(12) United States Patent Kasamatsu et al.

Transcription

1 US B2 (12) United States Patent Kasamatsu et al. (10) Patent N0.: (45) Date of Patent: US 7,872,768 B2 Jan. 18, 2011 (54) IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS CAPABLE OF NOTIFYING USER OF EXIT STATUS OF DISCHARGED SHEET, IMAGE FORMING METHOD, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT (75) Inventors: Toru Kasamatsu, ToyokaWa (JP); Kentaro Nagatani, ToyokaWa (JP); Shinichi Asai, Gamagoori (JP); Yoshihiko Yoshizaki, Hoi-gun (JP); Toshikazu Higashi, Hoi-gun (JP); Yoshiaki Takano, Toyohashi (JP) (73) Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc., Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo (JP) ( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 1403 days. (21) Appl.No.: 11/019,449 (22) Filed: Dec. 23, 2004 (65) Prior Publication Data US 2006/ A1 Apr. 20, 2006 (30) Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 14,2004 (JP) (51) Int. Cl. G06F 3/012 ( ) G08B 13/014 ( ) G06F 7/002 ( ) (52) US. Cl /115;358/1.14;358/1.16; 358/113; 700/213; 700/214; 700/219; 700/222; 340/572.1; 340/568.1; 382/112 (58) Field of Classi?cation Search /1.1, 358/19, 1.12*1.18, 40(L404, 488; 399/402i408; 700/2l3i227; 101/2; 270/52.01*52.08; 271/227, ; 340/572.1, 10.1, 10.42, 340/5681, , ; 382/112; 235/385, 235/375, 382 See application?le for complete search history. (56) References Cited U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 5,435,544 A * 7/1995 Mandel /298 6,152,629 A * 11/2000 Yoneyama et a /582 (Continued) FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS JP /1999 (Continued) OTHER PUBLICATIONS Of?cial Action issued by the Japanese Patent Of?ce in priority appli cation No on Sep. 26, 2006, and English translation thereof. Primary ExamineriTWyler L Haskins Assistant Examiner4Chad Dickerson (74) Attorney, Agent, or FirmiBuchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (57) ABSTRACT An image forming apparatus that Warns that a JOB fails to be pulled out is provided. Warning processes executed by a CPU of a printer that is one example of the image forming appa ratus includes the steps of determining Whether a JOB list is updated, setting a job counter J B_S_CTA for checking JOB at an initial Value 1 and setting an upper limit counter J B_S_CTB at an upper limit Value When the JOB list is updated, executing a failure-to-pull-out Warning process if JOBs counted by JB_S_CTA belong to the same client, and incrementing the JB_S_CTA by Claims, 41 Drawing Sheets

2 US 7,872,768 B2 Page 2 US. PATENT DOCUMENTS FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 6,827, * 12/2004 Teraura /492 JP A 1/2000 6,952,278 B2 10/2005 Miyaharaetal. JP /2003 7,424, * 9/ /385 JP / / Al* 11/2002 Iwata e /115 JP l45 A 2/ / Al* 3/ / / Al* 3/ /5681 * cited by examiner

3 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet US 7,872,768 B2 110 /150 or /150 / FIG.1

4 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet 2 0f 41 US 7,872,768 B2 FIG.2 DISPLAY PANEL 230 i: 215/ / \ RAM 208 \ CLOCK 400 \ 221~ BACKUP RAM CPU LOUDSPEAKER \ \ VRAM 213/ AUDIO SIGNAL PROCESSING CIRCUIT FLASH MEMORY 211\ COMMUNICATION UNIT

5 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet 3 0f 41 US 7,872,768 B2 FIG I 350 \ J 320 TRANSMISSION g/31 0 UNIT CONTROL 290 CIRCUIT j RECEPTION UNIT %, 33() FIG.4 CPU NOTIFICATION INFORMATION GENERATING UNIT DISPLAY DATA GENERATING UNIT P402 TRANSMISSION DATA GENERATING UNIT "404 LIST INFORMATION GENERATING UNIT I DETERMINING UNIT DETECTING UNIT 41, I PRINT CONTROL UNIT

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7 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet 5 0f 41 US 7,872,768 B2 FIG & L~700 FIG \ 760 CPU o MODULATOR/ J- DEMODULATOR,740 CIRCUIT ROM 720 EEROM l RECTIFIER/SMOOTHING CIRCUIT,730

8 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet 6 0f 41 US 7,872,768 B2 FIG.8 CLIENT ID, SHEET ID -'- F800 FIG.9

9 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet 7 0f 41 US 7,872,768 B2 FIG.10 ( START BASIC ROUTINE ) S1010 NO YES STORE DATA ON JOB I N=O -"S1020 IS1O3O SHEET FEED PROCESS /S1100 IMAGING PROCESS fsi 200 \I! FIXING PROCESS /S1300 I TAG WRITING PROCESS [S1400 I SHEET DISCHARGE PROCESS /S170O \l/ N=N+1 IS1O4O IS PRINTING PROCESS FINISHED? (IS N THE NUMBER OF PRINT COMMANDS?) S1050

10 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet 8 0f 41 US 7,872,768 B2 FIG.11 C SHEET FEED PROCESS )/s11oo $1110 N0 YES EXECUTE SHEET FEED DRIVING PROCESS, S1120 N_FD =N_FD+1 $1130 FIG.12 C IMAGING PROCESS )ls?oo $1210 NO YES EXECUTE IMAGING DRIVING PROCESS I, S1220 N_D=N_D+1 /S1230

11 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet 9 0f 41 US 7,872,768 B2 FIG.13 FIXING PROCESS EXECUTE FIXING DRIVING PROCESS I N_FX = N_FX+1 S132O I S1330 FIG.14 C TAG WRITING PROCESS > S1400 IS IT FIXING END TIMING? JOB MANAGEMENT PROCESS / $1500 I WRITE INFORMATION TO [0 TAG S1420

12 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet 10 0f 41 US 7,872,768 B2 FIG.15 JOB MANAGEMENT PROCESS S1500 READ CLIENT INFORMATION ON JOB CORRESPONDING TO IMAGE-FIXED SHEET r I UPDATE SHEET [D, PID=PID+1 $1520 I ( RETURN ) S1510 FIG.16 JOB MANAGEMENT PROCESS S1600 READ CLIENT INFORMATION ON JOB,31610 CORRESPONDING TO FED SHEET I UPDATE SHEET [D, PID=PID+1 $1520 I C RETURN )

13 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet US 7,872,768 B2 FIG.17 GROCESS SHEET DISCHARGE )' S1700 S1710 NO EXECUTE SHEET DISCHARGE,31720 DRIVING PROCESS J, N_E= N_E+1 if C RETURN ) '- S1730

14 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet US 7,872,768 B2 FIG.18 LIST GENERATION PROCESS INPUT OF PRINT COMMAND S1810 I ACQUIRE NUMBER-OF-SHEETS,S182o INFORMATION N FROM PRINT COMMAND I RESERVE STORAGE AREAS ACCORDING TO NUMBER-OF-SHEETS INFORMATION /S1830 N [N RAM INITIALIZE RESPECTIVE AREAS I $1840 I STORE INFORMATION ON EACH,81850 SHEET IN RESPECTIVE AREAS FIG.1 9 F1910 F1920 F o F1940 l I ( I l I I I I N -~~ F1950 ~~~F1960 ~ - - F1970 ~~~F1980

15 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet 13 0f 41 US 7,872,768 B2 FIG.20 2E \ (A) F ' ' ' ' ' ' N F1960~ A null null null null null null null null null null null F1970~ 1 null null null null null null null null null null null F1980~ 1 null null null null null null null null null null null F1990~ 1 null null null null null null null null null null null (B) F1950 ~ ' ' - ' ' ' N F1960 ~ A A null null null null null null null null null null F1970 ~ 1 1 null null null null null null null null null null F1980 ~ 2 2 null null null null null null null null null null F1990 ~ 1 2 null null null null null null null null null null (C) F ' ' ' ' ' ' N F A A A null null null null null null null null null F1970 ~ null null null null null null null null null F1980 ~ null null null null null null null null null F null null null null null null null null null (D) F ' N F1960 A A A B null null null null null null null null F1970 ~ null null null null null null null null F1980 ~ null null null null null null null null F1990 ~ null null null null null null null null (E) F1950 ~ N F1960 ~ A A A B B null null null null null null null F1970 ~ null null null null null null null F1980 ~ null null null null null null null F1990 ~ null null null null null null null (F) -, F1950 ~ ' ' ' ' ' ' N F1960 ~ A A A B B C C C C null null null F null null null F1980 ~ null null null F null null null V

16 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet 14 0f 41 US 7,872,768 B2 FlG.21 m F2150~ N F2160~ A A C null null null null null null null null null F2170~ null null null null null null null null null null null null F2180~ null null null null null null null null null null null null F2190~ null null null null null null null null null FlG.22 m / (A) F1950 ~ N F A A A null null C C C C null null null F null null null null null F1980-J null null null null null F1990 ~ null null null null null (B) N A A A C C C C null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null

17 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet US 7,872,768 B2 FIG I F1950~ F196Q-_ A A B B C C F197o F F o D 0 E E A A a 10 1o o ca G H H s 1s e 17 1s A A

18 U.S. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet US 7,872,768 B2 FIG F F F2170 ~ A 1 F2180 F O O

19 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet US 7,872,768 B2 FIG.25 ON-TRAY JOB MANAGEMENT PROCESS DOES CYCLE FOR READING TAG INFORMATION ON SHEET ARRIVE 9 S2510 NO YES READ TAG INFORMATION ISZSZO DETECT THAT SHEET ON TRAY IS PULLED OUT I UPDATE JOB LIST I C END ) S2530 -*"S2540

20 US. Patent Jan. 18, 2011 Sheet 18 0f 41 US 7,872,768 B2 FIG.26 C FIRST WARNING ROUTINE D SZBOO IS JOB LIST UPDATED? NO JB S CTA=1 ' ' 620 JB_S_CTB =10 S2 IS CLIENT NAME OF JOB FOR JB_S_CTA EQUAL TO CLIENT NAME FOR MISSING JOB 9 YES FAILU RE-TO-PULL-OUT WARNING PROCESS I JB_S_CTA-H, S2700 I S2660 ( END )

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