METHOD FOR GENERATING SIMULATED INSERT SHEETS FOR A PRINT JOB

• US 20090201534A1
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Systems Lab Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Truong, Duc Phu
• Granted Patent: US 8,493,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/655 Placing job divider sheet between set of sheets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/121 Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1235 caused by end of consumables, e.g. paper, ink, toner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/125 Page layout or assigning input pages onto output media, e.g. imposition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device

Abstract

A printing method is described where, when a print job requires printing multiple copies of a document and a simulated insert sheet option is selected as a part of the print job requirements, simulated insert sheets are automatically generated and inserted between the printed copies that are outputted to the output tray of the printer. The simulated insert sheets are printed using the same paper as the document. The simulated insert sheets may be numbered, and may include a printed pattern extending to an edge of the sheets. The layout and content of the simulated insert sheets may be specified by the printer driver or the printer itself. The method can also be used with copiers when making multiple copies of an original document. Further, simulated insert sheets can be used to separate groups of pages within a single document, such as chapters or sections.

Claims

1. A method executed by a printing device for producing a print job, comprising:

(a) receiving data representing a document to be printed in the print job;

(b) receiving job information about the print job, the job information including an instruction to print multiple copies of the document;

(c) printing the requested multiple copies of the document; and

(d) printing one or more simulated insert sheets and inserting them between printed copies of the document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the simulated insert sheets include a sequential number on each sheet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each simulated insert sheet includes a printed pattern that extends to an edge of the sheet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the simulated insert sheets and the copies of the document are printed using paper from the same paper tray of the printing device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) receiving information specifying a layout or content of the simulated insert sheets,

wherein in step (d) the simulated insert sheets are printed in accordance with the specified layout or content.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein the information received in step (e) includes a request for a logo pre-stored in the printing device, and

wherein step (d) includes generating one or more raster images of the simulated insert sheets including the pre-stored logo.

7. The method of claim 5,

wherein the information received in step (e) specifies one of a plurality of logos pre-stored in the printing device, and

wherein step (d) includes generating one or more raster images of the simulated insert sheets including the specified pre-stored logo.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein in step (d) the simulated insert sheets are printed in accordance with default layout and content previously stored in the printing device.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the job information includes a parameter indicating whether simulated insert sheets are to be printed, and

wherein in step (d) the simulated insert sheets are printed if the parameter indicates that simulated insert sheets are to be printed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing device includes an insert sheet tray for holding insert sheets, the method further comprising:

(f) determining whether insert sheets are available in the insert sheet tray; and

(g) if insert sheets are available in the insert sheet tray, inserting insert sheets from the insert sheet tray between printed copies of the document,

wherein step (d) is performed if insert sheets are unavailable in the insert sheet tray.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein in steps (a) and (b), the data and the job information are received from a host computer connected to the printing device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes scanning an original hard copy of the document on the printing device to generate the data representing the document to be printed, and wherein step (b) includes receiving the job information from an input panel of the printing device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the job information is in a JDF (Job Definition Format) format.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable code embodied therein for controlling a printing device, the computer readable program code configured to cause the printing device to execute a process for producing a print job, the process comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving data representing a document to be printed in the print job;

(b) receiving job information about the print job, the job information including an instruction to print multiple copies of the document;

(c) printing the requested multiple copies of the document; and

(d) printing one or more simulated insert sheets and inserting them between printed copies of the document.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the process further comprises:

(e) receiving information specifying a layout or content of the simulated insert sheets,

wherein in step (d) the simulated insert sheets are printed in accordance with the specified layout or content.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein in step (d) the simulated insert sheets are printed in accordance with default layout and content previously stored in the printing device.

17. The computer program product of claim 14,

wherein the job information includes a parameter indicating whether simulated insert sheets are to be printed, and

wherein in step (d) the simulated insert sheets are printed if the parameter indicates that simulated insert sheets are to be printed.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the printing device includes an insert sheet tray for holding insert sheets, the process further comprising:

(f) determining whether insert sheets are available in the insert sheet tray; and

(g) if insert sheets are available in the insert sheet tray, inserting insert sheets from the insert sheet tray between printed copies of the document, wherein step (d) is performed if insert sheets are unavailable in the insert sheet tray.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein step (a) includes scanning an original hard copy of the document on the printing device to generate the data representing the document to be printed, and wherein step (b) includes receiving the job information from an input panel of the printing device.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the job information is in a JDF (Job Definition Format) format.

21. A printing device comprising:

a control and processing section; and

a print engine connected to the control and processing section for forming an image on a recording medium,

wherein the control and processing section is programmed to receive data representing a document to be printed in the print job, to receive job information about the print job, the job information including an instruction to print multiple copies of the document, to control the print engine to print the requested multiple copies of the document, and to control the print engine to print one or more simulated insert sheets and insert them between printed copies of the document.

22. The printing device of claim 21, wherein the control and processing section is further programmed to receive information specifying a layout or content of the simulated insert sheets, and wherein the simulated insert sheets are printed in accordance with the specified layout or content.

23. The printing device of claim 21, wherein the simulated insert sheets are printed in accordance with default layout and content previously stored in the printing device.

24. The printing device of claim 21, wherein the job information includes a parameter indicating whether simulated insert sheets are to be printed, and wherein the simulated insert sheets are printed if the parameter indicates that simulated insert sheets are to be printed.

25. The printing device of claim 21, further comprising an insert sheet tray for holding insert sheets, wherein the control and processing section is further programmed to determine whether insert sheets are available in the insert sheet tray, to insert insert sheets from the insert sheet tray between printed copies of the document if insert sheets are available in the insert sheet tray, and to print and insert simulated insert sheets between printed copies of the document if insert sheets are unavailable in the insert sheet tray.

26. The printing device of claim 21, further comprising:

a scanning section for scanning an original hard copy of the document to generate the data representing the document to be printed; and

an input panel for inputting the job information.

27. A method executed by a printing device for producing a print job, comprising:

(a) receiving data representing a document to be printed in the print job;

(b) receiving job information about the print job, the job information specifying a plurality of page ranges within the document;

(c) printing the document; and

(d) printing one or more simulated insert sheets and inserting them between adjacent page ranges of the printed document.