Image forming apparatus and method used therefor

• US 6,462,831 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1998
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Akiyama, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US09/211,038
• Time in Patent Office: 1,393 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.14, 358/405, 358/406, 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• 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 2215/0017 Preparing data for the controlling system, e.g. status, memory data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer

Abstract

A printer has a controller unit and an engine unit, which are connected via a video interface. Upon reception of a designating command for designating a type of condition, whose condition change is to be reported, from the controller unit, the engine unit supplies a designated condition change signal to the controller unit immediately after the condition of the designated type has changed. The controller unit requests the engine unit to output detailed data associated with the status change in response to reception of the designated condition change signal.

Claims

1. An operational apparatus comprising:

operational means of which conditions of a plurality of types are changeable;

supervision means for supervising internal conditions of said operational means;

means for transmitting information representing the supervised internal conditions to condition monitoring means;

means for receiving designating information which is supplied from the condition monitoring means and designates a type of internal condition to be transmitted; and

report means for, when the internal condition of the designated type changes, reporting the change in the internal condition to the condition monitoring means,

wherein said report means comprises output means for outputting a level signal corresponding to a presence or absence of a change in internal condition of the designated type, and

said output means resets the level signal in response to a request of the information representing the supervised internal condition of the designated type from the condition monitoring means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising inhibition means for inhibiting reporting in response to a specific condition concerning the internal condition of the designated type.

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

specific condition designating means for designating a specific condition concerning the internal condition of the designated type,

wherein said report means reports when the internal condition changes to the designated specific condition.

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

means for supplying information representing whether each internal condition of a plurality of types has been changed or not, to the condition monitoring means,

wherein said output means resets the level signal in response to a request of the information from the condition monitoring means.

5. A method of receiving a condition change from an operational apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:

outputting designating data for designating a type of condition, a presence or absence of a condition change of which is to be reported from the operational apparatus;

receiving a change signal indicating the presence or absence of the condition change of the type designated by the designating data; and

requesting data representing a cause of a change in a ready signal indicating whether or not the operational apparatus is ready when the ready signal changes to false.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of requesting the operational apparatus to output data associated with the condition in response to reception of the change signal.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the data associated with the condition is data representing the type of condition that has changed.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the data associated with the condition is data representing the condition of the designated type.

9. An operational method comprising the steps of:

supervising a plurality of types of changeable internal conditions of operational apparatus;

transmitting information representing the supervised internal conditions to condition monitoring means;

receiving designating information which is supplied from the condition monitoring means and designates a type of internal condition to be transmitted;

reporting, when the internal condition of the designated type changes, the change in the internal condition to the condition monitoring means;

outputting a level signal corresponding to a presence or absence of a change in internal condition of the designated type; and

resetting the level signal in response to a request of the information representing the supervised internal condition of the designated type from the condition monitoring means.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of inhibiting reporting in response to a specific condition concerning the internal condition of the designated type.

11. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of:

designating a specific condition concerning the internal condition of the designated type,

wherein, in said reporting step, reporting is performed when the internal condition changes to the designated specific condition.

12. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of:

supplying information representing whether each internal condition of a plurality of types has been changed or not, to the condition monitoring means.

13. A receiving apparatus for receiving a condition change from an operational apparatus, said receiving apparatus comprising:

outputting means for outputting designating data for designating a type of condition, a presence or absence of a condition change of which is to be reported from the operational apparatus;

receiving means for receiving a change signal indicating the presence or absence of the condition change of the type designated by the designating data; and

requesting means for requesting data representing a cause of a change in a ready signal indicating whether or not the operational apparatus is ready when the ready signal changes to false.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising second requesting means for requesting the operational apparatus to output data associated with the condition in response to reception of the change signal.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the data associated with the condition is data representing the type of condition that has changed.

16. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the data associated with the condition is data representing the condition of the designated type.