Image forming apparatus and image forming method
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorHiroshi Matsumoto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image forming apparatus divides image data into a plurality of image regions in a sub-scanning direction and performs predetermined processing on the image data of each divided image region so as to form an image on a recording medium. The image forming apparatus includes: a detection unit that detects whether the image data of the image region is blank data; a storage unit that stores the image data of the image region that has been subjected to detection; and a control unit that controls whether to cause the detection unit to perform the detection depending on a predetermined printing mode.
Claims5
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a storage unit that stores a predetermined amount of image data that is sequentially input;
- a detection unit that detects whether the image data is blank data;
- a control unit that controls whether to cause the detection unit to perform detection depending on a predetermined printing mode, wherein
- if the predetermined printing mode is a printing mode in which the detection unit is caused to perform the detection and when the detection unit does not detect the blank data, then the control unit performs control so as to perform image formation according to the image data, and
- if the predetermined printing mode is a printing mode in which the detection unit is not caused to perform the detection, then the control unit performs control so as to sequentially perform image formation according to the image data.
An image forming method comprising:
- a storing step of storing a predetermined amount of image data;
- a detection step of detecting whether the image data is blank data;
- a first control step of controlling whether to execute the detection step depending on a predetermined printing mode;
- a second control step of performing control so as to perform image formation according to the image data if the predetermined printing mode is a printing mode in which the detection step is caused to be executed according to the first control step and when the blank data is not detected in the detection step;
- and
- a third control step of performing control so as to sequentially perform image formation according to the image data if the predetermined printing mode is a printing mode in which the detection step is not caused to be executed according to the first control step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.