Recording system
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKaoru Sato, Toshiyuki Itoh, Akihisa Kusano, Makoto Abe, Toshihiko Inuyama, Masanori Ishizu, Kazuhiko Okazawa, Junichi Kimizuka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is a recording system in which an operation performed on the side of a printer unit in order to change over recording density is delayed while a recording operation is in progress. When a recording density changeover command is received during a recording operation, the density changeover is performed after the recording operation ends. A control unit which controls the printer unit is informed of the fact that the measures for changing over the recording density have been completed on the printer unit side.
Claims37
A recording system comprising a printer unit in which recording density is capable of being changed over, and a control unit capable of sending a recording density changeover command to the printer unit via a prescribed interface, wherein said printer unit includes:
- image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium;
- changeover means for changing over the recording density of the image;
- sensing means for sensing a recording operation in process in said printer unit;
- receiving means for receiving the changeover command from said control unit;
- delay means responsive to outputs from said sensing means and said receiving means for delaying, during execution of the recording operation, communication of the changeover command to said changeover means until the recording operation ends;
- and
- responding means responsive to an output from said delay means for sending a reply signal to said control unit via said interface, said reply signal indicating that changeover of recording density is complete, whereby said control unit can recognize when the changeover of recording density has been performed in said printer unit.
A method for controlling a printer, comprising the steps of:
- receiving a changeover command to change over recording density;
- sensing whether a recording operation is in progress when receiving said changeover command;
- delaying a changeover operation of recording density until the end of said recording operation in a case where said recording operation is sensed to be in progress when the command is received;
- and
- sending a signal to an external apparatus indicating that the changeover operation is delayed and is not yet complete, whereby said external apparatus may recognize when the changeover of recording density has not been performed in said printer unit.
A printing apparatus capable of performing a printing operation at one of the plurality of printing resolutions, comprising:
- an interface for inputting image data as well as a resolution designating signal for designating one of a plurality of resolutions from an external apparatus;
- image forming means for forming an image, based on the input image data, at a set resolution;
- and
- control means for setting the resolution of said image forming means based upon said resolution designating signal to be inputted via said interface, and for sending a signal relating to a timing of resolution changeover operation to the external apparatus via said interface, whereby said external apparatus may recognize when the resolution changeover operation has been performed in said printing apparatus.
A printing apparatus capable of performing a printing operation at one of a plurality of printing resolutions, comprising:
- an interface for inputting image data and a resolution designating signal;
- image forming means for forming an image on a recording paper;
- paper feeding means for feeding the recording paper from paper supply means along a conveyance path to said image forming means;
- detecting means for detecting a conveyance state on the conveyance path of the recording paper;
- and
- control means for causing said apparatus to delay a resolution changeover operation in accordance with the detected conveyance state of the recording paper at the time when the resolution designating signal is inputted.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image forming unit capable of performing an image forming operation at one of a plurality of recording resolution on the basis of the image data sent from an external signal source unit;
- a controller unit for changing over the recording resolution of the image forming unit;
- and
- a paper feeding unit for feeding a paper from paper supply means along a conveyance path through the image forming unit and being capable of simultaneously feeding a plurality of papers along the conveyance path, and
- wherein said controller unit is capable of changing the recording resolution of the image forming unit only in a case where no paper is being fed along the conveyance path.
An apparatus for controlling a printing apparatus capable of performing a printing operation at one of a plurality of printing resolutions, comprising:
- an interface for inputting image data as well as a resolution designating signal for designating one of a plurality of resolutions from an external apparatus;
- and
- control means for setting the resolution of said printing apparatus based upon said resolution designating signal to be inputted via said interface, and for sending a signal relating to a timing of resolution changeover operation to the external apparatus via said interface, so that said external apparatus may recognize when the resolution changeover operation has been performed in said printing apparatus.
A method for controlling printing apparatus capable of performing a printing operation at one of a plurality of printing resolutions, comprising the steps of:
- conveying a recording sheet along a conveyance path;
- forming an image on the recording sheet which is being conveyed;
- inputting a resolution designation signal;
- and
- controlling a timing when a resolution changeover operation is performed in accordance with the input resolution designating signal and the conveyance state of the recording sheet.
A printing apparatus capable of performing a printing operation at one of a plurality of printing resolutions, comprising:
- means for inputting a resolution designating signal;
- conveying means for conveying a recording sheet along a conveyance path;
- image forming means for forming an image on the recording sheet which is being conveyed by said conveying means;
- and
- control means for controlling a timing when a resolution changeover operation is performed in accordance with the input resolution designating signal and the conveyance state of the recording sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.