US5535009A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Copier/printer operating with interrupts
Assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
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Filing: 1993-12-28
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Granted: 1996-07-09
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Expires: 2013-12-28
Abstract
Abstract A copier and/or printer apparatus that supports plural interrupts. When a job is tagged as an interrupt job, the queueing of jobs switches from FIFO to LIFO in order to process the interrupt job as soon as prescribed. Another job may interrupt the first interrupt job still adhering to the LIFO operation making it the active job as soon as prescribed. When this second interrupt job is completed, the first interrupt job resumes. When the first interrupt job is completed, the job that was interrupted resumes. The original job that was interrupted may have been the first-out job of a FIFO job queue. Interrupting an interrupt is thus possible in an electronic copier and/or printer. The limiting factor is the maximum number of jobs that memory space has been allocated for on power-up of the machine. There thus may be supported interrupting a "normal" job, interrupting a queue of "normal" jobs, proofing a page, and proofing a page within an interrupt job (2 levels of interrupt). With the apparatus configured as a copier/printer, the machine thus supports interrupting a print job with a copy job, interrupting a copy job that interrupted a print job (2 levels of interrupt) and proofing a page within a job that interrupted a copy job that interrupted a print job (3 levels of interrupt).
Inventors
- 👤 David R. Hansen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 12:53
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/50; G03G15/5012; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00912; H04N1/00915; H04N1/32; H04N1/32358; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/0077; H04N2201/0081; H04N2201/0082; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3285; H04N2201/3288
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
134 words
A reproduction apparatus, said apparatus comprising: memory means for storing a plurality of production jobs for printing; interrupt means for designating a plurality of production jobs to be stored in said memory means as interrupt jobs; control means for controlling printing of normal production jobs in a first-in-first-out basis and for controlling printing of jobs designated as interrupt jobs so as to be printed on a last-in-first-out basis wherein a first interrupt job interrupts a current normal job and a second interrupt job interrupts the first interrupt job; and printing means responsive to the control means for forming prints of the plurality of normal production jobs and the interrupt jobs whereby later in time interrupt jobs interrupt earlier in time interrupt jobs and a first later-in-time interrupt job interrupts an earlier-in-time "normal" production job.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
134 words
A reproduction apparatus, said apparatus comprising: memory means for storing a plurality of production jobs for printing; interrupt means for designating a plurality of production jobs to be stored in said memory means as interrupt jobs; control means for controlling printing of normal production jobs in a first-in-first-out basis and for controlling printing of jobs designated as interrupt jobs so as to be printed on a last-in-first-out basis wherein a first interrupt job interrupts a current normal job and a second interrupt job interrupts the first interrupt job; and printing means responsive to the control means for forming prints of the plurality of normal production jobs and the interrupt jobs whereby later in time interrupt jobs interrupt earlier in time interrupt jobs and a first later-in-time interrupt job interrupts an earlier-in-time "normal" production job.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
64 words
The apparatus of claim 1 and including means for requesting a sample page of a page in one interrupt job; and said control means, in response to a request for a sample page, creates a second interrupt job for said request and outputs a copy as a sample page of a page in the one interrupt job before completing the said one interrupt job.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
65 words
The apparatus of claim 1 and including means for requesting a proof page of a page in one interrupt job; and said control means, in response to a request for a proof page, creates a second interrupt job for said request and outputs a copy as a proof page of a page in the one interrupt job before the one interrupt job begins being printed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus of claim 1 and including means for requesting a subset interrupt job of one interrupt job; and in response to a request for a subset interrupt job, said control means creates an interrupt job and completes said subset job before completing said one job.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
The apparatus of claim 1 and wherein production jobs are copy jobs.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus of claim 5 and including scanner means for scanning document originals to form electronic signals representing image information on the originals as copy jobs as production jobs.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus of claim 6 and including raster image processing means for processing electronic originals to generate print jobs as production jobs.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
120 words
A method for electronically producing copies, said method comprising: storing in a memory a plurality of production jobs for printing; designating a plurality of production jobs stored in said memory as interrupt jobs; and controlling printing of normal production jobs in a first-in-first-out basis and controlling printing of jobs designated as interrupt jobs so as to be printed on a last-in-first-out basis wherein a first interrupt job interrupts a current normal job and a second interrupt job interrupts the first interrupt job; and forming prints of the plurality of normal production jobs and the interrupt jobs whereby later in time interrupt jobs interrupt earlier in time interrupt jobs and a first later-in-time interrupt job interrupts an earlier-in-time "normal" production job.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
120 words
A method for electronically producing copies, said method comprising: storing in a memory a plurality of production jobs for printing; designating a plurality of production jobs stored in said memory as interrupt jobs; and controlling printing of normal production jobs in a first-in-first-out basis and controlling printing of jobs designated as interrupt jobs so as to be printed on a last-in-first-out basis wherein a first interrupt job interrupts a current normal job and a second interrupt job interrupts the first interrupt job; and forming prints of the plurality of normal production jobs and the interrupt jobs whereby later in time interrupt jobs interrupt earlier in time interrupt jobs and a first later-in-time interrupt job interrupts an earlier-in-time "normal" production job.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method of claim 8 and including requesting a sample page of a page in one interrupt job; and in response to a request for a sample page, creating a second interrupt job for said request and outputting a copy as a sample page of a page in the one interrupt job before completing the said one interrupt job.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method of claim 8 and including requesting a proof page of a page in one interrupt job; and in response to a request for a proof page, creating a second interrupt job for said request and outputting a copy as a proof page of a page in the one interrupt job before the one interrupt job begins being printed.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 8 and including requesting a subset interrupt job of one interrupt job; and in response to a request for a subset interrupt job, said control means creates an interrupt job and completes said subset job before completing said one job.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 8 and wherein production jobs are copy jobs.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 12 and including scanning document originals to form electronic signals representing image information on the originals as copy jobs as production jobs.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 13 and including processing electronic originals to generate print jobs as production jobs.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 14 and wherein a copy job interrupts a print job.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 15 and including generating a sample page as an interrupt of the copy job.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-07-09 | 2000-01-08 | 2000-07-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-07-09 | 2004-01-08 | 2004-07-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-07-09 | 2008-01-08 | 2008-07-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |