Facsimile and static presentation processing – Facsimile – Specific signal processing circuitry
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-06
2001-03-13
Lee, Thomas D. (Department: 2724)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Facsimile
Specific signal processing circuitry
C358S528000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06201615
ABSTRACT:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C §119 from an application entitled Method For Detecting Document Size earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Jul. 4, 1997, and there duly assigned Serial No. 97-30931 by that Office.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for detecting a document size and, more particularly to a method for detecting a document size when the width of a document to be scanned is smaller than an effective scan width of a scanner module.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, office automation facilities such as a printer, scanner and a facsimile have been widely used. In order to extend their own functions, each of the office automation facilities is developed to have high performance and thereby costly products are manufactured. On the other hand, to reduce user's economic burden, the office automation facilities which are separately used are developed integrally. Such a device is conventionally indicated as a multifunctional machine.
A known multifunctional machine integrates a print head using an ink jet printing method and a scanner module of shuttle type. The print head and the scanner module are established in one set, and print on a recordable medium or scan a document by performing reciprocating motion in a same path. At this time, the traveling direction of the print head and scanner module is transverse to the direction to which the recordable medium or the document is transported. The print head and the scanner module are moved simultaneously by one motor.
As is well known, a background of the document scanned by the scanner module is supported by a supporting plate. Conventionally, since a white roller is used as the supporting plate in the multifunctional machine having an array type scanner module, in the case of parts other than the scanned range, it is recognized as having no data by data-processing suitable to a white color by scanning the white roller. In the shuttle type, however, since the print head and the scanner module are established in parallel in the direction to which they perform the reciprocating movement, it is possible for the supporting plate to be contaminated by ink sprayed from the print head. Accordingly, the color of the supporting plate is processed as black. When scanning the document having a width smaller than the effective scan range of the scanner module, parts other than the document are data-processed suitably as black data.
Accordingly, since the black color means data in a black and white scanner, the data amount to be processed increases. As a result, the scanning time increases. Similarly in a color scanner, since the black part is treated as a part having a certain information, the scanning time also increases.
In addition, useless data which are processed in the parts other than the document consume much time when transmitting and receiving fax data, and exhaust much ink or toner of in the device which receives the data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for detecting a document size capable of efficiently processing a background other than the document when scanning the document having a width smaller than an effective scan width of a scanner module.
According to one aspect of the present invention, before feeding a document to be scanned, one block of a plate is scanned and it is stored as a reference color data value. After pre-scanning a first block of the document, it is successively compared and judged whether a color data value corresponding to a first slice is the same as the reference color data value. In the case that the color data value of an optional slice is the same as the reference color data value, the size corresponding to the position of a slice just before the optional slice is detected as the size of the document. This preferred embodiment can be applied when the document is fed and aligned with the left side end of the plate.
According to another aspect of the present invention, before a document to be scanned is fed, a block of a plate is scanned and it is stored as a reference color data value. After pre-scanning a first block of the document, it is successively compared and determined whether color data values corresponding to each slice including the first slice are not same as the reference color data value. When the color data value of the first slice is not the same as the reference color data value, the position of the first slice is detected as a first position. Moreover, it is successively compared and judged whether color data values corresponding to each slice excluding the first slice are the same as the reference color data value. When the color data value of a second slice is the same as the reference color data value, the position of the slice just before the second slice is detected as a second position. Afterwards, the size corresponding to the difference between the second position and first position is detected as the document size. By repeatedly performing the steps after the step of pre-scanning the document, the document size can be detected more accurately. This preferred embodiment can be applied when the document is fed and not aligned with the left side end of the plate. Preferably, the reference color is a black, and the color of the document is a white.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4814833 (1989-03-01), Matsushita et al.
patent: 5198853 (1993-03-01), Ichihara et al.
patent: 5325213 (1994-06-01), Takahashi et al.
patent: 5895928 (1999-04-01), Kerschner
patent: 6008501 (1999-12-01), Pan
Brinich Stephen
Bushnell , Esq. Robert E.
Lee Thomas D.
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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