Image forming apparatus and method of controlling image forming apparatus

• US 20050024393A1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Toshio, Murata, Mitsushige, Kondo, Shunsaku, Isemura, Keizo, Funamizu, Yoshihiro, Tanabe, Masatoshi, Into, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,341,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/2
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/65 Apparatus which relate to the handling of copy material handling sheets or webs in general B65H; for photographic purposes in general G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00447 Plural types handled
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00611 Detector details, e.g. optical detector
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00751 of sheet type, e.g. OHP

Abstract

An image forming apparatus by which an image formed on a printing medium by image forming means on the basis of image data can be related to the image data includes a controller which prepares management information corresponding to the image data, and controls an operation of the image forming means in accordance with the management information, an adhering unit which adheres, to the printing medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means, a radio identification tag having a transmitting/receiving unit capable of transmitting/receiving data by radio communication, and a data holding unit capable of holding the data, and a communicating module which writes, in the data holding unit of the radio identification tag adhered on the printing medium, the management information for relating the image on the printing medium to the image data, by communicating with the transmitting/receiving unit by radio.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus by which an image formed on a printing medium by image forming means on the basis of image data can be related to the image data, comprising:

control means for preparing management information corresponding to the image data, and controlling an operation of said image forming means in accordance with the management information;

adhering means for adhering, to the printing medium on which the image is formed by said image forming means, a radio identification tag having a transmitting/receiving unit capable of transmitting/receiving data by radio communication, and a data holding unit capable of holding the data; and

communicating means for writing, in said data holding unit of said radio identification tag adhered on the printing medium, the management information for relating the image on the printing medium to the image data, by communicating with said transmitting/receiving unit by radio.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communicating means can read out the management information written by radio communication from said data holding unit of said radio identification tag adhered to the printing medium.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein to prepare for the management information, said control means communicates with external storage means in accordance with an operation input, and receives predetermined management information stored in said external storage means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means compares the management information read out by said communicating means with the management information received by said control means from said external storage means, and determines which of the two pieces of management information is older.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein on the basis of the determination result, said communicating means writes the new management information in said data holding unit of said radio identification tag by radio communication.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means receives image data corresponding to the management information read out by said communicating means from said external storage means storing the image data, and allows said image forming means to process the received image data.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the management information contains information for inhibiting processing for forming the image data, said control means inhibits said image forming means from processing the image data.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising determining means for determining whether the image formed on the printing medium by said image forming means has abnormality,

wherein if the image is found to have no abnormality in accordance with the determination result, said adhering means adheres said radio identification tag to the printing medium.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the image is found to have abnormality on the basis of the determination by said determining means, said control means causes said image forming means to reexecute the image forming process.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising positioning means for positioning said adhering means and conveying the printing means,

wherein said positioning means determines an adhesion position of said radio identification tag by synchronizing positioning of said adhering means with conveyance of the printing medium in accordance with a type of the printing medium or an operation input value.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said positioning means determines a region where no image is formed on the printing medium, as the adhesion position of said radio identification tag.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said communicating means reads out management information written in a radio identification tag adhered on a printing medium beforehand, and

said control means compares the readout management information with the management information written in said radio identification tag beforehand, and determines whether said radio identification tag is normal.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

identifying means for identifying whether said radio identification tag is adhered to the printing medium before the processing of said image forming means is performed, on the basis of whether management information can be read out by communicating with said transmitting/receiving unit of said radio identification tag; and

storage means for storing the management information read out by said identifying means,

wherein said communicating means reads out, by radio communication, the management information written in said data holding unit of said radio identification tag on the printing medium processed by said image forming means, and

said control means determines whether said radio identification tag is normal by comparing the readout management information with the management information stored in said storage means.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if said control means determines that said radio identification tag is normal, said control means inhibits adhesion by said adhering means.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising discharge control means for selectively discharging a printing medium having abnormality and a printing medium having no abnormality, in accordance with the determination result from said control means or said determining means.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adhering means adheres said radio identification tag to the printing medium via a staple for stapling the printing medium.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adhering means adheres said radio identification tag to the printing medium via a film on which said radio identification tag is formed.

18. A method of controlling an image forming apparatus by which an image formed on a printing medium by image forming means on the basis of image data can be related to the image data, comprising:

a control step of preparing management information corresponding to the image data, and controlling an operation of the image forming means in accordance with the management information;

an adhesion step of adhering, to the printing medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means, a radio identification tag having a transmitting/receiving unit capable of transmitting/receiving data by radio communication, and a data holding unit capable of holding the data; and

a communication step of writing, in the data holding unit of the radio identification tag adhered on the printing medium, the management information for relating the image on the printing medium to the image data, by communicating with the transmitting/receiving unit by radio.

19. A control program of an image forming apparatus by which an image formed on a printing medium by image forming means on the basis of image data can be related to the image data, comprising:

a control module which prepares management information corresponding to the image data, and controls an operation of said image forming means in accordance with the management information;

an adhering module which adheres, to the printing medium on which the image is formed by said image forming means, a radio identification tag having a transmitting/receiving unit capable of transmitting/receiving data by radio communication, and a data holding unit capable of holding the data; and

a communicating module which writes, in said data holding unit of said radio identification tag adhered on the printing medium, the management information for relating the image on the printing medium to the image data, by communicating with said transmitting/receiving unit by radio.

20. A computer-readable recording medium storing the control program cited in claim 19.