the output information according to the decided output order, comprising:

a controller capable of performing operations of;

obtaining change information to be used for changing the output information and the output order; and

changing the output information and the output order on the basis of the obtained change information;

a display unit for displaying the change information obtained by the controller; and

an output unit for outputting the image data based on the output information according to the output order changed by the controller.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each image data has a priority in output order, and

the controller obtains the change information on the basis of the priority.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further capable of performing operations of:

judging whether the priority is equal to or higher than a predetermined level or not; and

obtaining change information to be used for changing output order of image data having a priority which the controller has judged is lower than the predetermined level.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of performing operations of:

obtaining permission to change the output information and the output order; and

changing the output information and the output order on the basis of the change information when the permission has been obtained.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is further capable of performing operation of:

obtaining the permission for each image data; and

changing output information and output order related to image data for which the permission has been obtained.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of transmitting the change information to a communication device.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the communication device to which the change information is transmitted is a communication device which has transmitted image data having output information and output order to be changed on the basis of the change information.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, which is connected with a plurality of communication devices allowing mutual communications, wherein the controller is further capable of transmitting the change information to the communication devices.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the change information includes a data volume of the image data, a data name indicating the image data and device identifying data for identifying a communication device which has transmitted the image data,

the controller is further capable of calculating output time required for outputting the image data on the basis of the data volume of the image data, and

the display unit displays the data volume, the data name, the device identifying data and the calculated output time.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the image data in a predetermined size.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is further capable of accepting output completion date and time of each image data, and

the display unit displays the output completion date and time accepted through the controller.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the change information includes an instruction on a change in output order of the image data, an instruction on a change in output information related to the image data and an instruction on output cancellation of the image data.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output information includes the number of copies of the image data to be outputted, the number of pages of the image data to be outputted, a selection from color output and monochrome output, a selection from double-side output and single-side output and an instruction about an operation to be performed after outputting the image data.

14. An image processing apparatus, which receives plural pieces of image data and plural pieces of output information related to the image data from at least one communication device, decides output order of the image data and outputs the image data based on the output information according to the decided output order, comprising:

information obtaining means for obtaining change information to be used for changing the output information and the output order;

display means for displaying the change information obtained by the information obtaining means;

change means for changing the output information and the output order on the basis of the change information obtained by the information obtaining means; and

output means for outputting the image data based on the output information according to the output order changed by the change means.