Image-processing apparatus equipped with recording-material manual-feeding mechanism and control method for the apparatus

• US 6,304,342 B1
• Filed: 06/12/1996
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Komada, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, HIEU C
• Application Number:
  US08/662,125
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: 358/342, 358/349, 358/351, 358/401, 358/498, 358/448, 358/441, 358/403, 399/392, 399/26, 347/3, 347/16, 347/139
• US Class Current: 358/448
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6514 Manual supply devices
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00603 Control of other part of the apparatus according to the state of copy medium feeding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/005 only locally
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/16 Means for paper feeding or form feeding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1823 for evaluating the resources needed, e.g. rasterizing time, ink, paper stock
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0085 Error recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2307 Circuits or arrangements for the control thereof, e.g. using a programmed control device, according to a measured quantity H04N1/27, H04N1/29 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2338 according to user specified instructions, e.g. user selection of reproduction mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2376 Inhibiting or interrupting a particular operation or device preventing unauthorised reproduction H04N1/00838
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32384 Storage subsequent to an attempted output at the receiver, e.g. in case of printer malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33321 Image or page size, e.g. A3, A4

Abstract

An image-processing apparatus and a control method for this apparatus. Image data is received through a communication section and is recorded by a recording section onto a recording material fed from a manual-feeding tray. Recording materials of various sizes can be set on this tray. The correct recording-material size is obtained based on the size of the received image data and is displayed, and an indication is also given to check whether the recording operation is to be performed. If the manual-feeding operation has been selected, an alarm sound indicates that the image data has been received. The processing then proceeds according to the instruction given in response to the display. Further, if it is determined that a recording error has occurred when the recording operation is performed through manual feeding, the image data is stored in a non-volatile storage.

Claims

1. An image-processing apparatus, comprising:

receiving means for receiving image data;

recording means for recording, during a printing operation the image data received by said receiving means onto recording material;

manual-feeding means for receiving and feeding manually-loaded recording material of various size, onto which no image data has yet been recorded, to said recording means;

inquiry means for, after receiving a print instruction to perform the printing operation and before said manual-feeding means feeds the recording material to said recording means, making an inquiry of an operator of said image processing apparatus and receiving an instruction as to whether said recording means is to record the image data on the recording material fed by said manual-feeding means; and

control means for interrupting the printing operation when said inquiry means inquires of the operator and for resuming the printing operation and causing said recording means to record the image data on the recording material fed by said manual-feeding means when an instruction to record is given in response to the inquiry made by said inquiry means.

2. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

storage means for storing the image data received by said receiving means; and

accommodating means accommodating pre-loaded recording material,

wherein, when an instruction not to perform is given in response to the inquiry made by said inquiry means, said control means, depending upon an operational criterion, either causes said storage means to store the image data or causes said recording means to record the image data onto recording material from said accommodating means.

3. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when no instruction has been given in response to the inquiry made by said inquiry means after a lapse of a predetermined period, said control means, depending upon the operational criterion, either causes said storage means to store the image data or causes said recording means to record the image data onto the recording material from said accommodating means.

4. An image-processing apparatus, comprising:

input means for inputting image data;

storage means for storing the image data input by said input means;

manual-feeding means for receiving and feeding manually-loaded recording material of various size;

recording means for recording, during a printing operation, the image data input by said input means onto the recording material fed by said manual-feeding means;

inquiry means for, after receiving a print instruction to perform the printing operation and before said manual-feeding means feeds the recording material to said recording means, making an inquiry of an operator of said image processing apparatus and receiving an instruction as to whether said recording means is to record the image data on the recording material fed by said manual-feeding means;

determining means for determining whether the image data input by said input means has been fully recorded by said recording means onto the recording material; and

control means for interrupting the printing operation when said inquiry means inquires of the operator, for resuming the printing operation and causing said recording means to record the image data on the recording material fed by said manual-feeding means when an instruction to record is given in response to the inquiry made by said inquiry means, for deleting the image data stored by said storage means when it is determined by said determining means that the image data has been fully recorded onto the recording material, and for holding storage of the image data by said storage means when it is determined by said determining means that the image data has not been fully recorded onto the recording material.

5. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

size-detection means for detecting a size of the image data input by said input means; and

counter means for counting a time elapsed as the recording material passes through a predetermined position,

wherein said determining means determines whether the image data has been fit onto the recording material based on the size detected by said size-detection means and the time counted by said counter means.

6. An image-processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the size of the recording material fed by said manual-feeding means cannot be discriminated before the image data input by said input means is recorded by said recording means.

7. An image-processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said determination means determines whether or not the size information of the image data input by said input means fits the size of the recording material onto which the image data is recorded by said recording means.

14. The control method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of storing the image data received in step (a) when no instruction has been given in response to the inquiry made in step (b) after a lapse of a predetermined period.

8. A control method for an image-processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving image data;

(b) inquiring, after receiving a print instruction to perform a printing operation and before a manual-feeding mechanism feeds manually-loaded recording material to a recording means, of an operator of the image-processing apparatus and receiving an instruction as to whether an image based on the image data received in step (a) is to be recorded on the manually-loaded recording material fed by the manual-feeding mechanism of the image-processing apparatus; and

(c) interrupting the printing operation when said inquiring step is performed and resuming the printing operation and recording the image based on the image data received in step (a) onto the manually-loaded recording material fed by the manual-feeding mechanism of the image-processing apparatus when an instruction to record is given in response to the inquiry made in step (b).

9. The control method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of, prior to step (b), selecting whether recording-material feeding is to be done by said manual-feeding mechanism, and wherein the inquiry in step (b) is made when feeding by said manual-feeding mechanism has been selected.

10. The control method according to claim 8, wherein said image-processing apparatus includes a cassette for holding pre-loaded recording material, and the recording material fed by said manual-feeding mechanism is not taken from said cassette.

11. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of recording the image based on the image data received in step (a) onto recording material from said cassette when an instruction not to record is given in response to the inquiry made in step (b).

12. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of recording the image based on the image data received in step (a) onto recording material from said cassette when no instruction has been given in response to the inquiry made in step (b) after a lapse of a predetermined period.

13. The control method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of storing the image data received in step (a) when an instruction not to record is given in response to the inquiry made in step (b).

15. A control method for an image-processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:

(a) inputting image data;

(b) storing the image data input in step (a);

(c) recording, during a printing operation, the image data input in step (a) onto recording material fed by a manual-feeding mechanism for use with the image-processing apparatus;

(d) inquiring, after receiving a print instruction to perform the printing operation and before the manual-feeding mechanism feeds the recording material, of an operator of the image processing apparatus and receiving an instruction as to whether said step of recording the image data is to be performed on the recording material fed by the manual-feeding mechanism;

(e) interrupting the printing operation when said inquiring step is performed and resuming the printing operation and performing said recording step to record the image data on the recording material fed by said manual-feeding mechanism when an instruction to record is given in response to the inquiry made in said inquiring step;

(f) determining whether the image data has been correctly recorded on the recording material;

(g) erasing the image data stored in step (b) when it is determined in step (f) that the image data has been correctly recorded; and

(h) holding the image data stored in step (b) when it is determined in step (f) that the image data has not been correctly recorded.

16. The control method according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

(i) detecting a size of the image data input in step (a); and

(j) counting a time required for the recording material fed by the manual-feeding mechanism to pass through a predetermined position,

wherein the determination of step (f) is made based on the size detected in step (i) and the time counted in step (j).

17. A machine-readable medium on which is stored a program for effecting the steps of:

(a) receiving image data;

(b) inquiring, after receiving a print instruction to perform a printing operation and before a manually-loaded recording material is fed, of an operator of the image-processing apparatus as to whether an image based on the image data received in step (a) is to be recorded;

(c) interrupting the printing operation when said inquiring step is performed; and

(d) resuming the printing operation and recording the image based on the image data received in step (a) onto manually-loaded recording material fed by manual-feeding mechanism for use with the image-processing apparatus when an instruction to record is given in response to the inquiry made in step (b).

18. A machine-readable medium on which is stored a program for effecting the steps of:

(a) inputting image data;

(b) storing the image data input in step (a);

(c) recording, during a printing operation, the image data input in step (a) onto recording material fed by a manual-feeding mechanism for use with the image-processing apparatus;

(d) inquiring, after receiving a print instruction to perform the printing operation and before the manual-feeding mechanism feeds the recording material, of an operator of an image processing apparatus and receiving an instruction as whether said step of recording the image data is to be performed on the recording material fed by the manual-feeding mechanism;

(e) interrupting the printing operation when said inquiring step is performed and resuming the printing operation and performing said recording step to record the image on the recording material fed by said manual-feeding mechanism when an instruction to record is given in response to the inquiry made in said inquiring step;

(f) determining whether the image data has been correctly recorded on the recording material;

(g) erasing the image data stored in step (b) when it is determined in step (f) that the image has been correctly recorded; and

(h) holding the image data stored in step (b) when it is determined in step (f) that the image data has not been correctly recorded.