Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Attribute control
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-01
2003-08-26
Lee, Thomas D. (Department: 2722)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Attribute control
C358S500000, C358S434000, C358S450000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06611355
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a color facsimile apparatus for transmitting image data obtained by color reading a color original paper after being color encoding and for color printing received data.
BACKGROUND OF ART
The provisions of color facsimile apparatus are present under ITU-T Recommendation 81. The color facsimile apparatus is proceeding toward practical utilization in accordance with the provisions.
In color image data, which the color facsimile apparatus processes, a size of a data item is generally large. This causes problems, e.g., a memory for storing data is liable to overflow, a large amount of time is required to perform data receiving and transmitting and printing and outputting, a large quantity of color printing material (ink) consumed is needed, etc.
The following will specifically explain the troubles caused by the above problems.
First, there is an ink jet printing method as a method for printing received data in the color facsimile apparatus. This method is used in an ink jet printer, and ink of the respective colors of C (Cyan), M (Magenta), Y (Yellow) and K (Black) in an ink tank is discharged onto a printing paper to perform the printing. Normally, ink of the respective colors of C (Cyan), M (Magenta), Y (Yellow) is uniformly prepared.
However, receiving and transmitting color data is not uniformly prepared in its color. As a result, in many cases, any one of color ink is first used up in the facsimile apparatus. Since the color original paper has a large amount of data, ink is easily used up, and the normal color printing cannot be performed when the absence of ink occurs.
Unlike the ink jet printer, in the facsimile apparatus, an operator on a transmitting side cannot know the remaining quantity of ink. Due to this, in some cases, ink is used up during the receiving and transmitting, or ink is already used up before the start of receiving and transmitting. In this case, even if the absence of ink occurs in the receiver, a sender often takes it for granted that the transmission is normally received only if the transmission normally ended. This causes troubles relating to the completion of transmission and that of reception.
The following methods are present in order to take measurements against the case in which the absence of ink occurs in the facsimile apparatus.
First, there is prior art disclosed in, for example, un-examined Japanese Patent Publication NO.7-46417. According to this prior art, if any one of color ink is absent, the printing is performed using another color ink.
However, it is originally unfavorable that the printing is performed using another color ink. In the case of the facsimile apparatus, even if the receiver receives a printing paper of a color different from the transmitted original paper, there is a possibility that the receiver will not notice the reception. In view of this point, there is prepared an economy mode in which the consumption of color ink is low in the ink jet printer. The economy mode is that the amount of discharging ink as a whole is reduced as the operator confirms the content of the original paper, with the result that time elapsing before the absence of ink can be prolonged.
However, the facsimile apparatus cannot print and output received data while the operator on the receiving side is conforming received data before the printing and outputting data. As a result, it is difficult to change the mode to the economy mode in accordance with the content of the received content.
Next, there is a method using a receiving memory. More specifically, according to this method, when the absence of ink occurs, the printing and outputting of the received data is prohibited and all received data is stored in the receiving memory. Then, stored data is output after replenishing the ink tank with ink.
However, since there is a limitation in the memory capacity, the memory for storing received data overflows, so that received data may be lost. Particularly, when received data is color data whose size is large, the overflow is liable to occur.
In order to deal with this problem, there is prior art disclosed in, for example, Japanese un-examined Japanese Patent Publication NO.8-79543. According to this prior art, when the remaining quantity of the memory capacity for storing received data is below a fixed value, color data already stored is converted to monochromatic data to be printed and output and the color data stored in the memory is erased. Thereby, a memory space area is reserved. However, according to this method, though the overflow of the memory can be avoided, there is a disadvantage in which whether the received data is color data or monochromatic data cannot be determined.
Secondly, the color facsimile apparatus have come into wide use gradually. However, most of the facsimile apparatus, which are put on the market, are ones that receive and transmit the monochromatic images. An operator of the color facsimile apparatus must perform the communication on the assumption of the following two cases. Specifically, one is that the receiver is the facsimile apparatus having a function of receiving color images and the other is that the receiver is the facsimile apparatus having a function of receiving only the monochromatic image. Consequently, the operation becomes complicated. In other words, whether the receiver corresponds to the former case or the latter case is clarified by exchanging a capability notice in the communication procedure after a call is established. For this reason, the operator cannot know the function of the receiver at time of reading and storing original paper, which is before the start of the communication procedure. Therefore, in order to avoid the occurrence of a non-communicating state, the operator must select whether color data is color coded and stored or monochromatically coded and stored in advance, depending on the counterpart.
Thirdly, there is a case in which color data and monochromatic data are mixed in one communication. If color data and monochromatic data are separately transmitted, the transmission operation becomes further complicated, and the entire transmission process amounts to a considerable long period of time. In order to deal with this problem, there is prior art disclosed in, for example, un-examined Japanese Patent Publication NO.7-283951. According to this prior art, whether the original paper is color or monochromatic is determined after reading the original paper for transmission. Then, an encoding process is executed in accordance with the result of the determination. According to this technique, the operator's load can be somewhat reduced. However, since the determination process is performed after scanning the original paper, and the encoding process is further executed, a large amount of time is required when the transmission process is executed.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is provided to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems of the color facsimile apparatus and to improve the operability of the color facsimile apparatus as a whole.
More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a color facsimile apparatus, which reduces an amount of ink consumption to prevent an absence of ink.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a color facsimile apparatus being capable of obtaining excellent received data even if an absence of ink occurs. More specifically, even if the absence of ink occurs and data is printed and output with ink of a different color, whether transmitting original data is color or monochromatic can be determined.
Further another object of the present invention is to provide a color facsimile apparatus being capable of transmitting data to either one of the color facsimile apparatus and the monochromatic facsimile apparatus by a simple operation and for a short period of time.
The above object can be attained by the color facsimile apparatus comprising communication result report generating means for synthesizing a part of unsent image data with communication re
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Lee Thomas D.
Panasonic Communications Co. Ltd.
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