Image forming apparatus, image forming system, recovery processing method, program, and storage medium

Abstract

There is provided an image forming apparatus that can reduce the burden placed on the user by avoiding input errors and a complicated input operation when making settings for a color/black-and-white mixing operation and can perform a proper recovery even when a sheet determined to be abnormal is included in other sheets. Images are formed on sheets by an MFP 104 in accordance with an image forming job. The sheets on which the images have been formed are conveyed to a stacker tray 1207 detachably attached to the MFP 104. Information relating to the image forming job for the sheets conveyed to the stacker tray 1207 is written into a storage device 1202 provided in the stacker tray 1207.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An image forming apparatus comprising: 
 an image forming device that forms images on sheets in accordance with an image forming job;    a conveying device that conveys the sheets on which the images have been formed by said image forming device to a container detachably attached to the image forming apparatus; and    a writing device that writes information relating to the image forming job for the sheets conveyed by said conveying device into a memory provided in the container.    
     
     
         2 . An image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said writing device writes identification information relating to the image forming job.  
     
     
         3 . An image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said writing device writes page information relating to the images formed on the sheets.  
     
     
         4 . An image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said writing device writes information relating to at least one selected from the group consisting of sheet size, print number, number of sheets, number of copies, sheet stacking method, material, page order, and image forming apparatus identity.  
     
     
         5 . An image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said writing device writes at least one selected from the group consisting of information for distinguishing a sheet with an abnormality and information for distinguishing a set of sheets that include a sheet with an abnormality.  
     
     
         6 . An image forming apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the abnormality is at least one abnormality selected from the group consisting out of multiply feeding or skewing of sheets, registration misalignment, and color abnormality after image formation.  
     
     
         7 . An image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the container is detachably attached to another image forming apparatus and contains. sheets.  
     
     
         8 . An image forming apparatus comprising: 
 an image forming device that forms images on sheets in accordance with an image forming job;    a feeding device that feeds sheets stored in a container detachably attached to the image forming apparatus; and    a reading device that reads information written into a memory provided in the container and relating to the image forming job for the sheets stored in the container.    
     
     
         9 . An image forming apparatus according to  claim 8 , comprising a control device that performs processing of at least one sheet with an abnormality contained in the container, based on the information read by said reading device.  
     
     
         10 . An image forming apparatus comprising: 
 an image forming device that performs image formation on sheets;    a container device that is attached to the image forming apparatus and contains the sheets on which image formation has been performed by said image forming device;    a storage device that is provided in said storage device and stores storage information relating to the sheets;    a detecting device that detects whether there is an abnormality in the sheets; and    a control device that generates recovery information for recovering at least one sheet for which an abnormality has been detected by said detecting device, and stores the recovery information in said storage device.    
     
     
         11 . An image forming apparatus comprising: 
 an image forming device that performs image formation on sheets;    a container device that is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus and contains sheets on which image formation has been performed by another image forming apparatus;    a storage section that is provided in said container device and stores storage information relating to the sheets contained in said container device;    an insertion device that inserts the sheets contained in said container device into the sheets on which image formation has been performed by said image forming device; and    a control device operable when said container device is attached to the image forming apparatus while recovery information including information capable of determining whether there is an abnormality in the sheets is stored in said storage device as the storage information, for causing said insertion device to insert the sheets contained in said container device into the sheets on which information formation has been performed by said image forming device, based on the recovery information.    
     
     
         12 . An image forming apparatus comprising: 
 an image forming device that performs image formation on sheets;    an insertion device that is attached to the image forming apparatus and performs a sheet insertion of sheets on which image formation has been performed by another image forming apparatus into the sheets on which image formation has been performed by said image forming device;    a container device that is attached to said insertion device and contains the sheets on which image formation has been performed by the other image forming apparatus;    a storage device that is provided in said container device and stores storage information relating to the sheets;    an insertion control device operable when said container device is attached to said insertion device, for causing said insertion device to perform the sheet insertion based on the storage information stored in said storage device;    a detection device that detects whether there is an abnormality in the sheets;    a first recovery device that performs a first recovery process when an abnormality in any of the sheets is detected by said detection device; and    a writing device that writes information that is necessary for recovery into said storage device provided in said container device.    
     
     
         13 . An image forming apparatus according to  claim 12 , further comprising a second recovery device operable when the information that is necessary for a recovery has been written into said storage device and said storage device has been attached to said insertion device, for performing a second recovery process based on the information that is necessary for a recovery in said storage device.  
     
     
         14 . An image forming system having a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and a network via which the image forming apparatuses are connected, at least one of the image forming apparatuses comprising: 
 an image forming device that forms images on sheets in accordance with an image forming job;    a conveying device that conveys the sheets on which the images have been formed by said image forming device to a container detachably attached to the image forming apparatus; and    a writing device that writes information relating to the image forming job for the sheets conveyed by said conveying device into a memory provided in the container.    
     
     
         15 . An image forming system having a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and a network via which the image forming apparatuses are connected, at least one of the image forming apparatuses comprising: 
 an image forming device that forms images on sheets in accordance with an image forming job;    a feeding device that feeds sheets stored in a container detachably attached to the image forming apparatus; and    a reading device that reads information written into a memory provided in the container and relating to the image forming job for the sheets stored in the container.    
     
     
         16 . An image forming system having a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and a network via which the image forming apparatuses are connected, at least one of the image forming apparatuses comprising: 
 an image forming device that performs image formation on sheets;    a container device that is attached to the image forming apparatus and contains the sheets on which image formation has been performed by said image forming device;    a storage device that is provided in said storage device and stores storage information relating to the sheets;    a detecting device that detects whether there is an abnormality in the sheets; and    a control device that generates recovery information for recovering at least one sheet for which an abnormality has been detected by said detecting device, and stores the recovery information in said storage device.    
     
     
         17 . An image forming system having first and second image forming apparatuses, and a network via which the first and second image forming apparatuses are connected, the first image forming apparatus comprising: 
 an image forming device that performs image formation on sheets;    a container device that is detachably attached to the first image forming apparatus and contains sheets on which image formation has been performed by the second image forming apparatus;    a storage section that is provided in said storage device and stores storage information relating to the sheets contained in said container device;    an insertion device that inserts the sheets stored in said container device into the sheets on which image formation has been performed by said image forming device; and    a control device operable when said container device is attached to the first image forming apparatus while recovery information including information capable of determining whether there is an abnormality in the sheets is stored in said storage device as the storage information, for causing said insertion device to insert the sheets contained in said container device into the sheets on which information formation has been performed by said image forming device, based on the recovery information.    
     
     
         18 . An image forming system having first and second image forming apparatuses, and a network via which the first and second image forming apparatuses are connected, the first image forming apparatus comprising: 
 an image forming device that performs image formation on sheets;    an insertion device that is attached to the first image forming apparatus and performs a sheet insertion of sheets on which image formation has been performed by the second image forming apparatus into the sheets on which image formation has been performed by said image forming device;    a container device that is attached to said insertion device and contains the sheets on which image formation has been performed by the second image forming apparatus;    a storage device that is provided in said container device and stores storage information relating to the sheets;    an insertion control device operable when said container device is attached to said insertion device, for causing said insertion device to perform the sheet insertion based on the storage information stored in said storage device;    a detection device that detects whether there is an abnormality in the sheets;    a first recovery device that performs a first recovery process when said detection device has detected an abnormality in any of the sheets; and    a writing device that writes information that is necessary for recovery into said storage device provided in said storage device.    
     
     
         19 . A recovery processing method of an image forming apparatus, the method comprising the step of: 
 an image forming step that forms images on sheets in accordance with an image forming job;    a conveying step that conveys the sheets on which the images have been formed in said image forming step to a container detachably attached to the image forming apparatus; and    a writing step that writes information relating to the image forming job for the sheets conveyed in said conveying step into a memory provided in the container.    
     
     
         20 . A recovery processing method for an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of: 
 an image forming step of forming images on sheets in accordance with an image forming job;    a feeding step of feeding sheets stored in a container detachably attached to the image forming apparatus; and    a reading step of reading information written into a memory provided in the container and relating to the image forming job for the sheets stored in the container.    
     
     
         21 . A recovery processing method for an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of: 
 an image forming step of performing image formation on sheets;    a containing step of containing the sheets on which image formation has been performed in said image forming step into a container device that is attached to the image forming apparatus;    a storing step of storing storage information relating to the sheets in a storage device that is provided in the storage device;    a detecting step of detecting whether there is an abnormality in the sheets; and    a control step of generating recovery information for recovering at least one sheet for which an abnormality has been detected in said detecting step, and storing the recovery information in the storage device.    
     
     
         22 . A recovery processing method for an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of: 
 an image forming step of performing image formation on sheets;    a containing step of containing the sheets on which image formation has been performed in said image forming step into a container device that is attached to the image forming apparatus and contains;    a storing step of storing storage information relating to the sheets in a storage device that is provided in the container device;    an insertion step of inserting the sheets contained in said containing step into the sheets on which image formation has been performed in said image forming step; and    a control step of causing said insertion step to insert the sheets contained in the container device into the sheets on which information formation has been performed in said image forming step, based on recovery information including information capable of determining whether there is an abnormality in the sheets is stored in said storage device as the storage information, when the container device is attached to the image forming apparatus while the recovery information is stored in the storage device as the storage information.    
     
     
         23 . A recovery processing method for an image forming apparatus, comprising the step of: 
 an image forming step of performing image formation on sheets;    an insertion step of causing an insertion device that is attached to the image forming apparatus to perform a sheet insertion of sheets on which image formation has been performed by another image forming apparatus into the sheets on which image formation has been performed in said image forming step;    a containing step of containing the sheets on which image formation has been performed by the other image forming apparatus into a container device that is attached to the insertion device;    a storing step of storing storage information relating to the sheets in a storage device that is provided in the container device;    an insertion control step of causing said insertion step to perform the sheet insertion based on the storage information stored in the storage device when the container device is attached to the insertion device;    a detection step of detecting whether there is an abnormality in the sheets;    a first recovery step of performing a first recovery process when an abnormality in any of the sheets is detected in said detection step; and    a writing step of writing information that is necessary for recovery into the storage device provided in the container device.    
     
     
         24 . A computer-readable program for implementing a recovery processing method according to any of  claims 20  to  22 .  
     
     
         25 . A storage medium that stores a computer- readable program according to  claim 23.