The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 20, 2008
Filed:
Jan. 12, 2004
Michio Aizawa, Kanagawa, JP;
Tsuyoshi Yagisawa, Kanagawa, JP;
Masayuki Yamada, Kawasaki, JP;
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
Provided are an image forming apparatus and an image forming method in which a decline in the recognition rate of voice recognition ascribable to operating sound during printing can be prevented by starting voice recognition after the printing operation has been suspended. The image forming apparatus is provided with a voice recognition unit () for recognizing entered voice, and a image printing unit () for printing prescribed print information. Whether the image printing unit () is currently printing is discriminated by an image-printing-state holding unit (). Further, a request to start operation of a voice recognition unit () is accepted. If the request to start operation of the voice recognition unit () is accepted during printing of print information by the image printing unit (), then printing of the print information by the image printing unit () is suspended. The state of a voice-recognition-state holding unit () is then changed and the voice recognition unit () starts performing recognition of input voice.