Decoloring apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10618336-B2
Application number	US-201816126003-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2018
Priority date	Dec 29, 2014
Publication date	Apr 14, 2020
Grant date	Apr 14, 2020

Abstract

A decoloring apparatus includes a sheet conveying unit, a scanner, a decoloring unit, and a controller. The decoloring unit decolors the image on the sheet conveyed through the sheet conveying unit. The decoloring unit is positioned downstream of the scanner in a sheet conveying direction. A distance along the sheet conveying direction between the scanner and the decoloring unit is shorter than a length of a first predetermined sheet size and longer than a length of a second predetermined sheet size. A controller determines whether the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying unit is the first predetermined sheet size or the second predetermined sheet size. The controller performs a mode limiting process if the sheet size is determined to be the first predetermined sheet size.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a decoloring apparatus which includes a decoloring unit positioned downstream of a scanner in a sheet conveying direction, a distance along the sheet conveying direction between the scanner and the decoloring unit being shorter than a length of a first predetermined sheet size and longer than a length of a second predetermined sheet size, the method comprising:
determining a size of the sheet to be conveyed;
accepting an input selecting a scanning mode;
controlling an available mode of the decoloring apparatus based on the determined sheet size and the selected scanning mode;
accepting an input selecting the available mode of the decoloring apparatus;
determining whether to perform decoloring based on the selected mode of the decoloring apparatus;
conveying the sheet through the scanner and the decoloring unit;
controlling the scanner based on the selected scanning mode; and
controlling the decoloring unit in accordance with the determination of whether to perform decoloring.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
if a resolution of the selected scanning mode for scanning the image of the sheet is higher than a predetermined resolution, the decoloring unit is controlled to not perform decoloring.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
if a resolution of the selected scanning mode for scanning the image of the sheet is lower than a predetermined resolution, the decoloring unit is controlled to perform decoloring.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, via a resolution setting section of a user interface, an input for setting a resolution of the image to be scanned by the scanner;
receiving a selection to execute scanning processing by the scanner in a first section of a processing setting section or a selection to execute decoloring processing by the decoloring unit in a second section of the processing setting section; and
disabling selection of the decoloring processing in the second section of the processing setting section if the resolution input in the resolution setting section is higher than a predetermined resolution.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein
the user interface further includes a sheet size setting section for selecting the size of the sheet to be conveyed, and
the determination of the size of the sheet to be conveyed is based on the size of the sheet selected in the sheet size setting section.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Iguchi Ken

Classifications

• B41J2202/37

  Writing and erasing thermal head · CPC title

• G03G21/00

  Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge · CPC title

• H04N1/00

  Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof · CPC title

• B41J29/26

  Devices, non-fluid media or methods for cancelling, correcting errors, underscoring or ruling · CPC title

• G03G15/6582

  Special processing for irreversibly adding or changing the sheet copy material characteristics or its appearance, e.g. stamping, annotation printing, punching · CPC title