Image forming apparatus and creation method of printed product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016159116-A1
Application number	US-201514941280-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 13, 2015
Priority date	Dec 9, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to sequentially form images of an image group on a continuous sheet while providing a non-printing region between the images, a cutting unit to cut the continuous sheet, a discharge unit to which printed products on which an image is formed by the image forming unit and cut and created by the cutting unit, is discharged, and a control unit to control cutting of the continuous sheet at a leading end and a trailing end of a region in which an image is formed, to control cutting of the continuous sheet while having the non-printing region of a predetermined size at a leading end or a trailing end of a region in which a first or a last image of the image group is formed, and to control discharge of the created printed product to the discharge unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming unit configured to sequentially form images of an image group including a plurality of images on a continuous sheet while providing a non-printing region between the images; a cutting unit configured to cut the continuous sheet; a discharge unit to which printed products, on which an image is formed by the image forming unit and cut and created by the cutting unit, is discharged; and a control unit configured to execute a first control for controlling the cutting unit to create a first printed product by cutting the continuous sheet at a leading end and a trailing end of a region in which an image is formed by the image forming unit, and for discharging the first printed product to the discharge unit, and configured to execute a second control for controlling the cutting unit to create a second printed product by cutting the continuous sheet while having the non-printing region of a predetermined size at a leading end or a trailing end of a region in which a first or a last image of the image group is formed by the image forming unit, and for discharging the second printed product to the discharge unit.

2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the discharge unit includes a discharge tray on which the discharged printed products are stacked, and wherein, subsequent to printed products on which images of a first image group are formed, printed products, on which images of a second image group subsequent to the first image group are formed, are discharged and stacked onto the discharge tray.

3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a detection unit configured to detect a cut mark recorded in a non-printing region between the images,
wherein the control unit controls the cutting unit to cut the continuous sheet at the leading end and the trailing end based on the cut mark detected by the detection unit.

4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cutting unit includes a first cutter configured to cut the continuous sheet at the leading end and a second cutter configured to cut the continuous sheet at the trailing end.

5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an inversion mechanism configured to invert front and back surfaces of the continuous sheet in a case where a two-sided printing is executed.

6 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein, in a case where the two-sided printing is executed, the control unit sends the continuous sheet to the inversion mechanism after images are formed on a first surface of the continuous sheet, and executes the first control and the second control after the continuous sheet is inverted and images are formed on a second surface of the continuous sheet.

7 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein, in a case where the two-sided printing is executed, the control unit controls the cutting unit to cut the continuous sheet while having the non-printing region of the predetermined size at the trailing end of the region in which the last image of the first surface of the continuous sheet is formed by the image forming unit.

8 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit executes the second control to put in the second printed product a first image of the image group, and executes the first control to put in the first printed product an image of the image group other than the first image, and wherein, in the second control, the control unit controls the cutting unit to cut the continuous sheet while having the non-printing region of the predetermined size at the leading end of the region in which the first image of the image group is formed.

9 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit executes the second control to put in the second printed product a first image of the image group, and executes the first control to put in the first printed product an image of the image group other than the first image, and wherein, in the second control, the control unit controls the cutting unit to cut the continuous sheet while having the non-printing region of the predetermined size at the trailing end of the region in which the first image of the image group is formed.

10 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit executes the second control to put in the second printed product a last image of the image group, and executes the first control to put in the first printed product an image of the image group other than the last image, and wherein, in the second control, the control unit controls the cutting unit to cut the continuous sheet while having the non-printing region of the predetermined size at the leading end of the region the in which last image of the image group is formed.

11 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit executes the second control to put in the second printed product a last image of the image group, and executes the first control to put in the first printed product an image of the image group other than the last image, and wherein, in the second control, the control unit controls the cutting unit to cut the continuous sheet while having the non-printing region of the predetermined size at the trailing end of the region in which the last image of the image group is formed.

12 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the continuous sheet is a roll sheet.

13 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an image formed by the image forming unit has a different length in a conveyance direction of the continuous sheet according to an image size.

14 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming unit includes a recording head provided with a nozzle capable of discharging ink across a full width of the continuous sheet to be used.

15 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an input unit configured to receive first information,
wherein the image forming unit records second information in the non-printing region based on the first information received by the input unit.

16 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming unit configured to sequentially form images of an image group including a plurality of images on a continuous sheet without providing a non-printing region between the images; a cutting unit configured to cut the continuous sheet; a discharge unit to which printed products, on which an image is formed by the image forming unit and cut and created by the cutting unit, is discharged; and a control unit configured to execute a first control for controlling the cutting unit to create a first printed product by cutting the continuous sheet at a leading end or a trailing end of a region in which an image is formed by the image forming unit, and for discharging the first printed product to the discharge unit, and configured to execute a second control for controlling the image forming unit to form an image while providing the non-printing region of a predetermined size at a leading end or a trailing end of a region, in which a first or a last image of the image group is formed, and for controlling the cutting unit to cut the continuous sheet to create one printed product, in which the region, in which the image is formed, and the non-printing region are connected, and for discharging the printed product to the discharge unit.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kida Akira

Classifications

• B26D5/08

  Means for actuating the cutting member to effect the cut · CPC title

• B41J11/663 Primary

  Controlling cutting, cutting resulting in special shapes of the cutting line, e.g. controlling cutting positions, e.g. for cutting in the immediate vicinity of a printed image · CPC title

• B41J3/60

  for printing on both faces of the printing material · CPC title

• B26D5/007

  Control means comprising cameras, vision or image processing systems · CPC title