EP0778692A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Composite image forming system
Assignee: Toshiba Corp
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Filing: 1996-09-10
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-09-10
Abstract
Abstract A composite image forming system comprising an image forming unit (100) and a computer (110) is disclosed. The image data stored in a page memory (12) of the image forming unit (100) and in an external memory unit (120) of the computer (110) are processed as data blocks with a header added thereto. The data blocks and the operating conditions of each device of the composite image forming unit (100) are managed by a data allocation status block (42). For example, the copying operation in which the image data on an original read by a scanner (4) is formed and output as an image in a printer (5) can be performed concurrently with the operation of transmitting the image data produced by the computer (110) through a facsimile (11). Also, the computer (110) can control the image forming unit (100) without interfering with the control operation from a control panel (3).
Inventors
- 👤 Masahiko c/o K.K. Toshiba Taniguchi
- 👤 Takefumi c/o K.K. Toshiba Nosaki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 17:46
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00127; H04N1/00204; H04N1/00236; H04N1/00238; H04N1/00206; H04N1/00912; H04N1/00915; H04N1/0096; H04N1/32; H04N1/32502; H04N1/32507; H04N1/32512; H04N1/32523; H04N1/32529; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/0008; H04N2201/0034; H04N2201/0077; H04N2201/0081; H04N2201/0082; H04N2201/0086; H04N2201/0087; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3201; H04N2201/3212; H04N2201/3215; H04N2201/3225; H04N2201/3226; H04N2201/3274; H04N2201/3278; H04N2201/3285; H04N2201/3288
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
174 words
A composite image forming system comprising: an image forming unit (100) including a plurality of devices having means (4) for reading an original image to output an image data, means (12) for storing the image data output from the read means (4) and means (5) for forming an image on the basis of the image data; a external unit (110); means (30), connected to said image forming unit (100) and said external unit (110), for transmitting a second image data and a control command signal from said external unit (110) to said image forming unit (100), the control command signal including a signal for representing that the second image data is from the external unit; and control means (CPU 1) for causing the second image data to be stored in said storing means (12) and controlling, on the basis of the control command signal, a priority of the image forming operation for each of the image data received from said reading means (4) and the second image data stored in said storing means (12).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
17 words
A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said devices include a facsimile transmission/receiving means (11).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
73 words
A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said image forming unit (100) includes a management table (42) for managing the current operating conditions of said devices and means (114) for suspending the execution of the control command in the case where the control command signal (40) is received from the external unit and the management table (42) indicates that the device required for execution of the control command is in use.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
64 words
A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said image forming unit includes a management table (42) for managing the current operating conditions of said devices and means for driving first and second devices concurrently upon receipt of an instruction from said external unit (110) to drive the second device with the management table (42) indicating that the first device is in operation.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
50 words
A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said image data is processed as a data block (41) with a header added thereto, and said image forming unit (100) includes a management table (42) for managing a plurality of data blocks and the current operating conditions of said devices.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
A system according to claim 5, characterized in that said data blocks (41) are managed by the header of each data block in said management table (42).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
A system according to claim 5, characterized in that said external unit includes means for receiving the management table (42) and recognizing the conditions of each device in said image forming unit (100).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
104 words
A system according to claim 5, characterized in that said external unit (100) includes; means (120) for holding the image data produced by said external unit in the format of said data block, and means supplied with said management table (42) from said image forming unit (100) for adding the management data relating to the data block (41) held in said holding means (120) to said management table (42) and managing both the data block (41) stored in the memory means (12) of said image forming unit (100) and the data block (41) stored in the holding means (120) of said external unit (110).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
149 words
In a composite image forming system comprising a external unit (110) and an image forming unit (100) including a plurality of devices having read means (4) for reading an original image and outputting image data, memory means (12) for storing the image data output from the read means (4), and image forming means for forming an image on the basis of the image data, a method for controlling said image forming unit comprising the steps of: connecting said image forming unit (100) and said external unit (110); transmitting the image data and a control command signal from said external unit (110) to said image forming unit (100); storing the transmitted image data in said memory means (12) and controlling the priority of the image forming operation based on the image data received from the read means (4) and the external unit (110) and stored in said memory unit (12).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
126 words
An image forming apparatus, comprising; means for reading an original image to generate a first image data; means for receiving a second image data and a control command signal provided from an external unit; means for storing the first image data, the second image data, and the control command signal, the control command signal including a signal for representing that the second image data is from the external device; means for forming an image on the basis of one of the first image data and the second image data; and means for controlling a start timing of the image forming operation of the image forming means for each of the first image data and the second image data, on the basis of the control command signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
68 words
An apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a management table for managing the current operating conditions of said reading means and said image forming means, and means for suspending the execution of the control command in the case where the control command signal is received from the external unit and the management table indicates that the means required for execution of the control command is in use.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
78 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a management table for managing the current operating conditions of said reading means and said image forming means, and means for driving said reading means and said image forming means concurrently upon receipt of an instruction from said external unit to drive one of said reading means and image forming means, with the management table indicating that the other of said reading means and image forming means is in operation.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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