Printing system improved in sheet discharge processing, method of controlling the same, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10233047-B2
Application number	US-201514817665-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2015
Priority date	Aug 11, 2014
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

A printing system capable of properly changing a content of a notification based on occurrence of a full state of a sheet in an output destination. A printing system which is able to output a sheet to any of a plurality of sheet stacking units includes a determining unit configured to determine whether a first setting for selecting a specific sheet stacking unit as an output destination of the sheet is performed or a second setting for automatically selecting any sheet stacking unit from among the plurality of sheet stacking units as the output destination is performed, a notification unit configured to perform a notification according to occurrence of a fully-stacked state in the output destination, and a control unit configured to change a content of the notification based on the determining by the determining unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing system, comprising:
a printing apparatus including a printer configured to print an image on a sheet based on a print job;
a plurality of sheet stackers configured to receive a sheet from the printing apparatus, each of the plurality of sheet stackers having a sensor that detects a full load of sheets; and
processing circuitry configured to:
determine a sheet stacker as a sheet discharge destination, to which the sheet subjected to printing by the printer is to be discharged, from among the plurality of sheet stackers based on a setting set on the print job;
in a case where the sensor detects a full load of sheets of the sheet stacker determined as the sheet discharge destination, search for another sheet stacker which is available for sheet discharge;
in a case where the another sheet stacker which is available for sheet discharge is found by the search, change the sheet discharge destination to the another sheet stacker; and
after changing the sheet discharge destination from the first sheet stacker to the another sheet stacker, in a case where there is no sheet stacker which is available for sheet discharge when the sensor detects a full load of sheets of the another sheet stacker, acquire a discharge order of printed sheets that have been discharged to the sheet stackers and, based on the acquired discharge order, display on a display a message prompting a user to remove sheets from a sheet stacker having the earliest-discharged sheet among the sheet stackers on which the sheets subjected to printing based on the print job are stacked,
wherein the print job has a setting of first discharge destination information representing that the sheet discharge destination is to be determined automatically, or a setting of second discharge destination information representing any one of the plurality of sheet stackers, and
wherein in a case where the setting of the first discharge destination information is set in the print job, the processing circuitry allows the printer to continue the printing on sheets by changing the sheet discharge destination to the another sheet stacker, and in a case where the setting of the second discharge destination information is set in the print job, the processing circuitry stops the print job to be executed without changing the sheet discharge destination to another sheet stacker and causes the display to display a message prompting the user to remove sheets from the sheet stacker represented by the second discharge destination information.

2. The printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sheet stackers include a sheet stacker which is able to be lifted and to be lowered.

3. The printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
judge whether a sheet stacker selected as the sheet discharge destination is able to be moved to a position for allowing a user to remove the sheet; and
move the sheet stacker selected as the sheet discharge destination to the position, before the sheet is output to the sheet stacker selected as the sheet discharge destination.

4. The printing system according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where the another sheet stacker is found by the search, the processing circuitry determines whether or not the sheets subjected to printing by the printer are already stacked on the another sheet stacker, and in a case where the sheets subjected to printing are already stacked on the another sheet stacker, the processing circuitry stops stacking the sheets subjected to printing by the printer on the already-stacked sheets.

5. A method, implemented by processing circuitry, of controlling a printing system including a printing apparatus including a printer configured to print an image on a sheet based on a print job, and a plurality of sheet stackers configured to receive a sheet from the printing apparatus, each of the plurality of sheet stackers having a sensor that detects a full load of sheets, the method comprising:
determining a sheet stacker as a sheet discharge destination, to which the sheet subjected to printing by the printer is to be discharged, from among the plurality of sheet stackers based on a setting set on the print job;
searching, in a case where the sensor detects a full load of sheets of the sheet stacker determined as the sheet discharge destination, for another sheet stacker which is available for sheet discharge;
changing, in a case where the another sheet stacker which is available for sheet discharge is found by the searching, the sheet discharge destination to the another sheet stacker; and
after changing the sheet discharge destination from the first sheet stacker to the another sheet stacker, in a case where there is no sheet stacker which is available for sheet discharge when the sensor detects a full load of sheets of the another sheet stacker, acquiring a discharge order of printed sheets that have been discharged to the sheet stackers and, based on the acquired discharge order, displaying on a display a message prompting a user to remove sheets from a sheet stacker having the earliest-discharged sheet among the sheet stackers on which the sheets subjected to printing based on the print job are stacked,
wherein the print job has a setting of first discharge destination information representing that the sheet discharge destination is to be determined automatically, or a setting of second discharge destination information representing any one of the plurality of sheet stackers, and
wherein in a case where the setting of the first discharge destination information is set in the print job, the processing circuitry allows the printer to continue the printing on sheets by changing the sheet discharge destination to the another sheet stacker, and in a case where the setting of the second discharge destination information is set in the print job, the processing circuitry stops the print job to be executed without changing the sheet discharge destination to another sheet stacker and causes the display to display a message prompting the user to remove sheets from the sheet stacker represented by the second discharge destination information.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for storing a computer program for implementing a method of controlling a printing system including a printing apparatus including a printer configured to print an image on a sheet based on a print job, and a plurality of sheet stackers configured to receive a sheet from the printing apparatus, each of the plurality of sheet stackers having a sensor that detects a full load of sheets, the method comprising:
determining a sheet stacker as a sheet discharge destination, to which the sheet subjected to printing by the printer is to be discharged, from among the plurality of sheet stackers based on a setting set on the print job;
searching, in a case where the sensor detects a full load of sheets of the sheet stacker determined as the sheet discharge destination, for another sheet stacker which is available for sheet discharge;
changing, in a case where the another sheet stacker which is available for sheet discharge is found by the searching, the sheet discharge destination to the another sheet stacker; and
after changing the sheet discharge destination from the first sheet stacker to the another sheet stacker, in a case where there is no sheet stacker which is available for sheet discharge when the sensor detects a full load of sheets of the another sheet stacker, acquiring a discharge order of printed sheets that have been discharged to the sheet stackers and, based on the acquired discharge order, displaying on a display a message prompting a user to remove sheets from a sheet stacker having the earliest-discharged sheet among the sheet stacke

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Maeda Yuuki

Classifications

• G06F3/1282

  High volume printer device · CPC title

• G06F3/1259

  Print job monitoring, e.g. job status · CPC title

• G06F3/1285

  Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server · CPC title

• B65H31/24 Primary

  multiple or compartmented, e.d. for alternate, programmed, or selective filling · CPC title

• B65H43/06

  detecting, or responding to, completion of pile (B65H43/08 takes precedence) · CPC title