Patent ID: 7460254
Filing Date: 2008-12-02
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
1. An image printing system comprising: a main machine image printing apparatus; a sub machine image printing apparatus; communication means for interactively connecting the main machine image printing apparatus and the sub machine image printing apparatus; and an information processing apparatus which is connected to the communication means and which supplies an image printing job to the main machine image printing apparatus; wherein each of the main machine image printing apparatus and sub machine image printing apparatus further comprises: wherein each of the main machine image printing apparatus and the sub machine image printing apparatus has: (i) a proof mode in which after the image printing apparatus outputs a single image printing object as a confirmation print based on the image printing job, the image printing apparatus displays the setting screen on the operating display unit, to direct a change of the image printing conditions of the image printing job, a performance of the proof mode, or a performance of an image printing operation, and then the image printing apparatus waits, and (ii) a wait mode in which the image printing apparatus displays the setting screen on the operating display unit, to direct the change of the image printing conditions of the image printing job, the performance of the proof mode, or the performance of image printing operation, without outputting the confirmation print, and then the image printing apparatus waits; wherein each of the main machine image printing apparatus and the sub machine image printing apparatus comprises a switch which is set to one of enable selection of the proof mode or wait mode and to prevent selection of the proof mode or wait mode; wherein the image printing job supplied from the information processing apparatus comprises job status information, job setting information, and image information, and said job status information includes one of a proof selection flag to select the proof mode, a wait selection flag to select the wait mode, and no selection flag to select neither the proof mode nor the wait mode; wherein when the job status information of the image printing job supplied to the main machine image printing apparatus includes the proof selection flag or wait selection flag, the main machine image printing apparatus determines whether or not the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to enable selection of the proof mode or the wait mode; wherein when the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to enable selection of the proof mode or the wait mode, the main machine image printing apparatus changes the job setting information of the image printing job supplied from the information processing apparatus by adding the output condition information stored in the nonvolatile memory of the main machine image printing apparatus to the job setting information and separately transfers a part of the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed to the sub machine image printing apparatus; wherein when the job status information includes the proof selection flag, the main machine image printing apparatus outputs a single image printing object as a confirmation print based on the image printing job in which the job information has been changed, and then displays the setting screen and waits, wherein when the job status information includes the wait selection flag, the main machine image printing apparatus immediately displays the setting screen and waits, without outputting the confirmation print, and wherein the main machine image printing apparatus performs the image printing operation based on the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed when performance of the image printing operation is directed on the setting screen; wherein when the job status information of the image printing job supplied from the image processing apparatus to the main machine image printing apparatus includes no selection flag, or when the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to prevent selection of the proof mode or the wait mode, the main machine image printing apparatus changes the job setting information of the image printing job supplied from the image processing apparatus by adding the output condition information stored in the nonvolatile memory of the main machine image printing apparatus to the job setting information, the main machine image printing apparatus separately transfers the part of the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed to the sub machine image printing apparatus, and the main machine image printing apparatus performs the image printing operation based on the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed; wherein when the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to enable selection of the proof mode or the wait mode, the sub machine image printing apparatus changes the job setting information of the image printing job separately transferred from the main machine image printing apparatus based on the output condition information stored in the nonvolatile memory of the sub machine image printing apparatus; wherein when the job status information includes the proof selection flag, the sub machine image printing apparatus outputs a single image printing object as a confirmation print based on the image printing job in which the job information has been changed, and then displays the setting screen and waits, wherein when the job status information includes the wait selection flag, the sub machine image printing apparatus immediately displays the setting screen and waits, without outputting the confirmation print, and wherein the sub machine image printing apparatus performs the image printing operation based on the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed when performance of the image printing operation is directed on the setting screen; and wherein when the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to prevent selection of the proof mode or the wait mode, the sub machine image printing apparatus performs the image printing operation in parallel with the main machine image printing apparatus based on the job setting information of the image printing job separately transferred from the main machine image printing apparatus, without changing the job setting information at the sub machine image printing apparatus.