Image forming apparatus

• US 6,385,412 B1
• Filed: 11/28/2000
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sadakuni, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Sophia S.
• Application Number:
  US09/722,719
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 399/75, 399/76, 399/81, 399/70, 399/9, 399/38, 399/43, 399/37, 399/88
• US Class Current: 399/75
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5004 Power supply control, e.g. power-saving mode, automatic power turn-off

Abstract

A user is notified of an auto power off operation or an auto power save operation before the operation is executed. Therefore, an unexpected power off operation or unexpected switching into a power save mode can be avoided, and no extra labor or time is imposed on the user.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus provided with an operation section with which a user enters designations, and an image formation section for forming an image on an image formation medium, said image forming apparatus comprising:

a memory to store a first period of time and a second period of time, said first period of time being defined between a point of time when a standby state, where the image formation section is ready to form an image is switched on and a point of time when an event is started, said second period of time being defined between the point of time when the standby state is switched on and the start of an advance notice of the execution of the event;

a timer to measure a length of time starting from the point of time when the standby state is switched on;

a display device to display a period of time left before the start of the event, when the length of time measured by the timer indicates the elapse of the second period of time and to keep operating until the event is started; and

a control section to reset the period of time measured by the timer, with the standby state maintained, when a designation is entered from the operation section in the state where the display device is displaying the period of time left before the start of the event, and to start the event when the first period of time has elapsed without no designation being entered from the operation section.

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a countdown timer for counting down the time left before the start of the event, the countdown timer being designed to start operating when the length of time measured by the timer indicates the elapse of the second period of time and keep operating until the event is started,

said display device displaying the time measured by the countdown timer.

3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of an LED display device and a speaker, said LED display device indicating an LED and said speaker generating a warning sound, said LED display device and said speaker being designed to start operating when the length of time measured by the timer indicates the elapse of the second period of time and keep operating until the event is started.

4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

setting means for allowing the first period of time and a third period of time, which is a length of time for which said display device keeps operating, to be entered from the operation section; and

computing means for computing the second period of time based on the first and third periods of time set by the setting means,

said memory storing the first and third periods of time set by the setting means and the second period of time computed by the computing means.

5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said event is an auto power off operation for turning off a main power supply to the image forming apparatus;

when a designation is entered from the operation section in a state where the display device displays a length of time left before the auto power off operation, said control section resets the length of time measured by the timer while maintaining the standby state; and

when the length of time measured by the timer exceeds the first period of time, without any designation being entered from the operation section, said control section turns off the main power supply.

6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said event is an auto power save operation for switching the image forming apparatus into a power save mode, said power save mode being a mode which reduces power consumption and allows the image forming apparatus to be in the standby state and which requires the startup operation before starting image formation;

when a designation is entered from the operation section in a state where the display device displays a length of time left before the auto power save operation, said control section resets the length of time measured by the timer while maintaining the standby state; and

when the length of time measured by the timer exceeds the first period of time, without any designation being entered from the operation section, said control section switches the image forming apparatus into the power save mode.

7. An image forming apparatus provided with an operation section with which a user enters designations, and an image formation section for forming an image on an image formation medium, said image forming apparatus comprising:

a memory to store a first period of time and a second period of time, the first period of time being defined between the end of a last event and the start of a next event, the second period of time being defined between the end of the last event and the start of a notice of the next event;

a timer to measure a length of time starting from the end of the last event;

a display device to display a period of time left before the start of the event, the display device being designed to start operating when the length of time measured by the timer indicates the elapse of the second period of time and to keep operating until the event is started; and

a control section to control a subsequently-scheduled event to be executed after the end of image formation which is then being executed by the image formation section, when a cancel command for canceling the subsequently-scheduled event is entered from the operation section in the state where the display device is displaying the period of time left before the start of the event.

8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a countdown timer for counting down the time left before the start of the event, the countdown timer being designed to start operating when the length of time measured by the timer indicates the elapse of the second period of time and keep operating until the event is started,

said display device displaying the time measured by the countdown timer.

9. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

at least one of an LED display device and a speaker, said LED display device indicating an LED and said speaker generating a warning sound, said LED display device and said speaker being designed to start operating when the length of time measured by the timer indicates the elapse of the second period of time and keep operating until the event is started.

10. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

setting means for allowing the first period of time and a third period of time, which is a length of time for which said display device keeps operating, to be entered from the operation section; and

computing means for computing the second period of time based on the first and third periods of time set by the setting means,

said memory storing the first and third periods of time set by the setting means and the second period of time computed by the computing means.

11. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

said image formation section performs image formation based on jobs, which are processing units of image formation; and

when one job is being executed and if cancellation of an event is designated in a state where said display device displays a length of time left before start of said event, then said one job is first completed, and then said event is executed.

12. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

said image formation section performs image formation based on jobs, which are processing units of image formation; and

when no job is being executed and if cancellation of an event is designated in a state where said display device displays a length of time left before start of said event, then a subsequent job is first completed, and then said event is executed.

13. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said event is one of an automatic image quality maintenance adjustment for making adjustments to maintain a desirable image quality, and an automatic position alignment adjustment for making adjustments to maintain a desirable image position.

14. An image forming apparatus provided with an operation section with which a user enters designations, and an image formation section for forming an image on an image formation medium, said image forming apparatus comprising:

a memory to store a first value and a second value, the first value representing the number of image formation mediums on which the image formation section forms an image between the point of time when a last event is executed and the point of time when a next event is started, the second value representing the number of image formation mediums on which the image formation section forms an image between the point of time when the last event is executed and the point of time when a notice of the next event is issued;

a counter to count the number of image formation mediums on which the image formation section forms an image after the end of the last event;

a display device to display the number of image formation mediums left unprocessed before the start of the next event, when the number of image formation mediums counted by the counter has reached the second value and to keep operating until the next event is started; and

a control section to control a subsequently-scheduled event to be executed after the end of image formation which is then being executed by the image formation section, when a cancel command for canceling the subsequently-scheduled event is entered from the operation section in the state where the display device is displaying the number of image formation mediums left unprocessed before the start of the next event.

15. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a countdown counter to count down the number of image formation mediums left unprocessed before the start of the next event, the countdown counter being designed to start operating when the number counted by the counter has reached the second value and keep operating until the next event is started,

said display device displaying the number counted by the countdown counter.

16. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

at least one of an LED display device and a speaker, said LED display device indicating an LED and said speaker generating a warning sound, said LED display device and said speaker being designed to start operating when the number counted by the counter has reached the second value and keep operating until the next event is started.

17. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

setting means for allowing the first value and a third value, which is a number of image formation medium for which said display device keeps operating, to be entered from the operation section; and

computing means for computing the second value based on the first and third values set by the setting means,

said memory storing the first and third values set by the setting means and the second value computed by the computing means.

18. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

said image formation section performs image formation based on jobs, which are processing units of image formation; and

when one job is being executed and if cancellation of the next event is designated in a state where said display device displays a number of image formation mediums left unprocessed before start of said next event, then said one job is first completed, and then said next event is executed.

19. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

said image formation section performs image formation based on jobs, which are processing units of image formation; and

when no job is being executed and if cancellation of the next event is designated in a state where said display device displays a number of image formation mediums left unprocessed before start of said next event, then a subsequent job is first completed, and then said next event is executed.

20. An image forming method of an image forming apparatus provided with an operation section with which a user enters designations, and an image formation section for forming an image on an image formation medium, comprising:

storing a first period of time and a second period of time in a memory, said first period of time being defined between a point of time when a standby state, where the image formation section is ready to form an image, is switched on and a point of time when an event is started, said second period of time being defined between the point of time when the standby state is switched on and the start of advance notice of the execution of the event;

measuring length of time starting from the point of time by a timer when the standby state is switched on;

displaying the period of time left before the start of the event on a display device, when the length of time measured by the timer indicates the elapse of the second period of time and to keep operating until the event is started; and

resetting the period of time measured by the timer, with the standby state maintained, when a designation is entered from the operation section in the state where the display device is displaying the time left before the start of the event, and starting the event when the first period of time has elapsed without no designation being entered from the operation section.

21. An image forming apparatus provided with an operation section with which a user enters designations, and an image formation section for forming an image on an image formation medium, said image forming apparatus comprising:

means for storing a first period of time and a second period of time, said first period of time being defined between a point of time when a standby state, where the image formation section is ready to form an image is switched on and a point of time when an event is started, said second period of time being defined between the point of time when the standby state is switched on and the start of advance notice of the execution of the event;

means for measuring length of time starting from the point of time when the standby state is switched on;

means for displaying the period of time left before the start of the event, when the length of time measured by said measuring means indicates the elapse of the second period of time and to keep operating until the event is started; and

means for resetting the period of time measured by said measuring means with the standby state maintained, when a designation is entered from the operation section in the state where said displaying means is displaying the time left before the start of the event, and for starting the event when the first period of time has elapsed without no designation being entered from the operation section.