JP2006027277A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A multifunction printer for supplying an updated driver is provided.
A multi-function printer 100 transmits and receives data between a scanner 105 for reading image data of a document, a plotter 106 for outputting and forming the read image data on recording paper, and a host computer 120 via a connector. The HDD 109 stores the image data obtained by the scanner 105 or the NCU 101 in a readable / writable manner. The HDD 109 stores a driver, a manual, and a utility program based on the data received by the NCU 101. Then, connection of a new external device is detected, the NCU 101 and the HDD 109 are controlled, and a driver suitable for the host computer 120 is transmitted.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that sends out a driver, a manual, and a utility.

  Conventionally, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that handles a SCSI device as a file system. Patent Document 2 discloses a system for installing a driver stored in a peripheral device on a computer host.

  In Patent Document 3, there is an example in which an HDD is provided in a digital copying machine, a device driver is stored, and a device driver of the digital copying machine is installed in a host.

  In Patent Document 4, device drivers and utilities are stored in the storage device of the peripheral device, the storage device of the peripheral device is made accessible as a file system from the host, and the host driver is installed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-205155 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-161250 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-101803 JP 11-296469 A

However, the conventional technique has the following problems.
For example, in the invention according to Patent Document 2, the storage medium in which the driver is stored is a ROM, which supports only reading, and uses a storage medium that stores image data, that is, a readable / writable storage medium. is not.

  Therefore, there is a problem that the driver update cannot be supported. For example, an image processing apparatus that accumulates image data is costly when a ROM for a driver is separately prepared even if the data can be accumulated. There is also a demand for information recorded on a ROM or a readable / writable recording medium to include information that enhances the convenience of the apparatus.

  In the invention according to Patent Document 3, an image read by the scanner can be stored in the HDD, but this image cannot be accessed from the host.

  In other words, the conventional technology has a problem that even if the driver of each functional unit is upgraded, the printer is the main body and the updated driver cannot be supplied to the PC side. There is also a demand for information recorded on a ROM or a readable / writable recording medium to include information that enhances the convenience of the apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus that supplies an updated driver. It is another object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that improves not only the driver but also the convenience of the apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to claim 1 includes an image reading unit that reads image data of an original, and an image forming unit that outputs and forms the image data read by the image reading unit on a recording sheet. An image forming apparatus comprising: a communication unit that transmits / receives data to / from an external device; and a storage unit that stores the image data obtained by the image reading unit or the communication unit in a readable / writable manner. The storage unit stores a driver, a manual, and a utility program of the image forming apparatus, and detects an external device connection unit that detects connection of a new external device based on data received by the communication unit, and the external unit When a new external device is detected by the device detection means, the storage means controls the communication means and the storage means. A driver sending control means for sending the appropriate driver for Luo the external device, characterized by comprising a.

  That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a printer driver is provided when there is no printer driver on the PC side, and an updated printer driver is provided when the version of the printer driver on the PC side is old.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: an image reading unit that reads image data of a document; an image forming unit that outputs and forms image data read by the image reading unit on a recording sheet; An image forming apparatus comprising: a communication unit that transmits and receives data between; and a storage unit that stores the image data obtained by the image reading unit or the communication unit in a readable and writable manner. A driver, a manual, and a utility program of the image forming apparatus are stored, and when there is a manual display request or a utility program download request from the external device via the communication unit, the communication unit and the storage unit To control the corresponding manual or utility from the storage means to the external device. And manual program delivery control means for delivering a utility program, characterized by comprising a.

  That is, the invention according to claim 2 can refer to the manual of the image forming apparatus from an external apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 determines whether the data received by the communication unit is an updated driver, manual, or utility program in the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. And when the determination means determines that the driver, manual or utility program is updated, the storage means is controlled to update the driver, manual or utility program already stored. Storage means control means for replacing with a driver, a manual, or a utility program.

  In other words, the invention according to claim 3 can always store the latest driver etc. on the printer side, and can provide updated drivers etc. for all connected PCs by one update. The

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first, second, or third aspect, the hardware includes the image reading unit, the image forming unit, the communication unit, or the storage unit. A platform that intervenes between resources and a plurality of applications that perform processing for a user service realized by each of the means, and that performs common service processing necessary for realizing the user service is provided. And

  In other words, the invention according to claim 4 can efficiently manage the information stored in the storage unit by constructing the platform.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a display unit that displays information about the apparatus is provided, and the storage unit includes the storage unit. The manual stored in is displayed.

  That is, the invention according to claim 5 eliminates the need to separately provide an information providing medium other than the display means.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus of the present invention (Claim 1) includes an image reading unit that reads image data of an original, and an image forming unit that outputs and forms the image data read by the image reading unit on a recording sheet. An image forming apparatus comprising: a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from an external device; and a storage unit that stores the image data obtained by the image reading unit or the communication unit in a readable and writable manner. The storage unit stores a driver, a manual, and a utility program of the image forming apparatus, and an external device detection unit that detects connection of a new external device based on data received by the communication unit; and the external device When a new external device is detected by the detection means, the communication means and the storage means are controlled so that the storage means And a driver sending control means for sending a driver suitable for the external device, so that a printer driver is provided when there is no printer driver on the PC side, and the printer driver version on the PC side is old. Can obtain an image forming apparatus that provides an updated printer driver.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention (claim 2) includes an image reading means for reading image data of a document, an image forming means for outputting and forming image data read by the image reading means on a recording paper, and an external device. An image forming apparatus including: a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from the image reading unit or a storage unit that stores image data obtained by the communication unit in a readable and writable manner; Stores a driver, a manual, and a utility program of the image forming apparatus, and when there is a manual display request or a utility program download request from the external apparatus via the communication means, the communication means and the storage Control means, and the corresponding manual or user from the storage means to the external device. And manual program delivery control means for delivering the tee utility program, so equipped and can refer to the manual of the image forming apparatus from an external device, which makes it possible to obtain a highly convenient image forming apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention (Claim 3) is the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the data received by the communication means is an updated driver, manual, or utility program. Determining means, and when the determining means determines that it is an updated driver, manual or utility program, the storage means is controlled to store an already stored driver, manual or utility program, Storage means control means for replacing with an updated driver, manual or utility program, so that the latest driver can always be stored on the printer side, and can be connected by one update Image forming device that can provide updated drivers to all PCs It is possible to provide a.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention (Claim 4) is the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, 2, or 3, and comprises the image reading unit, the image forming unit, the communication unit, or the storage unit. Because it has a platform to perform common service processing necessary for realizing user services, intervening between hardware resources and a plurality of applications that perform processing for user services realized by each means By constructing the platform, it becomes possible to efficiently manage the information stored in the storage unit, thereby providing a highly convenient image forming apparatus.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention (Claim 5) is the image forming apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, further comprising display means for displaying information relating to the apparatus, wherein the display means Since the manual stored in the storage unit is displayed, it is not necessary to separately provide an information providing medium other than the display unit, and it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus with a low overall cost.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a block configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus is appropriately referred to as an MFP. In the figure, a configuration in which the MFP 100 and a host computer (Host Computer) 120 are connected via a network is shown. In the figure, the host computer 120 is connected to only one unit, but may be connected to a plurality of host computers.

  The MPF 100 stores in advance an external peripheral device, a network controller unit (NCU) 101 connected to a computer or a network, a CPU 102, a RAM 103 which is a work area of the CPU 102, and operation contents or control contents of the CPU 102. ROM 104, a scanner (Scanner) 105 for reading image data, a plotter (Plotter) 106 for printing image data on recording paper, a facsimile controller unit (FCU) 107, and an operation unit (DISPLAY & OPERATION Controller) 108. And a hard disk drive (HDD) 109 for storing data. Each of these units is connected to a system bus 110.

  The NCU 101 can be connected to the outside through an interface such as SCSI as a parallel interface, USB as a serial interface, or IEEE1394. The following description will be made using the NCU 101 for network connection, but it is of course possible to use the above-mentioned interface.

  The MFP 100 reads out a control program previously stored in the ROM 104 by the CPU 102 and uses the RAM 103 as a temporary storage area (work area) for image data, sensor signals, and the like, and performs overall control of each part of the apparatus. The various processes are performed, and the process according to the present invention is executed.

  The MFP 100 is connected to the CPU 102, the ROM 104, the RAM 103, and the NCU 101 via the system bus 110, and to the scanner 105, the plotter 106, the FCU 107, the operation unit 108, and the HDD 109. The CPU 102 performs overall control of these units. The MFP 100 includes a transmission function (transmission function and reception function) for transmitting image data read by the scanner 105 by facsimile communication, and a copy (copy) function for recording and outputting the read image data. Can be used as a printer having a recording function for recording print image data from the HDD 109.

  As the system bus 110, for example, a general-purpose PCI can be used. The operation unit 108 includes a key port 111 and a display port 112 prepared in an operation port provided at the upper front of the apparatus main body. The display port 112 includes a drive condition, It comprises a display operation LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) with a touch panel for displaying various information such as device status and input conditions and performing input operations such as selection input and function input by the user. The display port 112 can also display an operation manual of the apparatus.

  Next, the copying operation will be described. For example, the scanner 105 separates and feeds a sheet-like document set on a document table one by one by an automatic document feeder (ADF) and positions the document on a contact glass (reading position). Subsequently, the scanner 105 irradiates the original (document consisting of images, characters, etc.) with light from an exposure lamp by a known reading method, and photoelectrically converts the reflected light from the image surface via the CCD. The image data read in this way is transferred onto the system bus 110.

  The plotter 106 optically writes the image data transferred onto the system bus 110 onto a charged photoreceptor while being driven to rotate by, for example, a known electrophotographic recording method. Subsequently, the plotter 106 attaches toner to the obtained electrostatic latent image, transfers and fixes the image onto a sheet conveyed from the sheet feeding cassette, and discharges the image outside the apparatus. Although the electrophotographic method has been described here, an image may be recorded by an ink jet method other than this method. The image data on the system bus 110 during the copying operation may be recorded in the data storage device 109.

  Next, a transmission operation and a reception operation of MFP 100 will be described. The FCU 107 transmits / receives FAX data to / from the other FAX terminal by modulating / demodulating image data and various procedure signals and executing line control with the PSTN (public line) to disconnect or connect the line. Fax communication is performed. A transmission operation will be described. The image data on the system bus 110 is used as transmission image data for FAX transmission. Note that the image data may be obtained from the NCU 101 as image data read from the scanner 105 or image data from a network. The image data on the system bus 110 during the transmission operation can be stored in the data storage device 109.

  Next, the reception operation will be described. The received data at the time of reception is transferred onto the system bus 110 and further recorded on the plotter 106. The image data on the system bus 110 during the receiving operation can be stored in the data storage device 109.

  Next, transfer of image reading via a network, that is, a network scanner function will be described. Image data read by the scanner 105 is output to the system bus 110. The read image data on the system bus 110 can be transferred to a device on the network via the NCU 101. That is, the MFP 100 can be a network scanner. The image data on the system bus 110 during the reading operation can be stored in the data storage device 109.

  Next, a printout process via a network, that is, a network print function will be described. Print image data (for example, PCL, PS, RPDL, IPDLC, etc., which are print description languages) transferred from a device on the network via the NCU 101 is developed into image data that can be recorded by the plotter 106 in the CPU 102. The developed image data is transferred to the plotter 106 via the system bus 110 and recorded on the recording paper. The image data on the system bus 110 during the recording operation can be stored in the data storage device 109.

  Note that the MFP 100 may include an image processing unit that encodes and compresses image data and decodes and decompresses the image data when reproducing the image data. When copying, the MFP 100 enlarges / reduces the image to a size instructed by the user. Image processing may be performed. In this embodiment, encoding and compression can be performed by the CPU 102, and encoded and compressed image data can also be stored in the data storage device 109. For example, dither processing, error diffusion processing, or the like can be used as the encoding compression means.

  The CPU 102 of the MFP 100 processes the processing date and time information and the number of copies for specifying the read image data in parallel with the read image data read by the scanner 105 being recorded and output on a sheet by the plotter 106 or by FAX transmission by the FCU 107. Alternatively, specific information including the destination telephone number is added to the read image data and stored in the data storage device 109. On the other hand, image data stored in a data storage device in MFP 100 can be retrieved from a computer (PC) connected to MFP 100 and read / displayed / recorded for reuse. Note that image data in document units may be sequentially displayed and output on a display, and the image data as it is digitized may be reusable, for example, by processing on a PC.

  For the specific information, the method proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-279019 can be adopted. The data storage device 109 is assumed to be an HDD in this embodiment, but is not limited to this, and is a rewritable removable medium such as a CD-R / RW, DVD-R / RW, or DVD-RAM. Also good. The data storage device 109 is managed as a file system by the CPU 102, and image data is also managed as a file. Files on the file system can be subjected to normal file operations such as addition / update and deletion. The data storage device 109 can store files other than image data.

  The data storage device 109 can also be accessed as an external storage device from the host computer 120 via the NCU 101. Further, the data storage device 109 can store various information of the MFP 100. The various information of the MFP 100 is information necessary for the operation of the MFP 100 such as a device driver, a utility, and a manual. That is, the various information of MFP 100 refers to necessary information including a device driver closer to a machine to a manual closer to a human. Since various information of the MFP 100 can also be accessed from the host computer 120, it can be updated to the latest information such as driver updates and manual revisions.

  Since the device driver of the MFP 100 is stored in the file system in the data storage device 109 of the MFP 100, it can be accessed from the host computer 120 via the NCU 101. Therefore, when installing the device driver of MFP 100 on host computer 120, the location where device driver of MFP 100 is stored may be specified from host computer 120. Similarly, the utility in the data storage device 109 of the MFP 100 can be installed in the host computer 120.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a data structure of various information of the MFP 100 stored in the data storage device 109. Corresponding to the situation where the OS of the host computer 120 is not always limited to a specific OS, the data storage device 109 hierarchically stores various information of the MFP 100 for each OS as shown in the figure. . As described above, various kinds of information can be applied to various OSs, so that an installation disk or the like is unnecessary. Further, since various information of MFP 100 is stored in data storage device 109, data storage device 109 can be used efficiently.

  That is, the data storage device 109 stores the image data read by the scanner 105 and also stores various information, so there is no need to provide a driver or the like separately by a floppy disk or the like. Further, since it is not necessary to provide the manual as a paper medium, the user can extract only necessary information electronically when necessary, which contributes to the demands of the era of cost reduction and resource saving.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, a configuration example of an image forming apparatus different from the image forming apparatus (MFP 100) of the first embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus includes resources (hardware resources) separated into functional units such as image reading, printing, and storage, an application that enables services such as a printer, a copy, and a facsimile, It consists of a platform that intervenes with the application and performs common processing required when executing each service. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with a focus on portions different from the configuration of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, and is a configuration diagram illustrating a specific software configuration. The image forming apparatus 300 has various functions such as a scanner function, a facsimile function, a copy function, and a file storage function, and realizes a function as an OA multifunction machine. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 300 includes a monochrome line printer (B & W LP) 301, a color line printer (Color LP) 302, other hardware resources 303, and the like, and also includes a software group 310. The software group 310 Consists of a platform 320 and an application 340. Other hardware resources 303 include the NCU 101 shown in FIG. 1, and communicate with an external device connected to the image forming apparatus 300. The HDD 109 shown in FIG. 1 is also included and stores a driver, an operation manual for the image forming apparatus 300, and a utility program.

  The platform 320 includes a general-purpose OS 321, a common system service 330, and an application service 329. The general-purpose OS 321 is a general-purpose operating system such as UNIX (registered trademark), and executes the software of the platform 320 and the application 340 in parallel as processes. By using open source UNIX (registered trademark), the safety of the program can be secured, the network can be supported, and the source code can be easily obtained. Furthermore, OS and TCP / IP royalties are unnecessary, and outsourcing is easy.

  The common system service 330 provides basic common services to the application 340, and includes an SRM (System Resource Manager) 323 having an SCS (System Control Service) 322, an ECS (Engine Control Service) 324, It consists of MCS (Memory Control Service) 325, OCS (Operation panel Control Service) 326, FCS (FAX Control Service) 327, and NCS (Network Control Service) 328.

  The SRM 323 performs system control and resource management together with the SCS 322, and includes engines such as a scanner unit and a printer unit, memory, HDD files, host I / O (Centro I / F, network I / F, IEEE 1394 I / F). , RS232CI / F, etc.) arbitration is performed according to a request from an upper layer using hardware resources, and execution control is performed.

  Specifically, the SRM 323 determines whether the requested hardware resource is available (whether it is not used by another request), and if it is available, the requested hardware resource is Tell the upper layer that it is available. Also, hardware resource usage scheduling may be performed in response to a request from an upper layer, and the requested contents (for example, paper conveyance and image forming operation by the printer engine, memory allocation, file generation, etc.) may be directly executed. .

  The SCS 322 includes (1) application management, (2) operation unit control, (3) system screen display (job list screen, counter display screen, etc.), (4) LED display, (5) resource management, and (6) interrupt application. Take control. Specifically, in (1) application management, processing for registering an application and notifying other applications of the information is performed. For the registered application, the engine state is notified according to the system setting or the request setting from the application. For registered applications, an inquiry about whether or not to change the state of the system, such as an inquiry about power mode transition and an interrupt mode, is made.

  In (2) operation unit control, exclusive control of the operation unit usage right of the application is performed. Then, the key information from the operation unit driver (OCS) is exclusively notified to the application having the right to use the operation unit. This key information performs mask control for temporarily stopping notification according to system state transition such as during application switching.

  In (3) system screen display, a warning screen corresponding to the engine state is displayed according to the content of a request from an application having an operation unit usage right. Some of them turn on / off warning display according to the state of the application such as a user restriction screen. In a state other than the engine state, display control of a job list screen for displaying job reservation / execution status, a counter screen for displaying total counters, and a screen indicating that CSS is being reported is performed. With respect to these system screen displays, drawing is performed as a system screen that covers the application screen without requesting the application to release the operation unit usage right.

  In (4) LED display, display control of system LEDs such as warning LEDs and application keys is performed. The application-specific LED is directly controlled by the application using a display driver.

  In (5) resource management, a service for exclusive control of engine resources (scanners, staples, etc.) that must be exclusive when an application (ECS) executes a job is provided. (6) In interrupt application control, Control and service for priority operation of specific applications.

  The ECS 324 controls engines such as a monochrome line printer (B & W LP) 301, a color line printer (Color LP) 302, and other hardware resources 303, and performs image reading and printing operations, status notification, jam recovery, and the like. .

  Specifically, a series of copy / scan / print operations are realized by sequentially issuing print requests to the SRM 323 in accordance with the job mode designation received from the application 340. In the job to be handled by the ECS 324, it is assumed that a scanner (SCANNER) is designated as the image input device or a plotter (PLOTTER) is designated as the image output device.

  For example, “SCANNER → PLOTTER” is designated for a copy operation, “SCANNER → MEMORY” is designated for file storage, and “SCANNER → FAX_IN” is designated for facsimile transmission. In addition, “MEMORY → PLOTTER” is designated in the case of printing of stored files or printing from the printer application 311, and “FAX_OUT → PLOTTER” is designated in the case of facsimile reception.

  Although the definition of the job varies depending on the application, here, the processing operation for one set of image groups handled by the user is defined as one job. For example, in the case of a copy ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) mode, an operation for reading one set of originals placed on a platen is one job, and in the pressure plate mode, a reading operation until a final original is determined is one job. . In the case of the copy application 312, the operation of copying a bundle of documents is one job, and in the case of the fax application 313, the transmission operation of one document or the reception operation of one document is one job. In this case, the printing operation for one document is one job.

  The MCS 325 performs memory control. Specifically, the MCS 325 performs acquisition and release of an image memory and control of a secondary storage device such as a hard disk device (HDD). It also compresses and decompresses image data. As an example of the secondary storage device, a rewritable removable medium such as a CD-R / RW, a DVD-R / RW, or a DVD-RAM can also be used.

  These storage devices are managed as a file system, and image data is also managed as a file. Files on the file system can be added / updated / deleted. Even if it is other than image data, the image forming apparatus 300 also stores various information files of the apparatus. Here, various information refers to device manuals, device drivers, utilities, and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the relationship between the various information is managed in a hierarchical structure, so that it is easy to access the various information of the image forming apparatus 300 from an external device such as a PC.

  As shown in FIG. 2, if various types of information of the image forming apparatus 300 are stored for each OS type, various types of OS can be supported, and storage and management can be performed for each version of driver and utility. . By adopting such a configuration, there is an advantage that not only an installation disk and a CD-ROM are unnecessary, but also a storage place for the installation disk and the CD-ROM is not necessary. In addition, since various information about the device is stored in the storage device, the data storage device can be used efficiently.

  The functions necessary for managing information necessary as image data files stored in the hard disk device include (1) file access (generation / deletion / open / close) function (including exclusive processing), (2 ) File attribute management (physical page) such as file name / ID management (file / user) / password management / accumulation time management / number of pages / data format (compression method, etc.) / Access restrictions / creation application / print condition management (3) Management of image data as a file), (3) Join / insert / disconnect function in file units and page units, (4) File sort function (accumulation time order / user ID order, etc.), (5) All files Notification of information (for display / search), (6) Recovery function (file / page discard of damaged file), (7) File There is such as automatic deletion function.

  The functions for holding and accessing image data to a memory such as a RAM include (1) a function for acquiring file and page / band attribute information from the application 340, and (2) an image data area from the application 340. There are a secure function, a release function, a read function, and a write function.

  The OCS 326 is a module that controls an operation panel serving as information transmission means between the operator and the main body control, and provides a process for notifying the main body control of an operator's key operation event and a library function for each application to construct a GUI. Processing, processing for managing the constructed GUI information for each application, display reflection processing on the operation panel, and the like are performed.

  The OCS 326 includes (1) a library providing function for GUI construction, (2) an operation unit hardware resource management function, (3) a VRAM drawing / LCD display function (hardware display, display application switching, display language switching, (4) Hard key input detection function, (5) Touch panel key input detection function, (6) LED output function, (7) Buzzer output function, etc. .

  The FCS 327 performs facsimile transmission / reception using PSTN / ISDN network from each application layer of the system controller, registration / quotation of various facsimile data managed by BKM (backup SRAM), facsimile reading, facsimile reception printing, and fusion transmission / reception. API is provided.

  Specifically, the FCS 327 includes (1) a transmission function for transmitting a document requested to be transmitted from the application layer to a facsimile receiver using the PSTN / ISDN network, and (2) a facsimile reception received from the PSTN / ISDN network. Receiving function for transferring and printing screens and various reports to each application layer, (3) Phonebook quoting / registration function for quoting and registering facsimile management items such as phonebook and group information stored in the fax board (4) Fax log notification function for notifying the application that needs the transmission / reception result history information stored in the BKM installed on the fax board, (5) When the status of the fax board changes, the FCS Has an event notification function that notifies registered applications of events that have changed

  The NCS 328 is a module group for providing a service that can be commonly used for applications requiring network I / O. Data received from the network side according to each protocol is distributed to each application, and data from the application is distributed. Mediates when sending to the network side. Specifically, it has server daemons such as ftpd, httpd, lpd, snmpd, telnetd, and smtpd, and client functions of the same protocol.

  The application service 329 is one of the common services that form the platform 320. Unlike the ECS 324, MCS 325, OCS 326, FCS 327, NCS 328, SRM 323, and SCS 322 that form the common system service 330, the application service 329 stands on the application 340 side. It provides services.

  In other words, the application service 329 is interposed between the application 340 and the common system service 330, and plays a role of bridging between the two.

  Specifically, the application service 329 collectively performs the job generation and data communication functions that the copy application 312, the fax application 313, the scanner application 314, and the like should perform. For this reason, since the copy application 312, the fax application 313, the scanner application 314, and the like need only be targeted for screens and key operations, application development efficiency is improved.

  The application 340 includes a printer application 311 that is a printer application having a page description language (PDL), PCL, and postscript (PS), a copy application 312 that is a copy application, and a fax application 313 that is a facsimile application. A scanner application 314 that is a scanner application, a net file application 315 that is a net file application, and a process inspection application 316 that is a process inspection application.

  Next, start-up processing of the three applications of the copy application 312, the printer application 311, and the scanner application 314, processing for generating and displaying each application screen, and processing when the application screen selection key is pressed will be described. .

  Application startup process: At power-on or system reset, the application is started after at least the SCS 322 and OCS 326 are started. The copy application 312, the printer application 311, and the scanner application 314 register that they are activated with respect to the application registration management module of the SCS 322.

  Screen generation processing; OCS 326 has a drawing management function that allows a plurality of applications to have a plurality of virtual screen memories. For this reason, the copy application 312, the printer application 311, and the scanner application 314 can each execute screen generation by the window control library module.

  Display processing: One of the plurality of screen memories is drawn on the display panel. Further, a screen obtained by combining the contents of a plurality of screen memories may be displayed. For example, when a fax is received during a copying operation, a message indicating that the fax is being received can be displayed in a screen area common to applications.

  Screen switching processing; The screen memory drawn on the display panel is switched by the system screen display control module of the SCS322. For example, when an application selection key on the operation panel is pressed, the selected application screen is drawn. Further, since the SCS 322 has a device status management module that holds device internal hardware and engine status information, it is possible to switch a display screen in the event of an error or abnormality such as a jam or no paper.

  Next, a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 300 illustrated in FIG. 3 will be described. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 300 illustrated in FIG. 3. The image forming apparatus 300 includes, as a hardware configuration, a controller board 400 in which a CPU 402, an SDRAM 403, a flash memory 404, an HD 405, and the like are connected to an ASIC 401, an operation panel 410, a fax control unit (FCU) 420, a USB 430, and IEEE1394 ( 440) and a plotter (output device) 450.

  The operation panel 410 is directly connected to the ASIC 401, and the FCU 420, USB 430, IEEE 1394 (440), and the plotter 450 are connected to the ASIC 401 via the PCI bus.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the ASIC 401 shown in FIG. The ASIC 401 includes a CPU interface (CPU I / F), an SDRAM interface (SDRAM I / F), a local bus interface (Local BUS I / F), a PCI interface (PCI I / F), 1284, a MAC (Media Access Controller), These are formed by I / O, OPE interface (OPE I / F), HD interface (HD I / F), Comp / de-comp, and Rotate.

  By adopting such a hardware configuration, it is possible to design at low cost by sharing devices and to facilitate inter-application fusion. In addition, the architecture is scalable from low speed machines to high speed machines, and hardware / software used by each application is shared, so that development efficiency can be improved. In addition, it becomes easy to deal with new functions.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the common part of each application is bundled as the application service 329 and the common system service 330, and the platform 320 is formed by the application service 329, the common system service 330, and the general-purpose OS 321. Since the printer application 311 and the copy application 312 are mounted on the platform 320, the development effort of each application can be reduced and the application can be slimmed.

  Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 300 can provide a necessary driver (printer driver) and display an operation manual to an external apparatus, for example, a PC connected to the image forming apparatus 300, by the net file application 315 and the NCS 328. Information management can be performed efficiently.

  That is, various pieces of information of the image forming apparatus 300 can be accessed from an external computer via the net file application 315. Further, as described in Embodiment 1, it is possible to update to the latest information.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is useful for the image forming technique.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a block configuration of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the data structure of the various information of MFP stored in a data storage device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment, and is a configuration diagram illustrating a specific software configuration. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the ASIC illustrated in FIG. 4.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image forming apparatus 101 Network control unit 105 Scanner 106 Plotter 108 Operation part 109 Data storage device (HDD)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 112 Display port 120 Host computer 300 Image forming apparatus 303 Other hardware resources 310 Software group 311 Printer application 312 Copy application 313 Fax application 314 Scanner application 315 Net file application 316 Process inspection application 320 Platform 329 Application service 330 Common system service 340 Application 400 Controller board 404 Flash memory 410 Operation panel 450 Plotter

Claims (5)

Image reading means for reading image data of a document;
Image forming means for outputting and forming image data read by the image reading means on recording paper;
A communication means for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device;
Storage means for storing the image data obtained by the image reading means or the communication means in a readable and writable manner;
An image forming apparatus having
The storage means stores a driver, a manual, and a utility program for the image forming apparatus,
External device detection means for detecting a connection of a new external device based on the data received by the communication means;
A driver sending control means for controlling the communication means and the storage means to send a driver suitable for the external device from the storage means when a new external device is detected by the external device detecting means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: Image reading means for reading image data of a document;
Image forming means for outputting and forming image data read by the image reading means on recording paper;
A communication means for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device;
Storage means for storing the image data obtained by the image reading means or the communication means in a readable and writable manner;
An image forming apparatus having
The storage means stores a driver, a manual, and a utility program for the image forming apparatus,
When there is a manual display request or a utility program download request from the external device via the communication means, the manual corresponding to the external device from the storage means is controlled by controlling the communication means and the storage means. Or manual program transmission control means for transmitting a utility program;
An image forming apparatus comprising: Determining means for determining whether the data received by the communication means is an updated driver, manual or utility program;
When the determination means determines that the driver, manual or utility program is updated, the storage means is controlled so that the driver, manual or utility program already stored is updated. Storage means control means for replacing with a utility program;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   A user service interposed between a hardware resource configured by the image reading unit, an image forming unit, a communication unit, or a storage unit and a plurality of applications that perform processing for the user service realized by the units; 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a platform for performing a common service process necessary for realizing the above.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays information about the apparatus, wherein the display unit displays a manual stored in the storage unit.

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