Image forming apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9525794-B2
Application number	US-201615069426-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

An image forming apparatus is provided which is able to combine a form image with an input image by means of a new combination method. The image forming apparatus is able to combine the form image with the input image by means of a multiple form successive combination method in which in a case where a plurality of the input images are used, when a plurality of the form images are accepted, a respective one of the form images is successively combined with a respective one of the input image, and the multiple form successive combination method is a method in which in a case where the input images to a number of three or more are used, when the form images to a number of three or more are accepted, a respective one of the form images is successively combined with a respective one of the input images.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image combination circuit that combines a form image with an input image to generate an output image, and
a form image acceptance circuit that performs a process of accepting the form image used by the image combination circuit, wherein
the image combination circuit is able to combine the form image with the input image by means of a multiple form successive combination method in which in a case where there are a plurality of the input images, when a plurality of the form images are accepted by the form image acceptance circuit, a respective one of the form images accepted by the form image acceptance circuit is successively combined with a respective one of the input images, and
the multiple form successive combination method is a method in which in a case where the input images to a number of three or more are used, when the form images to a number of three or more are accepted by the form image acceptance circuit, a respective one of the form images accepted by the form image acceptance circuit is successively combined with a respective one of the input images.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising
a combination method switchover circuit that performs a process of switching the method of combining the form image with the input image performed by the image combination circuit, wherein
the combination method switchover circuit is able to switch a plurality of the combination methods that include the multiple form successive combination method.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
if the input image and the form image are obtained as read images by a series of reading operations by a reading device, the form image acceptance circuit accepts a designation of a plurality of pages which are a part of pages corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of the read images obtained by the series of reading operations and correspond to the form images, thereby performing a process of accepting a plurality of the form images.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the form image acceptance circuit accepts a designation of a number of pages from a head in the series of reading operations, thereby performing a process of accepting, as a plurality of the form images, the read images for the number of pages from the head in the series of reading operations.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the combination method switchover circuit is able to be switched to a multiple form partial successive residual concurrent combination method in which in the case where a plurality of the input images are used, when a plurality of the form images are accepted by the form image acceptance circuit, a respective one of a plurality of the form images, which is a part of the form images accepted by the form image acceptance circuit, is successively combined with a respective one of the input images, and all of form images that are residuals of the form images accepted by the form image acceptance circuit are combined with a respective one of the input images.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the combination method switchover circuit performs a process of automatically switching the combination method based on a relationship between a number of the input images and a number of the form images accepted by the form image acceptance circuit.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores an image forming program executable on a computer of an image forming apparatus,
when the image forming program is executed, the image forming program operating the computer as:
an image combination circuit for combining a form image with an input image to generate an output image; and
a form image acceptance circuit for accepting the form image that is used by the image combining circuit, wherein
the image combination circuit is able to combine the form image with the input image by means of a multiple form successive combination method in which in a case where there are a plurality of the input images, when a plurality of the form images are accepted by the form image acceptance circuit, a respective one of the form images accepted by the form image acceptance circuit is successively combined with a respective one of the input images, and
the multiple form successive combination method is a method in which in a case where the input images to a number of three or more are used, when the form images to a number of three or more are accepted by the form image acceptance circuit, a respective one of the form images accepted by the form image acceptance circuit is successively combined with a respective one of the input images.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Taguchi Masanori

Classifications

• G06F3/1206

  resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type · CPC title

• G06F3/1286

  via local network · CPC title

• H04N1/00822 Primary

  Selecting or setting a particular reading mode, e.g. from amongst a plurality of modes, simplex or duplex, or high or low resolution · CPC title

• G06F3/1243

  Variable data printing, e.g. document forms, templates, labels, coupons, advertisements, logos, watermarks, transactional printing, fixed content versioning · CPC title

• H04N2201/0094

  Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception · CPC title