Patents Examined by Dung D Tran
  • Patent number: 11765293
    Abstract: A document reading apparatus has a first scanning unit that can scan in a document conveyance direction and determines a document reading position, and a guide plate provided in a position that sandwiches the document being conveyed with the first scanning unit. On a facing surface of the guide plate relative to the first scanning unit, a first color section to which a white sheet is attached and a second color section having a sheet metal color (e.g. gray) of the guide plate are formed in the document conveyance direction. The document reading position corresponds to a position facing the second color section when a document is read in a crop mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shohichi Fukutome, Yasumasa Morimoto, Hisashi Yamanaka, Reishi Aoki
  • Patent number: 11758067
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes an image sensor, a document feeder, and a processor. The document feeder includes a first driving device, a second driving device, a third driving device, a first sensor, and a second sensor. The first driving device includes a pick-up member to move documents from a tray to a document conveying path using a driving force through a first clutch. The second driving device is to move the tray with the documents to a side of the pick-up member using a driving force through a second clutch. The third driving device to move the documents along the document conveying path onto the image sensor using the driving force of the motor. The first and second sensors detect the documents on the document conveying path. The processor controls an operation of the first clutch based on the signals of the first and second sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jung Hoon Lee, Takuya Ito, Jang Won Seo, Jae Hoon Lee, Whan Woo Lee, Soo Hyun Kim, Seung Rae Kim, Seung Beom Yang, Ji Young Lee, Sung Hyun Yoon, Koo Won Park
  • Patent number: 11755864
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including: an obtainment unit configured to obtain print data including drawing commands; a first image processing unit configured to perform conversion of color information for drawing an object having a non-image attribute among objects to be drawn by the drawing commands; a command execution unit configured to generate raster image data based on the drawing commands; a storage configured to store the generated raster image data to perform predetermined output; a second image processing unit configured to perform conversion of color information on an object having a picture attribute in the generated raster image data; and a control unit configured to perform the predetermined output in a case where a predetermined condition is met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kimimori Eguchi
  • Patent number: 11758064
    Abstract: A reading device includes a carriage movable in a sub-scanning direction, an optical sensor mounted on the carriage, the optical sensor being configured to scan an object placed on a contact glass, a reference scale used as a reference when a dimension of the object is computed based on an image obtained as the optical sensor scans the object, a flat gauge to be scanned by the optical sensor to calculate a corrective value used to correct the image obtained by the optical sensor, and circuitry to calculate the corrective value based on a scanned image including the reference scale and the flat gauge obtained by the optical sensor, and correct, based on the corrective value, a measurement image including an image of the object and an image of the reference scale obtained by the optical sensor and compute the dimension of the object based on the corrected measurement image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Ishida, Shogo Nakamoto, Takuya Okamoto, Hiroki Hamashoji
  • Patent number: 11750754
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus (1) includes image sensors (20A, 20B). The image sensor (20A) includes light guides (21A, 22A) guiding light to a reading target (M), a lens body (8A) forming an image of reflected light derived from the light guided by the light guides (21A, 22A) and reflected from the reading target (M), light receiving elements (11A) converting the image of reflected light formed by the lens body (8A) into electrical signals, and a controller (14A) controlling exposure times of the light receiving elements (11A). The image sensor (20B) includes a lens body (8B) forming an image of transmitted light derived from the light guided by the light guide (22A) and transmitted through the reading target (M), light receiving elements (11B) converting the image of transmitted light formed by the lens body (8B) into electrical signals, and a controller (14B) controlling exposure times of the light receiving elements (11B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Aramaki, Tomokazu Ogomi, Masatoshi Kodama
  • Patent number: 11743405
    Abstract: A flatbed scanner includes a carriage for reading an original while moving in a first direction; an acquisition portion for acquiring a size of the original in the first direction; and a control portion for reading the original while moving the carriage at a lower speed in a first case where the original is large than in a second case where the original is small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Aya Washizawa
  • Patent number: 11741597
    Abstract: An inspection device includes a processor configured to acquire image information of each of a correct image and a target image as an inspection target, divide each of the correct image and the target image into blocks and perform alignment for each of the blocks by using the acquired image information, and set a region including a movement amount of the alignment as a block and detect a defect by collating the correct image and the target image for each block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Rina Takeuchi, Daigo Hama
  • Patent number: 11736641
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes: an image reading device that reads a document and an area outside the document as an image; a background color plate that is read by the image reading device in the area outside the document; a document area decision device that determines a boundary between the document and background on the basis of a density difference or a color difference between the document and the background color plate in the read image, so as to decide a document area; and an image cropping device that crops a document image from the image on the basis of the document area. In the case where both of front and back sides of the document are read and the document area of one of the sides cannot be decided, the document area decision device applies the document area of the other side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tatsuya Fujisaki
  • Patent number: 11733936
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus including a shared printer driver which is usable in common with respect to a plurality of different printing apparatuses includes a first acquisition unit configured to acquire, in response to receiving an instruction to add a printing apparatus which is to be used with the shared printer driver, identification information for identifying a type of the printing apparatus, and a second acquisition unit configured to acquire, with use of the identification information acquired by the first acquisition unit, information indicating a characteristic of a printing apparatus corresponding to the identification information from a server different from the printing apparatus, wherein a user interface (UI) for use in performing print setting is displayed based on the information indicating the characteristic acquired by the second acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuya Natori
  • Patent number: 11729327
    Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a reception processing portion and a conveyance control portion. The reception processing portion receives an input operation to input conveyance route information that indicates which of a first conveyance route, leading to a first discharge portion via a first conveyance path that extends straight from a sheet placement portion, and a second conveyance route, leading to a second discharge portion, which is different from the first discharge portion, via a second conveyance path that includes a curved portion branching off from the first conveyance path, each sheet included in a sheet stack placed on the sheet placement portion is conveyed along. The conveyance control portion sequentially conveys each sheet included in the sheet stack placed on the sheet placement portion along either the first conveyance route or the second conveyance route according to the conveyance route information input through the input operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Yasui
  • Patent number: 11720299
    Abstract: Sheet feeding has been started after storing image data for one page of a document. A control method for a printing apparatus includes feeding a sheet from a sheet holding unit by a feeding unit, reading an image of a document by a reading unit, storing image data of the document read by the reading unit in a storing unit, and reading out, before image data for one page of the document is stored in the storing unit, the image data of the document from the storing unit and printing, by a printing unit, the image based on the read image data to the sheet fed from the sheet holding unit by the feeding unit, in which the feeding unit is able to start to feed the sheet from the sheet holding unit before the image data for the one page of the document is stored in the storing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroshi Yoneyama
  • Patent number: 11722615
    Abstract: To provide an image processing apparatus capable of correcting an orientation of a scanned image, even if the orientation of a document during scanning is incorrect. An image processing apparatus includes a document type determination unit configured to determine a document type of image data obtained by optical reading, a selection unit configured to select, based on a determination result from the document type determination unit, a determination algorithm to be applied, from a plurality of determination algorithms for determining an orientation of an image, and an orientation determination unit configured to determine an orientation of an image in the image data by using the determination algorithm selected by the selection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Kunihiko Ohmi
  • Patent number: 11709440
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a consumable, a consumable chip, and a communication method between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip. The consumable chip is capable of being installed on a consumable, and the consumable is capable of being detachably installed on an image forming apparatus. The consumable chip includes a storage unit and a chip control unit. The storage unit is configured to store identity authentication information of the consumable. The chip control unit is configured to receive an authentication request sent by the image forming apparatus and obtain second time information, generate a second code by performing a calculation using a preset algorithm according to the obtained second time information and the pre-stored identity authentication information of the consumable, and send the second code to the image forming apparatus. The second code is configured to determine whether the consumable meets expectation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: ZHUHAI PANTUM ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chengzhu Yu, Dan Ning
  • Patent number: 11711476
    Abstract: A first surface of a first sheet has a second image formed in advance. An image forming system generates reference data based on a result of reading an image on the first surface of the first sheet on which a first image is not formed, generates first image data that represents a result of reading an image on the first surface of the first sheet having the first image formed on the first surface, and determines, based on the reference data and the first image data, a relative position between the first image and the second image on the first surface of the first sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yosuke Kagawa
  • Patent number: 11706364
    Abstract: A signal processing device (10) uses first characteristic data detected from a sheet-like detection target by a first detection element (1) and second characteristic data detected from the detection target by a second detection element (2) and having (i) a characteristic that is different from a characteristic of the first characteristic data and (ii) a correlation with the first characteristic data. The signal processing device (10) includes an evaluation value generator (3) that generates, by using the correlation with the second characteristic data, an evaluation value determining whether the first characteristic data includes an unnecessary portion, and a correction amount determiner (4) that determines, by using the evaluation value, for correction of data determined by the evaluation value generator (3) to be the unnecessary portion, a correction amount for the first characteristic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Aramaki, Masako Asamura, Miki Sugano
  • Patent number: 11700344
    Abstract: An image reading device includes a background unit, a reading unit, and circuitry. The background unit is configured to be a background in reading of a recording medium and includes a first region that is black and a second region that is different from the first region. The reading unit is configured to read an image with the background unit as the background, and generate a read value based on a result of reading the image with the background unit. The circuitry is configured to correct the read value based on a reference value generated by the reading unit by reading the second region of the background unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Ishii, Hideki Hashimoto, Yoshio Konno
  • Patent number: 11695891
    Abstract: An object is to improve convenience for a user to lay out image data by displaying a trimming region when necessary. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores a program that causes a computer to function as a display control unit capable of displaying a screen having a first region in which to place an object and a second region surrounding the first region, and configured to switch to displaying or to hiding the second region in the screen according to a setting indicating whether to display or to hide the second region. In a case when the setting indicates hiding the second region, the display control unit displays the second region based on a position of the object in the first region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshinori Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 11665296
    Abstract: There is provided an image reading device in which a controller is configured to perform detecting, by executing an edge detection process, edge pixels from image data scanned by a reading device and stored in a storage, the edge pixels being pixels obtained by reading an edge of an original document. Then, it is determined whether a sequence of the detected edge pixels in a particular direction is interrupted. When interrupted, an expansion process is executed to increase the edge pixels in a particular range in a neighborhood of the detected edge pixels of the image data. Then, a particular process is performed on the image data using the edge pixels detected from the image data after the edge pixels are increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiki Motoyama, Takayuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11657632
    Abstract: An image processing device comprising a processor configured to: determine presence or absence of a face image for each of a plurality of pieces of image data read from at least one image presenting medium, and decide a relationship for the plurality of pieces of image data, based on a result of the determination. The relationship is a front and back of the image presenting medium or a page order, and the processor is further configured to: decides that image data including a face image is on a front side of the image presenting medium or on a page before image data not including a face image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Keiji Ohara
  • Patent number: 11656457
    Abstract: In one implementation, a method includes obtaining an image. The method includes splitting the image to produce a high-frequency component image and a low-frequency component image. The method includes downsampling the low-frequency component image to generate a downsampled low-frequency component image. The method includes correcting color aberration of the downsampled low-frequency component image to generate a color-corrected downsampled low-frequency component image. The method includes upsampling the color-corrected downsampled low-frequency component image to generate a color-corrected low-frequency component image. The method includes combining the color-corrected low-frequency component image and the high-frequency component image to generate a color-corrected version of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Zahra Sadeghipoor Kermani, Sheng Lin, Emmanuel Piuze Phaneuf, Ryan Joseph Dunn, Joachim Michael Deguara, Farhan A. Baqai