Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Data corruption – power interruption – or print prevention
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-28
2001-12-11
Williams, Kimberly A. (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Data corruption, power interruption, or print prevention
C399S088000, C713S323000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06330069
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a power supply and a printer adopting the same. More particularly, this invention is directed to a power supply controlling method for controlling the supply and interruption of power of an external power source to and from the power supply which generates power required to drive a printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a conventional printer
10
receives print data from a computer
20
via a communications interface.
The printer
10
includes a printer controller
11
for processing the print data and controlling the entire system, an operation panel
13
having an operation key for outputting an operation signal to the printer controller
11
, a printer engine
12
controlled by the printer controller
11
to perform practical printing on a paper sheet and a power supply
14
for receiving power from an external power source
15
to supply power to elements including the printer engine
12
.
In the printer
10
in which an ink is employed as a developer, the printer engine
12
includes a driving means for driving a circulating photosensitive belt, a laser scanning unit for irradiating light beams onto the photosensitive belt to form an electrostatic latent image, a developing apparatus for developing the electrostatic latent image, a transferring apparatus for transferring the image developed on the photosensitive belt to a paper sheet, and a resetting apparatus for removing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive belt and for electrically resetting the photosensitive belt so that a new electrostatic latent image can be formed.
In the printer engine
12
, some apparatuses which need to be maintained at a constant temperature, e.g., a heating pressure roller of the transferring apparatus for fixing a toner image to the paper sheet, must receive power continuously to maintain the constant temperature.
However, if the printer is not used for long periods of time (while in a power-on state), the ongoing power supplied to the printer is wasted. Therefore, most printers employ a warm-up mode, which is one of several power supply modes which reduce power consumption when the printer is idle. In the warm-up mode, power which is appropriately lowered below the value required for printing, is supplied to the print engine
12
to maintain required temperatures.
However, the warming-up mode having the lowered power still consumes approximately 10 watts of power. Thus, if the printer in a power-on state is not used for a long time, or if the power supply is not cut off due to carelessness of the user, much power is wasted.
Also, after executing a power supply switch to first supply power to the conventional printer
10
, the temperature of a thermal element must be increased, such as the heat pressure roller, up to a predetermined temperature so that a printable state is attained. Thus, a long period of waiting time is required for printing after initially switching the printer on.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a power supply controlling method capable of automatically supplying or cutting off external power to a printer according to stored power supply on/off times, which have been set to suppress the waste of power, and a printer adopting the same.
Accordingly, to achieve the above objective, a power supply controlling method includes the steps of: (a) obtaining information of on and off operation times of a power supply switch capable of continuing and interrupting the supply of power of an external power source to a power supply for a predetermined period; (b) storing the information of on and off operation times if a power supply off interval from the off time of the power supply switch to on time thereof exceeds a predetermined off interval; (c) determining the time of supplying and stopping power of the external power source to the power supply for each period based on the stored on and off operation time information; and (d) connecting and separating a power supply line between the external power source and the power supplier according to the time of supplying and interrupting the power determined for each period.
In addition, to accomplish the above objective, a printer includes a printer controller for receiving print data to transform the received data into driving data and controlling the entire system. A printer engine driven according to the driving data and an operation panel outputs an operation signal of a user to the printer controller. Also, a power supply transforms the power received from an external power source to supply power required for driving the printer, and a power supply switch connects and separates a power supply line between the external power source and the power supply. The system also comprises power supply on/off operation information obtaining means for generating power supply on and off operation information according to on/off operations of the power supply switch. A power supply control module determines the time of supply and interrupting power of the external power source to and from the power supply for a predetermined period obtained by an internal power supply on and off determining program according to the power supply on and off operation information, and controls the supply and interruption of power of the external power source to and from the power supply according to the determined power supply and interrupt times.
The power operation information obtaining means may generate power supply operation information according to on/off operations of the power supply switch, or use a voltage signal supplied from an output terminal of the power supplier. Also, the printer controller, functioning as the power supply on and off operation information obtaining means, determines rising and falling levels of a voltage supplied by the power supply to generate the power supply on/off operation information, and supplying the generated power supply on/off operation information to the power supply control module.
Preferably, the power supply control module receives required power from a separate battery, and includes an additional power supply switch installed on the power supply line in series with the power supply switch and a switch operator controlling the switching on/off of the additional power supply switch.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4279012 (1981-07-01), Beckedorff et al.
patent: 4677310 (1987-06-01), Midorikawa et al.
patent: 5542035 (1996-07-01), Kikinis et al.
patent: 5720560 (1998-02-01), Nozawa
patent: 5793124 (1998-08-01), Mitzaki
patent: 5819013 (1998-10-01), Miyazaki et al.
patent: 6041382 (2000-03-01), Hirano
patent: 6178299 (1999-08-01), Kim
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Williams Kimberly A.
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