Image analysis – Image transformation or preprocessing – Image storage or retrieval
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-22
2001-01-23
Couso, Yon J. (Department: 2723)
Image analysis
Image transformation or preprocessing
Image storage or retrieval
C382S284000, C358S401000, C358S404000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06178273
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, for obtaining a copy image of a document by electronic sorting or memory editing copying.
Conventionally, document inputting control of image forming apparatus are adopted following methods for determining whether or not the document is the last one.
(1) When the automatic document feeder (ADF) is in use
Each time the document feeding operation finishes, presence of a document on the ADF is detected by an optical sensor. Since all documents are to be placed on the ADF at the same time as the basic premise except a special mode, if no document is placed on the ADF at the time of starting scanning after a document feeding operation, the document to be scanned is determined to be the last one.
(2) When the ADF is not in use
Without the ADF for successive automatic paper feeding, the criterion of determining the presence of the next document depends solely upon detecting whether or not the user sets a document and depresses the copy key. However, by having the absence of the user's depressing the copy key as the criterion of no waiting document, whether or not the copy key has not been operated in a certain time needs to be detected in order to make judgment that the copy key has not been depressed. Therefore, a certain time is required for making the judgment of no waiting document.
In the case of the above-mentioned (1) the automatic document feeder (ADF) is in use, since the absence of the document on the ADF after inputting a document is judged that the preceding document is the last one, when a 4 in 1 function is used, by setting a document sheet one by one, a reduced copy of a quarter size is outputted each time a document is set.
In the case of (2) the automatic document feeder (ADF) is not in use, since a certain time is required for the judgment of no waiting document, it leads to a problem of deteriorating operativity.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of designating whether or not the next document (last document) is present easily and securely without the risk of mishandling in the document manual placing mode or the one document feeding mode with the automatic document feeder in the image formation using the page memory.
An image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises means for scanning the image of a document placed on a document table and storing it in a memory area; means for asking whether or not the next document is present to an operator of the apparatus by indicating a screen after processing by the means and designating whether or not the next document is present according to the instruction of the operator; means for performing the processing of the scanning means again when the asking means designates the presence of the next document; and forming means for forming an image on an image medium based on the image stored in the memory area of the reading means when the asking means designates the absence of the next document.
The present invention is to ask an operator about whether or not the next document is present on an operation panel for each document sheet using a page memory without the ADF continuously according to the above-mentioned configuration. That is, for example, “IS NEXT DOCUMENT PRESENT?”, “YES”, “NO” messages are indicated on a screen so that the operator needs only to depress the YES key if the next document is present or the NO key if the document being processed is the last one. Therefore, an image forming apparatus capable of designating the last document easily and securely in a dialogue style of the operator with the operation panel unlike conventional products where the operator needs to know the position of special keys, such as an end key can be provided.
Furthermore, similarly, as to a method of the present invention, an image forming method capable of designating the last document easily and securely can be provided.
Additional object and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The object and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
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patent: 4792827 (1988-12-01), Ogura
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patent: 5465163 (1995-11-01), Yoshihara et al.
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patent: 5726762 (1998-03-01), Akada et al.
patent: 5901278 (1999-05-01), Kurihara et al.
patent: 0 635 967 (1995-01-01), None
patent: 0 695 077 (1996-01-01), None
Couso Yon J.
Foley & Lardner
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
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