Image processing apparatus and method for operating image processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9405241-B2
Application number	US-201514700665-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2015
Priority date	Aug 27, 2012
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an image processing apparatus includes a heating unit configured to heat an image formed on a sheet, and a control unit configured to control a temperature of the heating unit to be (i) above a first temperature when performing an image erasing operation on a first sheet supplied thereto, and (ii) below a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature when performing an image fixing operation on a second sheet supplied thereto. The control unit permits a first type of job to interrupt a currently-executing job while the image erasing operation is being performed and prohibits a second type of job from interrupting the currently-executing job while the image erasing operation is being performed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
an image forming unit which has a toner cartridge, the image forming unit being configured to form an image on a sheet;
a heating unit configured to heat an image formed on a sheet; and
a control unit configured to:
control a temperature of the heating unit to be (i) a first temperature when performing an image erasing operation on a sheet supplied thereto, (ii) a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature when performing an image fixing operation with a decoloring toner on a sheet supplied thereto, and (iii) a third temperature that is lower than the first temperature when performing the image fixing operation with a non-decoloring toner on a sheet supplied thereto,
determine whether a job that includes the image fixing operation is received during the image erasing operation,
prohibit the job from interrupting the image erasing operation until the image erasing operation is completed, if the job includes the image fixing operation,
allow the image fixing operation of the prohibited job to start after completion of the image erasing operation and before the temperature of the heating unit has decreased to the third temperature if the toner which is used for the image fixing operation of the prohibited job is a non-decoloring toner, and
allow the image fixing operation of the prohibited job to start after detecting that the temperature of the heating unit has decreased to the second temperature if the toner which is used for the image fixing operation of the prohibited job is a decoloring toner.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a fax unit configured to transmit and receive fax data through a network, wherein the faxing unit is configured to transmit or receive the fax data while the temperature of the heating unit is controlled to be the first temperature.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet is supplied to the heating unit in the image erasing operation at a first speed that is slower than a second speed at which the sheet is supplied to the heating unit in the image fixing operation.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to cause a first interval between two sheets being supplied to the heating unit for the image erasing operation, and a second interval between two sheets being supplied to the heating unit for the image fixing operation, the first interval being longer than the second interval.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether the toner cartridge which is attached to the apparatus includes a decoloring toner.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,
the toner cartridge includes a decoloring toner cartridge having a decoloring toner and a non-decoloring toner cartridge having a non-decoloring toner, and
the control unit is further configured to
determine a toner type of the toner cartridges, and
determine whether the prohibited job includes an image which is formed with the decoloring toner.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, the control unit is configured to perform the job, which is received during the image erasing operation and does not include the image fixing operation, at the same time as the image erasing operation.

8. A method for operating an image processing apparatus comprising an image forming unit, which has a toner cartridge, configured to form an image on a sheet, and a heating unit configured to heat an image formed on a sheet, the method comprising:
controlling a temperature of the heating unit to be higher than a first temperature in order to perform an image erasing operation to erase an image formed on a first sheet;
controlling the temperature of the heating unit to be lower than a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature in order to perform an image fixing operation to fix an image formed with decoloring toner on a second sheet;
controlling the temperature of the heating unit to be lower than a third temperature that is lower than the first temperature in order to perform an image fixing operation to fix an image formed with non-decoloring toner on a second sheet;
supplying the first sheet to the heating unit to erase the image during the image erasing operation in which the temperature of the heating unit is higher than the first temperature;
determining whether a job that includes the image fixing operation is received during the image erasing operation,
prohibiting the job from interrupting the image erasing operation until the image erasing operation is completed, if the job includes the image fixing operation,
allowing the image fixing operation of the prohibited job to start after completion of the image erasing operation and before the temperature of the heating unit has decreased to be below the third temperature if the toner which is used for the image fixing operation of the prohibited job is a non-decoloring toner, and
allowing the image fixing operation of the prohibited job to start after detecting that the temperature of the heating unit has decreased to be below the second temperature if the toner which is used for the image fixing operation of the prohibited job is a decoloring toner.

9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
transmitting or receiving fax data while the temperature of the heating unit is controlled to be higher than the first temperature.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the first sheet is supplied to the heating unit at a first speed that is slower than a second speed at which the second sheet is supplied to the heating unit.

11. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
determining whether the toner cartridge which is attached to the apparatus includes a decoloring toner.

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the toner cartridge includes a decoloring toner cartridge having a decoloring toner and a non-decoloring toner cartridge having a non-decoloring toner,
the method further comprising:
determining a toner type of the toner cartridges, and
determining whether the prohibited job includes an image which is formed with the decoloring toner.

13. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
performing the job, which is received during the image erasing operation and does not include the image fixing operation, at the same time as the image erasing operation.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Imamiya Koji

Classifications

• H04N1/32101

  Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title · CPC title

• G03G15/2039 Primary

  with means for controlling the fixing temperature · CPC title

• G03G21/00

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

• G03G15/205 Primary

  specially for the mode of operation, e.g. standby, warming-up, error (G03G15/2046 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J29/36

  for cancelling or correcting errors by overprinting · CPC title