US5619307A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of printing test pattern and apparatus for outputting test pattern
Assignee: Canon Inc
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Filing: 1995-07-06
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Granted: 1997-04-08
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Expires: 2015-07-06
Abstract
Abstract It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method which allow a service engineer to accurately analyze the situation of a printer and specify a failure when he or she arrives at the place where the printer is installed. A computer predicts a failure from the status information of a printer, and transmits a test pattern corresponding to the failure to the printer via a controller. The computer then outputs an indication of print out. The service engineer can accurately analyze the failure because the test pattern has already been printed out upon occurrence of the failure.
Inventors
- 👤 Hitoshi Machino
- 👤 Koichi Ohtaka
- 👤 Masako Takahashi
- 👤 Atsuya Takahashi
- 👤 Nobuyuki Kinoshita
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 14:01
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K15/00; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/50; G03G15/5075; G03G15/5079; G03G15/55; G03G2215/00; G03G2215/00362; G03G2215/00535; G03G2215/00556; G03G2215/00569; G06K2215/00; G06K2215/0082; G06K2215/0085
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
45 words
A method of printing a test pattern, comprising the steps of: determining a type of abnormality in a printer on the basis of status information of said printer; and causing said printer to print out a test pattern corresponding to the determined type of abnormality.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
45 words
A method of printing a test pattern, comprising the steps of: determining a type of abnormality in a printer on the basis of status information of said printer; and causing said printer to print out a test pattern corresponding to the determined type of abnormality.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the determination step includes the step of receiving status information from said printer and determining a type of abnormality in said printer on the basis of the received status information.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the print step includes the step of selecting a test pattern corresponding to the determined type of abnormality from a plurality of test patterns stored in advance, and transmitting pattern data representing the selected test pattern to said printer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said printer is an electrophotographic printer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 4, wherein the test pattern includes a plurality of test patterns which are a vertical stripes pattern, a horizontal stripes pattern, and a halftone pattern.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the status information includes error information of said printer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the status information includes information of the number of times of operations of said printer or information of an operation time thereof.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
60 words
An apparatus for outputting a test pattern, comprising: determining means for determining a type of abnormality in a printer on the basis of status information of said printer; and transmission means for transmitting a test pattern corresponding to the type of abnormality determined by said determining means to said printer and causing said printer to print out the test pattern.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
60 words
An apparatus for outputting a test pattern, comprising: determining means for determining a type of abnormality in a printer on the basis of status information of said printer; and transmission means for transmitting a test pattern corresponding to the type of abnormality determined by said determining means to said printer and causing said printer to print out the test pattern.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
An apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising reception means for receiving status information from said printer, and wherein said determining means determines a type of abnormality in said printer on the basis of the received status information received by said reception means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the test pattern includes a plurality of test patterns which are a vertical stripes pattern, a horizontal stripes pattern, and a halftone pattern.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
51 words
An apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising selection means for selecting a test pattern corresponding to the determined type of abnormality from a plurality of test patterns stored in advance, and wherein said transmission means transmits pattern data representing the test pattern selected by said selection means to said printer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
13 words
An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said printer is an electrophotographic printer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the status information includes error information of said printer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the status information includes information of the number of times of operations of said printer or information of an operation time thereof.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
50 words
A method of printing a test pattern, comprising the steps of: determining a type of abnormality in an image forming apparatus on the basis of status information of the image forming apparatus; and causing the image forming apparatus to form a test pattern corresponding to the determined type of abnormality.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
50 words
A method of printing a test pattern, comprising the steps of: determining a type of abnormality in an image forming apparatus on the basis of status information of the image forming apparatus; and causing the image forming apparatus to form a test pattern corresponding to the determined type of abnormality.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
71 words
An apparatus for outputting a test pattern, comprising: determining means for determining a type of abnormality in an image forming apparatus on the basis of status information of the image forming apparatus; and transmission means for transmitting a test pattern corresponding to the determined type of abnormality determined by said determining means to the image forming apparatus and causing the image forming apparatus to form the test pattern as an image.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
71 words
An apparatus for outputting a test pattern, comprising: determining means for determining a type of abnormality in an image forming apparatus on the basis of status information of the image forming apparatus; and transmission means for transmitting a test pattern corresponding to the determined type of abnormality determined by said determining means to the image forming apparatus and causing the image forming apparatus to form the test pattern as an image.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-04-07 | 2000-10-07 | 2001-04-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-04-07 | 2004-10-07 | 2005-04-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-04-07 | 2008-10-07 | 2009-04-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |