Electrophotography – Machine operation – Job mode
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-07
2004-08-03
Braun, Fred (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Machine operation
Job mode
C399S085000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06771914
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a technique used for a digital copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or the like, and for outputting image data and text data offline automatically and efficiently by recording image data and text data together with predetermined information relating to the management and processing thereof onto a removable and portable storage medium.
BACKGROUND ART
In recent years, demand for high speed and multifunction of a digital copying machine has increased. A so-called digital composite machine has appeared, which is provided with a facsimile function, a printer function, and the like, in addition to a copying function. Hereinafter, a conventional digital copying machine will be explained with reference to drawings.
FIG. 17
is a block diagram showing a flow of an image signal in a conventional digital copying machine.
As shown in
FIG. 17
, an image sensor
71
scans a document to convert reflected light from the document into an electrical signal. An analog image signal from the image sensor
71
is converted into a digital image signal by an A/D converter
72
. The converted digital image signal is subjected to image processing such as an edge enhancement, trimming, half-tone processing, or the like, and edit processing in an image processing circuit
73
. The image signal output from the image processing circuit
73
is buffered in a buffer memory
74
for speed control, and subsequently output to a laser driver
78
. This laser driver
78
drives a semiconductor laser
79
to form an electrostatic latent image by laser beams output from the semiconductor laser
79
.
The digital copying machine further includes a CPU
85
, a LAN controller
80
, a page memory
84
, a parallel I/F
81
, a CCU (communication control unit)
82
and a compression/expansion circuit
86
, which are mutually connected by a CPU bus
83
.
The CPU
85
has a RAM and a ROM and controls the entire digital copying machine. The page memory
84
has capacity that can store at least one page of image data and is connected to the buffer memory
74
. Image data stored in the page memory
84
are output to the laser driver
78
through the buffer memory
74
to be recorded on a recording paper.
The LAN controller
80
communicates with an external equipment through a local area network (LAN). When the digital copying machine is used as a remote printer, an external equipment such as a computer transmits a print control command or image data to the digital copying machine through the LAN. The CPU
85
decompresses the image data received through the LAN in the page memory based on the received print control command.
Using the parallel I/F
81
, the digital copying machine and an external equipment can be connected one to one. When the digital copying machine is used as a printer for the external equipment, the external equipment transmits a print control command or image data to the digital copying machine through the parallel I/F
81
of the digital copying machine. When the external equipment uses the image scanner function of the digital copying machine, the external equipment transmits a document read-out control command to the digital copying machine through the parallel I/F
81
, and the read-out document image data is transmitted from the digital copying machine to the external equipment.
The CCU
82
communicates with an external facsimile through a public line by using a modem
87
. Image data received by facsimile is expanded in the compression/expansion circuit
86
, transferred to the page memory
84
, and printed out. Also, document image data read out for facsimile transmission are stored in the page memory
84
, compressed in the compression/expansion circuit
86
, and transmitted to the external facsimile through the CCU
82
and the modem
87
.
Next, a conventional image reader will be explained.
FIG. 18
is a block diagram showing a flow of an image signal in a conventional image reader.
In
FIG. 18
, an image sensor
171
scans a document to convert reflected light from the document into an electrical signal. An analog image signal output from the image sensor
171
is converted into a digital image signal by an A/D converter
172
, and subsequently input to an image processing circuit
173
. The image processing circuit
173
performs image processing such as edge enhancement, trimming, halftone processing, pixel density conversion, and gradation level conversion as well as edit processing on the digital image signal. The image data output from the image processing circuit
173
are buffered in a buffer memory
174
.
For controlling the entire image reader, a CPU
185
having a RAM and a ROM is provided. The CPU
185
, the image processing circuit
173
, the buffer memory
174
, a DMA controller
180
and a SCSI controller
181
are mutually connected through a CPU bus
183
.
The DMA controller
180
transfers the image data stored in the buffer memory
174
to the SCSI controller
180
. An external equipment such as a computer etc. transmits a control command of the image reader to the image reader through the SCSI controller
180
and receives image data from the image reader. The CPU
185
sets the degree of edge enhancement, the gradation level of image data, and read density, etc. in accordance with the image read-out control command.
In general, a high-speed digital PPC capable of copying several tens sheets or more per minute is located in a common space such as a copy room or a hallway. When copying a text prepared by a personal computer, etc. in plural copies, a user has to print a document with a nearby printer, take the printed document to a place where a digital copying machine is located, and then copy the document in plural copies using a sorter, etc. of the digital copying machine. In particular, when a personal computer used by a user is not connected through a LAN, the remote print function of the digital copying machine cannot be used, so that copying must be done as mentioned above. In this case, a document image is once printed out on paper before copying it, and therefore degradation of the image is inevitable.
When a personal computer used by a user is connected to the digital copying machine through a LAN, the user can use the remote print function of the digital copying machine. Therefore, the user can directly utilize a function such as a sorter of the digital copying machine from his/her personal computer. However, when copying by using the remote print function of the digital copying machine, the user has to go to a distant place where the digital copying machine is located to obtain the printed paper. Furthermore, when copying in a large amount using the remote print function, problems such as running out of paper for copying and paper jam are likely to occur. To solve such troubles, the user also has to go to the place where the digital copying machine is located. Thus, it may be considered that the utility value of the remote (online) print function in a high-speed digital copying machine is not so high.
When using the image scanner function of the digital copying machine from a user's personal computer online by using the parallel I/F
81
or the LAN shown in
FIG. 17
, similar problems arise. That is, the user has to go to a distant place where the digital copying machine is located to set a document in the image scanner portion of the digital copying machine. Therefore, when the digital copying machine and the user's computer are located at places apart from each other, it is not useful to use the image scanner function of the digital copying machine online.
Furthermore, the above-mentioned image reader is connected to an external equipment such as a personal computer one to one using an interface such as a SCSI. Therefore, the image reader is used exclusively by the user of the connected personal computer. When another user uses the image reader, the user has to use the personal computer connected to the image reader or reconnect the image reader to his/her personal computer.
Furthermore, in a case whe
Murata Kazuyuki
Takamine Kouichi
LandOfFree
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