Patent Abstract:
An image forming apparatus includes an input unit, a display unit, an image forming unit, a storage unit, a first-page print execution information setting unit, and a print control unit. The first-page print execution information setting unit stores information in the storage unit. The information relates to execution of printing the first page of a job on a sheet on a manual feed tray. If printing on a long nonstandard-size sheet is selected, the print control unit causes the display unit to display an indication prompting a user to identify the sheet size and requests the image forming unit to start printing the sheet on the manual feed tray after a print start instruction. If the information is stored in the storage unit, the print control unit skips the step of displaying the indication and requests the image forming unit to start the printing on the sheet on the manual feed tray.

Full Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
     This application is based upon, and claims the benefit of priority from, corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-190311, filed on Aug. 30, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Unless otherwise indicated herein, the description in this section is not prior art to the claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section. 
     The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus for printing on a sheet that is placed on a manual feed tray. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus for printing on long nonstandard-size sheets. 
     At times it is necessary to print on a long nonstandard-size sheet using an image forming apparatus to create, for example, point of purchase (“POP”) advertising. In this case, a user places a long nonstandard-size sheet on a manual feed tray and specifies the size of the sheet using an operation panel. The user performs printing by pressing a print start button. 
     The preset temperature for a fixing device that fixes a toner image transferred to the sheet by heating and pressure application is properly set in an automatic manner based on the sheet size and type specified by the user. If the size of the sheet placed on the manual feed tray differs from the specified sheet size, a problem arises in that the preset temperature for the fixing device differs from the temperature suited for the sheet to be actually subjected to printing. This problem leads to an increased load on the apparatus or contamination inside the apparatus. 
     One approach to address this problem is a method of displaying a screen for requesting a user to identify the size of a sheet when the sheet is placed on a manual feed tray and not allowing printing to be performed unless the user replies to the request. However, when the printing is to be sequentially performed on a plurality of sheets, the user must identify the size of a sheet every time the sheet is placed on the manual feed tray. This operation is burdensome and annoying to the user. 
     SUMMARY 
     An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an input unit, a display unit, an image forming unit, a storage unit, a first-page print execution information setting unit, and a print control unit. The first-page print execution information setting unit is configured to store information in the storage unit. The information relates to execution of printing the first page of a print job on a sheet placed on a manual feed tray. If printing on a long nonstandard-size sheet is selected through the input unit, the print control unit is configured to cause the display unit to display an indication that prompts a user to identify a sheet size of the sheet and requests the image forming unit to start printing the sheet on the manual feed tray in response to an instruction to start printing from the input unit. If the information relating to execution of printing the first page is stored in the storage unit, the print control unit is configured to skip the step of displaying the indication that prompts the user to identify the sheet size on the display unit and to request the image forming unit to start the printing on the sheet placed on the manual feed tray. 
     A printing method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is a printing method of printing on a long nonstandard-size sheet. The printing method includes selecting and inputting printing on a long nonstandard-size sheet, storing information relating to printing the first page of a print job on a sheet placed on a manual feed tray, displaying an indication that prompts a user to identify a sheet size of the sheet on a display unit and requesting an image forming unit to start printing for the sheet on the manual feed tray in response to an instruction to start the printing if printing on a long nonstandard-size sheet is selected, and skipping the step of displaying the indication that prompts the user to identify the sheet size on the display unit and requesting the image forming unit to start the printing on the sheet placed on the manual feed tray if the information relating to execution of printing the first page is stored. 
     Additional features and advantages are described herein, and will be apparent from the following Detailed Description and the figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       In the accompanying drawings: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  show perspective views that illustrate an image forming apparatus and describe an operation occurring in printing on a long nonstandard-size sheet on a manual feed tray; 
         FIG. 2  shows a schematic functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus; 
         FIG. 3  shows a schematic flow chart that illustrates a process performed by a fixing-device temperature setting unit; and 
         FIG. 4  shows a schematic flow chart that illustrates a process performed by a print control unit. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Example apparatus and method are described herein. Other example embodiments or features may further be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof. 
     An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. 
     The situation where an image forming apparatus  10  illustrated in  FIG. 1A  prints on a long nonstandard-size sheet will be described. A user specifies various settings by manipulating an operation panel  11 . At this time, the user selects a long nonstandard-size sheet as the sheet size and enters its size. 
     The back of a manual feed tray  12  constitutes a part of a side of the image forming apparatus  10 .  FIG. 1A  illustrates the closed state of the manual feed tray  12 . The user pulls out the upper end of the manual feed tray  12  in this state and makes the manual feed tray  12  pivot about its lower end by 90 degrees. Then the user extends an auxiliary tray at the tip of the manual feed tray  12  and brings the manual feed tray  12  into the position illustrated in  FIG. 1B . The user places a long sheet on the manual feed tray  12 . 
     The image forming apparatus  10  detects the placement of the sheet using a sensor. When the user wants to copy, he or she places a long original on an original tray  13  of an automatic document feeder in the upper portion of the image forming apparatus  10 . Then the user presses a start button on the operation panel  11  to starts the copying process. 
       FIG. 2  shows a schematic functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus  10 . 
     The operation panel  11  includes an input unit  110  and a display unit  111 . An image forming unit  20  includes a scanner  21 , a print engine  22 , a sheet conveying mechanism  23 , and a fixing device  24 . 
     The scanner  21  converts an image on the original into electronic form to obtain electronic image data. The print engine  22  creates an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum based on the electronic image data. The print engine  22  develops the electrostatic latent image using toner and transfers the toner image on the sheet. The sheet conveying mechanism  23  feeds the sheet in a paper feed cassette or on the manual feed tray  12  to the print engine  22 , feeds the sheet with the image transferred thereon by the print engine  22  to the fixing device  24 , and ejects the sheet that has passed through the fixing device  24 . The fixing device  24  fixes the transferred image on the sheet by heating and pressure application. A sheet size and type temperature setting table  25  holds preset temperatures for the fixing device  24  based on sheet sizes and types. Examples of the sheet types include plain paper, high-quality paper, recycled paper, thin paper, and thick paper. 
     A user interface (“UI”) unit  30  displays a setting screen with a predetermined value on the display unit  111  in response to manipulation on the input unit  110  by the user. The UI unit  30  updates the predetermined value with a specified value in response to manipulation on the input unit  110  by the user, retains the updated value, and updates the displayed value. When the sheet size is specified by the user, the UI unit  30  calls up a fixing-device temperature setting unit  26  in the image forming unit  20 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a schematic flow chart that illustrates a process performed by the fixing-device temperature setting unit  26 . In the following description, the letters between brackets indicate the identification reference number of a step. 
     (S 0 ) The UI unit  30  determines whether printing on a long nonstandard-size sheet has been selected by the user. If the printing on the long nonstandard-size sheet has not been selected, the process proceeds to step S 1 . If the printing on the long nonstandard-size sheet has been selected, the process proceeds to step S 2 . At this time, the UI unit  30  retains information indicating that the printing on the long nonstandard-size sheet has been selected. 
     (S 1 ) The UI unit  30  calls up the fixing-device temperature setting unit  26 , refers to the sheet size and type temperature setting table  25 , and reads a preset temperature corresponding to the specified sheet size and type. The fixing-device temperature setting unit  26  sets this temperature for the fixing device  24 . The process illustrated in  FIG. 3  is completed. 
     (S 2 ) The UI unit  30  determines whether the specified value of the sheet size differs from the last specified value of the sheet size (including a specified value for a standard size). If the specified value of the sheet size differs from the last specified value, the process proceeds to step S 3 . If the specified value of the sheet size is the same as the last specified value, the process illustrated in  FIG. 3  is completed. 
     (S 3 ) The fixing-device temperature setting unit  26  calculates the preset temperature for the fixing device  24  using a predetermined computational expression based on the sheet type, width (sheet width in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction), and length (sheet length in the sheet feeding direction). The fixing-device temperature setting unit  26  sets the temperature of the fixing device  24  at the calculated temperature. 
     (S 4 ) The fixing-device temperature setting unit  26  substitutes the initial value zero into a flag F. Then the process illustrated in  FIG. 3  is completed. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , a print control unit  31  controls the image forming unit  20  based on information indicating that the printing on the long nonstandard-size sheet has been selected retained in the UI unit  30 , the value of the flag F, an instruction to start printing from the input unit  110  through the UI unit  30 , and a notification of completion of ejecting paper from the image forming unit  20 , as described below. 
       FIG. 4  shows a schematic flow chart that illustrates a process performed by the print control unit  31 . This process begins in response to an instruction to start printing or a notification of completion of ejecting paper. 
     (S 10 ) If information indicating that printing on a long nonstandard-size sheet has been selected is stored, the process proceeds to step S 11 . If not, the process proceeds to step S 15 . 
     (S 11 ) If the value of the flag F is one, the process proceeds to step S 14 . If not, the process proceeds to step S 12 . For a new print job on a long nonstandard-size sheet, because the value of F becomes zero at step S 4  in  FIG. 3 , the determination at step S 11  is NO, and the process proceeds to step S 12 . 
     (S 12 ) The print control unit  31  causes the display unit  111  to display an indication that prompts the user to identify the setting of the sheet size through the UI unit  30 . When the user presses the start button on the input unit  110 , the indication disappears, and the process proceeds to step S 13 . 
     (S 13 ) The print control unit  31  substitutes one into the flag F. 
     (S 14 ) If a manual feed tray sheet detecting unit  32  has detected the placement of the sheet on the manual feed tray  12 , the process proceeds to step S 15 . If the manual feed tray sheet detecting unit  32  has not detected the sheet, the process illustrated in  FIG. 4  is completed. 
     In the latter case, when the user places a new sheet on the manual feed tray  12  and presses the start button on the input unit  110 , an instruction to start printing is provided to the print control unit  31 , and the process illustrated in  FIG. 4  starts again. When the process illustrated in  FIG. 4  restarts, the process proceeds from step S 10  to step S 11 . If the setting of the sheet size is not changed, because the process illustrated in  FIG. 3  is not performed, the process proceeds from step S 11  to step S 14  to step S 15 . 
     (S 15 ) The print control unit  31  provides the image forming unit  20  with an instruction to print one page of a next original. 
     In response to this instruction, the image forming unit  20  carries out the following control. The sheet conveying mechanism  23  feeds a single original on the original tray  13  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The scanner  21  reads the image of the feed original. The print engine  22  performs developing and transferring based on the read image data. At this time, the sheet conveying mechanism  23  feeds the sheet on the manual feed tray  12  to the print engine  22 , and feeds the sheet with the image transferred thereon by the print engine  22  to the fixing device  24 . The fixing device  24  fixes the transferred image by heating and pressure application. Then the sheet conveying mechanism  23  ejects the sheet having passed through the fixing device  24 . 
     According to an embodiment, unless the user changes the sheet size, step S 4  in  FIG. 3  is not performed, and the value of the flag F does not become zero. Accordingly, even if the user places sheets on the manual feed tray  12  one by one, the determination at step S 11  in  FIG. 4  is YES, and step S 12  is skipped. This can avoid the inconvenience of displaying an indication that prompts the user to identify the sheet size at step S 12  every time he or she places a sheet on the manual feed tray  12 . 
     If the user changes the sheet size, step S 4  in  FIG. 3  is performed, and the value of the flag F becomes zero. With this, it is determined that a single print job on the sheet placed on the manual feed tray has been completed. If there is a next instruction to print on a nonstandard-size sheet with a size change, because it is determined that the sheet is the first page of a new job, an indication that prompts the user to identify the sheet size is displayed on the display unit  111  at a necessary timing. 
     An embodiment of the present disclosure is described above. The present disclosure includes various other modifications. The present disclosure includes embodiments using configurations that achieve the functions of the components described in the above embodiment and also includes other configurations of which those skilled in the art can conceive. 
     A copying case is described in the above embodiment. The present disclosure may also be a configuration in which a computer is connected to the image forming apparatus  10  with a communication medium and printing is performed through a printer driver in the computer, instead of using the scanner  21 . In this configuration, the computer may convert a print target file into page-description language (“PDL”) data, transmit it to the image forming apparatus  10 , and perform substantially the same process as the above-described process using a screen and an input device in the computer, instead of the operation panel  11 . In this case, the input unit and the display unit in the image forming apparatus are communication units. 
     It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6