Image forming system including a printer and scanner having separate housings
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorAtsushi Watanabe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming system including a printer unit connected to a scanner unit, each having their own housing. The scanner unit includes a display for displaying the states including error conditions of both the scanner unit as well as the printer unit. A user interface of the scanner unit inputs operation parameters and commands for the entire image forming system. The printer section includes an LED display section for displaying errors and the status of the printer unit. The printer unit and scanner unit are connected to each other using a single integrated cable.
Claims12
An image forming system, comprising:
- a printer unit, including:
- a housing;
- a printer engine disposed within the housing of the printer unit;
- a printer controller, disposed within the housing of the printer unit, which is connected to the printer engine and controls the printer engine;
- and
- a power supply which generates DC current,
- a scanner unit, including:
- a housing which is different from the housing of the printer unit;
- a scanner engine disposed within the housing of the scanner unit;
- and
- a scanner controller disposed within the housing of the scanner unit which is connected to the scanner engine and controls the scanner engine, and
- a cable for connecting the printer unit and the scanner unit, including:
- power supply wires, for supplying the DC current from the power supply of the printer unit to the scanner unit, the DC current powering the scanner unit;
- a signal cable for supplying video signals from the scanner unit to the printer unit;
- and
- signal wires for exchanging control signals in a serial format between the printer unit and the scanner unit.
An image forming system, comprising:
- a printer unit, including:
- a housing means for housing components of the printer unit;
- a printer engine means, disposed within the housing of the printer unit, for printing images;
- a printer controller, disposed within the housing means of the printer unit and connected to the printer engine means, for controlling the printer engine means;
- and
- a power supply means for generating DC current,
- a scanner unit, including:
- a housing means for housing components of the scanner unit which is different from the housing means of the printer unit;
- a scanner engine means, disposed within the housing means of the scanner unit, for generating images by scanning;
- and
- a scanner controller means, disposed within the housing means of the scanner unit and connected to the scanner engine, for controlling the scanner engine, and
- a cable means for connecting the printer unit and the scanner unit, including:
- power supply wire means for supplying the DC current from the power supply means of the printer unit to the scanner unit, the DC current powering the scanner unit;
- a signal cable means for supplying video signals from the scanner unit to the printer unit;
- and
- signal wire means for exchanging control signals in a serial format between the printer unit and the scanner unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.