US5889596A — Controlling a reading unit of an image processing…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 154 words

An image processing apparatus comprising: read means for sequentially reading a plurality of document sheets to generate pages of image data; first memory means for storing at least one page of image data generated by said read means corresponding to at least a current document sheet; data compression means for compressing the image data stored in said first memory means and for outputting the compressed image data; second memory means having a predetermined memory capacity for storing the compressed image data output from said data compression means; prediction means for predicting an amount of the compressed image data to be output from said data compression means; and control means for controlling the reading of a next document sheet following the current document sheet by said read means in accordance with a relationship between a vacant capacity of said second memory means and the amount of the compressed image data predicted by said prediction means.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 154 words

An image processing apparatus comprising: read means for sequentially reading a plurality of document sheets to generate pages of image data; first memory means for storing at least one page of image data generated by said read means corresponding to at least a current document sheet; data compression means for compressing the image data stored in said first memory means and for outputting the compressed image data; second memory means having a predetermined memory capacity for storing the compressed image data output from said data compression means; prediction means for predicting an amount of the compressed image data to be output from said data compression means; and control means for controlling the reading of a next document sheet following the current document sheet by said read means in accordance with a relationship between a vacant capacity of said second memory means and the amount of the compressed image data predicted by said prediction means.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 46 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising feed means for sequentially feeding the plurality of document sheets to a read position of said read means, wherein said control means controls the feed of the next document sheet by said document sheet feed means.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 52 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said read means so as to temporarily stop the reading of the next document sheet when the vacant capacity of said second memory means is smaller than the amount of the compressed image data predicted by said predication means.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 24 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls the reading of the image data from said first memory means.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 32 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said prediction means predicts the amount of the compressed image data while the image data is being stored in said first memory means.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 31 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said prediction means predicts the amount of the compressed image data before the completion of the compression by said data compression means.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 21 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said prediction means predicts based on a statistical amount of image data.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 29 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the statistical amount is a mean value of densities of the image data or an entropy of the image data.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 141 words

An image processing method for controlling a read unit for sequentially reading a plurality of document sheets to generate pages of image data, comprising the steps of: storing at least one page of the image data generated by the read unit corresponding to at least a current document sheet in a first memory; compressing the image data stored in the first memory and outputting the compressed image data; storing the compressed image data in a second memory having a predetermined memory capacity; predicting an amount of the compressed image data to be output in said compressing step; and controlling the reading of a next document sheet following the current document sheet by the read unit in accordance with a relationship between a vacant capacity of the second memory and the amount of the compressed image data predicted in said predicting step.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 141 words

An image processing method for controlling a read unit for sequentially reading a plurality of document sheets to generate pages of image data, comprising the steps of: storing at least one page of the image data generated by the read unit corresponding to at least a current document sheet in a first memory; compressing the image data stored in the first memory and outputting the compressed image data; storing the compressed image data in a second memory having a predetermined memory capacity; predicting an amount of the compressed image data to be output in said compressing step; and controlling the reading of a next document sheet following the current document sheet by the read unit in accordance with a relationship between a vacant capacity of the second memory and the amount of the compressed image data predicted in said predicting step.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 30 words

An image processing method according to claim 9, wherein said read unit includes a document sheet feed unit for sequentially feeding the plurality of document sheets to a read position.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 28 words

An image processing method according to claim 10, wherein the feed of the next document sheet by the document sheet feed unit is controlled in said controlling step.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 25 words

An image processing method according to claim 9, wherein the reading of the image data from the first memory is controlled in said controlling step.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 41 words

An image processing method according to claim 9, wherein the reading of the next document sheet is controlled to be temporarily stopped when the vacant capacity of the second memory is smaller than the predicted amount of the compressed image data.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 272 words

An image processing apparatus comprising: stack means for stacking a plurality of document sheets; convey means for conveying the document sheets stacked in said stack means, one sheet at a time, to a read position and moving the document sheet past the read position; read means for reading the document sheet while the document sheet conveyed by said convey means is moved past the read position, so as to output image data; first memory means capable of storing at least one page of document sheet and storing the image data outputted from said read means; image processing means for applying a predetermined image processing to the image data outputted from said first memory means; second memory means having a predetermined memory capacity for storing the image data image-processed by said image processing means; output means for outputting the image data stored in said second memory means; first detection means for detecting a capacity in said second memory means occupied by the image data when the image data stored in said first memory means is image-processed by said image processing means; second detection means for detecting a vacant capacity of said second memory means; and control means for controlling said convey means to feed the document sheets at a first document sheet interval when the occupied capacity detected by said first detection means is smaller than the vacant capacity detected by said second detection means, and feed the document sheets at a second document sheet interval larger than the first document sheet interval when the occupied capacity detected by said first detection means exceeds the vacant capacity detected by said second detection means.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 272 words

An image processing apparatus comprising: stack means for stacking a plurality of document sheets; convey means for conveying the document sheets stacked in said stack means, one sheet at a time, to a read position and moving the document sheet past the read position; read means for reading the document sheet while the document sheet conveyed by said convey means is moved past the read position, so as to output image data; first memory means capable of storing at least one page of document sheet and storing the image data outputted from said read means; image processing means for applying a predetermined image processing to the image data outputted from said first memory means; second memory means having a predetermined memory capacity for storing the image data image-processed by said image processing means; output means for outputting the image data stored in said second memory means; first detection means for detecting a capacity in said second memory means occupied by the image data when the image data stored in said first memory means is image-processed by said image processing means; second detection means for detecting a vacant capacity of said second memory means; and control means for controlling said convey means to feed the document sheets at a first document sheet interval when the occupied capacity detected by said first detection means is smaller than the vacant capacity detected by said second detection means, and feed the document sheets at a second document sheet interval larger than the first document sheet interval when the occupied capacity detected by said first detection means exceeds the vacant capacity detected by said second detection means.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 17 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said image processing means compresses the image data.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 34 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said output means outputs the image data to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet in accordance with the image data.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 31 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the predetermined memory capacity of said second memory means is large enough to store a plurality of document sheets of image data.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 32 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said control means temporarily stops the feed of the document sheet when the vacant capacity is not detected by said second detection means.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 58 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said control means switches first control to feed the document sheet at the first document sheet interval, second control to feed the document sheet at the second document sheet interval and third control to temporarily stop the feed of the document sheet, during a series of document sheet readings.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 26 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 19 wherein said control means switches the first, second and third controls at the change of the document sheets.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 86 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the operation to read the image data stored in said first memory means and the operation to write into said first memory means such image data of the next document sheet fed at the first document sheet interval as read and outputted by said read means into said first memory means are conducted in parallel when the occupied capacity detected by said first detection means is smaller than the vacant capacity detected by said second detection means.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 69 words

An image processing apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the next document sheet fed at the second document sheet interval is read by said read means after the completion of the storing of one page of image data stored in said first memory means into said second memory means when the occupied capacity detected by said first detection means exceeds the vacant capacity detected by said second detection means.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2002-03-29	2002-09-28	2003-03-30	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2006-03-29	2006-09-28	2007-03-30	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2010-03-29	2010-09-28	2011-03-30	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Controlling a reading unit of an image processing apparatus

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