JP3349336B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for developing various image data in an image memory and outputting an image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A page printer typified by a laser printer has a mechanism for performing high-speed printing in page units. Therefore, a large page printer for holding bitmap data partially or entirely in a page is usually used. Equipped with a large amount of frame memory. In order to finally obtain an image output from the created bitmap data, paper transport,
Writing, to undergo a complex process such as fixing, there is a possibility that the error such as jamming during this time is generated. In addition, errors such as density failure, dust, and paper wrinkles that are not detected by the printing apparatus itself may also occur. For this reason, the bitmap data once created needs to be retained until normal printing is completed. When such an error occurs, a mechanism for promptly reprinting the page is required. JP-A-6-40092 has a storage unit (frame memory) having a capacity capable of storing bitmap data of a plurality of pages, retains the contents of the page until normal printing is completed, and displays a file name attached to the printed page. The page is displayed on a container and the page is designated to perform reprinting.

FIG. 1 shows the above-mentioned prior art Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-4009.
2 is shown. RIP (Raster Image Processor) part 2
Converts print information of character codes and graphic information sent from the host computer 1 into dot data and stores it in the storage unit 3. The dot data developed in the memory is transferred to an engine unit 4 (recording unit) such as a laser beam printer and output for each page. The dot data in the storage unit 3 can be held until a normal image output is confirmed. Further, as needed, even after the print information sent from the host computer 1 is output by the engine unit 4, the print information can be developed and stored as dot data in the storage unit 3.

[0004] An operation unit 5 is provided with a display unit 6 as shown in FIG.
This is an operation panel including a force unit 7. In FIG.In the example shown
Indicates a dot stored in the storage unit 3 on the display unit 6.
The data is “memory 1” “m” as the ID of each print information.
It is displayed as "emory 2" "memory 3". Input section
7 deletes the specified data from the storage unit 3 “CLEA
R ”key, among the data displayed on the display unit 6,
Specification means "UP" to specify data,"DOWN" key, designation
Printing of the dataInstructionsThe "PRINT" key
You. The specified data is normally recorded on the display unit 6.
A message is displayed indicating whether or not theーThe
Specifies the page that was not output normally and records it again
Will be performed. The bitmap of the specified page
The data is again stored in the storage unit 3 (frame memory).
The data is transferred to the printer unit 4 and reprinted.

[0005]

This system is based on the premise that print information sent from the host computer includes information such as a file name, but such a case is rather rare. Even if it is included, it is not always possible for the user to reliably specify the target file only by the file name. Also, no consideration is given to specifying only a specific page in print data having a plurality of pages. Therefore, in order to specify the print information to be reprinted, the user is forced to perform a complicated panel operation, and there is a problem that the operation becomes complicated. In addition, anyone can retrieve the print information of another person from the storage unit 3, and there is a problem in terms of confidentiality. Further, reprinting is limited to those having the same contents, and it is not possible for the user to perform high-speed printing of a partially modified print information by applying a correction or the like to the print information.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of easily, quickly, and reliably printing an image which satisfies a user at a low cost in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the first invention according to claim 1 of the present patent application comprises an image reading unit,
An image forming apparatus , comprising: an image data creation unit, an image data storage unit, and a printing mechanism unit that forms an image on a sheet, wherein the storage unit holds previously printed image data. Read the previously printed image document by the image reading unit
Nde and document data obtained, image stored in the storage unit
Holding data that is similar to the original data in the image data;
Is extracted, and the extracted data is
The superposition of the lifting data data, an image forming apparatus characterized by comprising a mode in which printing by the printing mechanism portion.

A second invention according to claim 2 of the present patent application, the first
(1) An image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein the data of the extracted different portion is printed in a color different from the held data.

A third invention according to claim 3 of the present Application, the image forming apparatus of the first invention, the feature data representing features of the image data printed in the past, the feature data and the image data is held And a correspondence table corresponding to the address of the storage unit, which is stored in the storage unit, when the image forming apparatus is on standby.

[0010]

[Action] In the first invention, the image portion of the holding data printed in the past because for re printing without a scanner reading data quality deterioration, it is possible to perform high-quality printing. According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform printing in which an overwritten portion is emphasized, and thus has an effect of making the addition noticeable. According to the third aspect, the correspondence table between the feature data and the storage address of the bitmap data is created when the apparatus is on standby, so that the first printing can be performed at high speed.

[0011]

FIG . 3 is a schematic structural view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The page language data (print information) transferred from the host computer 1 is transmitted to the RIP unit 2
Thus, the data is converted into bitmap data for each page and stored in the first storage unit 8 (frame memory). Here, when bitmap data for each page is completed, this data is transferred to the engine unit 4 and the compression / decompression unit 9 at the same time. A small-capacity buffer memory is provided in the compression / decompression unit 9 and is used by utilizing the DCT (Discrete Cosine Transformer).
Data compression such as m) is performed. The compressed data is sequentially written to the second storage unit 10 such as a hard disk drive (HDD). The first storage unit 8 is cleared immediately before the page is output normally as soon as the data of one page is transferred, and the bitmap data of the next page can be written.

If an error such as a jam occurs and the data is not output normally, the data of the corresponding page is read from the second storage unit 10, expanded by the compression / expansion unit 9 , and passed through the first storage unit 8. Is transferred to the engine unit 4 as it is. Since the second storage unit 10 is a large-capacity, nonvolatile storage medium, it can hold data of a plurality of pages for a long period of time. Therefore, the second storage unit 1
Even if the print data in 0 is not deleted even after normal output, a plurality of pages as long as the capacity permits can be held.

In such a system, when reprinting a page printed in the past, it is only necessary to take out the data which has already been bitmap converted from the second storage unit 10 and transfer it to the engine unit 4. The labor and time for retransmitting the print data from the computer 1 and performing the bitmap conversion again by the RIP unit 2 can be saved.

As described above, in the system for storing bitmap data of a page printed in the past in the second storage means 10, the present invention uses a scanner to specify a page to be reprinted. Hereinafter, description will be given along the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 4. The user sets the document on image reading means (not shown) such as a scanner and instructs to start reading. The original image is read by the scanner. An instruction of “copy mode”, “reproduction mode”, or “reprint mode” is given. In the “copy mode”, a normal copy process of simply copying the original is performed.
In the "reprint mode", if the original was previously printed by the printing device, the print data at that time is extracted from the second storage unit 10, and reprinting is performed based on the data. The present invention is very preferable in terms of security because a page to be reprinted can be specified much more easily than in the past, and only a user who has the page printed paper can reprint.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. First, when the reprint mode is selected, characteristic data is extracted from data of a document image read by a scanner. Next, image feature data and its bits prepared in advance
A table corresponding to the storage address of the map data is searched, and bit map data most similar to the document is extracted. "Differential overwrite" during reprint mode
Can be selected. When the difference overwriting is not performed, the extracted bitmap data is directly transferred to the engine and reprinted. When performing differential overwriting, the difference between the extracted bitmap data and the data of the original image read by the scanner.
Extracting, create a new overwritten data it to the former data. This data is transferred to the engine and the difference is overwritten and reprinted.

FIG. 5 shows an example of this reprinting. Fig. 5-
(1) indicates a page which has been previously printed by the printing apparatus and whose bitmap data is stored in the HDD.
FIG. 5B shows a state in which writing is performed on the printout sheet. When the user reads the sheet of FIG. 5- (2) with the scanner and designates the reprint mode, the image output of FIG. 5- (1) without original writing can be obtained. Also, when the difference overwriting is selected, FIG.
A partial diagram 5- (3) different from (1) and FIG. 5- (2) is extracted, and an image obtained by overlapping this with FIG. 5- (1) is obtained. Generally, the quality of an image read from a scanner and printed is lower than that of the original document. If the above-described difference overwriting is performed, the image of FIG. 5- (1) is not affected by the quality deterioration by the scanner, so that higher quality printing can be performed than when the original of FIG. 5- (2) is simply copied. .

If the overwritten data is printed in another color (for example, red) as in the example of the second aspect , an image output in which the writing portion is emphasized and accented is obtained, and it is easy to find the retouched portion. The effect of becoming is also brought. Reprinting is often performed some time after the first printing.
Therefore, the feature data does not need to be created simultaneously with the bitmap data stored in the HDD. In the example of the third aspect, the correspondence table between the characteristic data and the storage address of the bitmap data is created when the printing apparatus is on standby. As a result, the first printing process can be performed at high speed.

[0018]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the image portion of the held data that has been printed in the past is reprinted without using the scanner read data whose quality has deteriorated, high quality printing can be performed. . According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform printing in which an overwritten portion is emphasized, and thus has an effect of making the addition noticeable. According to the third aspect, the correspondence table between the feature data and the storage address of the bitmap data is created when the apparatus is on standby, so that the first printing can be performed at high speed .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration of an operation unit 1 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of reprinting by the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1. Host computer 2. RIP unit 4. Engine 8. First storage unit 9. Compression / decompression unit 10. Second storage unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 5/30 B41J 2/485 G06F 3/12 H04N 1/21 H04N 1/387

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] An image reading section, an image data creating section, an image data storage section, and a printing mechanism section for forming an image on a sheet, wherein image data printed in the past is held in the storage section. in the image forming apparatus, Nde write read an image document printed in the past by the image reading unit
The obtained original data and the image data stored in the storage unit are stored.
Data that is similar to the original data in the data
The part that differs is extracted, and the extracted data and the held data are extracted.
The data obtained by superimposing and over data, the image forming apparatus characterized by comprising a mode in which printing by the printing mechanism portion. Wherein the data of the extracted different part, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 which is characterized in that printing in a different color from that of the held data. 3. A feature data representing features of the image data printed in the past, and a correspondence table between the addresses of the storage unit in which the characteristic data and the image data is held,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is created when the image forming apparatus is on standby.