Image forming apparatus that provides insert sheet in proper order, method of controlling the same, and storage medium therefor

• US 7,248,377 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2001
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujii, Takayuki, Moriyama, Tsuyoshi, Miyake, Norifumi, Nakamura, Shinichi, Okamoto, Kiyoshi, Ohki, Naoyuki, Nimura, Mitsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia; Gabriel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Thierry L.
• Application Number:
  US09/778,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20010021036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,358 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.12, 358/1.1, 358/1.15, 358/1.9, 358 111- 118, 700/17, 700/84, 399/81, 399/403
• US Class Current: 358/1.12
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/414 of mode of operation
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/415 of job
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 33/04 by inserting marker slips in pile or stream
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/655 Placing job divider sheet between set of sheets
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00869 Cover sheet adding means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0032 with a medium handling apparatus, e.g. a sheet sorter handling thin or filamentary material, e.g. sheets B65H
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00567 Handling of original or reproduction media, e.g. cutting, separating, stacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00591 from the scanning position H04N1/00572 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00602 Feed rollers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00623 Selectively inputting media from one of a plurality of input sources, e.g. input trays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00633 selectively to one of a plurality of output trays H04N1/00641 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00639 Binding, stapling, folding or perforating, e.g. punching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00641 Sorting, reordering or inverting postal sorting or sorting individual articles B07C
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32635 of reproducing apparatus or receiver, e.g. out of paper
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32667 Restarting a communication or performing a recovery operation

Abstract

There are provided an image forming apparatus and a method of controlling the same are provided, which are capable of conveying an insert sheet of a proper page in carrying out a recovery process and simplifying the recovery process, and a storage medium storing a program for executing the method. When a printing start instruction is input and an insert mode has been set, an insert sheet is fed. It is determined whether the insert sheet is for a top page of a copy (bundle) or not. When the insert sheet for the top page is detected, a proper printing operation in the insert mode is started. If the insert sheet is not determined to be for the top page, it is judged that the insert sheet has not been correctly set on the inserter tray, and then the insert sheet is discharged to a non-sort tray. Then, insert sheets are discharged to the non-sort tray until the insert sheet for the top page is detected.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

inputting means for inputting images;

image forming means for forming images on blank sheets based on the input images;

stacking means for stacking a plurality of bundles of insert sheets, wherein each bundle has insert sheets corresponding to n pages, which are to be inserted between the sheets having images formed thereon by said image forming means, in a predetermined order of pages in which the insert sheets corresponding to the n pages are to be inserted, and wherein the insert sheets corresponding to the n pages in each bundle are inserted in a single bundle of one copy set including the sheets having the images formed thereon by said image forming means;

inserter means for feeding the stacked insert sheets so as to be inserted between said sheets having images formed thereon;

reading means for reading identification information assigned to the insert sheets and generating an output indicating the read identification information;

designating means for designating at least one insertion position in said sheets having images formed thereon for insertion of at least one of the insert sheets by said inserter means;

detecting means for detecting based on the output of said reading means whether or not the insert sheet fed is for a top page in one of the bundles of insert sheets; and

discharging means operable when said detecting means detects that the insert sheet fed by said inserter means after a printing start instruction has been given is not the insert sheet for the top page, for discharging insert sheets onto an escape tray until the insert sheet for the top page is detected by said detecting means.

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising post-processing means for stacking said sheets having images formed thereon by said image forming means in a fashion mixed with insert sheets inserted by said inserter means, and for carrying out post-processing on the mixedly stacked sheets.

3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said discharging means discharges said insert sheets to a location other than said post-processing means.

4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a conveyance path for insert sheets, and wherein said detecting means is provided on said conveyance path for insert sheets.

17. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reading means reads code information that is the identification information assigned to the insert sheets.

19. An image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the code information is a bar code.

21. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reading means reads a page number that is the identification information assigned to the insert sheets.

5. An image forming apparatus comprising:

inputting means for inputting images;

image forming means for forming images on blank sheets based on the input images;

stacking means for stacking a plurality of bundles of insert sheets, wherein each bundle has insert sheets corresponding to n pages, which are to be inserted between the sheets having images formed thereon by said image forming means, in a predetermined order of pages in which the insert sheets corresponding to n pages are to be inserted, and wherein the insert sheets corresponding to the n pages in each bundle are inserted in a single bundle of one copy set including the sheets having the images formed thereon by said image forming means;

inserter means for performing a sheet inserting operation to feed the stacked insert sheets so as to be inserted between said sheets having images formed thereon;

reading means for reading identification information assigned to the insert sheets and generating an output indicating the read identification information;

designating means for designating at least one insertion position in said sheets having images formed thereon for insertion of at least one of the insert sheets by said inserter means;

interrupting means for interrupting the sheet inserting operation of said inserter means when at least one of the insert sheets has jammed while being subjected to the sheet inserting operation by said inserter means;

detecting means for detecting based on the output of said reading means whether or not the insert sheet fed is for a top page in one of the bundles of insert sheets; and

discharging means operable when said detecting means detects that the insert sheet fed first by said inserter means after a restart of the sheet inserting operation is not the insert sheet for the top page for discharging insert sheets onto an escape tray until the insert sheet for the top page is detected, and for further discharging insert sheets onto the escape tray up to an insert sheet immediately preceding a same page of insert sheet as the at least one jammed insert sheet.

6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising post-processing means for stacking said sheets having images formed thereon by said image forming means in a fashion mixed with insert sheets inserted by said inserter means, and for carrying out post-processing on the mixedly stacked sheets.

7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said discharging means discharges said insert sheets to a location other than said post-processing means.

8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, comprising a conveyance path for insert sheets, and wherein said detecting means is provided on said conveyance path for insert sheets.

18. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said reading means reads code information that is the identification information assigned to the insert sheets.

20. An image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the code information is a bar code.

22. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said reading means reads a page number that is the identification information assigned to the insert sheets.

9. A control method of controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of:

inputting images by inputting means;

forming images on blank sheets based on the input images by image forming means;

feeding insert sheets from a plurality of bundles of insert sheets stacked by stacking means, wherein each bundle has insert sheets corresponding to n pages, which are to be inserted between the sheets having images formed thereon by said image forming means, in a predetermined order of pages in which the insert sheets corresponding to the n pages are to be inserted, and wherein the insert sheets corresponding to the n pages in each bundle are inserted in a single bundle of one copy set including the sheets having the images formed thereon by said image forming means;

feeding the stacked insert sheets by inserter means between the sheets having images formed thereon by said image forming means;

reading identification information assigned to the insert sheets and generating an output indicating the read identification information by reading means;

designating at least one insertion position in said sheets having images formed thereon for insertion of at least one of the insert sheets by said inserter means, by designating means;

detecting based on the output of said reading means by detecting means whether or not the insert sheet fed is for a top page in one of the bundles of insert sheets; and

discharging insert sheets by discharging means onto an escape tray until the insert sheet for the top page is detected when said detecting means detects that the insert sheet fed by said inserter means after a print start instruction has been given is not the insert sheet for the top page.

10. A control method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of stacking said sheets having images formed thereon by said image forming means in a fashion mixed with insert sheets inserted by said inserter means, and carrying out post-processing on the mixedly stacked sheets, by post-processing means.

11. A control method according to claim 10, wherein said discharging step comprises discharging said insert sheets to a location other than said post-processing means.

12. A control method according to claim 9, wherein said detecting means is provided on a conveyance path for insert sheets.

13. A control method of controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of:

inputting images by inputting means;

forming images on blank sheets based on the input images by image forming means;

feeding insert sheets from a plurality of bundles of insert sheets stacked by stacking means, wherein each bundle has insert sheets corresponding to n pages, which are to be inserted between the sheets having images formed thereon by said image forming means, in a predetermined order of pages in which the insert sheets corresponding to the n pages are to be inserted, and wherein the insert sheets corresponding to the n pages in each bundle are inserted in a single bundle of one copy set including the sheets having the images formed thereon by said image forming means;

performing a sheet inserting operation by inserter means to feed the stacked insert sheets so as to be inserted between the sheets having images formed thereon by said image forming means;

reading identification information assigned to the insert sheets and generating an output indicating the read identification information by reading means;

designating at least one insertion position in said sheets having images formed thereon for insertion of at least one of the insert sheets by said inserter means, by designating means;

interrupting the sheet inserting operation of said inserter means by interrupting means when at least one of the insert sheets has jammed while being subjected to the sheet inserting operation by said inserter means;

detecting based on the output of said reading means whether or not the insert sheet fed is for a top page in one of the bundles of insert sheets by detecting means; and

discharging insert sheets onto an escape tray until the insert sheet for the top page is detected, and further discharging insert sheets onto the escape tray up to an insert sheet immediately preceding a same page of insert sheet as the at least one jammed insert sheet, by discharging means, when said detecting means detects that the insert sheet fed first by said inserter means after a restart of the sheet inserting operation is not the insert sheet for the top page.

14. A control method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of stacking said sheets having images formed thereon by said image forming means in a fashion mixed with insert sheets inserted by said inserter means, and carrying out post-processing on the mixedly stacked sheets, by post-processing means.

15. A control method according to claim 14, wherein said discharging step comprises discharging said insert sheets to a location other than said post-processing means.

16. A control method according to claim 13, wherein said detecting means is provided on a conveyance path for insert sheets.