Image forming apparatus and image reading apparatus

• US 9,442,445 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2012
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dulaney, Benjamin O
• Application Number:
  US13/370,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20120218597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5004 Power supply control, e.g. power-saving mode, automatic power turn-off
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00978 Details relating to power supplies

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: a receiving unit; a printing unit; a power feed unit including a non-power saving mode and a power saving mode, the power feed unit configured to change the mode; an input unit configured to receive an input of a switching instruction; a switching unit configured to switch the mode from the non-power saving mode to the power saving mode when a stop condition is satisfied, the switching unit configured to switch the mode when the switching instruction is input; and a change unit configured to change the stop condition to a second condition which is more likely not to be satisfied than a first condition, after the mode is changed from the non-power saving mode to the power saving mode and when the mode is switched from the power saving mode to the non-power saving mode by the switching instruction.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a network interface configured to receive print data transmitted from an external apparatus;

a printing unit configured to print the print data received by the network interface;

a power feed unit including a non-power saving mode in which power is supplied to the network interface and a power saving mode in which no power is supplied to the network interface, the power feed unit configured to change the mode to control the supply of power to the network interface;

an input unit configured to receive an input of a switching instruction to switch the mode of the power feed unit from the power saving mode in which no power is supplied to the network interface to the non-power saving mode in which power is supplied to the network interface, wherein the input unit is different from the network interface;

a display; and

a controller configured to;

determine whether a first predetermined time has passed during the non-power saving mode in which power is supplied to the network interface,

when the controller determines that the first predetermined time has passed, switch the mode of the power feed unit from the non-power saving mode in which power is supplied to the network interface to the power saving mode in which no power is supplied to the network interface,

determine whether the switching instruction has been received by the input unit after the mode of the power feed unit has been switched from the non-power saving mode in which power is supplied to the network interface to the power saving mode in which no power is supplied to the network interface,

when the controller determines that the switching instruction has been received by the input unit, switch the mode of the power feed unit from the power saving mode in which no power is supplied to the network interface to the non-power saving mode in which power is supplied to the network interface,

determine whether a second predetermined time has passed after the mode of the power feed unit has been switched from the power saving mode in which no power is supplied to the network interface to the non-power saving mode in which power is supplied to the network interface by the switching instruction, and

when the controller determines that the second predetermined time has passed, switch the mode of the power feed unit from the non-power saving mode in which power is supplied to the network interface to the power saving mode in which no power is supplied to the network interface,

wherein the second predetermined time is longer than the first predetermined time,

wherein in the power saving mode, since no power is supplied to the network interface, transmission and reception of data between the external apparatus is disabled,

and

wherein the controller is further configured to;

when the controller determines that the switching instruction has been received by the input unit, display a setting screen for setting an extended time on the display;

set the extended time, which is not zero, based on a time set via the setting screen; and

calculate the second predetermined time by adding the extended time to the first predetermined time.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine whether the printing unit prints the print data before the second predetermined time has passed; and

in response to determining that the printing unit prints the print data before the second predetermined time has passed, set the extended time to zero.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the controller is further configured to:

identify a user who inputs the switching instruction;

determine a user who has the print data received by the network interface, and

in response to determining that the printing unit prints the print data before the second predetermined time has passed, determine a user who has the print data received by the network interface and set the extended time to zero on condition that the determined user is identical to the identified user.