# US 8,570,353 B2 · Image forming apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,570,353 B2 - Document ID: US8570353B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/331,420 - Filed: 2011-12-20 - Published: 2012-06-28 - Granted: 2013-10-29 - Earliest claimed: 2010-12-24 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Applicants: Takahiro Furukawa; Daisuke Tezuka - Inventors: Takahiro Furukawa; Daisuke Tezuka - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8570353B2 ## CPC - B41J 2/4753: {using thermosensitive substrates, e.g. paper} - B41J 2/471: {using dot sequential main scanning by means of a light deflector, e.g. a rotating polygonal mirror} - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ## Abstract Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including a laser unit that has a function to emit a laser light to heat a thermal rewritable recording medium to write a drawing on the thermal rewritable recording medium and to erase a drawing written on the thermal rewritable recording medium by heating the thermal rewritable recording medium; and an erasing data generating unit that generates erasing data indicative of a position of an erasing area corresponding to a part of the thermal rewritable recording medium, the laser unit erasing the drawing written on the erasing area of the thermal rewritable recording medium based on the erasing data generated by the erasing data generating unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: a laser unit that has a function to emit a laser light to heat a thermal rewritable recording medium to write drawings on to the thermal rewritable recording medium and to erase drawings written on the thermal rewritable recording medium by heating the thermal rewritable recording medium; an erasing data generating unit that generates erasing data indicative of a position of an erasing area corresponding to a part of the thermal rewritable recording medium; a barcode reader; and a written data receiving unit, wherein the laser unit erases a drawing written on the erasing area of the thermal rewritable recording medium based on the erasing data generated by the erasing data generating unit, wherein the erasing data generating unit identifies the position of the erasing area based on written data corresponding to a drawing currently written on the thermal rewritable recording medium and drawing data to be written on the thermal rewritable recording medium and generates the erasing data based on the erasing area and the position identified, wherein the drawing currently written on the thermal rewritable recording medium includes a barcode indicating an ID data for specifying the written data, and wherein the barcode reader reads the barcode to obtain the ID data and the written data receiving unit receives the written data based on the ID data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the erasing data generating unit sets the erasing area to surround a drawing area on the thermal rewritable recording medium. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a drawing that the laser unit is to write includes plural object units and the erasing data generating unit identifies the position of the erasing area to correspond to the plural object units. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the erasing data generating unit obtains information including the erasing area from an external apparatus. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the erasing data generating unit compares the written data and the drawing data and identifies the position of the erasing area as a different part between the written data and the drawing data to generate the erasing data, and the laser unit is controlled not to write a portion of a drawing to be written corresponding to an area where a same drawing exists. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the erasing data generating unit compares the written data and the drawing data and identifies the position of the erasing area not to include an area where a same drawing exists to generate the erasing data, and the laser unit is controlled not to write a portion of a drawing to be written corresponding to the area where the same drawing exists. ### Claim 7 An image forming apparatus comprising: a laser unit that has a function to emit a laser light to heat a thermal rewritable recording medium to write drawings on the thermal rewritable recording medium and to erase drawings written on the thermal rewritable recording medium by heating the thermal rewritable recording medium; an erasing data generating unit that generates erasing data indicative of a position of an erasing area corresponding to a part of the thermal rewritable recording medium; a barcode reader; and a written data receiving unit, wherein the laser unit erases a drawing written on the erasing area of the thermal rewritable recording medium based on the erasing data generated by the erasing data generating unit, wherein the erasing data generating unit identifies the position of the erasing area based on written data corresponding to a drawing currently written on the thermal rewritable recording medium and generates the erasing data based on the erasing area and the position identified, and wherein the drawing currently written on the thermal rewritable recording medium includes a barcode indicating an ID data for specifying the written data, and wherein the barcode reader reads the barcode to obtain the ID data and the written data receiving unit receives the written data based on the ID data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the erasing data generating unit identifies the position of the erasing area by analyzing a content of the written data. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the erasing data generating unit obtains erasing data corresponding to the drawing currently written on the thermal rewritable recording medium and previously stored in a storing unit with respect to a data format of the drawings written on the thermal rewritable recording medium. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a storing unit that stores erasing data corresponding to the drawing currently written on the thermal rewritable recording medium. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the erasing data generating unit sets the erasing area to surround a drawing area on the thermal rewritable recording medium. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the drawing currently written on the thermal rewritable recording medium includes plural object units and the erasing data generating unit identifies the position of the erasing area to correspond to the plural object units. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the erasing data generating unit obtains information including the erasing area from an external apparatus. ### Claim 14 A method of image forming comprising: emitting a laser light to heat a thermal rewritable recording medium to write a drawing on the thermal rewritable recording medium and to erase a drawing written on an erasing area corresponding to a part on the thermal rewritable recording medium by heating the thermal rewritable recording medium, a drawing currently written on the thermal rewritable recording medium including a barcode indicating an ID data for specifying written data; generating erasing data indicative of a position of the erasing area, wherein generating erasing data includes reading the barcode by a barcode reader to obtain the ID data, and receiving the written data based on the ID data, identifying the position of the erasing area based on the written data, and generating the erasing data based on the erasing area and the position identified, and wherein emitting the laser light includes erasing the drawing written on the erasing area of the thermal rewritable recording medium based on the erasing data that is generated. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of image forming according to claim 14, wherein identifying the position of the erasing data includes analyzing a content of the written data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of image forming according to claim 14, wherein generating the erasing data includes obtaining erasing data corresponding to the drawing currently written on the thermal rewritable recording medium previously stored in a storing unit with respect to a data format of drawings written on the thermal rewritable recording medium. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of image forming according to claim 14, further comprising storing erasing data corresponding to the drawing currently written on the thermal rewritable recording medium in a storing unit. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of image forming according to claim 14, wherein generating erasing data includes setting the erasing area to surround a drawing area on the thermal rewritable recording medium. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The method of image forming according to claim 14, wherein the drawing currently written on the thermal rewritable recording medium includes plural object units, and wherein identifying the position of the erasing area includes identifying the position to correspond to the plural object units. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The method of image forming according to claim 14, wherein the generating the erasing data includes obtaining information including the erasing area from an external apparatus.