	US 7,580,651 B2
	Image forming apparatus and method of controlling energy saving mode
Yoshiyuki Namizuka, Kanagawa (Japan); Hiroshi Hosaka, Tokyo (Japan); Keiichiroh Katoh, Kanagawa (Japan); Mitsuhisa Kanaya, Tokyo (Japan); Yuji Takahashi, Kanagawa (Japan); Fumio Kawamura, Kanagawa (Japan); Jun Doi, Kanagawa (Japan); Masayoshi Miyamoto, Kanagawa (Japan); Tetsuya Kawaguchi, Kanagawa (Japan); and Hiroshi Soga, Kanagawa (Japan)
Assigned to Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on May 16, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/129,338.
Claims priority of application No. 2004-149269 (JP), filed on May 19, 2004; and application No. 2005-135421 (JP), filed on May 06, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2005/0271410 A1, Dec. 08, 2005
Int. Cl. G03G 21/00 (2006.01); G03G 15/00 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 399—75 [399/407]

46 Claims

1. A method of controlling an energy saving mode in an image forming apparatus having functions provided by hardware resources used in an image forming process and programs for performing the image forming process, comprising:

entering the image forming apparatus into an energy saving mode in a standby state in which the image forming apparatus is not used and the functions are not available for use because power is not supplied to the hardware resources; and

recovering only the functions of the image forming apparatus specified by a data carrier in response to the data carrier coupled to the image forming apparatus, said data carrier being in a possession of an operator and including operator-specific information indicative of language to be used for the operator and a list, specific to the operator, of at least some functions of the image forming apparatus.