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US 7,924,442 B2Granted
Image forming system and image forming apparatus
AssigneeSharp Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTatsuya Watabe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
If it is not a time zone of confidential mode and there is a print job to be executed, a print process is performed based on the print job, but if there is not a print job to be executed, non-confidential data stored in a HDD device is completely deleted. In the time zone of confidential mode, a determination is made as to whether or not there is non-confidential data, and after deleting the non-confidential data, a print process based on a print job to be executed is performed. The confidentiality of data is maintained without decreasing the processing efficiency of image formation.
Claims29
An image forming system, comprising:
- an information processor including
- a receiving unit for receiving data concerning image formation, and
- a transmitting unit for transmitting the data;
- and
- an image forming apparatus including
- a receiving unit for receiving the data transmitted from said information processor,
- a storage unit for storing the data,
- an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet based on the data stored in said storage unit, the data for which the corresponding image has been formed is defined as processed data and the data for which the corresponding image has not yet been formed is defined as unprocessed data,
- a clock unit for outputting time information;
- a determination unit for determining, based on the time information outputted by said clock unit, whether or not it is a predetermined time zone, and
- a processing unit for performing a predetermined process on the processed data,
- wherein when the determination unit determines that it is the predetermined time zone and there are both processed data and unprocessed data in the storage unit, the processing unit performs the predetermined process on the processed data prior to the image forming unit forming the corresponding image based on the unprocessed data, and
- wherein when the determination unit determines that it is not the predetermined time zone and there are both processed data and unprocessed data in the storage unit, the image forming unit forms the corresponding image based on the unprocessed data prior to the processing unit performing the predetermined process on the processed data.
10 more elements
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a receiving unit for receiving data concerning image formation;
- a storage unit for storing the received data;
- an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet based on the data stored in said storage unit, the data for which the corresponding image has been formed is defined as processed data and the data for which the corresponding image has not yet been formed is defined as unprocessed data,
- a clock unit for outputting time information;
- a first determination unit for determining, based on the time information outputted by said clock unit, whether or not it is a predetermined time zone;
- and
- a processing unit for performing a predetermined process on the processed data,
- wherein when the first determination unit determines that it is the predetermined time zone and there are both processed data and unprocessed data in the storage unit, the processing unit performs the predetermined process on the processed data prior to the image forming unit forming the corresponding image based on the unprocessed data, and
- wherein when the first determination unit determines that it is not the predetermined time zone and there are both processed data and unprocessed data in the storage unit, the image forming unit forms the corresponding image based on the unprocessed data prior to the processing unit performing the predetermined process on the processed data.
6 more elements
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a communication unit arranged to receive one or more print jobs from one or more information processors;
- a storage device arranged to store the one or more print jobs received by the communication unit;
- and
- a control unit arranged to perform a print process on one or more unprocessed print jobs stored in the storage device and to perform a security process on one or more processed print jobs in the storage device, wherein
- an operation mode of the image forming apparatus is one of at least a normal mode and a confidential mode, and
- when there are both processed print job(s) and unprocessed print job(s) in the storage device, the control unit is arranged to:
- prioritize performing the print process on the unprocessed print job(s) over performing the security process on the processed print job(s) when the operation mode is the normal mode, and
- prioritize performing the security process on the processed print job(s) over performing the print process on the unprocessed print job(s) when the operation mode is the confidential mode.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.