Image forming apparatus
AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKazuhiro Ogura, Shinji Makishima, Akihiro Mizutani, Toshihiro Ida
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image forming apparatus performs a user authentication process and performs a private print process according to a request from an authenticated user. When the user requests interruption of the private print which is now performed or it is detected that the user has left a place near the image forming apparatus while the private print is being performed, the image forming apparatus interrupts the private print which is now performed and stores a print state at the interruption time. Further, the image forming apparatus performs a user authentication process and re-starts the private print which is interrupted in response to a re-start request from the authenticated user.
Claims20
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a user authenticating portion which authenticates users,
- an interface which receives a print request from an external equipment,
- a job database which spools a private print request received by the interface as a private print job,
- a printer which executes the private print job spooled in the job database in response to an execution request from the user authenticated by the user authenticating portion,
- a detecting portion which detects interruption of a private print process performed by the printer, and
- a controller which interrupts execution of the private print job by the printer when interruption of the private printing process which is being performed is detected by the detecting portion.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a user authenticating portion which authenticates users,
- an interface which receives a print request from an external equipment,
- a controller which divides a private print into a plurality of private print jobs each of which has a print amount less than a preset permissible amount when a print amount of the private print received by the interface exceeds the preset permissible amount,
- a job database which spools the plurality of private print jobs divided by the controller, and
- a printer which executes the private print jobs spooled in the job database in response to an execution request from a user authenticated by the user authenticating portion.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a user authenticating portion which authenticates a user,
- an interface which receives a print request from an external equipment,
- a job database which spools a private print request received by the interface as a private print job,
- an operating portion which receives a request of changing a processing method for a private print job by a user authenticated by the user authenticating portion when a print amount of the private print job which is requested to be executed by the authenticated user exceeds a preset permissible amount,
- a controller which performs a process for the private print job according to a processing method input by the operating portion, and
- a printer which executes the private print job processed by the controller in response to a request from the controller.
An image forming method used in an image forming apparatus having an interface which receives a print request from an external equipment, comprising:
- spooling a private print request received by the interface in a job database as a private print job,
- authenticating users,
- executing the private print job spooled in the job database in response to an execution request from the authenticated user,
- detecting interruption of a private print job which is being executed, and
- interrupting the private print job which is being executed when the interruption of the private print job which is being executed is detected.
An image forming method used in an image forming apparatus having an interface which receives a print request from an external equipment, comprising:
- determining whether a print amount of a private print exceeds a preset permissible amount when a private print request received by the interface is received,
- dividing the private print into a plurality of private print jobs each having a print amount not larger than a preset permissible amount when it is determined in the above determining step that the print amount of the received private print exceeds the preset permissible amount,
- spooling the plurality of divided private print jobs in a job database,
- authenticating users, and
- executing the private print jobs spooled in the job database in response to an execution request from the authenticated user.
An image forming method used in an image forming apparatus having an interface which receives a print request from an external equipment, comprising:
- spooling a private print request received by the interface in a job database as a private print job,
- authenticating users,
- determining whether a print amount of a private print job which is requested to be executed by the authenticated user exceeds a preset permissible amount,
- receiving a request of changing a processing method for a private print job by an authenticated user when it is determined in the above determining step that a print amount of the private print job which is requested to be executed by the user exceeds the preset permissible amount,
- processing the private print job according to a processing method for the private print job which is selected by the user and requested to be changed, and executing the private print job processed according to the processing method selected by the user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.