Image forming apparatus incorporating information detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9621752-B2
Application number	US-201514867381-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an information obtainer, a memory, a candidate determining unit, and an image forming device. The information obtainer obtains feature information from the target recording medium. The memory stores at least one set of recording medium information regarding the target recording medium associated with the feature information and at least one set of image forming condition information corresponding to the recording medium information. The recording medium information is identification information. The candidate determining unit determines a candidate recording medium information from the recording medium information stored in the memory based on the feature information of the target recording medium obtained by the information obtainer. The image forming device forms an image on the target recording medium based on the image forming condition information in the memory according to the candidate recording medium information determined by the candidate determining unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an information detector configured to obtain feature information of a target recording medium from the target recording medium;
a memory configured to store at least one set of recording medium information regarding the target recording medium associated with the feature information and at least one set of image forming condition information corresponding to the target recording medium information,
the recording medium information being identification information that is discriminated from another recording medium;
a processor including a candidate determining unit configured to determine a candidate recording medium information from the at least one set of the recording medium information stored in the memory based on the feature information of the target recording medium obtained by the information detector;
an image forming device configured to form an image on the target recording medium based on the image forming condition information in the memory according to the candidate recording medium information determined by the candidate determining unit;
a display configured to display at least one candidate recording medium information of the recording medium information depending on whether a candidate recording medium information is stored in the memory, wherein:
when the candidate recording medium information is stored in the memory, the display displays at least one candidate recording medium information, and
when the candidate recording medium information is not stored in the memory, the display displays that the candidate recording medium information is not stored in the memory; and
a control panel including a selecting unit configured to receive a selected one of the candidate recording medium information displayed on the display.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the memory includes
a first memory configured to store at least one set of the recording medium information, the feature information corresponding to the recording medium information, and the image forming condition information; and
a second memory configured to receive from the first memory and store the candidate recording medium information determined by the candidate determining unit and the feature information and the image forming condition information corresponding to the candidate recording medium information.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the display is configured to display at least one candidate as the candidate recording medium information.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the candidate recording medium information includes a name of the target recording medium.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the candidate recording medium information includes a type of the target recording medium.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor includes an information revising unit configured to revise the candidate recording medium information, the feature information, and the image forming condition information stored in the first memory.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor includes an information adding unit configured to add the candidate recording medium information, the feature information, and the image forming condition information to the first memory.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor includes an image forming condition information adjusting unit configured to adjust the image forming condition information stored in the second memory.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the image forming condition information stored in the second memory and adjusted by the image forming condition information adjusting unit is configured to additionally stored in the first memory.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the feature information of the target recording medium is sent to the second memory when no candidate recording medium information of the recording medium information based on the feature information obtained by the information detector is found from at least one set of the candidate recording medium information stored in the first memory.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the processor includes an information setting unit configured to set the candidate recording medium information and the image forming condition information with respect to the feature information of the target recording medium sent to the second memory.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the candidate recording medium information, the feature information and the image forming condition information corresponding to new candidate recording medium information based on the information stored in the second memory and set by the information setting unit is configured to additionally stored in the first memory.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second memory is configured to store the candidate recording medium information selected by the selecting unit, the feature information and the image forming condition information corresponding to the candidate recording medium information.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the candidate recording medium information includes a name of the target recording medium.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the candidate recording medium information includes a type of the target recording medium.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the candidate recording medium information includes a print setting to form the image on the target recording medium.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising multiple recording medium containers to contain the recording medium,
wherein the candidate recording medium information and the feature information and the image forming condition information corresponding to the candidate recording medium information are set for each of the recording medium containers,
wherein the image forming device is configured to perform image formation based on the image forming condition information set to one of the recording medium containers that contains the target recording medium to be printed.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the control panel includes a container selecting unit configured to select one of the recording medium containers,
wherein the image forming device is configured to perform image formation based on the image forming condition information set to the one of the recording medium containers selected by the container selecting unit.

19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor includes a notifying unit configured to notify when no candidate recording medium information of the recording medium information based on the feature information obtained by the information detector is found from at least one set of the candidate recording medium information stored in the memory.

Assignees

• Kobayashi Yukifumi
• Makino Hideyo
• Ofuchi Tetsuya
• Nishimura Takayuki
• Sekino Yasuyuki
• Matsumoto Tohru
• Takenaga Noriaki
• Nakayama Satoshi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kobayashi Yukifumi
• Makino Hideyo
• Ofuchi Tetsuya
• Nishimura Takayuki
• Sekino Yasuyuki
• Matsumoto Tohru
• Takenaga Noriaki
• Nakayama Satoshi

Classifications

• H04N1/00734

  Optical detectors · CPC title

• G06K15/1868

  for fitting to an output condition, e.g. paper colour or format · CPC title

• G06K15/4065

  Managing print media, e.g. determining available sheet sizes (feeding means G06K15/16) · CPC title

• H04N1/00726 Primary

  Other properties of the sheet, e.g. curvature or reflectivity · CPC title

• G03G15/50 Primary

  Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control (sequencing control G03G21/14) · CPC title