IMAGE RECORDING DEVICE AND COMPUTER ACCESSIBLE STORAGE STORING PROGRAM THEREFOR

• US 20120162693A1
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: ITO, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 8,908,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/4055 Managing power consumption, e.g. standby mode computer driven power saving management for a printer G06F3/1221; power saving in a data processing device in general G06F1/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/4095 Secure printing computer driven secure printing G06F3/1238

Abstract

An image recording device is provided with a first memory which is a volatile memory, a second memory, an input unit through which authentication information is input, an authentication judging unit. The recording unit is controlled to print an image on the printing sheet based on the drive data, which is converted from the image data stored in the first memory or the second memory and is stored in the first memory or the second memory. The drive data or the image data is stored in each of the first memory and the second memory is transmitted therebetween. The image recording device further includes a restricting unit capable of restricting power supply to the converting unit and the first memory in a sleep mode.

Claims

1. An image recording device, comprising:

an image recoding unit configured to print an image on a printing sheet;

a receiving unit configured to receive image data which is externally transmitted;

a converting unit configured to convert the image data received by the receiving unit to drive data used to drive the image recoding unit;

a first memory configured to be a volatile memory storing one of the drive data and the image data;

an input unit configured such that authentication information related to one of the image data and the drive data is input through the input unit;

an authentication judging unit configured to judge whether the authentication information input through the input unit contains predetermined information;

a restricting unit configured to restrict power supply to the converting unit and the first memory;

a second memory configured to store one of the drive data and the image data;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the drive data and the image data between the first memory and the second memory; and

a control unit configured to;

control the transmitting unit so that one of the drive data and the image data is stored in each of the first memory and the second memory; and

control the recording unit to print an image on the printing sheet based on one of the drive data stored in one of the first memory and the second memory, and the drive data converted, by the converting unit, from the image data stored in one of the first memory and the second memory.

2. The image recording device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the transmitting unit such that one of the drive data and the image data is transmitted from the second memory to the first memory after restriction regarding power supply by the restriction unit has been released.

3. The image recording device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the restriction unit to start restricting the power supply when a time period in which none of printing by the recording unit, receipt of data by the receiving unit and input to the input unit is executed exceeds a predetermined period.

4. The image recording device according to claim 1,

wherein the image data is stored in the first memory, and

wherein the drive data that is converted from the image data by the converting unit is stored in the second memory.

5. The image recording device according to claim 1, wherein the second memory is a volatile memory.

6. The image recording device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit does not delete the image data or the drive data stored in the second memory until printing of the image executed by the recording unit is completed.

7. The image recording device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit deletes the image data or the drive data stored in each of the first memory and the second memory after the printing of the image executed by the recording unit has been completed.

8. The image recording device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit completely shuts out the power supply to at least one of the converting unit and the first memory.

13. The computer accessible storage according to claim 1, wherein the second memory is a volatile memory.

9. A computer accessible storage storing a program containing computer executable instructions, when executed, to control an image recording device,

the image recording device is provided with:

an image recoding unit configured to print an image on a printing sheet,

a receiving unit configured to receive image data which is externally transmitted;

a converting unit configured to convert the image data received by the receiving unit to drive data used to drive the image recoding unit;

a first memory configured to be a volatile memory storing one of the drive data and the image data;

an input unit configured such that authentication information related to one of the image data and the drive data is input;

an authentication judging unit configured to judge whether the authentication information input through the input unit contains predetermined information;

a restricting unit configured to restrict power supply to the converting unit and the first memory; and

a second memory configured to store one of the drive data and the image data;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the drive data and the image data between the first memory and the second memory,

the instructions cause a computer to;

control the transmitting unit so that one of the drive data and the image data are stored in each of the first memory and the second memory, and

control the recording unit to print an image on the printing sheet based on one of the drive data stored in one of the first memory and the second memory, and the drive data converted, by the converting unit, from the image data stored in one of the first memory and the second memory.

10. The computer accessible storage according to claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the computer to control the transmitting unit such that one of the drive data and the image data is transmitted from the second memory to the first memory after restriction regarding power supply by the restriction unit has been released.

11. The computer accessible storage according to claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the computer to control the restriction unit to start restricting the power supply when a time period in which none of printing by the recording unit, receipt of data by the receiving unit and input to the input unit is executed exceeds a predetermined period.

12. The computer accessible storage according to claim 9,

wherein the image data is stored in the first memory, and

wherein the drive data that is converted from the image data by the converting unit is stored in the second memory.

14. The computer accessible storage according to claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the computer not to delete the image data or the drive data stored in the second memory until printing of the image executed by the recording unit is completed.

15. The computer accessible storage according to claim 14, wherein the instructions cause the computer to delete the image data or the drive data stored in each of the first memory and the second memory after the printing of the image executed by the recording unit has been completed.

16. The computer accessible storage according to claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the computer to completely shuts out the power supply to at least one of the converting unit and the first memory.

17. An image recording device, comprising:

an image recoding unit configured to print an image on a printing sheet;

a receiving unit configured to receive image data which is transmitted from an external device to the image recording device;

a main memory configured to store the image data received by the receiving unit;

a work memory configured to be a volatile memory;

a data transmitting unit configured to transmit the image data stored in the main memory to the work memory;

a converting unit configured to convert the image data stored in the work memory to drive data which is used to drive the image recoding unit, the drive data being stored in the work memory;

an input unit configured such that authentication information related to one of the image data and the drive data is input;

an authentication judging unit configured to judge whether the authentication information input through the input unit contains predetermined information;

a print control unit configured to control the recording unit to print an image on the printing sheet based on the drive data stored in the work memory; and

a restricting unit configured to restrict power supply at least to the work memory if a predetermined condition is satisfied.

18. The image recording device, according to claim 17,

wherein the restricting unit further restricts power supply to the converting unit if the predetermined condition is satisfied.

19. The image recording device according to claim 17,

wherein the main memory is a volatile memory, and

wherein the restricting unit maintains power supply at least to the main memory if the recording unit has not printed the image corresponding to the image data stored in the main memory.

20. The image recording device according to claim 17,

wherein if the authentication judging unit judges that the authentication information input through the input unit contains predetermined information has been input after the restricting unit starts restricting the power supply, the restricting unit stops restricting the power supply, the data transmitting unit transmits the image data from the main memory to the work memory, and the converting unit converts the image data stored in the work memory to the drive data.