Copying machine and printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016165089-A1
Application number	US-201514959487-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 5, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A copying machine is configured to execute a first scanning process to san an image on an original sheet and generate image data, which is stored in a storage of the copying machine and an external processing device, a printing process to print the image of the original sheet, a second scanning process to release an image data storing area of the storage, and store the image data in the storage and the external processing device, a transmission process to release the image data storing area of the storage, and transmit the image data from the external processing device to the storage, and a detection process to detect whether a free capacity of the storage becomes less than a particular value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A copying machine, comprising:
a scanner configured to scan an image formed on an original sheet and generate image data; an original table configured such that multiple original sheets can be placed on the original table; an original conveyer configured to convey the multiple original sheets placed on the original table to the scanner one by one; a storage configured to store the image data generated by the scanner; a printer configured to print images on printing sheets based on the image data stored in the storage; a communication unit configured to communicate with an external processing device which is capable of storing the image data; an original sensor configured to detects whether the original sheet is present on the original table; and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to execute a copying process which includes:
a first scanning process in which the controller causes the original conveyer to convey the multiple original sheets to the scanner one by one, stores the image data generated by the scanner in the storage in a scanned order, transmits the image data to the external processing device via the communication unit, and causes the external processing device to store the image data;
a printing process in which the controller causes the printer to print a particular number of copies of the images of the original sheets copy by copy, one copy including the images of the original sheets in the scanned order;
a second scanning process in which the controller releases an area of the storage storing the image data, printing of which by the printer has been completed, causes the original conveyer to convey the multiple original sheets to the scanner one by one, stores the image data generated by the scanner to in the storage in the scanned order, transmits the image data to the external processing device via the communication unit, and causes the external processing device to store the image data;
a transmission process in which the controller releases an area of the storage storing the image data, printing of which by the printer has been completed, causing the communication unit to retrieve the image data stored in the external processing device in the scanned order, and storing the retrieved image data in the storage;
a detecting process in which the controller detects whether a free capacity of the storage is less than a particular threshold value,
wherein, in the copying process, the controller is further configured to:
terminate the first scanning process, and execute the printing process until the particular number of copies of the images of the original sheets are printed when it is detected that the original sheet is absent on the original table, after the first scanning process and the printing process have been started and before the free capacity of the storage is detected to be less than the particular threshold value;
terminate the first scanning process, and execute the second scanning process when it is detected that the free capacity of the storage is less than the particular threshold value, after the first scanning process and the printing process have been started and before the original sheet is detected to be absent on the original table; and
terminate the second scanning process, and execute the transmission process and the printing process until the particular number of copies of the images of the original sheets are printed when it is detected, after the second scanning process has been started, the original sheet is absent on the original table.

2 . The copying machine according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to compress the image data such that a size of the image data to be transmitted to the external processing device is smaller than a size of the image data stored in the storage before the image data is transmitted to the external processing device.

3 . The copying machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the copying process, the controller is configured to:
obtain a communication speed between the communication unit and the external processing device;
release, in the second scanning process and transmission process, the area of the storage storing the image data, printing of which has completed, with the area of the storage for all pages of the image data corresponding to the images of the multiple pages of original sheets being subject to releasing when the communication speed is faster than a specific speed; and
release, in the second scanning process and transmission process, the area of the storage storing the image data, printing of which has completed, with the area of the storage for one of every N pages of the image data corresponding to the images of the multiple pages of original sheets being subject to releasing when the communication speed is equal to or slower than the specific speed, N being an integer equal to or more than two.

4 . The copying machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the scanner is configured to generate the image data including multiple pieces of color component data generated by scanning the image on the original sheet with applying color separation, wherein the printer is configured to print an image using color agents respectively corresponding to the multiple pieces of color component data, and wherein, in the copying process, the controller is configured to:
obtain a communication speed between the communication unit and the external processing device;
release, in the second scanning process and transmission process, the area of the storage storing the image data, printing of which has completed, with the area of the storage for all the multiple pieces of color component data being subject to releasing when the communication speed is faster than a specific speed; and
release, in the second scanning process and transmission process, the area of the storage storing the image data, printing of which has completed, with the area of the storage for part of the multiple pieces of color components data being subject to releasing when the communication speed is equal to or slower than the specific speed.

5 . The copying machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when the original sensor detects the absence of the original sheet on the original table after the controller starts the first scanning process and the printing process, and before the controller detects in the free capacity detection process that the free capacity of the storage is less than the threshold, the controller releases the area of the external processing device storing the image data before printing of the last copy of the multiple copies of the images of the original sheets is started in the printing process.

6 . The copying machine according to claim 1 ,
further comprising an obtaining part, wherein the controller is configured to execute a third scanning process in which the controller causes the original conveyer to convey the multiple original sheets to the scanner one by one, causes the scanner to scan the multiple original sheets and generate the image data, causes the communication unit to transmit the image data generated by the scanner to the external processing device to store the image data in the external processing device, the image data being stored only in the external processing device, and wherein, when the obtaining part obtains instruction data including an instruction to cause the copying machine to execute another process which is different from the copying process while one of the first scanning process and the second scanning process is being executed, the controller terminates the executed one of the first scanning process and the second scanning process and starts the third scanning process.

7 . A printing dev

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Goto Keigo

Classifications

• H04N1/2104 Primary

  for one or a few pictures · CPC title

• H04N2201/0091

  Digital copier; digital 'photocopier' (H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/32464

  Changing the arrangement of pages or documents, e.g. for producing pages to be bound · CPC title

• H04N1/10

  using flat picture-bearing surfaces {(H04N1/113, H04N1/195 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H04N1/0057

  Conveying sheets before or after scanning (arrangements for conveying sheets as part of the scanning operation H04N1/04 and subgroups) · CPC title