Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Detail of image placement or content
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-20
2003-08-26
Grant, II, Jerome (Department: 2624)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Detail of image placement or content
C358S001160, C399S364000, C399S373000, C399S374000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06611352
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and image forming method which can form images on both sides of a sheet of recording paper.
2. Description of the Related Art
Copying machines as image forming apparatuses which can print images on both sides of a sheet of recording paper P include a copying machine as shown in
FIG. 1
which operates in a mode of reading an image from a document D having an image drawn on one side and printing the image on both sides of the sheet of recording paper P (hereinbelow, referred to as “S-D mode”) and a copying machine as shown in
FIG. 9
which operates in a mode of reading images from a document D having images drawn on both sides and printing the images on both sides of the sheet of recording paper P (hereinbelow, referred to as “D-D mode”). Each of such copying machines comprises, broadly, an image reading part for reading an image of the document D, a document transport part for transporting the document D to the image reading part, an image forming part for printing the read image onto the sheet of recording paper P, and a recording paper transport part for transporting the sheet of recording paper P to the image forming part.
FIG. 15
is a block diagram of a copying machine of a related art which operates in the S-D mode. The copying machine comprises a control unit
101
, an operation panel
102
, a reading side drive source
103
, a body side drive source
104
, a printing control unit
105
, and a sheet reversal control unit
106
. The components are connected via a bus line
107
. The control unit
101
realized by a CPU (central processing unit) or the like controls the operation of the whole copying machine. The reading side drive source
103
is driven in response to designation of start of copying from the operation panel
102
, the document D is transported to the image reading part, and an image is read. The body side drive source
104
is also driven, thereby transporting the sheet of recording paper P to the image forming part. The printing control unit
105
prints the read image onto the sheet of recording paper P by controlling the image forming part. The sheet reversal control unit
106
turns the sheet of recording paper P upside down so that the images are printed on both sides of the sheet of recording paper P by controlling the recording paper transport part.
FIG. 16
is a flowchart showing an image forming operation of the copying machine of FIG.
15
. When an image of the document D is read in step S
1
, the image is printed on one of the surfaces of the sheet of recording paper P in step S
2
. The routine progresses to step S
3
where an image on the next document D is read. Further, the routine advances to step S
4
where the sheet of recording paper P having the image printed on one of the surfaces is turned upside down. In step S
5
, the image read in step S
3
is printed on the other surface of the sheet of recording paper P. In step S
6
, whether there is the next document D or not is determined. When there is the next document D, the routine is returned to step S
1
. When there is no document D, the operation is finished.
FIG. 17
is a block diagram of a copying machine of another related art which operates in the D-D mode. The block diagram of the copying machine is obtained by eliminating the printing control unit
105
in FIG.
15
and adding an odd-numbered page printing control unit
108
, an even-numbered page printing control unit
109
, and a document reversal control unit
110
to FIG.
15
. The same blocks are designated by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted here. The odd-numbered page printing control unit
108
controls an operation of printing the read image onto one of the surfaces of the sheet of recording paper P. The even-numbered page printing control unit
109
controls the operation of printing the read image onto the other surface of the sheet of recording paper P. The document reversal control unit
110
turns the document D upside down in order to read images on both sides of the document D.
FIG. 18
is a flowchart showing an image forming operation of the copying machine of FIG.
17
. In step S
11
, an image on the surface of the document D is read. In step S
12
, the image is printed on one of the surfaces of the sheet of recording paper P. The routine advances to step S
13
where the document D is turned upside down. Further, in step S
14
, the sheet of recording paper P is turned upside down. In step S
15
, an image on the back of the document D is read. In step S
16
, the image is printed on the other surface of the sheet of recording paper P. In step S
17
, whether there is the next document D or not is determined. If there is the next document D, the routine is returned to step S
11
. When there is no next document D, the operation is finished.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application JP-A 63-224468 (1988) discloses a copying machine having a memory for storing read image information. Further Japanese Unexamined Patent Application JP-A 5-183706 discloses a copying machine such constituted that images of all documents are read only on time and stored in a memory to thereafter form a necessary volume of copies by reading the image data from the memory.
When continuous copying operations are performed by the copying machines of the related arts which operate in the S-D and D-D modes, such an inconvenience occurs that the printed faces of the sheets of recording paper P which are printed and ejected are not arranged in order of page. Referring to FIG.
8
A, a specific description regarding first to third ejected sheets of recording paper P
1
to P
3
will be given as an example. The second sheet of recording paper P
2
is stacked on the first sheet of recording paper P
1
and the third sheet of recording paper P
3
is stacked on the second sheet of recording paper P
2
. In each of the sheets of recording paper P
1
to P
3
, the odd-numbered page is arranged to be on the surface (the top face in
FIG. 8A
) side of the sheet of recording paper and the even-numbered page is arranged to be on the back (the under face in
FIG. 8A
) side of the sheet of recording paper. The order of pages becomes, therefore, 2, 1, 4, 3, 6, and 5.
In the copying machines of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications JP-A 63-
224468 (1988
) and JP-A 5-183706 (1993), since the storage capacity of the memory is limited, an inconvenience such that a large amount of image information to be read cannot be stored occurs. Since the storage capacity is fixed, the memory cannot be efficiently used. Additionally the copying machine disclosed in JP-A 5-183706 (1993) it is necessary to select a sequence of reading image data from the memory, in order to arrange the printed faces of the ejected sheets of recording paper in order of page. A mechanism for reversing faces of the ejected sheet of recording paper is required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an image forming apparatus and image forming method which can eject sheets of recording paper after image formation in the S-D and D-D modes in accordance with the order of pages.
The invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising:
reading means for reading an image on a document;
document transporting means for sequentially transporting documents to the reading means;
image forming means for forming an image on a sheet of recording paper;
recording paper transporting means for transporting the sheet of recording paper; and
storing means for storing image information read by the reading means,
the apparatus comprising control means for allowing an image drawn on one side of each document to be sequentially read by the reading means and formed on both sides of each sheet of recording paper by the image forming means,
the control means allowing an image of an odd-numbered document to be read by the reading means and stored into the storing means,
allowing an image of an even-numbered document to be read by the reading means and for
Etoh Kouichi
Harada Naoto
Kamei Naoyuki
Saito Atushi
Suzuki Masakazu
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Grant II Jerome
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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