Electrophotography – Document handling – Original
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-26
2001-07-03
Chen, Sophia S. (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Document handling
Original
C399S368000, C399S370000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06256473
ABSTRACT:
This application is based on application No. 10-47779 filed in Japan, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided with an automatic document feeder, and in particular, to an image forming apparatus capable of obtaining a print (copy) sheet group corresponding to a state in which a certain original sheet group receives another original sheet to be inserted between arbitrary pages of the original sheet group.
In order to obtain a print sheet group corresponding to a state in which a certain original sheet group receives another original sheet to be inserted between arbitrary pages of the original sheet group by means of an image forming apparatus provided with an automatic document feeder, there is often adopted the method of preparatorily inserting another original sheet into the original sheet group, setting the resulting sheet group on the automatic document feeder and executing copying. This method has no problem when the original sheet group and the inserted original sheet have the same size. However, when they have different sizes, the original sheets cannot be conveyed depending on the type of the automatic document feeder, or productivity in print formation might sometimes be extremely reduced. For example, if it is tried to successively feed original sheets of different widths by means of an automatic document feeder based on the center-sheet-feed standard, then the original sheet having the narrower width cannot be regulated in the widthwise direction, and this causes original sheet jam (paper jam). If original sheets of different sizes are concurrently stacked on a sheet feed tray, then the original sizes cannot be discriminated by a sensor on the sheet feed tray. Therefore, the image forming apparatus of the type which takes the original image while moving the original has the practice of once feeding (merely conveying) the original sheet so as to detect the original size by means of a sensor on the conveyance path and thereafter feeding the sheet again for the reading of the original image. For the above reasons, a processing time for reading the original is prolonged, causing a reduction in productivity.
In order to provide a method for resolving these problems, there has been a proposed digital copying machine that once stores image information of original sheets into a memory in units of pages and designates an arbitrary position of the stored image information by an insertion position designating button on an operation panel, thereby allowing other image information to be inserted in the position (the prior art reference of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 5-292268).
However, according to the above-mentioned digital copying machine, an operator is required to input the original insertion positions one by one via the operation panel or the like, and this has the problem that a long time is required for the input work. Furthermore, the problem that the original sheet has not been inserted in the desired position or a similar problem tends to occur due to an erroneous input.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of automatically reliably forming in a short time a print sheet group corresponding to a state in which a certain original sheet group receives another original sheet to be inserted between arbitrary pages of the original sheet group.
In order to achieve the above object, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising:
an original conveyer which successively supplies original sheets of an original sheet group placed in a specified position to an image reading position;
an image reader which reads an image of the original fed to the image reading position;
a discriminating section which, when a composite original sheet group obtained by making a first original sheet group comprised of original sheets of an identical size receive an insertion sheet that has the identical size and is to be inserted between arbitrary pages of the original sheet group is set in the specified position, discriminates whether the sheet fed to the image reading position by the original conveyer is the original sheet of the first original sheet group or the insertion sheet; and
a controller which forms an image different from the image of the first original sheet group instead of the image of the insertion sheet in an image forming process of the composite original sheet group.
It is to be noted that the expression of “original sheet group” includes not only a group of a plurality of original sheets but also a group of a single original.
It is to be noted that the expression of “between pages” also includes the positions corresponding to the first page and the last page of the original sheet group.
According to the image forming apparatus having the above construction, a composite original sheet group obtained by inserting between arbitrary pages of a first original sheet group comprised of original sheets of an identical size an insertion sheet of a size identical to that of the original sheets is set in a specified position of a document feeder by an operator. The document feeder supplies the original sheets from the set composite original sheet group successively to an image reading position A. In this stage, it is discriminated whether the sheet fed to the image reading position A by discriminating sections is the original sheet of the first original sheet group or the insertion sheet. Image reading sections successively read the image data of the original fed to the image reading position A. A controller forms an image of a second original sheet prepared separately from the composite original sheet group instead of the image of the insertion sheet through the image forming process of the composite original sheet group. Consequently, a print group corresponding to a state in which second original sheets are inserted between the arbitrary pages of the first original sheet group is automatically obtained. This image forming apparatus has a mode in which the operator designates the insertion position of the second original sheets utilizing the insertion sheet. With this arrangement, the operator is not required to input the original sheet insertion positions one by one via the operation panel or the like, and therefore, the input work can be executed in a short time. Furthermore, no erroneous input occurs, so that the desired print group can be reliably obtained.
Since the first original sheet group and the insertion sheet included in the composite original sheet group have an identical size, there occurs neither the problem of the regulation in the widthwise direction nor the problem of the reduction in productivity due to the mere conveyance for the detection of the original sheet size.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4980721 (1990-12-01), Ishikawa et al.
patent: 5081489 (1992-01-01), Ishikawa et al.
patent: 05292268 (1993-05-01), None
Johdai Akiyoshi
Kamanuma Satoshi
Chen Sophia S.
McDermott & Will & Emery
Minolta Co. , Ltd.
Ngo Hoang
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