Electrophotography – Machine operation – Accounting
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-18
2001-08-21
Beatty, Robert (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Machine operation
Accounting
Reexamination Certificate
active
06278851
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming system constructed such that a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a controller for controlling them are connected.
There is known a conventional image forming system wherein two or more image forming apparatuses are connected and image data read from one of them is printed in parallel by the plural image forming apparatuses, whereby a total work time is reduced and work efficiency is enhanced.
In such an image forming system, where accounting is performed using a detachable mechanical counter, the operation of the system is not started unless counters are connected to all image forming apparatuses which will perform printing operations in parallel.
During parallel printing operations, if any one of the mechanical counters for accounting is pulled out, the printing operations of all image forming apparatuses are stopped at the time the pull-out has been detected.
However, in the case of the above-described conventional method for image forming apparatuses which involve accounting processing using detachable mechanical counters, in order to perform printing operations in parallel with plural image forming apparatuses for enhancing work efficiency, the mechanical counters for accounting need to be attached to all image forming apparatuses to be used. In addition, if any one of the mechanical counters is pulled out, all printing operations are halted.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system wherein copying operations using a plurality of image forming apparatuses involving accounting processing can be performed without attaching mechanical counters to all image forming apparatuses, and the accounting processing can be performed without error.
In order to achieve the object, the present invention provides an image forming system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a controller for controlling the apparatuses are connected, the image forming apparatus comprising: read means for optically scanning an original and reading an image; memory means for storing image data read by the read means; reception means for receiving image data transmitted from the controller; image forming means for forming an image on the basis of the image data stored in the memory means or the image data received by the reception means; and accounting means, detachably attached to the image forming apparatus, for effecting accounting, when the accounting means is attached, each time an image is formed by the image forming means, and the controller comprising: first control means for reading out the image data stored in the memory means and performing a control for forming images by means of the plurality of image forming apparatuses; and second control means for controlling the accounting means attached to the plurality of image forming apparatuses on the basis of the image formation controlled by the first control means.
The present invention provides an image forming system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a controller for controlling the apparatuses are connected, the image forming apparatus comprising: read means for optically scanning an original and reading an image; memory means for storing image data read by the read means; reception means for receiving image data transmitted from the controller; image forming means for forming an image on the basis of the image data stored in the memory means or the image data received by the reception means; and accounting means, detachably attached to the image forming apparatus, for effecting accounting, when the accounting means is attached, each time an image is formed by the image forming means, and the controller comprising: first control means for reading out the image data from the memory means which stores the image data read by the read means, and performing a control for forming images by means of the image forming apparatus other than the image forming apparatus having the read means; and second control means for controlling an accounting process by the accounting means attached to the image forming apparatus having the read means, on the basis of the image formation controlled by the first control means.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4501485 (1985-02-01), Tsudaka
patent: 5162847 (1992-11-01), Watanabe
patent: 5212519 (1993-05-01), Kasahara et al.
patent: 5300761 (1994-04-01), Kasahara et al.
patent: 10-111626 (1998-04-01), None
Beatty Robert
Foley & Lardner
Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
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