Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-31
2001-07-17
Nguyen, Thinh (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S005000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260946
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multifunction printing device including a plurality of data receiving units, wherein data received by a plurality of data receiving units is processed using a shared pool of a memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known a conventional multifunction printing device provided with a variety of different functions, such as a copy function, a video print function, a facsimile function, and an answering machine function. The multifunctions printing device receives a variety types of image data using a plurality of different data receiving units, such as a PC interface, an image scanner, a facsimile modem, and a video output terminal. The received image data is stored in a RAM provided to the multifunction printing device while processed into print data. Then, the multifunction printing device executes printing operations for forming an image based on the print data.
Also, voice data can be received as a message from an incoming caller. The voice data is stored in a shared pool of memory in the RAM.
Because the multifunction printing device is provided with a variety of different functions, there is an increasing demand for the multifunction printing device, particularly, in small offices.
However, in order to reduce production costs of the multifunction printing device, a pool of memory of the RAM is shared by the plurality of functions to process various data. Therefore, when a great deal of data needs to be processed by the different functions at the same time, there may be insufficient free space in the shared pool of memory. For example, when the video print function is executed to print a video image based on video image data, a large amount of voice data may be stored in the shared pool of memory. As a result, sufficient free space in the share pool may not be available to process the video image data at a desired resolution. In this case, the video image data is processed at a resolution compulsorily reduced depending on the amount of a free space of the shared pool. Therefore, the video image is printed out at a resolution other than the resolution desired by a user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an objective of the present invention to overcome the above problems and also to provide a multifunction printing device capable of printing images at a desired resolution even if insufficient free space is available in a shared pool of memory.
In order to achieve the above and other objects of the present invention, there is provided a multifunction printing device including a sheet feed unit, a printer, a first memory, a plurality of receiving units, a specify unit, a detection unit, a selecting unit, and a process unit. The sheet feed unit that a recording medium in a first direction. The that executes printing operations using an interlace printing method to form an image on the recording sheet. The printer includes a transport unit and a print head. The transport unit reciprocally moves the print head in a second direction. The print head has a nozzle surface formed with a plurality of ink jet nozzles aligned in a row at a predetermined pitch in the first direction. The printer forms the image by selectively ejecting ink droplets from the ink jet nozzles toward the recording sheet. The first memory stores data, and the plurality of receiving units receives data. The specify unit specifies a resolution, the detection unit detects amount of a free space in the first memory. The selecting unit selects the interlace printing method in accordance with the amount of the free space in the first memory. The process unit processes, using the first memory, the received data based on the selected interlace printing method. The printer executes the printing operations at the resolution specified by the specify unit based on the data processed by the process unit.
There is also provided a method of controlling a multifunction printing device. The method includes the steps of (a) specifying a resolution; (b) receiving image data; (c) detecting amount of a free space of a first memory; (d) setting the resolution specified in step (a) and the amount of the free space detected in step (c) as parameters; (d) searching out one of interlace printing methods stored in a second memory based on the parameters; and (e) processing the data received in step (b) into print data using the first memory based on the interlace print method searched out in step (d).
Further, there is provided a medium storing a program of controlling a multifunction printing device. The program includes the programs of (a) specifying a resolution (b) receiving image data; (c) detecting amount of a free space of a first memory; (d) setting the resolution specified in program (a) and the amount of the free space detected in program (c) as parameters; (e) searching out one of interlace printing methods from a second memory based on the parameters; and (f) processing the data received by receiving program (b) into prong data using the first memory based on the interlace print method searched out by the searching program (e).
An example will be described for when a print head is formed with 64 ink nozzles aligned in a row at a {fraction (1/180)} inch pitch. In this case, when a resolution of (720×720) dpi is specified, a four-pass interlace printing method is used. At this time, using all 64 ink jet nozzles will require a fairly large amount of free space in the shared pool of memory. If it is determined that the amount of free space is less than the required amount, then the number of the ink jet nozzles used for printing will be reduced, for example, to 32 or 16 nozzles. Although printing speed will be reduced, an image at the desired resolution can be formed without image quality being degraded. In this way, printing can be performed at a desired resolution using a method selected in accordance with the amount of free space in the shared pool of memory.
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Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Nguyen Lamson D.
Nguyen Thinh
Oliff & Berridge PLC.
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