Facsimile apparatus with a page printer having reduced memory capacity requirements

Claim 2

A facsimile apparatus comprising: printing means for printing an image of one page at a constant speed, wherein the image of one page comprises a plurality of lines and each line is printed at a predetermined interval, receiving means for receiving compressed image data, expanding means for expanding said received image data to convert the same into print data, storing means for storing the print data corresponding to one line among the plurality of lines, writing means for writing said print data converted by said expanding means into said storing means, transfer means to read out said print data from said storing means for transferring the same to said printing means at said predetermined interval with a predetermined transfer speed, and control means for controlling said writing means and said transfer means so that said writing means writes said print data into said storing means, when said transfer means is not transferring said print data into said printing means.

Claim 3

A facsimile apparatus comprising: printing means for printing an image of one page at a constant speed, wherein the image of one page comprises a plurality of lines and each line is printed at a predetermined timing, storing means formed of a plurality of memories of a predetermined capacity for storing print data transferred to said printing means, writing means for writing said print data into said plurality of memories at a predetermined order, and transfer means for reading out said print data from a memory of said plurality of memories which has the writing of said print data terminated for transferring the same to said printing means at said predetermined timing with a predetermined transfer speed.

Claim 4

A facsimile apparatus comprising: printing means for printing an image of one page at a constant speed, wherein the image of one page comprises a plurality of lines and each line is printed at a predetermined timing, storing means formed of a plurality of memories of a predetermined capacity for storing print data transferred to said printing means, writing means for writing said print data into said plurality of memories at a predetermined order, and transfer means for reading out said print data from a memory of said plurality of memories which has the writing of said print data terminated for transferring the same to said printing means at said predetermined timing with a predetermined transfer speed.

Claim 5

A facsimile apparatus comprising: printing means for printing an image of one page at a constant speed, storing means formed of a plurality of memories of a predetermined capacity for storing print data transferred to said printing means, writing means for writing said print data into said plurality of memories at a predetermined order, and transfer means for reading out said print data from a memory of said plurality of memories which has the writing of said print data terminated for transferring the same to said printing means at a predetermined transfer speed, wherein said image of one page comprises a plurality of lines of said print data, said print data being processes by one line, said facsimile apparatus further comprising, expanding means for expanding compressed image data to convert the same into print data, by referring to print data of a line prior to the currently processed line, and control means for controlling said expanding means to expand compressed image data, and said writing means to write said print data expanded by said expanding means into a memory differing from the memory storing print data referred to by said expanding means, when said transferring means is not transferring print data from said memory storing said print data of said prior line.

Claim 6

A facsimile apparatus comprising: printing means for printing an image of one page at a constant speed, storing means formed of a plurality of memories of a predetermined capacity for storing print data transferred to said printing means, writing means for writing said print data into said plurality of memories at a predetermined order, and transfer means for reading out said print data from a memory of said plurality of memories which has the writing of said print data terminated for transferring the same to said printing means at a predetermined transfer speed, wherein said image of one page comprises a plurality of lines of said print data, said print data being processes by one line, said facsimile apparatus further comprising, expanding means for expanding compressed image data to convert the same into print data, by referring to print data of a line prior to the currently processed line, and control means for controlling said expanding means to expand compressed image data, and said writing means to write said print data expanded by said expanding means into a memory differing from the memory storing print data referred to by said expanding means, when said transferring means is not transferring print data from said memory storing said print data of said prior line.

Claim 7

The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each memory of said storing means comprises a memory capacity corresponding to print data of said one line.

Claim 8

The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each memory of said storing means comprises a memory capacity corresponding to print data of a multiple of four lines.

Claim 9

The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said storing means comprises three memories, said expanding means expands said compressed data to said print data referring to data stored in a first memory, said writing means writes said print data expanded by said expanding means into a second memory, and said transfer means transfers printed data stored in a third memory when said first and second memories are used for expansion or writing of said print data.

Claim 10

A facsimile apparatus comprising: printing means for printing an image of one page at a constant speed, expanding means for expanding compressed image data to convert the same into print data, storing means formed of a plurality of memories for storing said expanded print data, writing means for writing print data converted by said expanding means into said plurality of memories of said storing means, detecting means for detecting that said print data written by said writing means has reached a predetermined capacity of said plurality of memories, and transfer means responsive to the detected result of said detecting means for transferring said print data stored in said plurality of memories into said printing means at a predetermined transfer speed.

Claim 11

A facsimile apparatus comprising: printing means for printing an image of one page at a constant speed, expanding means for expanding compressed image data to convert the same into print data, storing means formed of a plurality of memories for storing said expanded print data, writing means for writing print data converted by said expanding means into said plurality of memories of said storing means, detecting means for detecting that said print data written by said writing means has reached a predetermined capacity of said plurality of memories, and transfer means responsive to the detected result of said detecting means for transferring said print data stored in said plurality of memories into said printing means at a predetermined transfer speed.

Claim 12

A facsimile apparatus comprising: storing means including first and second memories for storing image data, writing means for writing a predetermined amount at a time of an image data of one page into said first memory by a plurality of times, data processing means for reading out image data from said first memory by a data skipping procedure to provide skipped image data to transfer the same to said second memory, and for writing said skipped image data into said second memory, and transmitting means for transmitting said skipped image data from said second memory.

Claim 13

A facsimile apparatus comprising: storing means including first and second memories for storing image data, writing means for writing a predetermined amount at a time of an image data of one page into said first memory by a plurality of times, data processing means for reading out image data from said first memory by a data skipping procedure to provide skipped image data to transfer the same to said second memory, and for writing said skipped image data into said second memory, and transmitting means for transmitting said skipped image data from said second memory.

Claim 14

The facsimile apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said storing means further comprises a third memory, said data processing means reads out said image data from said first memory by said data skipping procedure following the transfer and writing of said skipped image data of said second memory, to transfer the same to said third memory, and to write said skipped image data into said third memory, said transmitting means initiates said data transmission from said second memory after the termination of writing said skipped image data of said second memory by said data processing means.

Claim 15

A facsimile apparatus comprising: storing means including a plurality of memories for storing image data, writing means for writing image data into a first memory of said storing means, transfer means for transferring image dat written into said first memory by said writing means to store the same into a continuous address in a second memory, address specifying means for specifying an arbitrary address that is not in succession with an address in which the writing of said image data has already terminated in said second memory, and control means for controlling said transfer means to store said image data from the address specified in said second memory when an address is specified by said address specifying means.

Claim 16

A facsimile apparatus comprising: storing means including a plurality of memories for storing image data, writing means for writing image data into a first memory of said storing means, transfer means for transferring image dat written into said first memory by said writing means to store the same into a continuous address in a second memory, address specifying means for specifying an arbitrary address that is not in succession with an address in which the writing of said image data has already terminated in said second memory, and control means for controlling said transfer means to store said image data from the address specified in said second memory when an address is specified by said address specifying means.

Claim 17

A facsimile apparatus comprising: storing means including a plurality of memories of a predetermined capacity for storing image data, receiving means for receiving compressed said image data, expanding means for expanding said received compressed data to convert the same into a first image data to transfer said first image data into a predetermined number of memories of said plurality of memories, printing means to read out in sequence said first image data from said predetermined number of memories for printing according to said first image data, reading means for reading an original to form a second image data, to transfer said second image data into a memory other than said memory of said predetermined numbers to which data is transferred by said expanding means, compressing means for reading and compressing said second image data from said memory, and transmitting means for transmitting image data compressed by said compressing means.

Claim 18

A facsimile apparatus comprising: storing means including a plurality of memories of a predetermined capacity for storing image data, receiving means for receiving compressed said image data, expanding means for expanding said received compressed data to convert the same into a first image data to transfer said first image data into a predetermined number of memories of said plurality of memories, printing means to read out in sequence said first image data from said predetermined number of memories for printing according to said first image data, reading means for reading an original to form a second image data, to transfer said second image data into a memory other than said memory of said predetermined numbers to which data is transferred by said expanding means, compressing means for reading and compressing said second image data from said memory, and transmitting means for transmitting image data compressed by said compressing means.

Claim 19

The facsimile apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a predetermined number of memories of said plurality of memories of said storing means stores said first image data when said receiving means and said transmitting means are operated simultaneously, and wherein the remaining memory stores said second image data when only said receiving means is operated.