Color copying apparatus and method

Claim 1

A copying apparatus, comprising: a table for mounting an original; a photoreceptor; first latent electrostatic image forming means for forming a first latent electrostatic image on said photoreceptor based on a image of said original; means for supplying electric signal indicative of additional information; second latent electrostatic image forming means for forming a second latent electrostatic image on said photoreceptor based on said electric signal; a plurality of developing means containing toners of different colors for turning said latent electrostatic images formed on said photoreceptor into toner images; first designating means for designating a color of a toner by which the first latent electrostatic image formed by said first latent electrostatic image forming means is to be developed; second designating means for designating a color of a toner by which the second latent electrostatic image formed by said second latent electrostatic image forming means is to be developed; transferring means for transferring the toner images on said photoreceptor onto a sheet of copy paper at a transferring position; paper re-feeding means for feeding again the sheet of paper on which the toner images have been transferred to said transferring position; means for determining whether or not said color of the toner designated by said first designating means is the same as said color of the toner designated by the second designating means; first controlling means controlling the copying apparatus such that said first and second latent electrostatic images are simultaneously formed by said first and second latent electrostatic image forming means on said photoreceptor, developed by the toner of said designated color to be transferred onto said sheet of copy paper, when the colors of the toners designated by said first and second designated means are the same; and second controlling means for controlling the copying apparatus such that said latent electrostatic image is formed by either one of said first and second latent electrostatic image forming means, developed by the toner of said designated color to be transferred onto said sheet of copy paper, thereafter said sheet of copy paper is again fed to the transferring position by said paper re-feeding means, and the latent electrostatic image is formed by the other one of said latent electrostatic image forming means, developed by the toner of said designated color to be transferred onto said sheet of paper fed again to said transferring position, when the colors of the toners designated by said first and second designating means are different from each other.

Claim 6

A method for copying images, comprising the steps of: forming a first latent electrostatic image on a photoreceptor based on an image of an original; forming a second latent electrostatic image on a photoreceptor based on an electric signal indicative of additional information; designating a first color of a toner by which said first latent electrostatic image is to be developed; designating a second color of a toner by which said second latent electrostatic image is to be developed; determining whether or not said first and second colors of the toner are the same; simultaneously forming said first and second latent electrostatic images on the photoreceptor and developing the same by said designated first color of the toner to transfer the same on a copy paper, when said first and second colors of the toners are the same; and forming said first latent electrostatic image on said photoreceptor, developing the same by said first color of the toner, transferring the same on said sheet of copy paper, forming said second latent electrostatic image, developing the same by said second color of the toner and transferring the same on said sheet of copy paper on which said first color of the toner has been transferred, when said first color of the toner is different from said second color of the toner.

Claim 7

A method for copying images, comprising the steps of: forming a first latent electrostatic image on a photoreceptor based on an image of an original; forming a second latent electrostatic image on a photoreceptor based on an electric signal indicative of additional information; designating a first color of a toner by which said first latent electrostatic image is to be developed; designating a second color of a toner by which said second latent electrostatic image is to be developed; determining whether or not said first and second colors of the toner are the same; simultaneously forming said first and second latent electrostatic images on the photoreceptor and developing the same by said designated first color of the toner to transfer the same on a copy paper, when said first and second colors of the toners are the same; and forming said first latent electrostatic image on said photoreceptor, developing the same by said first color of the toner, transferring the same on said sheet of copy paper, forming said second latent electrostatic image, developing the same by said second color of the toner and transferring the same on said sheet of copy paper on which said first color of the toner has been transferred, when said first color of the toner is different from said second color of the toner.

Claim 8

A method for copying images for forming an image of an original and an image of additional information in association with said image of the original on a sheet of copy paper, comprising the steps of: forming a first latent electrostatic image on a photoreceptor based on the image of said original; designating an area on which said additional information is to be written on said photoreceptor; erasing charges on the area on which said additional information is to be written of the first latent electrostatic image formed on said photoreceptor; developing said first latent electrostatic image in a first color of a toner to transfer the same on said sheet of copy paper; forming a second latent electrostatic image on said photoreceptor based on an electric signal indicative of said additional information; and developing said second latent electrostatic image by a second color of a toner to transfer the same on said sheet of copy paper on which the first color of the toner has been transferred.

Claim 9

A method for copying images for forming an image of an original and an image of additional information in association with said image of the original on a sheet of copy paper, comprising the steps of: forming a first latent electrostatic image on a photoreceptor based on the image of said original; designating an area on which said additional information is to be written on said photoreceptor; erasing charges on the area on which said additional information is to be written of the first latent electrostatic image formed on said photoreceptor; developing said first latent electrostatic image in a first color of a toner to transfer the same on said sheet of copy paper; forming a second latent electrostatic image on said photoreceptor based on an electric signal indicative of said additional information; and developing said second latent electrostatic image by a second color of a toner to transfer the same on said sheet of copy paper on which the first color of the toner has been transferred.