IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD

• US 20090319168A1
• Filed: 06/02/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,229,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/46 Printing mechanisms combined with apparatus providing a visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/00 Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 measuring distance traversed on the ground by a vehicle G01C22/00; control of position, course, altitude or attitude of vehicles G05D1/00; traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

An image forming apparatus is provided with a first communication portion that obtains route information from a server, a second communication portion that obtains, from the server, additional information relating to the route information, a synthesis portion that incorporates an image included in the additional information into an area that is contained in an image included in the route information and that excludes the route and generates composite information, and a printer that prints an image based on the composite information generated by the synthesis portion onto a recording medium.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus configured to communicate with a server, the sever providing route information indicating a route from a start point to a destination, the image forming apparatus comprising:

a route information obtaining portion that obtains the route information from the server;

an additional information obtaining portion that obtains, from the server, additional information relating to the route information;

a synthesis portion that incorporates an image included in the additional information into a first area that is contained in an image included in the route information and that excludes the route, and generates composite information; and

a printer that prints an image based on the composite information generated by the synthesis portion onto a recording medium.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the additional information is information for enlarging and specifying a route point position along the route and its vicinity.

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

an additional area size setting portion that sets an additional area size corresponding to a size of a second area into which the image included in the additional information is incorporated, the second area being included in the first area,

an additional image size setting portion that sets an additional image size corresponding to a size of the image included in the additional information,

a first calculation portion that calculates, based on the additional area size and the additional image size, a quantity of the image included in the additional information to be incorporated, and

a first specifying portion through which a user specifies the additional information whose quantity is equal to or less than the quantity calculated by the first calculation portion,

wherein the synthesis portion combines the additional information specified by the first specifying portion and the route information.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a position determination portion that determines, based on the additional area size and the additional image size, a position in which the image included in the additional information is incorporated.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a scale ratio designation portion that designates a scale ratio of the image included in the additional information.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising

a priority setting portion that sets, for each facility located along the route, a priority to incorporate the image included in the additional information, and

a second specifying portion that specifies, based on the priority, the additional information whose quantity is equal to or less than the quantity calculated by the first calculation portion.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

an additional area size setting portion that sets an additional area size corresponding to a size of a second area into which the image included in the additional information is incorporated, the second area being included in the first area,

an additional image quantity setting portion that sets a quantity of the image included in the additional information to be incorporated into the second area,

a second calculation portion that calculates, based on the additional area size and the quantity, a unit additional image size corresponding to a size of a single image included in the additional information, and

a lower limit value setting portion that sets a lower limit value of the unit additional image size,

wherein the synthesis portion arranges the image included in the additional information onto a separate sheet of paper without incorporating the image included in the additional information into the first area if the unit additional image size calculated by the second calculation portion is equal to or less than the lower limit value set by the lower limit value setting portion.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a notifying portion that outputs a message indicating that the unit additional image size calculated by the second calculation portion is equal to or less than the lower limit value set by the lower limit value setting portion.

9. An image forming method for performing an image forming process by communicating with a server, the sever providing route information indicating a route from a start point to a destination, the image forming method comprising:

a route information obtaining step of obtaining the route information from the server;

an additional information obtaining step of obtaining, from the server, additional information relating to the route information;

a synthesis step of incorporating an image included in the additional information into a first area that is contained in an image included in the route information and that excludes the route and then to generate composite information; and

a print step of printing an image based on the composite information thus generated onto a recording medium.

10. The image forming method according to claim 9, wherein the additional information is information for enlarging and specifying a route point position along the route and its vicinity.

11. The image forming method according to claim 9, further comprising

an additional area size setting step of setting an additional area size corresponding to a size of a second area into which the image included in the additional information is incorporated, the second area being included in the first area,

an additional image size setting step of setting an additional image size corresponding to a size of the image included in the additional information,

a first calculation step of calculating, based on the additional area size and the additional image size, a quantity of the image included in the additional information to be incorporated, and

a first specifying step through which a user specifies the additional information whose quantity is equal to or less than the quantity calculated in the first calculation step,

wherein, in the synthesis step, the additional information specified in the first specifying step is combined with the route information.

12. The image forming method according to claim 11, further comprising a position determination step of determining, based on the additional area size and the additional image size, a position in which the image included in the additional information is incorporated.

13. The image forming method according to claim 9, further comprising a scale ratio designation step of designating a scale ratio of the image included in the additional information.

14. The image forming method according to claim 11, further comprising

a priority setting step of setting, for each facility located along the route, a priority to incorporate the image included in the additional information, and

a second specifying step of specifying, based on the priority, the additional information whose quantity is equal to or less than the quantity calculated in the first calculation step.

15. The image forming method according to claim 9, further comprising

an additional area size setting step of setting an additional area size corresponding to a size of a second area into which the image included in the additional information is incorporated, the second area being included in the first area,

an additional image quantity setting step of setting a quantity of the image included in the additional information to be incorporated into the second area,

a second calculation step of calculating, based on the additional area size and the quantity, a unit additional image size corresponding to a size of a single image included in the additional information, and

a lower limit value setting step of setting a lower limit value of the unit additional image size,

wherein, in the synthesis step, the image included in the additional information is arranged onto a separate sheet of paper without being incorporated into the first area if the unit additional image size calculated in the second calculation step is equal to or less than the lower limit value set in the lower limit value setting step.

16. The image forming method according to claim 15, further comprising a notifying step of outputting a message indicating that the unit additional image size calculated in the second calculation step is equal to or less than the lower limit value set in the lower limit value setting step.