Image forming apparatus capable of performing recovery printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10379791-B2
Application number	US-201715802851-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2017
Priority date	Dec 5, 2016
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

An image forming apparatus capable of performing recovery printing while avoiding wasteful discarding of printed sheets following a defective sheet. An image is formed on a sheet by an image forming section based on an input job and is inspected. An inserter inserts sheets placed thereon into sheets conveyed from the image forming section. When a defective sheet is detected, the job is interrupted, and the defective sheet and subsequent sheets already printed are discharged to a different destination from a destination of normal sheets. Resuming the interrupted job is instructed by a user, and an image to be printed on the defective sheet is formed on a sheet newly fed from a sheet feeder, and the sheet is discharged to the destination of normal sheets, and sheets placed on the inserter are discharged to the same.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeder configured to feed a sheet;
an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeder based on an input job;
an inspection unit configured to inspect the image on the sheet conveyed from the image forming unit, and detect a defective sheet based on the inspection of the image;
an insertion unit, provided upstream of the inspection unit in a sheet conveying direction, configured to feed one or more sheets placed on an inserter tray of the insertion unit by an operator, and insert the one or more sheets into sheets conveyed from the image forming unit;
a control unit configured to interrupt the job in a case where a defective sheet is detected by the inspection unit, and change a discharge destination of the defective sheet and subsequent sheets which follow the defective sheet and are already printed; and
an instruction unit configured to give an instruction for resuming the interrupted job,
wherein the control unit is configured to, based on the instruction for resuming the interrupted job from the instruction unit, control the image forming unit to form an image which is to be formed on the defective sheet on a sheet newly fed from the sheet feeder, and control the insertion unit to insert the subsequent sheets, which are placed on the inserter tray by the operator and fed from the inserter tray, on the newly fed sheet.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein before resuming the interrupted job, the instruction unit notifies that the subsequent sheets already printed are to be placed on the insertion unit.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the instruction unit notifies how to place the subsequent sheets already printed on the insertion unit.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein before resuming the interrupted job, the instruction unit instructs whether or not to use the subsequent sheets already printed, as deliverables, based on an instruction from the operator, and
wherein in a case where using the subsequent sheets already printed as deliverables is instructed, the control unit causes the image which is to be printed on the defective sheet to be formed on the sheet newly fed from the sheet feeder, thereafter causing the sheet to be discharged to a discharge destination of normal sheets, and causes the subsequent sheets placed on the insertion unit to be discharged to the discharge destination of normal sheets, whereas in a case where not using the subsequent sheets already printed as deliverables is instructed, the control unit causes the image which is to be printed on the defective sheet to be formed on the sheet newly fed from the sheet feeder, thereafter causing the sheet to be discharged to the discharge destination of normal sheets, and causes images which are to be printed on the subsequent sheets to be formed on sheets newly fed from the sheet feeder, thereafter causing the sheets to be discharged to the discharge destination of normal sheets.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where the defective sheet is detected, the inspection unit inspects an image on each of the subsequent sheets already printed, and
wherein before resuming the interrupted job, the instruction unit notifies results of inspection performed on the subsequent sheets already printed.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit causes images to be formed, based on the job, on respective sheets following the subsequent sheets already printed, thereafter causing the sheets to be discharged to a discharge destination of normal sheets.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the insertion unit is an inserter connected to a downstream side of the image forming unit.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a discharge destination to which the defective sheet is discharged and a discharge destination to which the subsequent sheets already printed are discharged are a common discharge destination.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inspection unit is connected to a downstream side of the insertion unit.

10. An image forming apparatus that includes a sheet feeder configured to feed a sheet, and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeder based on an input job, and is capable of having an insertion unit connected thereto, for feeding one or more sheets placed on an inserter tray of the insertion unit by an operator, and inserting the one or more sheets placed thereon into sheets conveyed from the image forming unit, the image forming apparatus comprising:
an inspection unit configured to inspect the image on the sheet conveyed from the image forming unit, and detect a defective sheet based on the inspection of the image;
a control unit configured to interrupt the job in a case where a defective sheet is detected by the inspection unit, and change a discharge destination of the defective sheet and subsequent sheets which follow the defective sheet and are already printed; and
an instruction unit configured to give an instruction for resuming the interrupted job,
wherein the control unit is configured to, based on the instruction for resuming the interrupted job from the instruction unit, control the image forming unit to form an image which is to be formed on the defective sheet on a sheet newly fed from the sheet feeder, and control the insertion unit to insert the subsequent sheets which are placed on the inserter tray by the operator and fed from the inserter tray, on the newly fed sheet.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Fukuda Shin

Classifications

• G06F3/1234

  Errors handling and recovery, e.g. reprinting (G06F3/1261 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/1264

  by assigning post-processing resources · CPC title

• G06K15/4085

  Handling paper jams · CPC title

• B41J13/0009

  control of the transport of the copy material · CPC title

• G06F3/121 Primary

  Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted · CPC title