Decoloring apparatus
AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHiroyuki Sugiyama
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A decoloring apparatus includes a reading section that reads the image formed on a sheet and generates image data corresponding to the read image. A decoloring section decolors the image formed on the sheet by heating. If the reading section reads only a portion of the image formed on the sheet due to an error, the image data corresponding to the read portion of the image is stored. After the error is resolved, the sheet is conveyed to the reading section again to read a remainder portion of the image that was not initially read in the reading section and to generate image data corresponding to the remainder portion of the image. The image data corresponding to the read portion of the image is combined with the image data corresponding to the remainder portion of the image.
Claims20
A decoloring apparatus, comprising:
- a paper feed section configured to feed a sheet on which an image is formed with decolorable material to a conveyance path;
- a reading section positioned on the conveyance path and configured to read the image formed on the sheet and to generate image data corresponding to the read image;
- a decoloring section positioned on the conveyance path downstream of the reading section in a document conveying direction and configured to decolor the image formed on the sheet by heating;
- a paper discharge section configured to discharge the sheet after the decoloring section has decolored the image;
- and
- a control section configured to perform control to, in a case in which the reading section reads only a portion of the image formed on the sheet due to an error:
- after the error is resolved, convey the sheet to the reading section again to read a remainder portion of the image that was not initially read in the reading section and to generate image data corresponding to the remainder portion of the image, and
- combine the image data corresponding to the read portion of the image with the image data corresponding to the remainder portion of the image.
A method of decoloring in a decoloring apparatus that includes a reading section positioned on a conveyance path and configured to read the image formed on the sheet and to generate image data corresponding to the read image, and a decoloring section positioned on the conveyance path downstream of the reading section in a document conveying direction and configured to decolor the image formed on the sheet by heating, the method comprising the steps of:
- conveying a sheet on which an image is formed with decolorable material to the reading section and the decoloring section;
- decoloring at least a portion the image formed on the sheet by heating with a decoloring section positioned on the conveyance path downstream of the reading section in a document conveying direction;
- determining that, due to an error, the reading section has read only a portion of the image formed on the sheet;
- storing the image data corresponding to the read portion of the image;
- after the error is resolved, conveying the sheet to the reading section again to read a remainder portion of the image that was not initially read in the reading section and generating image data corresponding to the remainder portion of the image;
- and
- combining the image data corresponding to the read portion of the image with the image data corresponding to the remainder portion of the image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.