Control device and non-transitory recording medium storing control program for image forming apparatus, and method for controlling the image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9778608-B2
Application number	US-201615157492-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2016
Priority date	May 22, 2015
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A control device for an image forming apparatus that transitions to a restricted mode which is a print mode to alternately transition between a printable state to perform a print operation, in which a predetermined print amount is printable, and a sleep state to stop a subsequent print operation for a predetermined sleep time after the print operation is performed, includes a print-operation determiner and a print controller. The print-operation determiner determines, when a print-operation execution request to the image forming apparatus is received in the sleep state, whether the image forming apparatus is to perform the subsequent print operation based on a print amount of the print-operation execution request. The print controller controls the subsequent print operation of the image forming apparatus according to a determination result of the print-operation determiner as to whether the image forming apparatus is to perform the subsequent print operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device for an image forming apparatus that transitions to a restricted mode which is a print mode to alternately transition between a printable state to perform a print operation, in which a threshold print amount is printable, and a sleep state to stop a subsequent print operation for a threshold sleep time after the print operation is performed, the control device comprising:
at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions to,
determine, when a print-operation execution request to the image forming apparatus is received in the sleep state, whether the image forming apparatus is to perform the subsequent print operation in the sleep state based on a print amount of the print-operation execution request; and
control the subsequent print operation of the image forming apparatus according to the determination as to whether the image forming apparatus is to perform the subsequent print operation.

2. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to determine to perform the subsequent print operation when the print amount of the print-operation execution request is equal to or less than the threshold print amount.

3. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to control a further subsequent print operation of the image forming apparatus to change the threshold sleep time to be longer than a time length having been set before the subsequent print operation after the image forming apparatus performs the subsequent print operation in the sleep state.

4. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to control a further subsequent print operation of the image forming apparatus to change the threshold sleep time to be longer than a time length having been set before the subsequent print operation by a difference between the time length and an elapsed time from a transition to the sleep state until the subsequent print operation is performed after the image forming apparatus performs the subsequent print operation in the sleep state.

5. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to,
measure an elapsed time after the image forming apparatus transitions to the restricted mode;
measure a cumulative print amount of the image forming apparatus after the image forming apparatus transitions to the restricted mode; and
calculate, based on the measured elapsed time and the measured cumulative print amount, a unit print amount which is a print amount per unit time after the image forming apparatus transitions to the sleep state,
wherein when the print-operation execution request is received while the image forming apparatus is in the sleep state, the at least one processor is configured to determine whether the image forming apparatus is to perform the print operation based on the unit print amount calculated by assuming that the print-operation execution request is performed.

6. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to determine that the image forming apparatus is to perform the print operation if the unit print amount calculated by assuming that the print-operation execution request is performed is equal to or less than a threshold unit print amount.

7. The control device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to clear the measured elapsed time and the measured cumulative print amount to zero when the image forming apparatus is cancelled from the restricted mode.

8. The control device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to determine, whether the image forming apparatus is to perform the print operation based on the unit print amount calculated by assuming that the print-operation execution request is performed when the print-operation execution request is received while the image forming apparatus is in the restricted mode.

9. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to transition the image forming apparatus to the restricted mode when an internal temperature of the image forming apparatus increases above a first threshold or decreases below a second threshold.

10. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to determine not to perform the subsequent print operation in the sleep state when the print operation remains.

11. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to,
determine a remaining time for the sleep state; and
change the remaining time based on whether the processor determines the image forming apparatus is to perform the subsequent print operation in the sleep state.

12. The control device of claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to,
increase the remaining time when the processor determines the image forming apparatus is to perform the subsequent print operation in the sleep state.

13. A non-transitory recording medium storing a control program for causing an image forming apparatus that transitions to a restricted mode which is a print mode to alternately transition between a printable state to perform a print operation, in which a threshold print amount is printable, and a sleep state to stop a subsequent print operation for a threshold sleep time after the print operation is performed, to execute:
determining, when a print-operation execution request to the image forming apparatus is received in the sleep state, whether the image forming apparatus is to perform the subsequent print operation in the sleep state based on a print amount of the print-operation execution request; and
controlling the subsequent print operation of the image forming apparatus according to a determination result as to whether the image forming apparatus is to perform the subsequent print operation.

14. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus that transitions to a restricted mode which is a print mode to alternately transition between a printable state to perform a print operation, in which a threshold print amount is printable, and a sleep state to stop a subsequent print operation for a threshold sleep time after the print operation is performed, the method comprising:
determining, when a print-operation execution request to the image forming apparatus is received in the sleep state, whether the image forming apparatus is to perform the subsequent print operation in the sleep state based on a print amount of the print-operation execution request; and
controlling the subsequent print operation of the image forming apparatus according to a determination result as to whether the image forming apparatus is to perform the subsequent print operation.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
transitioning the image forming apparatus to the restricted mode when an internal temperature of the image forming apparatus increases above a first threshold or decreases below a second threshold.

16. The method of

Assignees

• Saitoh Kazuya
• Kojima Takeshi
• Sekiguchi Sho
• Yamada Tatsumi
• Moriyama Takuya
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Saitoh Kazuya
• Kojima Takeshi
• Sekiguchi Sho
• Yamada Tatsumi
• Moriyama Takuya

Classifications

• G03G15/5004 Primary

  Power supply control, e.g. power-saving mode, automatic power turn-off · CPC title

• G03G2215/0129

  horizontal medium transport path at the secondary transfer · CPC title