Image forming apparatus with registration code control device

• US 6,122,463 A
• Filed: 05/15/1998
• Issued: 09/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Nagatani, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): BEATTY, ROBERT B
• Application Number:
  US09/079,141
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 399/79, 399/80, 399/81, 399/85, 713/202, 705/18, 711/164
• US Class Current: 399/80
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/04 Preventing copies being made of an original
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

A copying machine that allows copying by inputting an access code at the time of use without registering said access code in advance and that can also register said access code. In the control routine by CPU 601 that controls the copying machine, when a control-by-section mode selection signal is input using key 45 on the operation panel, selection of automatic code input mode (the second mode), which is different from regular mode (the first mode), is permitted. When automatic code input mode is selected and an access code is input using 10-key keypad 42 on the operation panel, the input access code is registered and control is performed so that the copying operation is permitted. By limiting the period of validity for the access codes registered, the memory capacity in the access code registration memory may be effectively utilized and only sections that actually use the copying machine can be registered.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an input unit which inputs codes;

a code memory which stores registration codes;

a code comparison unit which compares said inputted codes with said registration codes which are stored in said code memory; and

a control unit which permits or inhibits an image forming operation in accordance with a result of the comparison of said comparison unit when the image forming apparatus is in a first mode, and which stores an inputted code in said code memory as a registration code when the image forming apparatus is in a second mode, wherein

when the image forming apparatus is in the second mode, the control unit switches the image forming apparatus from the second mode to the first mode after a prescribed period of time has elapsed.

2. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an input unit which inputs codes;

a code memory which stores registration codes;

a code comparison unit which compares said inputted codes with said registration codes which are stored in said code memory; and

a control unit which permits or inhibits an image forming operation in accordance with a result of the comparison of said comparison unit when the image forming apparatus is in a first mode, and which stores an inputted code in said code memory as a registration code when the image forming apparatus is in a second mode, wherein

said registration codes stored in said code memory has two groups one of which is for permitting the image forming operation and the another of which is for inhibiting the image forming operation.

3. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein, when the image forming apparatus is in the second mode, said control unit stores the inputted code in the code memory as a registration code in a case that the inputted code has not been stored in the code memory, and refuses to store the inputted code in the code memory as a registered code in a case that the inputted code is identical with one of the registration codes which belongs to the group for inhibiting the image forming operation.

4. A control method for an image forming apparatus comprising the steps of:

an input step for inputting a code;

a determination step for determining whether the input code matches any one of a plurality of registration codes stored in a code memory; and

a control step for permitting or inhibiting an image forming operation in accordance with the determination when the image forming apparatus is in a first mode, and for storing the inputted code in said code memory as a registration code when the image forming apparatus is in a second mode, wherein

when the image forming apparatus is in the second mode, the image forming apparatus is switched from the second mode to the first mode after a prescribed period of time has elapsed.

5. A control method for an image forming apparatus comprising the steps of:

an input step for inputting a code;

a determination step for determining whether the input code matches any one of a plurality of registration codes stored in a code memory; and

a control step for permitting or inhibiting an image forming operation in accordance with the determination when the image forming apparatus is in a first mode, and for storing the inputted code in said code memory as a registration code when the image forming apparatus is in a second mode, wherein

said registration codes stored in said code memory has two groups one of which is for permitting the image forming operation and the another of which is for inhibiting the image forming operation.

6. The image forming method of claim 5, wherein, when the image forming apparatus is in the second mode, said control step stores the inputted code in the code memory as a registration code in a case that the inputted code has not been stored in the code memory, and refuses to store the inputted code in the code memory as a registration code in a case that the inputted code is identical with one of the registration codes which belongs to the group for inhibiting the image forming operation.

7. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an input unit which inputs codes;

a code memory that stores registration codes;

a code verification means that verifies whether an input code input by the input unit matches any of the registration codes stored in the code memory;

a mode designation means that designates either a first mode or a second mode;

a control means, wherein when a first mode is designated by said mode designation means, said control means permits an image forming operation when it is determined from the result of the verification performed by the code verification means that the input code is identical to a registration code for which operation of the image forming apparatus is permitted, and when a second mode is designated, said control means stores the input code in the code memory as a registration code; and

a detecting means that detects the remaining memory capacity in the code memory, wherein

when the detected remaining memory capacity falls below a certain level when the image forming apparatus is in the second mode, the image forming apparatus switches from the second mode to the first mode.

8. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an input unit which inputs codes;

a code memory that stores registration codes;

a code verification means that verifies whether an input code input by the input unit matches any of the registration codes stored in the code memory;

a mode designation means that designates either a first mode or a second mode; and

a control means, wherein

when a first mode is designated by said mode designation means, said control means permits an image forming operation when it is determined from the result of the verification performed by the code verification means that the input code is identical to a registration code for which operation of the image forming apparatus is permitted, and when a second mode is designated, said control means stores the input code in the code memory as a registration code; and

a copy number detecting means that detects the number of copies made, wherein

when the detected number of copies is higher than a prescribed level when the image forming apparatus is in the second mode, the image forming apparatus switches from the second mode to the first mode.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an input unit which inputs codes;

a code memory that stores registration codes;

a code verification means that verifies whether an input code input by the input unit matches any of the registration codes stored in the code memory;

a mode designation means that designates either a first mode or a second mode; and

a control means, wherein

when a first mode is designated by said mode designation means, said control means permits an image forming operation when it is determined from the result of the verification performed by the code verification means that the input code is identical to a registration code for which operation of the image forming apparatus is permitted, and when a second mode is designated, said control means stores the input code in the code memory as a registration code; and

a time detecting means that detects a predetermined amount of time elapsed, wherein

when the it is detected by said time detecting means that the predetermined time is elapsed when the image forming apparatus is in the second mode, the image forming apparatus switches from the second mode to the first mode.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an input unit which inputs codes;

a code memory that stores registration codes;

a code verification means that verifies whether an input code input by the input unit matches any of the registration codes stored in the code memory;

a mode designation means that designates either a first mode or a second mode; and

a control means, wherein

when a first mode is designated by said mode designation means, said control means permits an image forming operation when it is determined from the result of the verification performed by the code verification means that the input code is identical to a registration code for which operation of the image forming apparatus is permitted, and when a second mode is designated, said control means stores the input code in the code memory as a registration code, wherein

said registration codes stored in said code memory has two groups one of which is for permitting the image forming operation and the another of which is for inhibiting the image forming operation.

11. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a storage device for storing a plurality of codes as registration codes;

an input unit for inputting a code;

a mode setter for setting one of a first mode and a second mode, the second mode being different from the first mode;

an image forming unit for performing an image formation; and

a controller for permitting the image formation when a code input by the input unit is the same as any of the plurality of codes stored in the storage device when the first mode is set by the mode setter, and for permitting the image formation when a code input by the input unit is different from all of the plurality of codes stored in the storage device when the second mode is set by the mode setter.

12. The image forming apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when the second mode is set by the mode setter, said controller stores the code input by the input unit in the storage device as a registration code.

13. The image forming apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when the code input by the input unit is the same as any of the plurality of codes stored in the storage device when the second mode is set by the mode setter, said controller displays a message indicating that the input code is the same as a stored code.

14. The image forming apparatus of claims 11, wherein, when a predetermined condition is satisfied when the second mode is set by the mode setter, said controller cancels the second mode and sets the first mode.

15. The image forming apparatus of claims 14, wherein said predetermined condition is that a predetermined time period has elapsed since the time when the second mode was set.

16. The image forming apparatus of claim 14, wherein said predetermined condition is that the remaining storage capacity of the storage device is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

17. The image forming apparatus of claim 14, wherein said predetermined condition is that the total number of the image formation operations is greater than a predetermined value.