Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Detail of medium positioning
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-14
2003-09-23
Garcia, Gabriel (Department: 2624)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Detail of medium positioning
C358S001130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06624902
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method in which a plurality of types of recording media are usable and to a storage medium in which a program code implementing the method is stored. The invention is also concerned with an information processing apparatus that transmits print data to effect a printing operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
A printing apparatus, such as a laser beam printer (hereinafter referred to as an “LBP”), forms a printing system when used in cooperation with an information processing apparatus, such as a computer. In the printing apparatus, when printing paper (hereinafter simply referred to as “paper”) is the recording medium, it is normally fed with the upper portion of the paper first.
There are some printing apparatus of the above type in which not only standard paper, but also envelopes or postcards, are usable. To perform a printing operation on an envelope by using some such apparatus, it is necessary to feed the envelope in such a manner that the unsealed end leads the sealed end in the direction of feeding.
FIG. 1A
is a schematic side view of a known LBP illustrating the feeding direction of an envelope to be printed by using the LBP.
FIG. 1A
shows an LBP
101
, a feeding tray
102
on which paper to be fed is placed, an envelope
103
placed on the feeding tray
102
, and a discharging tray
105
to which printed paper is discharged. An arrow
104
indicates the direction in which the envelope
103
placed on the feeding tray
102
is fed to the LBP
101
.
FIG. 1B
illustrates the envelope
103
shown in
FIG. 1A
as viewed from the top. The envelope
103
has an unsealed end
106
and a sealed end
107
.
However, the following problems are encountered when feeding the envelope
103
in such a manner that the unsealed end
106
is placed forward of the sealed end
107
in relation to a printing mechanism (hereinafter referred to as a “print engine”) of a printing apparatus, such as an LBP. The incidence of paper jams, described below, is increased. The unsealed end
106
becomes stuck in one of the elements of the paper feeding mechanism, which hampers correct feeding of the envelope
103
, thereby causing the envelope
103
to remain within the print engine. This inconveniences the user, wastes paper, and can lead to breakdown or early deterioration (shortening the life) of the print engine.
In order to solve the above problems, the following technique has been proposed. An envelope is fed in such a manner that the sealed end is located forward of the unsealed end, i.e., the envelope is turned 180 degrees from the known feeding direction, and a bit map image to be printed on the envelope is also turned 180 degrees. Printing processing accompanied by the above-mentioned paper feeding and image turning processing is hereinafter referred to as “reverse feeding and printing processing”. With reverse feeding and printing processing, the incidence of jams is reduced because the unsealed end of the envelope, which is more likely to be stuck in an element of the paper feeding mechanism, is oriented backward in the direction of feeding, and the sealed end, which is less likely to be stuck in an element of the paper feeding mechanism, is placed forward in the direction of feeding.
FIG. 2A
illustrates the relationship between the orientation of an envelope and a bit map image according to a technique prior to the advent of the reverse feeding and printing processing technique. The bit map image shown in
FIG. 2A
has been created for the case in which printing is performed by a printing apparatus (LBP) which feeds the envelope to the print engine from the unsealed end.
FIG. 2A
shows an envelope
202
, a bit map image
201
to be printed on the envelope
202
, a feeding direction
207
of the envelope
202
to the printing apparatus, a leading position
203
of the bit map image
201
, and a trailing position
204
of the bit map image
201
. The bit map image
201
is developed and stored in a memory (not shown) within the printing apparatus. A position
205
on the envelope
202
corresponds to the leading position
203
of the bit map image
201
, and a position
206
corresponds to the trailing position
204
of the bit map image
201
. The printing apparatus prints a visual image, corresponding to the bit map image
201
in the memory, in such a manner that the positions
203
and
204
of the bit map image
201
match the positions
205
and
206
of the envelope
202
, respectively.
FIG. 2B
illustrates the relationship between the orientation of an envelope and a bit map image according to the reverse feeding and printing processing technique. The bit map image has been created for the case in which printing is performed by a printing apparatus (LBP) which feeds the envelope to the print engine from the sealed end.
FIG. 2B
shows an envelope
212
, a bit map image
211
to be printed on the envelope
212
, a feeding direction
217
of the envelope
212
to the printing apparatus, a leading position
213
of the bit map image
211
, and a trailing position
214
of the bit map image
211
. The bit map image
211
is exactly the same as the image obtained by turning the counterpart
201
shown in
FIG. 2A
180 degrees. A position
215
on the envelope
212
corresponds to the leading position
213
of the bit map image
211
, and a position
216
corresponds to the trailing position
214
of the bit map image
211
. The printing apparatus prints a visual image, corresponding to the bit map image
211
in the memory, in such a manner that the positions
213
and
214
of the bit map image
211
match the positions
215
and
216
of the envelope
212
, respectively. In this manner, the reverse feeding and printing processing is implemented.
Known LBPs have a function by which a user can specify the paper type for use in printing, such as “A4”, “B5”, and “Envelope Kakugata No. 2” (Japanese standard), and can perform a printing operation in accordance with the specified type of paper. By using this function, the information concerning the designated paper type is converted into paper size information that is stored, together with paper type information, in a printing apparatus or an information processing apparatus. The paper size information is then used for printing processing.
Generally, the printing process used in the LBP is as follows. An electrostatic latent image is formed with a laser beam on a drum coated with a photosensitive material, and a coloring powder (toner), which is charged with a polarity opposite to the latent image, is attached to the drum. The latent image is transferred to a paper. A roller is then pressed against the paper to fix the image on the paper by heat and pressure. However, specific types of paper, such as that used in “Envelope Kakugata No. 2”, are thicker than standard printing paper, and envelopes are also double-structured to form a bag-like shape. Accordingly, the energy (or paper feeding rate) which would normally be sufficient to raise the temperature to fix the toner on standard paper does not increase the temperature sufficiently to fix the toner on such an envelope. In a conventional printing system, when using the above type of envelope, the user specifies that cardboard paper is being used in order to increase the heating amount to a level sufficient to fix toner on cardboard (hereinafter referred to as “cardboard mode fixing”).
The above type of printing system, however, requires a complicated operation, since the user is required to independently utilize a function of designating the type of paper and a function of performing a specific printing process, such as reverse feeding and printing processing and/or the cardboard mode fixing. More specifically, the user first specifies the type of paper, for example, “Envelope Kakugata No. 2”, then designates reverse feeding and printing processing, which requires the setting of the envelope in the direction opposite to that shown in
FIGS. 1A and 1B
on the
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