Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Pulse or data error handling – Digital data error correction
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-25
2001-08-28
Decady, Albert (Department: 2133)
Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery
Pulse or data error handling
Digital data error correction
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282687
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image-processing apparatus that is installed in a digital copying machine having a plurality of functions such as a copying machine, a facsimile and a printer, and in particular, concerns an image-processing apparatus that is installed in a digital copying machine having a hard disk, etc. for storing a large amount of image information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, a large number of multi-functional digital copying machines, which has functions such as a copying machine, a facsimile and printer in a unified manner, have been commercialized. These digital copying machines are used with a lot of external apparatuses being connected to form a network, and a large amount of image information is inputted thereto from these external apparatuses.
The above-mentioned digital copying machine requires a storage device with a large capacity for storing the inputted image information. However, if the storage device is constituted by semiconductor memories, and if the large amount of image information is all managed by the semiconductor memories, a problem of high costs is raised. Therefore, in general, disk memory devices, such as, for example, hard disks, are adopted as the storage devices. These disk memory devices successively record image information that is forwarded from the external apparatuses, and also store information, such as filing, for a long time.
With respect to processing methods, etc., for outputting data by using a disk memory device with a large capacity as a temporary storage device for a plurality of pieces of input data, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,017 has suggested some of those methods.
However, in such conventional arrangements, since the disk memory device records and manages a large amount of image information, stored in the disk memory device, might disappear in the event of a failure in the disk memory device.
For example, in the multi-shot function in which image data, which corresponds to a plurality of sheets of documents that have been read, is automatically magnified or reduced so as to output it on one sheet of recording paper, a plurality of pieces of image information have to be successively stored in the disk memory device. Further, in the filing function in which data of documents to be shared in an office, etc., is stored in a shared manner on the disk memory device, the image information is stored and maintained for a long time.
Therefore, if the disk memory device has broken down during the use of the above-mentioned functions, image information which has been processed so far might become useless in the multi-shot function, or the importance of filing might be blemished in the filing function. In the event of a failure, the larger the capacity of the disk memory device, the greater the seriousness of these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objective of the present invention is to provide an image-processing apparatus which predicts the occurrence of any error in the disk memory device beforehand and which, based on the prediction, carries out a process for reducing possible troubles that might occur in the event of the error.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the image-processing apparatus of the present invention, which is used in an image-forming apparatus using a disk memory device as an image data memory, is provided with: an error-predicting means for predicting any error in the disk memory device prior to the occurrence of the error in the disk memory device; and an image-outputting means which, in the case when any error is predicted in the disk memory device by the error-predicting means, outputs image data stored at an area in the disk memory device at which the error is predicted.
In the above-mentioned image-processing apparatus, prior to the occurrence of any error in the disk memory device used as an image-data storage memory of the image-forming apparatus, the error-predicting means predicts the possible error. Based upon the error-predicting information, a prediction is made so as to preliminarily detect any error in the hard disk and any abnormality such as abnormal access speeds to image data that is stored with continuous addresses, and a preventive measure is taken, thereby making it possible to ensure the reliability of image data stored in the disk memory device.
For example, in the case when compressed data is stored in the disk memory device, any abnormality in data causes serious problems when the user tries to completely restore the data. For this reason, upon prediction of any error in the disk memory device, a preventive measure is taken by outputting the data (print-out or output to another storage device) prior to the occurrence of the error so that filing of the data becomes possible.
Moreover, in another arrangement for achieving the aforementioned objective, the image-processing apparatus of the present invention, which is used in an image-forming apparatus using a disk memory device as an image data memory, is provided with: an error-predicting means for predicting any error in the disk memory device prior to the occurrence of the error in the disk memory device; and a restriction means which, in the case when the predicting means has predicted any error in the disk memory device, restricts the use of a processing function that processes the image data by using the disk memory device.
In the above-mentioned processing apparatus, upon prediction of any error in the disk memory device by the error-predicting means, the restriction means restricts the use of a processing function that processes the image data by using the disk memory device. Normally, in the image-forming apparatus using the disk memory device as an image-data storing memory, there are two types of functions, that is, the functions that are operative without using the disk memory device and the functions that become operative only by using the disk memory device. Therefore, in the image-processing apparatus of the present invention, since only the latter functions are restricted, the former functions are usable even after any error has been predicted in the disk memory apparatus.
Moreover, in another arrangement for achieving the aforementioned objective, the image-processing apparatus, which is used in an image-forming apparatus using a disk memory device as an image data memory, the disk memory device being provided with a data-storing region that are divided into a plurality of areas, is provided with: an error-predicting means for predicting any error in the disk memory device for each of the divided areas in the disk memory device prior to the occurrence of the error in the disk memory device; a feature-extracting means for extracting a feature of image data to be stored in the disk memory device; and an assigning means which, in the case when the error-predicting means has predicted any error in the disk memory device, assigns the image data to one of the areas to be stored in based upon the feature of the image data that has been extracted by the feature-extracting means.
In the above-mentioned image-processing apparatus, the error-predicting means predicts any error in the disk memory device for each of the divided areas in the disk memory device. Upon prediction of any error in the disk memory device by the error-predicting means, the feature-extracting means extracts a feature of image data that is to be stored in the disk memory device. The assigning means assigns the image data to one of the areas to be stored in based upon the feature of the image data.
Depending on features of image data (character images, half-tone images, compressed images, or non-compressed images), there are some differences in the image data: In the event of an error in the area at which the image data is stored, some are easily restored, but others are difficult to restore, or some are greatly affected by the error or others are less affected, when outputted as they are. In the image-processing apparatus of the present invention, with respect to those image data
Maeda Hiroshi
Okahashi Toshihiro
Chase Shelly A
De'cady Albert
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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