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US 7,742,188 B2Granted
Image forming apparatus and method
AssigneeOki Data Corporation
InventorsKatsuyuki Ito, Taku Kimura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus fuses an image to a recording medium by heat and pressure. To ensure that the recording medium does not stick to the fusing roller, a non-printable margin is normally reserved at the leading edge of the recording medium. When the recording medium has sufficient stiffness, however, as determined from its thickness and other factors such as its width or orientation, marginless printing is permitted. The setting of an unnecessary margin is thereby avoided.
Claims19
An image forming apparatus having:
- a print control section for receiving image data and generating image printing data;
- a media transport section for transporting a recording medium, the transported recording medium having a leading edge that leads during transport;
- an image forming section for forming an image according to the image printing data;
- a transfer section for transferring the formed image onto the recording medium;
- a fusing section for fusing the transferred image onto the recording medium;
- and
- a thickness detector which detects a value of thickness of the recording medium;
- wherein the print control section comprises:
- a margin detector which determines from the image printing data a length in the transport direction of a non-printed area at the leading edge;
- and
- a decision module which decides whether the detected value of thickness in combination with the length detected by the margin detector satisfy a predetermined condition and printing is possible;
- wherein the print control section sends the image printing data to the image forming section if the predetermined condition is satisfied and printing is possible, and does not send the image printing data to the image forming section if the predetermined condition is not satisfied and the printing is therefore not possible.
9 more elements
An image forming apparatus having;
- a print control section for receiving image data and generating image printing data;
- a media transport section for transporting a recording medium, the transported recording medium having a leading edge that leads during transport;
- an image forming section for forming an image according to the image printing data;
- a transfer section for transferring the formed image onto the recording medium;
- a fusing section for fusing the transferred image onto the recording medium;
- and
- a thickness detector which detects a thickness dimension of the recording medium;
- wherein the print control section comprises:
- a decision module which determines a width of the leading edge in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the media transport section transports the recording medium, and generates decision information based on the width of the leading edge and the detected thickness of the recording medium, the decision information indicating whether a predetermined condition is satisfied and printing is possible at the leading edge of the recording medium;
- and
- wherein the print control section does not send the image printing data to the image forming section if the decision information should not be performed determines that the predetermined condition is not satisfied and printing at the leading edge of the recording medium.
8 more elements
An image forming apparatus having:
- a print control section for receiving image data and generating image printing data;
- a media transport section for transporting a recording medium, the transported recording medium having a leading edge that leads during transport;
- an image forming section for forming an image according to the image printing data;
- a transfer section for transferring the formed image onto the recording medium;
- and
- a fusing section for fusing the transferred image onto the recording medium;
- and wherein the print control section comprises:
- a margin detector which detects from the image printing data a length in the transport direction of a non-printed area at the leading edge;
- and
- a decision module which decides, from at least the length detected by the margin detector, whether a predetermined condition is satisfied and the image printing data are printable;
- and wherein,
- if the decision module decides that the predetermined condition is satisfied and the image printing data are printable, the print control section sends the image printing data to the image forming section, and if the decision module decides that the predetermined condition is not satisfied and the image printing data are therefore unprintable, the print control section withholds the image printing data from the image forming section, internally stores the image printing data, and notifies a user of the image forming apparatus.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.