Patent Application
20250138462
The present application claims priority from Japanese Application JP2023-187012, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus and a method for operating the image forming apparatus.
In general, as a printing system of an image forming apparatus, such as a printer or a multifunction peripheral, a dry electrophotographic system (laser printer system) has been used. In a laser printer system, an image is formed on a sheet by transferring toner, and then the image on the sheet is heated and pressurized, thereby fixing the image on the sheet. For this reason, an image forming apparatus that performs printing by the laser printer system includes a fixing unit (or a fuser) for heating and pressurizing an image on a sheet.
The fixing unit includes a fixing member that comes into contact with a sheet on which an image to be fixed is formed. The fixing member is, for example, a fixing belt. The fixing belt is disposed such that its longitudinal direction is orthogonal to a sheet transport direction. In the present application, a width of a sheet in a direction orthogonal to the sheet transport direction is referred to as a sheet width. For example, in a general multi function printer (MFP) having a scanner function, a sub scanning direction of a scanner coincides with the sheet transport direction, and a main scanning direction of the scanner is orthogonal to the sheet transport direction. Therefore, in a general MFP, a sheet width refers to a width of a sheet in a main scanning direction.
In this case, as illustrated in
In order to avoid this problem, it has been considered to use and operate the fixing belt only for printing with a specific sheet width. Namely, as illustrated in
As described above, another operation method in which a fixing belt or a fixing unit is replaced is disclosed in the related art. Types of media that can pass are diversified, and it is necessary to finely adjust a fixing condition that determines final image quality, depending on a thickness and surface properties of the media, a density and glossiness of an image of a product to be acquired, and the like. As a countermeasure against these problems, it has been proposed in the related art that a dedicated fixing unit is prepared according to a size of a sheet that passes or a type of a medium and a user replaces the fixing unit as needed, whereby optimum image quality can be acquired.
In general, a fixing unit after operation reaches a high temperature, and therefore, when the fixing unit is replaced, it is required to perform replacement work in consideration of the high temperature. In this regard, in the related art, it has been proposed to notify a user of whether a temperature of a mounted fixing unit is lowered to a predetermined temperature or lower.
The replacement before operation of the fixing unit of the image forming apparatus is disclosed in, for example, the related art. However, an image forming apparatus that performs different operations for different fixing units is not disclosed. An object to be solved by an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an image forming apparatus that performs different operations for different fixing units.
In order to solve the above problem, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus includes one or more controllers, and an image former having a detachable fixing unit. The one or more controllers acquire fixing unit information on a fixing unit being attached to the image former, and a predetermined process is executed based on the acquired fixing unit information.
Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for operating an image forming apparatus including an image former having a detachable fixing unit includes acquiring fixing unit information on a fixing unit being attached to the image former, and executing a predetermined process based on the acquired fixing unit information.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus that performs different operations for different fixing units can be provided.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a display 3, an operation acceptor 5, an image inputter 7, a sheet feeder 9, an image former 11, a communicator 13, a connector 15, a storage 17, and a controller 19. The operation acceptor 5 includes a main power switch (SW) 5a. The image former 11 includes a fixing unit 11a and a fixing unit information acquirer 11b. The fixing unit 11a includes a fixing unit information storage 11a1. The storage 17 includes an attached unit information storage 17a, a fixing unit use history storage 17b, and a sheet feeding tray information storage 17c.
The display 3 is a functional section for displaying images and text. For example, the display 3 is configured by a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electro-luminescence (EL) panel, or the like. The display 3 may be a single display device or may further include a display device externally connected.
The operation acceptor 5 accepts an operation input by a user. For example, the operation acceptor 5 includes hardware keys or software keys. Furthermore, the operation acceptor 5 includes, for example, a task key for instructing execution of a task, such as FAX transmission or image reading, and a stop key for instructing stop of an operation. Moreover, the operation acceptor 5 may include a physical operation key, such as a task key, a stop key, a power key, and a power saving key. The main power SW 5a is a switch for turning on and off the main power of the image forming apparatus 1.
The display 3 and the operation acceptor 5 may be integrally configured. For example, a touch panel display may be used as the display 3 and the operation acceptor 5. In this case, the main power SW 5a is preferably provided separately from the touch panel display.
The image inputter 7 reads an image (document) and outputs the image as image data. The image inputter 7 is configured by a general scanner (image input device). Furthermore, the image inputter 7 may input image data from an external storage medium, such as a USB memory, or may receive an image via a network. A main scanning direction of the image inputter 7 is orthogonal to a sheet transport direction of the sheet feeder 9, and a sub scanning direction of the image inputter 7 coincides with the sheet transport direction of the sheet feeder 9.
The sheet feeder 9 includes a sheet feeding tray that accommodates a medium, such as paper, and a transport mechanism that transports the medium from the sheet feeding tray to the image former 11. The sheet feeder 9 includes a plurality of sheet feeding trays. Each of the sheet feeding trays accommodates sheets of the same sheet type. The different sheet feeding trays may accommodate sheets of the same sheet type or may accommodate sheets of different sheet types. In addition, the sheet feeder 9 may include a sorter mechanism that sorts media (sheets) on which an image is formed, a sheet discharge tray for discharging the media on which the image is formed, and a transport mechanism that transports the media on which the image is formed to the sorter mechanism and the sheet discharge tray. Furthermore, the sheet feeder 9 may include a transport mechanism that transports media on which an image is formed to the image inputter 7, and a transport mechanism that transports media from which an image is read by the image inputter 7 to the sheet discharge trays, the sorter mechanism, or the like.
The sheet feeder 9 transports a medium in the sub scanning direction of the image inputter 7. In the present application, as described above, a width of a sheet in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of a medium (sheet) is referred to as a sheet width. Therefore, in this embodiment, the sheet width can also be referred to as a width of a sheet in the main scanning direction of the image inputter 7. The sheet feeder 9 transports a medium in such a way that a longitudinal direction of an unillustrated fixing belt of the fixing unit 11a, and a transport direction of a medium are orthogonal to each other.
The image former 11 forms (prints) an image on a medium, such as a copy sheet, based on image data. A printing method of the image former 11 is a laser printer. The image former 11 may be a monochrome laser printer or a color laser printer. The image former 11 may include a sheet feeding mechanism that supplies media, a transport mechanism that transports media, and a sorter mechanism that sorts media after an image is formed.
The fixing unit 11a is a fuser and is detachable from the image former 11. The fixing unit 11a fuses a toner image on a sheet by applying heat and pressure to the toner image transferred on the sheet.
The fixing unit information storage 11al is a machine readable storage, and is an Integrated Circuit (IC) chip or a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, for example. The fixing unit information storage 11al stores fixing unit information of the fixing unit 11a. The fixing unit information includes identification information for uniquely identifying the fixing unit 11a (hereinafter, simply referred to as identification information) and a unit type of the fixing unit 11a (hereinafter, referred to as a fixing unit type). The fixing unit type is determined by a user based on sheet specifications including a sheet size (for example, lengths of a long side and a short side, an A size, a B size, or the like) in which the fixing unit may be used at the time of image formation. The sheet specifications other than the sheet size are, for example, a thickness of a sheet and a sheet type (for example, non-coated sheet, gloss coated sheet, mat course sheet, embossed sheet, and the like). In a state in which the fixing unit 11a is attached to the image former 11, the controller 19 newly writes or updates the fixing unit type in accordance with an operation performed by the operation acceptor 5.
As has been described with reference to
The fixing unit information acquirer 11b is a reader/writer for performing reading/writing on the fixing unit information storage 11a1. For example, when the fixing unit information storage 11al is an IC chip, the fixing unit information acquirer 11b is an IC chip reader/writer, whereas when the fixing unit information storage 11al is an RFID tag, the fixing unit information acquirer 11b is an RFID reader/writer.
The communicator 13 is connected to the network. For example, the communicator 13 is constituted by an interface that is connectable to a wired Local Area Network (LAN), a wireless LAN, or a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. Since the communicator 13 is connected to the network, the image forming apparatus 1 is connected to other devices or an external network. Furthermore, the communicator 13 may be an interface that performs short-range wireless communication, such as Near Field Communication (NFC) or Bluetooth (registered trademark).
The connector 15 is used to connect the image forming apparatus 1 to other devices. For example, the connector 15 is a USB interface to which a USB memory or the like is connected. In addition, the connector 15 may be an HDMI (registered trademark) interface or the like instead of the USB interface.
The storage 17 is a functional section that stores various programs to be used in operations of the image forming apparatus 1 and various types of data. The storage 17 includes at least one of a recording device capable of performing transitory storage, such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a non-transitory recording device, such as a solid state drive (SSD) including a semiconductor memory or a hard disk drive (HDD) including a magnetic disc. Although the one storage 17 is used for convenience of explanation, the storage 17 may be configured as separate devices for purposes, such as an area (primary storage area) used for program execution, an area (auxiliary storage area) for storing programs and data, and an area used for caching.
The attached unit information storage 17a stores fixing unit information of the fixing unit 11a that is currently attached to the image forming apparatus 1. The fixing unit use history storage 17b stores a use history for each fixing unit. For example, the controller 19 stores the number of sheets on which images are formed as a use history in association with identification information of the fixing unit 11a for each sheet type. The controller 19 updates the use history of the fixing unit 11a being attached every time the image former 11 forms an image on a sheet. The sheet feeding tray information storage 17c stores sheet information relating to sheets in the plurality of sheet feeding trays, including sheet types of the sheets accommodated in the individual sheet feeding trays of the sheet feeder 9.
The controller 19 is a functional section for controlling the entire image forming apparatus 1. The controller 19 is constituted by one or a plurality of control devices or control circuits, and for example, is constituted by a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a System on a Chip (SoC), or the like. Furthermore, the controller 19 can realize functions by reading programs stored in the storage 17 and executing processes.
Then the controller 19 performs determinations based on the fixing unit information stored in the sheet feeding tray information storage 17c and the sheet information of the individual sheet feeding trays (step S7) In the determinations, it is determined for individual sheet feeding trays whether image formation may be performed using the attached fixing unit. Specifically, it is determined whether sheet sizes of the sheets accommodated in the individual sheet feeding trays are permitted to be used in the fixing unit type of the fixing unit information stored in the attached unit information storage 17a.
The controller 19 displays whether the sheet feeding trays are available in the display 3 for individual sheet sizes or individual sheet feeding trays based on results of the determinations performed in step S7 (step S9). Furthermore, before or after step S9, the controller 19 determines whether image formation is to be performed for individual sheet sizes or individual sheet feeding trays based on the results of the determinations performed in step S7 (step S11). That is, when an instruction for performing image formation using one of the sheet sizes or one of the sheet feeding trays permitted in step S7 is input via the operation acceptor 5 or the like, the controller 19 performs image formation based on this instruction. On the other hand, when an instruction for performing image formation using one of the sheet sizes or one of the sheet feeding trays which is not permitted in step S7 is input via the operation acceptor 5 or the like, the controller 19 does not perform image formation based on this instruction.
The controller 19 updates the use history of the fixing unit being attached based on a result of the determination as to whether the image formation is to be performed which is made in step S11 (step S13). When the image formation is executed in step S11, the controller 19 updates the use history of the attached fixing unit among use histories stored in the fixing unit use history storage 17b in accordance with the number of times the image formation is executed (the number of sheets on which an image is formed and output).
The machine status button 43 is a screen element for transition of the screen displayed in the display 3 to a machine status screen 51 described below in accordance with an operation performed on the operation acceptor 5. The copy button 45 is a screen element for transition of the screen displayed in the display 3 to a copy screen 71 described below in accordance with an operation performed on the operation acceptor 5. The machine adjustment button 47 is a screen element (icon) for transition of the screen displayed in the display 3 to a machine adjustment screen not illustrated.
Display of the home screen 41 with one of the icons 61, 63, 65, and 67 instead of the machine adjustment button 47 corresponds to step S5.
The icons 61, 63, 65, and 67 have fixing unit type displays 61a, 63a, 65a, and 67a, respectively. The fixing unit type displays 61a, 63a, 65a, and 67a are displayed based on the fixing unit information read in step S1 from the fixing unit information storage 11al of the fixing unit 11a currently attached to the image former 11.
The fixing unit type display 61a indicates that the fixing unit type is “A”, and the fixing unit type display 63a indicates that the fixing unit type is “B”. In the fixing unit type displays 61a and 63a, “A” and “B” are simply names. The fixing unit type displays 65a and 67a display a specific A series size or a specific B series size, respectively, as the fixing unit types. The fixing unit type display 65a indicates that the fixing unit type is “A3”. The fixing unit type display 67a indicates that the fixing unit type is “A5”.
The image forming apparatus 1 has the eight sheet feeding trays in total, that is, the four sheet feeding trays disposed in the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 and the four mass sheet feeding trays externally attached to the image forming apparatus 1. The eight sheet feeding trays have sequential numbers from 1 to 8 as tray numbers. The controller 19 reads, from the sheet feeding tray information storage 17c, sheet information associated with sheets accommodated in the first to eighth sheet feeding trays and displays the sheet information as the main body sheet feeding tray displays 83a to 83d and the mass sheet feeding tray displays 85a to 85d.
The main body sheet feeding tray displays 83a to 83d are screen elements for displaying sheet types accommodated in the four sheet feeding trays disposed in the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. The main body sheet feeding tray displays 83a to 83d correspond to the first to fourth sheet feeding trays. The mass sheet feeding tray displays 85a to 85d are screen elements for displaying sheet types accommodated in the four mass sheet feeding trays externally added to the image forming apparatus 1. The mass sheet feeding tray displays 85a to 85d correspond to the fifth to eighth sheet feeding trays.
In the sheet selection screen 81 of
In the sheet selection screen 81 of
Specifically, the controller 19 performs the determination in step S7 (in this case, a determination based on the fixing unit information of the fixing unit 11a currently attached to the image former 11 which is stored in the attached unit information storage 17a and sheet information of the third main body sheet feeding tray which is stored in the sheet feeding tray information storage 17c). The controller 19 displays the main body sheet feeding tray display 83c as selection unavailable (by grayed out display, for example) based on a result of the determination. When the tray display in the selection unavailable display (grayed out display) is operated, the controller 19 does not accept the operation by ignoring the operation or the like. In this way, control of a determination as to whether to form an image is performed in step S11.
Note that display forms of the machine diagram displays 89a to 89h are changed in accordance with whether the first to eight sheet feeding trays are selectable. That is, the machine diagram displays 89a, 89b, and 89d to 89h respectively corresponding to the first, second, fourth to eighth sheet feeding trays are displayed in an emphasized manner to indicate that they are selectable (eight radial lines drawn around numerals of the tray numbers indicate the emphasized display). On the other hand, the machine diagram display 89c corresponding to the third sheet feeding tray is not emphasized in display.
The bypass tray display 87 relates to the bypass tray of the image forming apparatus 1. A bypass tray display 87a displays a sheet size and a sheet type of sheets to be inserted into the bypass tray, which are set by the user via the operation acceptor 5. A bypass tray display 87b is a screen element for screen transfer to a sheet selection screen 101 described below or a sheet selection screen 110 described below.
The sheet selection screen 101 is used to select a type and a size of sheets to be manually inserted. The sheet selection screen 101 includes tabs 103 and 105. The tab 103 is used to select a type of sheets, and the tab 105 is used to select a size of sheets. In
The sheet selection screen 101 is an example of the display in step S9, and available types of sheet are displayed in an emphasized manner. For example, “plain paper 1 (60 to 89 g/m2)” is displayed on the button 107, and a frame line 107a of the button 107 is displayed in an emphasized manner to indicate that the button 107 is selectable. In
As with the sheet selection screen 101, the sheet selection screen 110 is used to select a type and a size of sheets to be set to the bypass tray, and includes tabs 113 and 115. The tab 113 is used to select a type of sheets, and the tab 115 is used to select a size of sheets. In
In the sheet selection screen 110, the 15 types of button corresponding to the sheet types in the but 113 are the same as the 15 types of button corresponding to the sheet types in the tab 103 of the sheet selection screen 101. However, only a display mode indicating whether the buttons are enabled or disabled is different.
For example, although “plain paper 1 (60 to 89 g/m2)” is displayed in a button 117 similarly to the button 107, a frame line 117a is constituted only by a rectangle of a solid line and an emphasis display is not applied unlike the button 107. On the other hand, although “thick paper 3 (221 to 256 g/m2)” is displayed in a button 118 similarly to the button 108, an inside of a frame line 118a is hatched. The hatched line indicates selection unavailable display (by grayed out display, for example). The hatched line indicates selection unavailable display (by grayed out display, for example) for the user.
The following advantageous effects are provided according to the first embodiment. A type of the fixing unit 11a currently attached to the image forming apparatus 1 can be displayed (step S5 and
A sheet feeding tray accommodating sheets available for the fixing unit 11a which is currently attached can be displayed (step S9 and
Image formation using unavailable sheets can be restricted while image formation using sheets available for the fixing unit 11a which is currently attached is permitted (step S11).
Accordingly, the user does not execute image formation using sheets which are not appropriate in use in the fixing unit 11a which is currently attached.
A second embodiment will be described. Note that only portions that are different from the first embodiment are described, and descriptions of the same portions are omitted.
In the second embodiment, an image forming apparatus 1 has a function of collectively executing a plurality of print jobs registered in advance. Hereinafter, this function is referred to as a batch printing function. Functions relating to the batch printing function include, for example, a print release function and a document filing function. As the print release function, one of a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to one another via a network is set as a master unit and the others are set as slave units, and the slave units receive print data (data relating to an image to be formed on a sheet) registered in advance in the master unit via the network and print the print data (image formation). As the document filing function, print data of a document or the like to be frequently printed is registered in advance in a storage 17 of the image forming apparatus 1 and the document or the like is printed using the registered print data.
In the second embodiment, print jobs which are executable in the batch printing function is managed according to a type of a fixing unit which is currently attached as job management control.
In the example of
It is assumed here that, among the print jobs currently registered in the image forming apparatus 1, a sheet size of A3 is set to the files “Scan_20220630_102942.pdf” and “Scan_20220630_102941.pdf” and a sheet size of A5 is set to the other print jobs. Note that, although both the files “Scan_20220630_102942.pdf” and “Scan_20220630_102941.pdf” are the registered print jobs, the file “Scan_20220630_102942.pdf” is displayed in the registered job list 123 whereas the file “Scan_20220630_102941.pdf” is not displayed in the registered job list 123 when the scroll bar 127 is located in the position illustrated in
In this case, when the batch printing button 125 is operated via the operation acceptor 5, the controller 19 extracts a print job corresponding to a sheet size which is printable by the fixing unit 11a which is currently attached from the print job data stored in the storage 17. As described above, the fixing unit type of the fixing unit 11a currently attached is the sheet size of A3, and only the print jobs corresponding to the files “Scan_20220630_102942.pdf” and “Scan_20220630_102941.pdf” use this sheet size.
In this case, the controller 19 displays a message field 131 on the job management screen 121 in an overlapping manner as illustrated in
According to the second embodiment, when execution of batch printing is instructed for a plurality of registered print jobs, the image forming apparatus 1 may extract only print jobs which are printable by the fixing unit type of the fixing unit 11a and display the extracted print jobs for a user, and may accept an instruction for the batch printing to be performed only on the extracted print jobs. Accordingly, execution of printing using sheets which are not suitable for the fixing unit type of the fixing unit can be avoided at a time of the batch printing.
Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, when execution of the batch printing is instructed for a plurality of registered print jobs, the image forming apparatus 1 may extract only print jobs which are printable by the fixing unit type of the fixing unit 11a among a plurality of print jobs.
It is assumed that print jobs are executed in order of registration dates of registered job data. In this case, the print jobs corresponding to the registered job data are not sorted according to a sheet size. Therefore, the following situation may occur. That is, as an execution order, a print job using A3 sheets is executed, a print job using A5 sheets is executed, and thereafter, a print job using A3 sheets is executed again. In the image forming apparatus 1, since the fixing units are selectively used depending on a sheet, when such an execution order is employed, a large number of operations are required to be performed for replacing the fixing units.
However, according to the second embodiment, print jobs using the same sheet size are collectively executed. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the number of times of replacement of the fixing unit 11a may be minimized even when print jobs of different sheet sizes are registered.
A third embodiment will be described. Note that only portions that are different from the first embodiment are described, and descriptions of the same portions are omitted.
As illustrated with reference to
In step S13, a controller 19 updates a use history stored in a fixing unit use history storage 17b every time an image is formed on a sheet of a certain sheet size and a certain sheet type using the fixing unit 11a being attached. The use history is, for example, the number of times the fixing unit 11a is used for printing employing a sheet size and a sheet type of the fixing unit 11a.
The controller 19 compares the number of times the printing is performed after update and a predetermined threshold number of times. For example, the threshold number of times is determined on the basis of the number of times of printing when scratches occur in the fixing belt by actually performing printing on sheets of the same sheet size and the same sheet type by using a fixing unit of the same type as the fixing unit 11a being attached.
As a result of the comparison, the controller 19 displays a message field for showing the following two messages on a display 3 when the number of times printing is performed after update is larger than the threshold number of times. (Message 1) A currently attached fixing unit may not be used for printing on sheets of a currently used sheet size. (Message 2) The currently attached fixing unit is recommended to be used for printing on sheets of a smaller sheet size than a currently used sheet size hereafter.
The message 141a corresponds to Message 1. The message 141a indicates that printing using a currently attached fixing unit 11a (fixing unit type of A3 size) may not be used for printing.
The message 141b corresponds to Message 2. The message 141b prompts the user to use the currently attached fixing unit 11a for printing on sheets of A4R (A4 horizontal format) hereafter. When agreeing to this message, the user preferably updates fixing unit information of the currently attached fixing unit 11a via the operation acceptor 5, and changes the fixing unit type to an A4 horizontal format. In accordance with this operation, the controller 19 updates the fixing unit information stored in a fixing unit information storage 11al of the currently attached fixing unit 11a and an attached unit information storage 17a.
The OK button 141c is a screen element to be operated via an operation acceptor 5. In response to an operation on the OK button 141c, the controller 19 performs screen transition to the original home screen 41 without the message field 141 on the display 3.
After the message field 141 is displayed on the display 3, the controller 19 restricts printing using A3 size sheets by the currently attached fixing unit 11a. As content of the restriction, printing on A3 size sheets may be simply prohibited. In this case, for example, on a sheet selection screen 81 of
Note that, although the controller 19 determines whether scratches exist on a surface of the fixing belt by comparing the number of times printing is performed using a fixing unit being attached for printing of a certain sheet size and a certain sheet type with a predetermined threshold number of times in the foregoing embodiment, another determination method may be employed.
For example, when printing is performed in a state in which a surface of the fixing belt of the fixing unit is scratched, stain (black streak) caused by scratches of the fixing belt is attached to a printed sheet. It is considered that the presence or absence of a scratch on the surface of the fixing belt is determined by detecting a black streak. More specifically, when printing is performed on one sheet using an image former 11, the controller 19 acquires an image of a printing surface of the printed sheet using an image inputter 7, and determines whether a black streak is included in an edge portion of the sheet of the image. In this determination, it may be determined that there is a scratch on the surface of the fixing belt in a case where a black streak is detected even once, or it may be determined that there is a scratch on the surface of the fixing belt in a case where a black streak is detected every time a predetermined number of times printing is successively executed.
According to the third embodiment, defect printing in which a black streak is generated on a print surface due to a scratch generated on a surface of a fixing belt can be suppressed or detected immediately after the generation, so that an adverse effect to the printing may be minimized.
Furthermore, according to the third embodiment, the user may be prompted to transfer a fixing unit which becomes unsuitable for printing on sheets of a certain sheet size due to a scratch on a surface of a fixing belt to printing on sheets of a sheet size smaller than the certain sheet size. Accordingly, a period of time in which the fixing unit can be used while printing quality is maintained can be extended.
The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and the modifications described above, but is diversely changeable. That is, the technical scope of the present disclosure also includes embodiments obtained by combining technical measures modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.
The programs, which operate in the respective devices of the embodiments, control a CPU or the like (programs causing a computer to operate) so that functions of the above embodiments may be realized. The information to be handled by these devices is temporarily stored in a temporary storage device (e.g., RAM) during processing the information, and then stored in various storage devices, such as a Read Only Memory (ROM) and an HDD, and is read, corrected, and written by the CPU as needed.
Here, a recording medium for storing the programs may be any of a semiconductor medium (e.g., a ROM or a non-volatile memory card, etc.), an optical recording medium/magneto-optical recording medium (e.g., digital versatile disc (DVD), a magneto optical disc (MO), a mini disc (MD), a compact disc (CD), and a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc (BD), etc.), and a magnetic recording medium (e.g., a magnetic tape and a flexible disk, etc.). In addition, not only the functions in the above-described embodiments are implemented by executing the loaded program, but also the functions in the present disclosure may be implemented by processing the program jointly with an operating system, other application programs, or the like on the basis of instructions of the programs.
Furthermore, in a case where the programs are to be distributed to the market, the programs may be stored in a portable recording medium for distribution or transferred to a server computer connected via a network, such as the Internet. In this case, needless to say, a storage device of the server computer is also included in the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-187012 | Oct 2023 | JP | national |
