Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US5625467?dq=7,190,101
Timestamp: 2013-12-19 05:13:21
Document Index: 711317346

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 9', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 14', 'art 14', 'art 14', 'art 14', 'art 10', 'art 14', 'art 9', 'art 9']

Patent US5625467 - Facsimile apparatus for producing an image by using a newly stored font pattern - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA facsimile apparatus includes a reading part for optically reading font pattern data by raster scanning of a font pattern sheet, a communication part for receiving image data from an external facsimile terminal via a telephone line and for transmitting image data read from a document to an external...http://www.google.com/patents/US5625467?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5625467 - Facsimile apparatus for producing an image by using a newly stored font patternAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS5625467 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 08/401,125Publication dateApr 29, 1997Filing dateMar 9, 1995Priority dateAug 31, 1992Fee statusPaidPublication number08401125, 401125, US 5625467 A, US 5625467A, US-A-5625467, US5625467 A, US5625467AInventorsShunji KurokawaOriginal AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (13), Referenced by (6), Classifications (29), Legal Events (3) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetFacsimile apparatus for producing an image by using a newly stored font patternUS 5625467 AAbstract A facsimile apparatus includes a reading part for optically reading font pattern data by raster scanning of a font pattern sheet, a communication part for receiving image data from an external facsimile terminal via a telephone line and for transmitting image data read from a document to an external facsimile terminal via the telephone line, a memory part for temporarily storing image data received or transmitted by the communication part, a printing part for printing an image on a recording sheet in accordance with the image data stored in the memory part, a converting part for converting the font pattern data read by the reading part into bi-level image signals, and for supplying this font data to the memory part, a storage part for storing the font data produced by the converting part, and a control part for reading the font data from the storage part and for allowing the printing part to print an image by using the font data read from the storage part, so that the printed image includes data represented by the font pattern.
FIG. 3 shows a form of a mark sheet used by the facsimile apparatus in FIG. 1. In the facsimile apparatus according to the present invention, a special-form mark sheet is read by the document reader 5 so as to store input font pattern data in a storage memory. This font pattern data of the mark sheet is formed with a plurality of dots arranged in an N matrix formation, each dot having a fixed size and being smudged in black or remaining unchanged as a white dot.
In the mark sheet form shown in FIG. 3, M5 denotes the input font pattern, and it is formed with 8 pattern, each dot being smudged in black or remaining unchanged as white dot. One of the 64 dots in the input font pattern M5 has a fixed size, and it is a rectangular mark which is 4 mm long and 1 mm wide. M6 denotes an end mark (which is smudged in black) used to detect a reading end position at which the reading of the input font pattern from the mark sheet is finished. Each dot of the font type mark M4 and the font pattern M5 and each outline of the font pattern M5 are printed with a special ink such as a drop-out color ink, in order to correctly detect each mark of the mark sheet by means of the document reader 5.
FIG. 5 shows a character image which is displayed on the display part 9 of the facsimile apparatus in FIG. 1 by reading a stored font pattern data from a storage memory. The display part 9 is formed with an LED (liquid crystal display) unit having 64 segments arranged in an 8 formation. As the mark sheet shown in FIG. 4 is read by the document reader 5 to register font pattern data of upper-case English character "B", a character image "B" shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display part 9 by reading the font pattern data from the storage memory. In order to print a character image by reading a stored font pattern data, it is necessary to adjust the size of the matrix pattern of the character image in accordance with the size of the input font pattern so that the character image is printed without enlarging or reducing the size.
Next, the bit pattern data stored in the second memory part 14 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In the second memory part 14, bit pattern data corresponding to a plurality of sets of text or graphic data (characters) is stored. In the second memory part 14 of the facsimile apparatus in FIG. 1, a set of text or graphic data (one character) is represented by eight font patterns (8 bit pattern data amounting to a total of 16 sets of text or graphic data (16 characters) can be stored in the second memory part 14 of the first embodiment.
For example, in FIG. 7, the first set of text or graphic data (corresponding to a 64-bit data read by the document reader 5 from a mark sheet and converted by the data transforming part 10) is stored in an 8-byte area of the second memory part 14 at addresses "9003" through "9043". As the bits "b0" through "b4" at the address "9002" in the sub-directory data are equal to "1" and the other bits are equal to "0", this sub-directory data indicates that the effective word length of the first set of text or graphic data is equal to 5. Thus, the first set of text or graphic data is comprised of five font patterns (5 data) only, and the remaining data (3 not effective. In the area (at addresses "9003" through "9020" of the bit pattern data in FIG. 7, a 3-byte font pattern data representing the first three characters of the English word "ERROR" is indicated.
In the bar-code sheet form shown in FIG. 9, "III" denote separating lines by which 8 separated from each other so as to form 64 square segments, each bar code being indicated by combinations of thin and thick bars. Each of the 64 bar codes contains address data indicating a relative position of the bar code within the 64 segments. "IV" denotes a read-end bar code used to detect a reading end position at which the reading of the input font pattern from the bar code sheet is finished.
FIG. 11 shows the form of a mark sheet used by the facsimile apparatus in FIG. 10. This special-form mark sheet in FIG. 11 is read by the document reader 5 in FIG. 10 so as to store a plurality of new font patterns in a storage memory at a time. As shown in FIG. 11, the mark sheet includes twelve input font pattern data, each font pattern data is formed with a plurality of dots arranged in an 8 having a fixed size and being smudged in black or remaining unchanged as a white dot.
In the mark sheet form shown in FIG. 11, M7 denotes the twelve input font patterns, and each input font pattern (representing one character) is formed with 64 dots arranged in an 8 dot being smudged in black or remaining unchanged as white dot. Any combination of characters is formed with the twelve input font patterns. When an input font pattern in which all the 64 dots remain unchanged as white dots indicates a blank or an empty space. M8 denotes an end mark (smudged in blank) used to detect a reading end position at which the reading of the input font patterns from the mark sheet is finished. The others relating to the mark sheet form in FIG. 11 are essentially the same as corresponding features of the mark sheet in FIG. 3.
FIG. 14 shows a character image which is displayed on the display part 9 of the facsimile apparatus in FIG. 10 by reading a stored font pattern data from the new text memory 17. Similarly to the facsimile apparatus in FIG. 1, the display part 9 is made up of liquid crystal display units each having 64 segments arranged in an 8 sheet shown in FIG. 13 is read by the document reader 5 to register the twelve font patterns of upper-case English characters "ERROR REPORT", a character image "E" shown in FIG. 14 is, for example, displayed by reading one of the stored font pattern data from the new text memory 17.
In the bar-code sheet form shown in FIG. 17, "III" denote separating lines by which 64 bar codes arranged in an 8 separated from each other so as to form 64 square segments, each bar code being indicated by combinations of thin and thick bars. Each of the 64 bar codes contains address data indicating a relative position of the bar code within the 64 segments. "IV" denotes a character-end bar code indicating an end position at which the reading of one of the input font patterns is finished. "V" denotes a text-end bar code indicating a read-end position at which the reading of the input font patterns (the new text) is finished. The text-end bar code V on the last sheet of a plurality of the bar-code sheets is detected.
FIG. 20 shows the form of a mark sheet used by the facsimile apparatus in FIG. 18. This special-form mark sheet in FIG. 20 which is similar to the mark sheet shown in FIG. 11 is read by the document reader 5 in FIG. 18 so as to store at a time a plurality of new font patterns representing a facsimile sender data in a storage memory. As shown in FIG. 20, the mark sheet includes twelve input font pattern data, each font pattern data is formed with a plurality of dots arranged in an 8 formation, each dot having a fixed size and being smudged in black or remaining unchanged as white dot.
In the mark sheet form shown in FIG. 20, M7 denotes the twelve input font patterns (the facsimile sender data), and each input font pattern (representing one character) is formed with 64 dots arranged in an 8 remaining unchanged as white dot. A combination of characters is formed with the twelve input font patterns. When an input font pattern in which all the 64 dots remain unchanged as white dots indicates a blank or an empty space. The others relating to the mark sheet form in FIG. 20 are essentially the same as corresponding features of the mark sheet in FIG. 11.