Image forming apparatus, decoloring apparatus and image forming method
AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorMasanaka Mizuno
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Abstract
In one embodiment, an image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using a plurality of decolorable coloring materials having different decoloring conditions. Further, the image forming apparatus forms a mark relating to authority information indicating authority capable of decoloring one of the plurality of decolorable coloring materials for each of the decolorable coloring materials on the recording medium. Further, in another embodiment, a decoloring apparatus grasps the authority information, and decolors the image of the decolorable coloring material, in accordance with the grasped authority information.
Claims13
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a first image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium with a non-decolorable material,
- a second image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium with a plurality of decolorable materials which are decolored at different decoloring temperatures, and
- a processor configured to
- receive a designation of an area on the recording medium on which a decolorable image is to be formed with one of the plurality of decolorable materials,
- receive a selection of one of the plurality of decolorable materials with which the decolorable image is to be formed,
- receive a first setting information indicating at least one specific user who has authority to decolor the decolorable image formed with the selected decolorable material,
- control the first image forming unit to form a non-decolorable image on the recording medium, and
- control the second image forming unit to form the decolorable image on the recording medium after the non-decolorable image has been formed on the recording medium to coat the designated area on the recording medium with the selected decolorable material, and
- control either one of the first and second image forming units to form a mark indicating an authority information generated based on the first setting information as a code, on the recording medium on which the image corresponding to the image data and the decolorable image are formed.
An image forming method in an image forming apparatus including a first image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium with a non-decolorable material, and a second image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium with a plurality of decolorable materials which are decolored at different decoloring temperatures, the method comprising:
- receiving a designation of an area on the recording medium a decolorable image is to be formed with one of the plurality of decolorable materials;
- receiving a selection of one of the plurality of decolorable materials with which the decolorable image is to be formed;
- receiving a first setting information indicating at least one specific user who has authority to decolor the decolorable image formed with the selected decolorable material;
- controlling the first image forming unit to form a non-decolorable image on the recording medium, and
- controlling the second image forming unit to form the decolorable image on the recording medium after the non-decolorable image has been formed on the recording medium to coat the designated area on the recording medium with the selected decolorable material, and
- controlling either one of the first and second image forming units to form a mark indicating an authority information generated based on the first setting information as a code, on the recording medium on which the image corresponding to the image data and the coating image are formed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.