Method and apparatus for scanning a signature document

• US 5,212,568 A
• Filed: 09/17/1990
• Issued: 05/18/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Blitz, William A., Coy, Gerald L., Graves, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Sr., Edward L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US07/583,922
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 358/474, 358/496, 358/498, 358/486, 358/449, 358/451, 358/452, 358/453, 358/488, 358/497, 355/1, 355/51, 355/57, 355/65, 355/233, 355/234, 355/235
• US Class Current: 358/474
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/04 Scanning arrangements , i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versaH04N1/387 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32464 Changing the arrangement of pages or documents, e.g. for producing pages to be bound
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/38 Circuits or arrangements for blanking or otherwise eliminating unwanted parts of pictures H04N1/387 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/387 Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3873 defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3288 Storage of two or more complete document pages or image frames

Abstract

An electronic reprographic apparatus, including a method for increasing the speed of manual or semi-automatic imaging of signature-type original documents, having the ability to selectively control the areas of the documents to be imaged. In particular, the system enables the user to identify the type of input document, including size and image cropping dimensions, thereby eliminating the potential for imaging beyond document edges or in bound document gutter regions. In addition, the system is suitable for scanning both page sides of a first signature-type document on the first pass of the scan array and is capable of scanning a second signature-type document on the reverse or return pass. Furthermore, the system implements the scanning operation with a center registration technique, facilitating the registration of bound documents.

Claims

1. In a high speed electronic printing system having a scanner section, a platen, a user interface suitable for programming dimensional information defining a desired imaging area of an input document page and a reciprocating scanning device for scanning the document page or pages located on the platen to generate electrical signals representative of the input document, a method of scanning a first page pair, consisting of pages A and B of a signature-type document, and a second page pair, consisting of pages A'"'"' and B'"'"' of the signature-type document, in a single scan cycle, including the steps of:

a) programming characteristics of the input document to define the desired imaging area of the signature-type document (A,B) to be imaged, whereby the characteristics comprise;

i) a cropping offset,

ii) a cropping distance, and

iii) a page size;

b) locating the first page pair of the signature-type document, consisting of pages A and B, on the platen for scanning;

c) using the characteristics programmed in step a, scanning page A in a first direction through said crop distance;

d) using the characteristics programmed in step a, scanning page B in said first direction through said crop distance;

e) replacing the first signature-type document on the platen with the second page pair of the signature-type document consisting of pages A'"'"' and B'"'"';

f) reversing the scan direction of the reciprocating scanning device;

g) scanning page B'"'"' in a direction opposite the first direction through said crop distance; and

h) scanning page A'"'"' in said opposite direction through said crop distance.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of storing the electrical signals generated by the reciprocating scanning device in memory.

3. The method of claim 2 further including the step of compressing the electrical signals generated by the reciprocating scanning device prior to storage, so as to require less memory for storage of the electrical signals.

4. A high speed electronic imaging system having a scanner section, a platen, a user interface suitable for programming dimensional information defining a desired imaging area of an input document and a reciprocating scanning device for scanning a page or pages of the input document located on the platen, comprising:

programming means for programming a cropping offset, cropping distance, and page size to define the desired imaging area of each page (A,B) of a signature-type document;

means for locating said signature-type document on the platen for scanning;

means, moving in a first direction, for scanning said A page to generate electrical signals representative of the imaging area of page A;

means, continuing to move in the first direction, for scanning said B page to generate electrical signals representative of the of imaging area of page B.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said signature-type document comprises a plurality of pages bound together on a common edge, so as to resemble a book.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

means for locating a second signature-type document on the platen for scanning;

means, moving in a direction opposite the first direction, for scanning the B page of said second signature-type document to generate electrical signals representative of the imaging area of page B; and

means, continuing to move in the opposite direction, for scanning the A page of said second signature-type document to generate electrical signals representative of the imaging area of page A.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said signature-type document is a single sheet signature unit.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said means for locating said signature-type document on the platen comprises:

means for receiving a single document sheet;

means for determining a center location of said document sheet;

means for automatically transporting said document sheet to said platen; and

means for automatically positioning said document sheet so that the center location of said document sheet is aligned with a center registration position on said platen.

9. A high speed electronic imaging system comprising:

a scanner section;

a platen;

a user interface suitable for programming dimensional information defining desired imaging areas of an input document, including a cropping offset, cropping distance, and page size to define the desired imaging area of each page (A,B) of a signature-type input document, and wherein said user interface further comprises;

a video display;

means for specifying a signature-type of the input document;

means for specifying which sides of the input document are to be imaged;

means for specifying the image area to be cropped from the input document; and

means for indicating the size of a gutter region between the A and B pages of the input document;

means for locating said signature-type document on the platen for scanning, said signature-type document comprising a plurality of pages bound together on a common edge, so as to resemble a book;

means for scanning said A page through said crop distance in a first direction; and

means for scanning said B page through said crop distance in the first direction.

10. An electronic imaging system having a scanner section, a platen, and a reciprocating scanning device for scanning an input document located on the platen to generate image signals representative of the input document, comprising:

means for scanning a first input document in a first direction to generate image signals representative of an image thereon;

means for outputting image signals associated with scanning the first document in said first direction, whereby said image signals are oriented in a first orientation;

means for reversing the direction of travel of said reciprocating scanning device;

means for scanning a second input document in said reverse direction to generate image signals representative of an image thereon;

means for outputting image signals associated with scanning the second document in said reverse direction, whereby said image signals are oriented in a reversed orientation; and

an electronic signal for indicating the orientation of the image signals being output by said system.

11. In an electronic imaging system having a scanner section, a platen, and a reciprocating scanning device for scanning a signature-type input document located on the platen to generate image signals representative of the input document, said signature type input document having an A page and a B page on the face thereof, a method of scanning a pair of signature-type input documents in a single scanning cycle, comprising the steps of:

locating a first signature-type input document on said platen;

scanning a first image region associated with said A page in a first direction to generate image signals representative of said A page;

scanning a second image region associated with said B page in said first direction to generate image signals representative of said B page;

reversing the direction of said reciprocating scanning device;

locating a second signature-type input document on said platen;

scanning the second image region associated with said B page in said reverse direction to generate image signals representative of said B page of the second signature-type input document; and

scanning the first image region associated with said A page in said reverse direction to generate image signals representative of said A page of the second signature-type input document, thereby completing said single cycle with said reciprocating scanning device.

12. An electronic imaging system having a scanner section, a platen, and a reciprocating scanning device for scanning an input document located on the platen to generate image signals representative of the input document, comprising:

means for scanning a first input document in a first direction to generate image signals representative of an image thereon, wherein said first input document is a signature-type document having an A and a B page on a single face thereof, and wherein said means for scanning a first input document in a first direction further includes;

means for scanning only a predefined image region associated with said A page in said first direction; and

means for subsequently scanning only a predefined image region associated with said B page in said first direction;

means for outputting image signals associated with scanning the first document in said first direction, whereby said image signals are oriented in a first orientation;

means for reversing the direction of travel of said reciprocating scanning device;

means for scanning a second input document in said reverse direction to generate image signals representative of an image thereon;

means for outputting image signals associated with scanning the second document in said reverse direction, whereby said image signals are oriented in a reversed orientation; and

an electronic signal for indicating the orientation of the image signals being output by said system.

13. The electronic imaging system of claim 12, wherein said second input document is a signature-type document having an A'"'"' and a B'"'"' page on a single face thereof, and wherein said means for scanning a second input document in a second direction further comprises:

means for scanning only a predefined image region associated with said B'"'"' page in said second direction; and

means for subsequently scanning only a predefined image region associated with said A'"'"' page in said second direction.