Image-forming system and image-forming apparatus used in the image-forming system

• US 20080297832A1
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Otsuka, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 7,826,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3284 Power saving in printer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An image-forming system includes an image-forming apparatus, and a terminal device capable of communicating with the image-forming apparatus. The terminal device comprises a signal-transmitting unit. The image-forming apparatus comprises an image-forming unit; a signal-receiving unit; a first storage unit for storing a starting condition of a preparing action for image formation in the image-forming unit; a first determining unit for determining whether the starting condition is satisfied at the time the signal-receiving unit receives the signal from the terminal device; and an instruction unit for providing an instruction to start the preparing action in the image-forming unit when the first determining unit determines that the starting condition is satisfied.

Claims

1. An image-forming apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal device which can provide an instruction for image formation to the image-forming apparatus,

wherein the image-forming apparatus comprises:

an image-forming unit;

a signal-transmitting unit, which transmits, to the terminal device, a request signal for requesting the transmission of a signal indicating a function that is available for the terminal device that has received the request signal;

a signal-receiving unit, which receives the signal that is transmitted by the terminal device as a response to the request signal and that indicates the function that is available for the terminal device;

a first storage unit for storing a starting condition of a preparing action for image formation in the image-forming unit;

a first determining unit for determining whether the starting condition of the preparing action stored in the first storage unit is satisfied at the time the signal-receiving unit receives the signal that is transmitted by the terminal device and the signal received indicating a function that is performable by the image-forming apparatus; and

an instruction unit for providing an instruction to start the preparing action for image formation in the image-forming unit when the first determining unit determines that the starting condition of the preparing action is satisfied.

2. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal indicating the function that is available for the terminal device includes information on whether or not it can transmit image data.

3. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request signal is a signal for requesting the transmission of the information on whether or not it can transmit image data on the basis of a Bluetooth Service Discovery command.

4. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprises a heater, wherein the instruction unit provides an instruction to start energization to the heater as the preparing action.

5. An image-forming apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal device which can provide an instruction for image formation to the image-forming apparatus,

wherein the image-forming apparatus comprises:

an image-forming unit;

a signal-receiving unit, which receives either one of two signals including a first query signal to require a function that the image-forming apparatus performs and a second query signal to require necessary information for performing a function that the image-forming apparatus performs, from the terminal device;

a first storage unit for storing a stopping condition of a preparing action for image formation in the image-forming unit;

a second storage unit for storing a changing condition for temporarily changing the stopping condition of the preparing action stored in the first storage unit;

a first determining unit for determining whether the changing condition stored in the second storage unit is satisfied at the time the signal-receiving unit receives the signal that is transmitted by the terminal device; and

a stopping-condition changing unit for changing the stopping condition of the preparing action stored in the first storage unit when the first determining unit determines that the changing condition is satisfied.

6. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprises:

a third storage unit for storing identification information about the terminal device that has transmitted the signal received by the signal-receiving unit; and

a second determining unit for determining whether a new signal received by the signal-receiving unit is transmitted from the terminal device whose identification information is stored in the third storage unit on the basis of the identification information stored in the third storage unit, and

wherein the stopping-condition changing unit changes the stopping condition of the preparing action stored in the first storage unit when the first determining unit determines that the changing condition is satisfied, and the second determining unit determines that the new signal received by the signal-receiving unit is transmitted from another terminal device other than the terminal device whose identification information is stored in the third storage unit.

7. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprises a heater, wherein the stopping-condition changing unit changes a stopping condition of energization to the heater as a preparing action.

8. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the signal transmitted by the terminal device is a Bluetooth Service Discovery command.

9. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second query signal is a query signal to require a destination of data processed for image forming in the image-forming apparatus.

10. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the query signal to require a destination of data processed for image forming is a query command for the URL of a printing device by a UPnP Create Job.

11. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second query signal is a query command for information on whether or not it can form images.

12. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first query signal transmitted by the terminal device is a UPnP Device Description query command, and the second query signal transmitted by the terminal device is a UPnP Service Description query command.