Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Naoyuki Kamei

Yoshiaki Ibuchi

Sohichi Yoshimura

Mitsuru Ogura

Masakazu Suzuki

Michiaki Nishimura

Yoshifumi Maitani

Yoshinori Hayashi

Masanobu Deguchi

Fumikazu Nagano

Toshiaki Kobayashi

Akira Tamagaki

Minoru Tomiyori

Yasushi Matsutomo

Motohiro Hayashi

Hidenori Ohnishi

Kouichi Eto

Koichi Eto

Takahiro Minami

Kimiko Watanabe

Kazushi Yamaneki

Yoshio Mizuyama

Hiroki Kinoshita

Kouichi Etoh

Takeshi Ibuki

Hiroki Etoh

Atushi Saito

Naoto Harada

Yoshigumi Maitani

A user machine is made aware of a need for communication to update a version of a firmware by communication from a service center (a notification that the latest version has been released). After shutting off this communication once, communication is carried out between the official service center and the user machine by the user machine commencing communication with the official service center, the contact information of which is stored, and the service center provides information for updating the new version to the user machine in this communication state.

Communication method and communication system, and information receiving device used in the communication system

A CPU includes a bus interface, a control unit, an instruction cache, a data cache, a secondary cache, an instruction decoder, an arithmetic unit, and registers. When operations can be performed only with the cache, the CPU inhibits access to external memory and stops power supply to the external memory. With this arrangement, by performing operations in the CPU without using the external memory, it is possible to realize a speedy processing and to stop power supply to the external memory, thus allowing for reduction in power consumption.

CPU, information processing device including the CPU, and controlling method of CPU

It is an object of the invention to allow effective use of a memory provided for each function in a complex image processing apparatus including a facsimile apparatus, to increase the reception capacity of a memory reception function when the apparatus works as a facsimile apparatus and to enable sorting of received facsimile data. In the complex image processing apparatus, facsimile data received via a modem section is accumulated in a memory for facsimile. Under predetermined conditions, the facsimile data in the memory for facsimile are grouped, rearranged and transferred to a memory for copier and a memory for printer. Conditions for causing data rearrangement and transfer may be set such that they occur when a predetermined time passes after the beginning of the operation of the memory reception function or such that they occur when the remaining capacity of the memory for facsimile comes to a predetermined capacity. Grouping can be carried out based on the telephone numbers of senders and the like during rearrangement of facsimile data.

Complex image processing apparatus

An image forming apparatus is provided which is capable of storing image data regardless of remaining free area of a memory associated with a specified function. The digital image forming apparatus comprises a facsimile memory for storing transmission/reception data by a memory transmission/reception function of a facsimile, a copying memory for storing copying data by a copying/printing function or externally inputted data, and a compression/expansion converting section which converts transmission/reception data stored in the facsimile memory by the memory transmission/reception function into data suitable for communication via a communication line, wherein a CPU working as storage control means is disposed which, when storing data by one function of a plurality of functions into a memory associated with the function, stores the data into a memory associated with another function in the case where all the data cannot be stored into the associated memory.

Image forming apparatus

A printing apparatus includes a print head section having a nozzle for discharging ink; a paper feed section for feeding paper in a paper feed direction; a movement section for reciprocally moving the print head along a track formed in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction; a maintenance section for performing a maintenance operation on the nozzle; a case for accommodating the above-mentioned sections; a cover attached to the case in an openable and closable manner; a detection section for detecting open and closed states of the cover and outputting detection signals representative of the open and closed states of the cover; and a control section for controlling drive of the movement section and the maintenance section according to the detection signals output by the detection section. The maintenance section includes two maintenance stations mounted on both ends of the track, and the control section gives an instruction such that the print head moving to one of the maintenance stations is stopped at a stop position established on the track, in response to the detection signal representative of the open state of the cover.

Printing apparatus

Images are formed in the S-D and D-D modes and sheets of recording paper after image formation are arranged in accordance with the order of pages. A document of an odd-numbered page placed on a paper feeding tray in a document transport part is fed to an image reading part and an image is read and stored into a RAM. Subsequently, a document of an even-numbered page is fed and an image is read. A sheet of recording paper housed in a paper feeding cassette is transported to an image forming part and the image is formed on one of the surfaces of the sheet of recording paper. Further, the sheet of recording paper is transported to a path, turned upside down, and transported again to the image forming part. The image stored in the RAM is read out and formed on the other surface of the sheet of recording paper. Finally, the sheet of recording paper is transported with the other surface facing downward and ejected to an output tray. By repeating the operation, the sheets of recording paper can be ejected in accordance with the order of pages.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method

A backup memory has a plural number of pages (e.g., page , page . . . ) including machine-status data. Each page stores machine-status data such as the number of prints, machine usage information data, machine condition data, accounting information data, etc. The machine-status data has a HEAD portion and a DATA portion including DATA , DATA and DATA . The HEAD portion designates the latest written position of the above three pieces of DATA portion. For example, if data is last written into DATA in the DATA portion, the HEAD portion should take a value of 3. The DATA portions are interrelated to each other.

Data management method for backup memory

A lamp power supply circuit for an image forming device, which is not provided with a full-wave rectifier and any additional noise reducing circuit but is capable of effectively suppressing inrush current not to produce noise that may cause erroneous operation of the image forming device and affect any external appliance. A lamp lighting control system for use in an image forming device, which can realize soft-starting of an exposure lamp or a fixing heater-lamp by gradually increasing a conducting angle .beta..sub.i (i=0, 1 . . . ) for applying a voltage to a lamp through phase control of an AC power-supply voltage V.sub.AC for an initial period of energizing the exposure lamp or the fixing heater-lamp. Wherein, the conducting angle is gradually increased per even-number unit of cycles of AC power-supply voltage V.sub.AC on the condition that even numbers of cycles in the same unit have the same conducting angle, e.g., .beta..sub.0 =.beta..sub.1 &lt;.beta..sub.2 =.beta..sub.3 &lt;.beta..sub.4 =.beta..sub.5 &lt;.beta..sub.6 =.beta..sub.7 &lt; . . . &lt;.beta..sub.16 =.beta..sub.17.

Soft-starting system for a lamp in an image forming device or the like

When copying is automatically started using an automatic original document feeder, an automatic start operation is prohibited after an original document jam is eliminated. When copying operations are interrupted due to an original document jam during the copying operation, an automatic original document feeder is opened and a jammed original document is removed, and the automatic original document feeder is closed again and the original document jam is eliminated, in the case that there still is an original document remaining in the automatic original document feeder after the original document jam is eliminated. An automatic start prohibiting flag is turned on. Conversely, when there is no original document remaining in such a manner, the automatic start prohibiting flag is turned off. Thus, even when there is an original document remaining in the automatic original document feeder after the original document jam is eliminated, the automatic start operation upon detection of an original document is prohibited so that a time for setting the jammed original document which is removed once again is ensured.

Automatic document feeder

In an adjustment mode, a black reference member is positioned opposite to a photosensor. Light reception data output from an A/D converter at this time is stored in a memory. In an image formation mode, based on a value obtained by subtracting output data stored in the memory from output data of the A/D converter in a state where the photosensor is opposite to an original, a copy lamp is driven. As a result, an image mode can be controlled based on an accurate detection result of an image density.

Image forming apparatus capable of controlling amount of light of light

An image forming apparatus includes a drum having a hollow polyhedron cylinder of which facets have windows. A liquid crystal cell is attached to each window of the drum for receiving image light from out side the drum on the one surface thereof to pick up a document image therein, and for receiving second light on the back surface thereof inside the drum to cause the image to be read out. The drum is rotated so that the liquid crystal cell provided on each window of the drum can sequentially receive first light reflected by the document on the one surface thereof out side the drum and second light irradiated by a second irradiating device on the back surface thereof inside the drum. A photoreceptor for receiving second light reflected by the back surface of the liquid crystal cell forms an electrostatic latent image corresponding to a document image, which is developed, transferred onto a copy paper and fixed.

Copying apparatus having liquid crystal cells

A document platen driving device is provided with an endless gear connected to a document platen, whereon a document is placed, which reciprocates. A sun gear is secured to a fixed station within a space surrounded by the endless rack, and a planetary gear meshing with the endless rack and with the sun gear is also provided within the space. The planetary gear is a double gear composed of a large gear and a small gear having different pitch circle diameters. It is arranged such that the document platen is moved forward by meshing the small gear with the endless rack, and moved backward by meshing the large gear with the endless rack. In this arrangement, the backward moving speed of the document platen can be set faster than the forward moving speed, thereby permitting a reduction of the entire time required for a copying process, especially for a successive copying process.

Document platen driving device

A document platen on which a document is placed is movably installed on the main body of a copying machine. A motor for producing a driving force is provided. An input gear to which the driving force is transmitted is located in a fixed position. A planetary gear is positioned such that it engages with and moves around the input gear. An endless gear is connected to the document platen. The endless gear has internal teeth in the form of a closed loop which engages with the planetary gear. When the planetary gear, which engages with both the input gear and the endless gear, moves around the input gear once, one reciprocating movement of the document platen is caused. With this configuration, since there is no need to provide a switching mechanism including clutches and solenoids that is used in a conventional device, the number of components is reduced, and thereby decreasing the manufacturing costs.

Driving device for a document platen and copying machine incorporating a

A pressure development method is achieved by passing a sheet bearing a latent image through a pair of press rollers under non-pressure, stopping the conveyance of the sheet when an area of the sheet corresponding to the forward end of the latent image thereof reaches the nip between the pair of press rollers, applying pressure to the press rollers nipping the sheet, and rotating the press rollers so as to feed the sheet.

Pressure development method

A copying machine using a slide projector, in which the slide projector is situated such that its light path does not coincide with that of the optical device so as to secure a smooth circulation of cooling air through the copying machine. The lack of coincidence of the optical paths is compensated by adjusting the position of a photosensitive sheet with respect to that of an exposure plate so as to effect the reliable formation of an image whether light is reflected from a document placed on a document table or projected through a slidefilm by a slide projector.

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Nara, Japan

Naoyuki Kamei