US5107339A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for stream printing in an electronic reprographic device
Assignee: Xerox Corp
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Filing: 1990-09-28
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Granted: 1992-04-21
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Expires: 2010-09-28
Abstract
Abstract A print job processing method and apparatus for use in an electronic reprographic system are described. Original documents of a job to be printed are scanned to provide signals for storage. The signals are transferred to a printer for print generation. An optimum time to commence printer operation is automatically determined in accordance with at least one of the number of original documents, the thickness of original documents, scanner speed, printer speed, and number of print jobs in the system. The optimum time is determined such that the maximum overlap is achieved between scanner operation and printer operation.
Inventors
- 👤 Alfred L. Bertoni
- 👤 John L. Rourke
- 👤 Kurt T. Knodt
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 23:00
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/32; H04N1/32358; H04N1/32443; H04N1/00912; H04N1/00931; H04N1/00954; H04N1/32561; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/0077; H04N2201/0081; H04N2201/0082; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3285; H04N2201/3288
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
79 words
A method of processing a print job in an electronic reprographic system, comprising the steps of: scanning a set of original documents which comprise the print job; converting the scanned documents to electronic signals; storing said electronic signals for print generation; and commencing printing of the stored electronic signals during scanning of said set of original documents to minimize a time period between completion of scanning of said original documents and completion of printing of the stored electronic signals.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
79 words
A method of processing a print job in an electronic reprographic system, comprising the steps of: scanning a set of original documents which comprise the print job; converting the scanned documents to electronic signals; storing said electronic signals for print generation; and commencing printing of the stored electronic signals during scanning of said set of original documents to minimize a time period between completion of scanning of said original documents and completion of printing of the stored electronic signals.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: automatically determining an optimum time to commence printing of the stored electronic signals during the scanning of the set of original documents; and commencing printing of the job at the determined optimum time.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of commencing printing during scanning include the step of ensuring that a last document in said set of original documents is canned before printing of said last document.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of commencing printing during scanning includes a step of ensuring that storing of a last document in said set to be scanned is completed before printing of said last document.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
84 words
An apparatus for processing a print job in an electronic reprographic system, comprising: means for scanning a set of original documents which comprise the print job; means for converting the scanned documents to electronic signals; means for storing said electronic signals for print generation; and means for commencing printing of the stored electronic signals during scanning of said set of original documents to minimize a time period between completion of scanning of said original documents and completion of printing of the stored electronic signals.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
84 words
An apparatus for processing a print job in an electronic reprographic system, comprising: means for scanning a set of original documents which comprise the print job; means for converting the scanned documents to electronic signals; means for storing said electronic signals for print generation; and means for commencing printing of the stored electronic signals during scanning of said set of original documents to minimize a time period between completion of scanning of said original documents and completion of printing of the stored electronic signals.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising means for automatically determining an optimum time to commence printing of the stored electronic signals during the scanning of the set of original documents; and means for commencing printing of the job at the determined optimum time.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the means for commencing printing during scanning includes means for ensuring that a last document in said set of original documents is scanned before printing of said last document.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the means for commencing printing during scanning includes means for ensuring that storing of a last document in said set to be scanned is completed before printing of said last document.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
84 words
A method of processing print jobs in an electronic reprographic system, comprising the steps of: scanning a set of original documents which comprise a print job; converting the scanned documents to electronic signals; storing said electronic signals for print generation; and automatically determining an optimum time to commence printing of the stored electronic signals during the scanning of the set of original documents such that scanning of said set will be completed before printing will be completed to maximize overlap of scanning and printing.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
84 words
A method of processing print jobs in an electronic reprographic system, comprising the steps of: scanning a set of original documents which comprise a print job; converting the scanned documents to electronic signals; storing said electronic signals for print generation; and automatically determining an optimum time to commence printing of the stored electronic signals during the scanning of the set of original documents such that scanning of said set will be completed before printing will be completed to maximize overlap of scanning and printing.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of commencing printing of the job at the determined optimum time.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of automatically determining the optimum time to commence printing includes the step of determining an approximate number of original documents being scanned.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of automatically determining the optimum time to commence printing includes the step of determining a thickness of the original documents to be scanned.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of automatically determining the optimum time to commence printing includes the step of determining a speed of scanning of original documents.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of automatically determining the optimum time to commence printing includes the step of determining a speed of printing of the job.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of automatically determining the optimum time to commence printing includes the step of determining a number of jobs existing in the electronic reprographic system.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of: disabling the optimum time determination such that printing of the job is not commenced until scanning is completed.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 9, wherein the step of automatically determining ensures that storing of a last document in said set to be scanned is completed before printing of said last document.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
115 words
An apparatus for processing a print job in an electronic reprographic system, comprising: means for scanning a set of original documents which comprise the print job; means for converting the scanned documents to electronic signals, said converting means being connected to said scanning means; means for storing said electronic signals for print generation; means for printing the job; and means for automatically determining an optimum time to commence operation of the printing means during the scanning of the set of original documents, and for ensuring that scanning of the documents by said scanning means is completed before operation of said printing means is completed to maximize overlap of scanning means operation and printing means operation.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
115 words
An apparatus for processing a print job in an electronic reprographic system, comprising: means for scanning a set of original documents which comprise the print job; means for converting the scanned documents to electronic signals, said converting means being connected to said scanning means; means for storing said electronic signals for print generation; means for printing the job; and means for automatically determining an optimum time to commence operation of the printing means during the scanning of the set of original documents, and for ensuring that scanning of the documents by said scanning means is completed before operation of said printing means is completed to maximize overlap of scanning means operation and printing means operation.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising: means for commencing operation of said printing means at said determined optimum time.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein: said determining means includes means or detecting an approximate number of original documents to be scanned by said scanning means.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein: said determining means includes means for determining an approximate thickness of original documents scanned by said scanning means.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein: said determining means includes means for determining a speed at which said scanning means scans the set of original documents.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein: said determining means includes means for determining a speed at which said printing means prints the job.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein: said determining means includes means for determining a number of print jobs existing in he electronic reprographic system.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus as recited in claim 18, further comprising: means for disabling the determining means such that operation of said printing means is not commenced until completion of scanning by said scanning means.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the determining means includes means for ensuring that a last document in said set is stored before printing of said last document.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-04-21 | 1995-10-21 | 1996-04-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-04-21 | 1999-10-21 | 2000-04-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-04-21 | 2003-10-21 | 2004-04-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |