Image forming apparatus and reprinting control method

Abstract

The image forming apparatus includes: a reading device which reads in at least additional information from a print medium on which the additional information including identification information for a print content and reprinting permission condition information indicating permission conditions for reprinting of the print content has been printed along with the print content; an invalidation device which carries out prescribed invalidation processing with respect to the print medium from which the additional information has been read in; a reprinting control device which specifies the print content that is to be reprinted and judges whether to permit reprinting of the print content in accordance with the additional information that has been read in from the print medium; and a printing device which prints the print content onto a new print medium, when the reprinting of the print content is permitted.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The nature of this invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will be explained in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a general schematic drawing of an embodiment of a printing system in which a digital television apparatus and a printing apparatus are connected by an on-line system;

FIG. 2 is a general schematic drawing of an embodiment of a printing system in which a digital television apparatus and a printing apparatus are connected by an off-line system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the general composition of an embodiment of the digital television apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the general composition of an embodiment of the printing apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a principal plan diagram showing the disposition of a print unit and an image reading unit in the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a first flowchart showing the sequence of an embodiment of a printing process;

FIG. 7 is a second flowchart showing the sequence of the embodiment of the printing process;

FIG. 8 is a third flowchart showing the sequence of the embodiment of the printing process;

FIG. 9 is an illustrative diagram showing an embodiment of print quality data;

FIG. 10 is an illustrative diagram showing an embodiment of print quality control data;

FIG. 11 is an illustrative diagram showing an embodiment of transmission data;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the sequence of an embodiment of a print data creation process;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the sequence of an embodiment of processing for embedding continuing print control data;

FIG. 14 is an illustrative diagram showing an embodiment of print result prediction data;

FIG. 15 is an illustrative diagram showing an embodiment of selected print result prediction parameters;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the sequence of an embodiment of a print result prediction data creation process;

FIG. 17 is an illustrative diagram for describing the sequence of print result judgment;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the sequence of an embodiment of a print result judgment process;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the sequence of an embodiment of a print result invalidation process;

FIG. 20 is a first flowchart showing the sequence of an embodiment of print generational change processing;

FIG. 21 is a second flowchart showing the sequence of the embodiment of print generational change processing;

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the sequence of an embodiment of processing for extracting continuing print control data;

FIG. 23 is an illustrative diagram showing an embodiment of a confirmation screen showing a print content recognition result;

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the sequence of an embodiment of print invalidation processing;

FIG. 25 is an illustrative diagram for describing an image region and a text region;

FIGS. 26A to 26C are illustrative diagrams for explaining threshold value prediction parameters;

FIG. 27 is an illustrative diagram of a particular color coordinates system which depicts the relationship between a target color and threshold value designated by the digital television apparatus and a target color and threshold value determined in the printing apparatus;

FIG. 28 is a schematic drawing showing the functional composition of an embodiment of a printing apparatus comprising a line head;

FIG. 29 is a principal plan diagram showing the disposition of the print unit and the image reading unit in the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 28; and

FIG. 30A is a plan perspective diagram showing an embodiment of the line head, and

FIG. 30B is a cross-sectional diagram of same.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a reading device which reads in at least additional information from a print medium on which the additional information including identification information for a print content and reprinting permission condition information indicating permission conditions for reprinting of the print content has been printed along with the print content;an invalidation device which carries out prescribed invalidation processing with respect to the print medium from which the additional information has been read in;a reprinting control device which specifies the print content that is to be reprinted and judges whether to permit reprinting of the print content in accordance with the additional information that has been read in from the print medium; anda printing device which prints the print content onto a new print medium, when the reprinting of the print content is permitted.

2. The image forming apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising: a reception device which receives the print content,wherein when creating a first-generation print, the reprinting control device creates the additional information and the printing device prints the additional information created by the reprinting control device onto a new print medium along with the print content.

3. The image forming apparatus as defined in claim 2, further comprising: a data accumulating device which accumulates the print content received by the reception device, wherein:the reprinting control device updates contents of the additional information obtained by the reading device; andthe printing device prints the additional information updated by the reprinting control device onto a new print medium along with the print content accumulated in the data accumulating device.

4. The image forming apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the reception device receives digital data including the print content through one of satellite broadcasting, terrestrial broadcasting, cable broadcasting and an electrical communication circuit.

5. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a reading device which reads in at least additional information from a print medium on which the additional information including identification information for a print content and reprinting permission condition information indicating permission conditions for reprinting of the print content has been printed along with the print content;an invalidation device which carries out prescribed invalidation processing with respect to the print medium from which the additional information has been read in;an interface which provides the additional information that has been read in from the print medium to a reception device having a reprinting control device which specifies the print content that is to be reprinted and judges whether to permit reprinting of the print content in accordance with the provided additional information; anda printing device which prints the print content onto a new print medium, when the reprinting of the print content is permitted.

6. A reprinting control method, comprising the steps of: reading in at least additional information from a print medium on which the additional information including identification information for a print content and reprinting permission condition information indicating permission conditions for reprinting of the print content has been printed along with the print content;carrying out prescribed invalidation processing with respect to the print medium from which the additional information has been read in;specifying the print content that is to be reprinted in accordance with the additional information that has been read in from the print medium;judging whether to permit reprinting of the print content in accordance with the additional information that has been read in from the print medium; andprinting the print content onto a new print medium, when the reprinting of the print content is permitted.