Patent ID: 6421135
Filing Date: 2002-07-16
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A method of operating a multiple function document device comprising the steps of:providing an image forming device having a single print engine and memory resources; providing a scanning device coupled with the image forming device; storing page description language data representing a print job from a host computer in the memory and storage resources; communicating the print job to the print engine, printing said print job on media, and outputting said media to a print job bin; sensing a request from a walk-up copier user to scan and print a document representing a copy job, said sensing occurring during said printing of the print job; determining whether sufficient of said memory and storage resources are available to print said print job and said copy job simultaneously; and if sufficient memory and storage resources are available, then proceeding to simultaneously print both said print job and said copy job by alternating between print job pages and copy job pages by repeating a pattern of printing a page of the print job and then one page of the copy job; and if sufficient memory and storage resources are not available, interrupting said print job at a page boundary, saving print job description language data remaining after the interrupted page boundary and saving print job page status to the memory and storage resources, forwarding the copy job to the print engine and printing the copy job on media and outputting said media to a copy job bin, and, at the end of printing of the copy job, resuming printing of the print job at the interrupted boundary page.