Abstract:
A copier scans an original document and displays the scanned image together with a printing image of the printing paper corresponding to the scanned image. Prior to a copy operation, a printing status of the scanned image to be printed on the printing paper is checked. The user sets a position, a size and an angle of the scanned image on the printing paper. The printing paper is selected by a selecting command input from a user, or the printing paper that is closest to the scanned image in size and position can be automatically selected. The user obtains a correct copy as intended easily even when the size of the original document and the printing paper are different from each other, or when the user only wants to copy a partial image of the scanned image.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2001-68597 filed on Nov. 5, 2001, in the Korean Industrial Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a photocopying apparatus, and more particularly, to a copier having a liquid crystal display displaying a scanned image of a document and a printing image of printing paper and a touch panel adjusting the scanned image and the printing image, and method thereof. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Generally, in order to copy a document having a certain size onto a different sized sheet of paper, a user of a copier usually makes several errors until a correct copy is obtained as the user intends. 
     For example, in order to copy two pages of a book onto one sheet of printing paper, which is different from the pages of the book in size, the user needs to adjust the size and position of a scanned image of the the two pages to the size and position of the printing paper. Conventionally, the user adjusts the size using a series of predetermined manual adjustments in the copier. As to the position of the scanned image, the user has to guess a position of the two pages of the book depending on the experience in the past when the book is placed on a platen glass of the copier. Accordingly, the user has no choice but to repeat until the correct copy is obtained as the user intended. 
     When the document is scanned prior to a copy operation, and thus the differences between the images of the document and the printing paper can be adjusted by the user, the user might obtain the correct copy through the precise adjustments in the size and position without the waste of paper and time for the copy operation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been made to overcome the problems of the related art, and accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a copier informing a user of a printing state of a scanned image of an original document on printing paper, and avoiding an error in a copy operation. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a copier providing a user of the copier with the convenience of dealing with the copier by allowing the user to set the printing state of the scanned image of the original document on the printing paper and to select a type of the printing paper. 
     Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
     These and other objects are achieved by providing a copier including a scanning portion scanning a document, a cartridge containing at least one type of printing paper, an output portion printing a scanned image of the document onto the printing paper, and a display portion displaying the scanned image and a printing image representing a state that the scanned image of the document is printed on the printing paper. 
     Also provided is an input portion enabling a user to input a setting command setting at least one of a position, a size and an angle of the scanned image of the document to be printed on the printing paper. The display portion displays the scanned image of the document in response to the setting command. Through the input portion, the user can set a printing state of the scanned image of the document on the printing paper as the user intends and also selects correct printing paper for printing the set scanned image of the document. Also, the usual problems occurring with the conventional copier, i.e., the waste of time and paper can be avoided. 
     Among various types of printing paper contained in the cartridge, the printing paper having the most similar size as the scanned image of the document is selected, and the printing image corresponding to the printing paper is displayed in the display portion automatically. 
     A sensor is disposed in the scan portion to sense an opening and closing of a cover that covers the document placed on the scanning portion. The display portion displays the scanned image when the sensor detects the closing of the cover. 
     Meanwhile, a method of controlling a copying operation of the copier includes scanning an image of a document, displaying the scanned image of the document and a printing image representing a state that the scanned image of the document is printed on printing paper, inputting a setting command set by a user setting at least one of a position, a size and angle of the scanned image of the document to be printed on the printing paper, re-displaying the scanned image and the printing image in response to the setting command, and outputting the re-displayed scanned image onto the printing paper according to an input of an output start command. In the inputting operation, the setting command is inputted through a touch panel. 
     A partial output command can be inputted to print a partial image of the scanned image of the document, and in the re-displaying operation, the partial image of the scanned image is displayed as a second scanned image in response to the partial output command. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
     FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a copier according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a view showing a screen displayed in a liquid crystal display LCD of the copier of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a flowchart explaining a copying operation control method of the copier of FIG. 1; 
     FIGS. 4 through 6 are flowcharts explaining methods of setting a scanned image of an original document and a printing image of printing paper of the copier of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is a view showing direction keys displayed in the LCD for setting the scanned image of the original document and the printing image of the printing paper of the copier of FIG. 1; and 
     FIGS. 8A through 8E are views explaining the process of setting the images showing the scanned image and the printing image displayed in the LCD of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures. 
     FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a digital copier according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     The digital copier includes a scan portion  10  scanning an image of an original document, a cartridge  20  holding a stack of printing paper, a display portion  30  displaying a scanned image of the original document and a printing image representing a state that the scanned image of the original document is printed on the printing paper, an input portion  40  inputting a user command, an output portion  60  outputting the scanned image of the original document onto the printing paper, and a control portion  70  controlling the scan portion  10 , the cartridge  20 , the display portion  30 , the storing portion, and the output portion  60  according to the user command inputted through the input portion  40 . 
     The scan portion  10  includes a platen glass  11  on which the original document is placed, a cover plate  12  covering the original document placed on the platen glass  11 , a sensor  13  sensing opening/closing of the cover plate  12 , an optical portion  14  and an image extracting portion  15 . When a user places the original document on the platen glass  11  and covers the document with the cover plate  12 , the sensor  13  outputs to the control portion  70  a sensing signal indicating that the cover plate  12  is closed. 
     Then the control portion  70  drives the optical portion  14  to scan the original document. The optical portion  14  emits an optical signal toward the original document placed on the platen glass  11  and receives a scanned signal reflected from the original document. The image extracting portion  15  extracts a scanned image of the original document based on the scanned signal received from the optical portion  14 . 
     The cartridge  20  holds the printing paper on which the printing image corresponding to the scanned image scanned by the scan portion  10  is printed. The cartridge  20  may either contain one type of the printing paper or various types of the printing paper. For example, the cartridge  20  may contain A4, A3, B5 and B3 sized printing paper therein. The cartridge  20  generates paper type signals, and the control portion  70  receives the paper type signals and selects one of the various types of the printing paper on which the scanned image is printed. 
     The display portion  30  includes a liquid crystal display (LCD)  32  displaying the printing image of the printing paper and the scanned image of the original document, and a touch panel  31  enabling the user to input the user command by touching a portion of the touch panel  31  corresponding to the user command. 
     The input portion  40  includes a plurality of input buttons enabling the user to input the user command, such as a setting command, a selecting command and a copy-start command, or the like. The setting command is to set a position, a size and a rotational angle of the scanned image of the original document. The selecting command is to select a desired type or size of the printing paper. When the setting command is inputted, the control portion  70  displays the scanned image of the original document, which is set according to the setting command. When the selecting command is inputted, according to the selecting command, the control portion  70  selects the printing paper, which is closest to the size set by the selecting command, from the cartridge  20  and displays the printing image of the selected printing paper on the LCD device  32 . A process of inputting the setting command and the selecting command will be described in greater detail hereinafter. 
     The user also can input a partial output command through the input portion  40  to print a partial image of the scanned image of the original document on the printing paper. The user can set the partial image from the scanned image as another scanned image by using the same method that is used to set the setting command. 
     Since the display portion  30  includes the touch panel  31 , the user inputs the setting command, the selecting command, and the partial output command through the touch panel by using a touching and dragging method of touching or dragging an appropriate area of the touch panel  31  corresponding to the setting command, the selecting command, and the partial output command. Through the touch panel  31 , the position, the size, and the rotation angle of the scanned image with respect to the printing paper are set and adjusted. Also, the desired size of the printing paper and the partial image of the scanned image are selected or adjusted through the touch panel  31 . The user also may input the user command by the manipulation of the input buttons provided in the input portion  40 . Here, the input buttons may be omitted if only the touch panel is used. Alternatively, the touch panel may be omitted if only the input buttons are used. 
     The memory portion  50  stores first information about the scanned image of the original document and the printing image of the selected printing paper. The memory portion  50  also stores second information about the set scanned images of the original document and the set printing image of the selected printing paper, which are newly set by the user through the touch panel  31  or the input portion  40 . 
     When the user inputs the copy-start command through the input portion  40 , the control portion  70  drives the output portion  60  and thus prints the scanned image of the original document on the printing paper in accordance with the printing image displayed on the LCD  32 . In FIG. 2, the LCD  32  includes a pointer “0”, a display area  33 , and icons  34 . 
     A method of controlling a copy operation of the digital copier according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. 
     First, the user places the original document on the platen glass  11  and covers the original document with the cover plate  12 . When the cover plate  12  closes, the sensor  13  generates the sensing signal to the control portion  70 , indicating the closing of the cover plate  12 . After the cover plate  12  is determined to be closed in operation S 1 , the control portion  70  drives the optical portion  14 . The optical portion  14  emits optical signals onto the original document placed on the platen glass  11  and receives reflected optical signals reflected from the original document. The image extracting portion  15  extracts the scanned image of the original document based on the received optical signals in operation S 2 . 
     The control portion  70  displays the scanned image D of the original document in the display area  33  of the LCD  32  as shown in FIG. 8A in operation S 3 , checks the type or size of the currently selected printing paper contained in the cartridge  20 , and displays the printing image P of the selected printing paper in the LCD  32  as shown in FIG. 8A in operation S 3 . The scanned image D of the original document in the LCD  32  and the image P of the selected printing paper are stored in the memory portion  50 . Once stored in the memory portion  50 , the the stored scanned and printing images serve as reference data to a newly set scanned image of the original document that varies according to the setting command and a newly set printing image of the printing paper that is selected by the selecting command. The newly set scanned and printing images are also stored in the memory portion  50 . Icons  34  are displayed in the LCD  32  to enable the user to select or input functions like a document mode key setting the scanned image of the original document, a printing paper mode key selecting the printing paper, and a partial output mode key printing the partial image of the document. 
     With respect to the scanned image D of the original document and the printing image P of the printing paper displayed in the LCD  32 , the user inputs the setting command and the selecting command by dragging and touching the appropriate area of the touch panel  31  in operations S 4  and S 5 . The control portion  70  displays the scanned image D of the original document and the printing image P of the printing paper in the display area  33  of the LCD  32 . Next, as the user inputs the copy-start command in operation S 7 , the output portion  60  prints the printing image P on the selected printing paper as displayed in the LCD  32  in operation S 8 , that is, the output portion  60  prints the newly set printing image corresponding to the newly set scanned image D of the original document on the selected printing paper in operation S 6 . If the user inputs the copy-start command in operation S 7 , the scanned image D is printed on the printing paper in operation S 8 . 
     The method of setting the scanned and printing images D, P of original document and the printing paper, respectively, in an original document image setting mode and a printing paper selecting mode will be described hereinafter in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 3 through 7 and FIGS. 8A through 8E. 
     FIG. 4 shows a detailed flow chart of document image setting and printing paper selecting operations S 4  and S 5  of FIG.  3 . When the user sets the original document image setting mode in operation S 40 , the scanned image D of the original document and the printing image P of the printing paper are displayed in the display area  33  of the LCD  32 , as shown in FIG. 8A, to allow the user to set the image of the document in operation S 41 . At the same time, the pointer O of the original document is displayed in the display area  33  of the LCD  32  to indicate one of a leading edge, a corner, and a trailing edge of the printing paper. The pointer O of the original document serves as a guide to the user who has to set each position of the scanned and printing images D, P of the original document and the printing paper. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, arrows  35  are displayed on the scanned and printing images D, P of the original document and the printing paper to allow the user to adjust the position, the size and the rotational angle of the scanned and printing images D, P. If the user inputs the printing paper selecting mode, the desired size of the printing paper is selected in operation S 42 . If the user inputs the copy-start command in operation S 7  after the document image setting and printing paper selecting operations S 41  and S 42  have been completed, the scanned image D is printed on the printing paper in operation S 8 . 
     FIG. 5 shows a detailed flow chart of the document image setting and printing paper selecting operations S 41  and S 42  of FIG.  4 . First, for setting the scanned image D of the original document, the user selects the original document setting mode by touching a portion of the touch panel  31  corresponding to an ‘original document’ icon displayed on the display portion  30  in operation S 41 . Accordingly, among the scanned image D of the original document and the printing image P of the printing paper displayed in the LCD  32 , the scanned image D of the original document is displayed on the printing image P of the printing paper. The arrows  35  are displayed at a center and corners of the scanned image D, and the user drags, pushes, or touches the appropriate area of the touch panel  31  to adjust the scanned and printing images D, P. When setting the scanned image D of the original document, first, as shown in FIG. 8B, the user moves the scanned image D of the original document to a desired position by touching and dragging one of the arrows  35  displayed on the scanned image D of the original document in operation S 411  of FIG.  5 . At this time, the control portion  70  traces the touching and dragging of the one of the arrows  35 , calculates a newly set position, i.e., a current position of the scanned image D based on the reference data, and displays the current position of the scanned image D in the LCD  32  in operation S 6  of FIG.  3 . Then the control portion  50  stores new information about the new current position in the memory portion  50  in operation S 411 . 
     Next, the size of the scanned image D of the original document is set in operation S 412  of FIG. 5 by the user touching and dragging the one of the arrows  35  disposed at edges and apexes of the scanned image D, as shown in FIG. 8C, to adjust the size of the scanned image D to a desirable size or a desired ratio with respect to the printing paper. As shown in FIG. 7, by touching and dragging one of the arrows  35  at a horizontal or vertical edge, the size of the scanned image D is extended in a corresponding direction. By dragging the one of the arrows  35  at one of the apexes of the scanned image D, two adjoining sides of the scanned image are extended accordingly. In this way, a frame of the scanned image D is adjusted to be smaller or larger. At this time, the control portion  70  traces the touching and dragging of each of the arrows  35 , calculates the size of a newly set frame of the scanned image based on the reference data of the scanned image D stored in the storing portion  50 , displays the calculated result in the LCD  32 , and stores the new calculated information about the new scanned image D in the memory portion  50  in operation S 412 . 
     Further, the rotational angle of the scanned image D is adjusted in operation S 413  of FIG.  5 . First, the user selects a “rotation” icon from the icons displayed on the LCD  32  and touches and drags one of the apexes of the scanned image frame in a circular direction as shown in FIG.  8 D. Accordingly, the scanned image D is rotated, and the output direction of the scanned image D is set. At this time, the control portion  70  traces the rotation of the scanned image D of the original document, calculates a new direction of the scanned image D with respect to the reference data of the scanned image D as stored in the memory portion in operation S 413  of FIG. 5, displays in operation S 6  the rotated scanned image D in the LCD  32 , and stores new information about the rotated scanned image D in the memory portion  50  in operation S 413 . 
     After setting the position, the size and the rotational angles or a printing direction of the scanned image D of the original document in operations S 411 , S 412 , and S 413  of FIG. 5, the user may select the printing paper by adjusting the printing image P of the printing paper in operation  42  of FIG.  4 . Before the user sets the scanned image, the user may select the printing paper. 
     More specifically, if the user selects the “printing paper” icon, i.e., in the printing paper selecting mode selecting the type of the printing paper, the printing image P of the printing paper is displayed on the scanned image D of the original document on the LCD  32 . As shown in FIG. 7, arrows  35  are indicated on the printing image P of the printing paper to enable the user to adjust the position, the size and the rotational angle or the printing direction of the scanned image. The position and the rotational angle of the printing images are set by the same method that is used above in order to set the position and the rotational angle of the scanned image D of the original document. The only difference is that, when the user touches and drags the arrows  35  on the printing image P of the printing paper and thus sets the printing image P to a predetermined size, the control portion  70  selects the printing paper, which is closest to the set printing image P) in size, contained in the cartridge  20 , and displays the selected printing paper on the LCD  32  in operation S 6  of FIG.  3 . 
     Finally, when the user double-clicks on the scanned image D of the original document on the LCD  32  and thus inputs the operation-start command in operation S 7 , the control portion  70  prints the set scanned image D of the original document on the selected printing paper in operation S 8  of FIG.  3 . 
     Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 8E, when copying the partial image of the scanned image D of the original document, the user sets the partial output mode and sets a desired partial image DA from the scanned image D. The partial image DA of the scanned image D is set by the same method that sets the size of the scanned image D of the original document. More specifically, the partial image DA of the scanned image D is set by touching and dragging the arrows  35  indicated at the edges and apexes of the partial image DA of the scanned image D. 
     In FIG. 6, when the user selects a desired size of the scanned image or the printing paper, a certain size of printing paper, which is closest to the desired size of the scanned image or the printing paper, is automatically selected if the desired size of the printing paper is not available in the copier, and information about the certain size of the printing paper, which is the most similar size of the desired size, is stored in the storing portion  50  in operation S 422 . With the automatic selection of the certain size of the printing paper, the position and rotational angle of the scanned image may be set and stored in operations S 421  and S 423 . 
     As described above, the user checks the size of the scanned image D of the original document and the printing image P of the printing paper through the display prior to the copy operation, and accordingly, a waste of paper and time during the copy operation can be avoided. Also, since the user sets and selects the scanned image D and the printing image P of the printing paper by adjusting the position, the size and the rotational angle or the printing direction through the touch panel  31  by the user touching and dragging, the user uses the copier with greater convenience. 
     According to the present invention, first, the scanned image D of the original document and the printing image P of the printing paper are displayed in the display so that the user knows the position and the size of the original document and the printing paper. Accordingly, the waste of time and paper can be avoided. Second, since the user is enabled to set the position, the size and the rotational angle of the scanned image D of the original document and the printing image P of the printing paper prior to the copy operation, the user can use the copier with greater convenience. 
     Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.