JPH099023A - Facsimile equipment with memory reception function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a facsimile equipment which can immediately record a received document even if the remaining quantity of toner becomes less than prescribed quantity and the document can normally be recorded after a toner cartridge is exchanged or toner is supplied even if the received document which is immediately recorded cannot be read by the lack of toner. CONSTITUTION: The facsimile equipment with memory reception function is provided with a memory 6 accumulating received data, a memory 7, a toner remaining quantity detection means 5B detecting that the remaining quantity of toner in a recording device 5 becomes less than prescribed quantity and a control circuit 3. When the remaining quantity of toner is detected to be less than prescribed quantity, the control circuit 3 transfers the content of the memory 6 to the memory 7 and records data transferred to the memory 7 or eliminates it based on an instruction. The data can repetitively be recorded until data transferred to the memory 7 is eliminated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile device having an electrophotographic recording device for printing on recording paper using toner, and more particularly to a facsimile device with a memory receiving function for printing received data after storing it in a memory. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a facsimile machine of this type has a toner remaining amount detecting sensor for detecting the remaining amount of toner in a toner cartridge of an electrophotographic recording device, and the toner remaining amount is below a predetermined amount. When it is detected, some data is stored in the memory without printing the data received thereafter. In the case of this facsimile apparatus, the received data accumulated in the memory is automatically printed after the toner cartridge is replaced or the toner is replenished in the cartridge. Further, as another conventional facsimile apparatus, when it is detected that the remaining amount of toner is below a predetermined amount, there is one that dares to continue printing without accumulating in the memory even if the toner is insufficient.

[0003]

Generally, even when the toner remaining amount detecting sensor detects that the toner remaining amount is below a predetermined amount, the toner remaining amount is sufficient for about 10 received documents. It is the amount that can be recorded. However, in the case of the former facsimile machine, the received data cannot be printed until it is replaced with a new toner cartridge,
Even when printing could be done with a small amount of toner such as a short received document, the toner cartridge had to be replaced. For this reason, there is a drawback in that a received document that requires urgency cannot be immediately obtained.

Further, in the latter facsimile apparatus, since the received data does not remain in the memory when the printing operation is completed, even if the received document cannot be read due to white spots in the print data due to running out of toner while the printing is continued. , There was no way to do it. Therefore, there was no choice but to call the operator on the sending side after the toner cartridge was replaced, and have it retransmitted.

It is an object of the present invention to immediately record a received document even when the remaining amount of toner falls below a predetermined amount, and even if the immediately recorded received document cannot be read due to toner exhaustion, after replacement of the toner cartridge or toner. It is an object to provide a facsimile device that can perform normal recording after replenishment.

[0006]

A facsimile apparatus with a memory receiving function according to the present invention has a first storage means for storing received data, a second storage means, and a remaining amount of toner in a recording device. Toner remaining amount detecting means for detecting that the amount is less than a fixed amount, and when it is detected that the remaining amount of toner is less than or equal to a predetermined amount, the contents of the first storing means are transferred to the second storing means, Control means for causing the recording device to record the data transferred to the second storage means on the basis of the instruction or for erasing the data, and the control means stores the data until the data transferred to the second storage means is erased. It is characterized in that can be repeatedly recorded.

[0007]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a facsimile apparatus with a memory receiving function according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a modem 1 demodulates facsimile information received from a line. The communication control unit 2 performs communication control for executing a facsimile communication protocol with a partner facsimile machine (transmission side) via the modem 1. The data of the received document (reception data) received based on the facsimile communication protocol is sent from the communication control unit 2 to the control circuit 3 and accumulated in the memory 6 which is the first storage means. The control circuit 3 includes a communication control unit 2, a decoding circuit 4, a recording device 5,
Memory 6, memory 7 (second storage means) and display 8
It is connected via the bus 10 and controls each part.

The decoding circuit 4 decodes the received data stored in the memory 6 to generate binary image data. In the recording device 5, the recording system 5A records the binary image data after being decoded by the decoding circuit 4. The recording system 5A is an electrophotographic recording device using toner, and the binary image data from the decoding circuit 4 is supplied to an exposure device such as a laser light source. A remaining toner amount determination circuit 5B for detecting the remaining amount of toner is connected to the recording system 5A.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing a part of the toner cartridge of the recording system 5A. In FIG. 2, the laser light source 40, which is an exposure device, is separate from the toner cartridge. The toner cartridge has a photosensitive drum 60 and a developing device 50. Note that only the developing device 50 may be a toner cartridge.

The laser light source 40 is based on the binary image data.
An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 60 that has been charged. The developing device 50 attaches toner to the surface of the photoconductor drum on which the electrostatic latent image is formed to form a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image. The toner image is transferred onto recording paper (not shown), fixed, and then ejected.

The developing device 50 includes a toner holder 51 containing a toner 52, a toner agitator 53, a supply roller 54 for supplying the toner 52 supplied from the toner holder 51 to a developing roller 55, and a supply roller 54. The developing roller 55 that supplies the toner to the photosensitive drum 60, and the toner remaining amount detection sensor 56 that detects that the remaining amount of the toner is low. The toner remaining amount detection sensor 56 is fixed at a predetermined height from the bottom of the toner holder 51 so that it can detect that the toner capable of recording about 20 sheets of recording paper remains. A photo sensor is suitable as the sensor, but other sensors may be used. The output of the remaining toner amount detection sensor 56 is supplied to the remaining toner amount determination circuit 5B, and it is determined whether the remaining toner amount is less than a predetermined amount.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the control circuit 3 causes the recording device 5 to print the received data stored in the memory 6 after decoding, or the contents of the memory 6 in accordance with the output of the toner remaining amount determination circuit 5B. Control whether to transfer to 7 is executed. Further, the control circuit 3 executes control to record the received data stored in the memory 7 in the recording device 5 or to erase the data in the memory 7 according to an instruction from the operation unit 9.

Next, the control circuit 3 of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.
The control operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the communication controller 2 receives the received data based on the facsimile communication protocol, the control circuit 3 recognizes the reception (step 21) and transfers the received data to the memory 6 (step 22). Here, the control circuit 3
When it is determined by the output of the toner determination circuit 5B that the remaining amount of toner is not less than the predetermined amount (step 23), the contents of the memory 6 are decoded by the decoding circuit 4 (step 24), and the recording device 5 After the data is recorded in step S6, the memory 6 is erased (step 25).

When the control circuit 3 determines in step 23 that the remaining amount of toner has become less than or equal to a predetermined amount, it transfers the received data of the memory 6 to the memory 7 via the bus 10, and the toner is displayed on the display unit 8. It is displayed that the remaining amount is low (step 26). It is assumed that the memory 7 is cleared by the control circuit 3 just before the first transfer from the memory 6 to the memory 7 when the remaining amount of toner has just reached a predetermined amount. This is step 30, which will be explained later,
This is a countermeasure for when the memory 7 is not erased.

When the operator viewing the display on the display 8 instructs the control circuit 3 to print by using the operation unit 9 (step 27), the control circuit 3 decodes the contents of the memory 7 into the decoding circuit 4.
The decoding circuit 4, the memory 7 and the recording device 5 are controlled to print after decoding. However, the memory 7 is not erased after recording (step 28). When the operator gives an erasing instruction to the control circuit 3 through the operation unit 9 while displaying that the remaining amount of toner is low (step 29), the control circuit 3 controls to erase the contents of the memory 7 (step 3).
0).

Therefore, even if the remaining amount of toner becomes less than the predetermined amount, the received document can be immediately recorded according to the instruction from the operation unit 9. Further, since the received data in the memory 7 is not erased in step 28, the print result is checked, and when the print state is bad, the step 2 is performed again after the toner cartridge is replaced.
By executing the print instruction of 7, the contents of the memory 7 are normally recorded. In this case, after confirming the recording, the control circuit 3 erases the contents of the memory 7 by an erase instruction in step 29.
In the embodiment described above, the memory 6 as the first storage means stores the data before decoding, but the memory 6 may store the data after decoding by the decoding circuit 4. in this case,
The contents of the memory 6 or the memory 7 are transferred to and recorded in the recording device 5 without passing through the decoding circuit 4. Although the control circuit 3 transfers the data from the memory 6 to the memory 7, it may be transferred by the direct memory access control circuit.

The sensor which is the toner remaining amount detecting means is
The remaining amount may be detected by the weight of toner. In addition, the first,
The memories 6 and 7 which are the second storage means are not limited to IC memories, but may be auxiliary storage means such as a floppy disk.

[0020]

As described above, in the facsimile apparatus with a memory receiving function of the present invention, the toner remaining amount detecting means for detecting that the remaining amount of toner becomes less than a predetermined amount, and the remaining amount of toner in the recording device. Is detected to be less than or equal to a predetermined amount, the contents of the first storage means are transferred to the second storage means, and the data transferred to the second storage means is recorded in the recording device based on the instruction. , Erasing control means,
Since the control means can repeatedly record until the data transferred to the second storage means is erased, even if the remaining toner amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the control means receives the second storage means. Documents can be recorded. Further, when the printing result is checked and the printing condition is bad, the printing can be executed again after the toner cartridge is replaced, so that the contents of the second storage means can be normally recorded.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a facsimile apparatus with a memory receiving function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a toner cartridge of the recording apparatus of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of a control circuit of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 modem 2 communication control unit 3 control circuit 4 control circuit 5 recording device 6 memory 7 memory

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile device having a memory receiving function, which has a recording device for printing using toner and stores received data in a memory, and then prints the received data. A second storage unit; a toner remaining amount detecting unit that detects that the remaining amount of toner is less than or equal to a predetermined amount; and a first remaining amount detection unit that detects that the remaining amount of toner is less than or equal to a predetermined amount. Control means for transferring the contents of the storage means of the second storage means to the second storage means and recording or erasing the data transferred to the second storage means in the recording device based on an instruction. Is capable of recording repeatedly until the data transferred to the second storage means is erased. 2. When the remaining amount of the toner is not detected to be less than or equal to a predetermined amount, the recording device records the contents of the first storage means, and then the control means stores the first storage means. The facsimile apparatus with a memory receiving function according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile apparatus is cleared. 3. The second storage means before starting the transfer of the first data from the first storage means to the second storage means when the remaining amount of toner has just reached a predetermined amount. The facsimile apparatus with a memory receiving function according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile apparatus is cleared.