US RE42,290 E1Granted

Document scanning apparatus and document scanning method for sequentially scanning documents and generating image data corresponding to these documents

AssigneesToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

InventorNoboru Ogino

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A first scan unit sequentially transports and scans documents from a document tray, and a second scan unit scans a document placed on a glass plane. A first select unit selects the first or second scan unit according to a predetermined rule when a start instruction is accepted. An accept unit accepts a change instruction, a continue instruction or a print instruction after the first scan unit scans all documents from the document tray or the second scan unit scans the document placed on the glass plane. A second select unit selects the first or second scan unit according to the predetermined rule when the continue instruction is accepted. A storage unit stores new image data provided by the first or second scan unit corresponding to an additional document until the print instruction is accepted. Then, a print unit prints image data stored in the storage unit during a period starting from when the start instruction is accepted and ending when the print instruction is accepted.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A document copying apparatus comprising:

a first scan unit configured to sequentially transport documents mounted in a document tray to a scan position and scan the documents at the scan position, thereby generating image data corresponding to the documents;
a second scan unit configured to scan a document placed on a document glass plane without transporting the document, thereby generating image data corresponding to the document;
a unit configured to set copy conditions to default conditions;
a unit configured to accept a change instruction or a start instruction specified by a user;
a unit configured to change the copy conditions according to the change instruction;
a unit configured to display the copy conditions;
a first select unit configured to select the first scan unit or the second scan unit according to a predetermined rule when the start instruction is accepted;
a unit configured to cause the scan unit selected by the first select unit to perform a scanning operation under the copy conditions when the start instruction is accepted;
an accept unit configured to accept the change instruction, a continue instruction or a print instruction after:
(i) the first scan unit scans all documents mounted in the document tray, or (ii) the second scan unit scans the document placed on the document glass plane;
a second select unit configured to select the first scan unit or the second scan unit according to the predetermined rule when the continue instruction is accepted;
a unit configured to cause the scan unit selected by the second select unit to perform a scanning operation under the copy conditions when the continue instruction is accepted;
a storage unit;
a storage control unit configured to store in the storage unit newly generated image data corresponding to an additional document, as additional image data subsequent to previously stored image data, wherein the first scan unit or the second scan unit provides the newly generated image data until the accept unit accepts the print instruction;
a print unit;
and
a unit configured to control the print unit to print image data when the print instruction is accepted, wherein the image data is image data stored in the storage unit during a period starting from when the start instruction is accepted and ending when the print instruction is accepted.

14 more elements

A document assembly method for combining a plurality of document scan operations into a single job for printing, comprising:

providing a display screen to a user to initiate a job assembly process;
accepting an inputted command to initiate the job assembly process;
performing a first document scan operation of a first document to obtain and store image data corresponding to the first document, only after accepting the inputted command, using one of:
(i) an automatic document feeder scanning operation in which pages of a document are placed on a document tray and sequentially transported to a glass plane to be scanned, and (ii) a manual feed scanning operation in which a document is placed on a document glass plane to be scanned without transporting the document;
providing one of a command for continuation of document scanning and a command for completion of document scanning, after performing the first document scanning operation;
accepting an instruction from the user for continuation of document scanning using the automatic document feeder scanning operation;
accepting an instruction from the user for continuation of document scanning using the manual feed scanning operation;
performing a second document scan operation of a second document using the automatic document feeder scanning operation or the manual feed scanning operation;
storing newly generated image data corresponding to the second document as additional image data subsequent to previously stored image data;
performing one at least one additional document scan operation of at least one additional document, and storing newly generated image data corresponding to the at least one additional document, until the command for completion of document scanning is provided;
and
printing the image data generated by the first, second and at least one additional document scan operations in response to the command for completion of document scanning.

9 more elements

A document assembly method for combining a plurality of document scan operations into a single job for printing, comprising:

providing a command to initiate a job assembly process;
performing a first document scan operation of a first document to obtain and store image data corresponding to the first document, only after accepting the command to initiate the job assembly process, using one of:
(i) an automatic document feeder scanning operation in which pages of a document are placed on a document tray and sequentially transported to a glass plane to be scanned, and (ii) a manual feed scanning operation in which a document is placed on a document glass plane to be scanned without transporting the document;
providing one of a command for continuation of document scanning and a command for completion of document scanning, after performing the first document scanning operation;
providing a command for continuation of document scanning after receiving a suspension command that suspends an automatic document feeder scanning operation;
performing a second document scan operation of a second document using the automatic document feeder scanning operation or the manual feed scanning operation;
storing newly generated image data corresponding to the second document as additional image data subsequent to previously stored image data;
and
performing at least one additional document scan operation of at least one additional document, and storing newly generated image data corresponding to the at least one additional document, until the command for completion of document scanning is provided;
and
printing the image data generated by the first, second and at least one additional document scan operations in response to the command for completion of document scanning.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.