Patents by Inventor Brian Hoffmann

Brian Hoffmann has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8122447
    Abstract: A firmware bundle is download to a non-operational storage area without changing a live copy of firmware in a device. The firmware bundle is downloaded in order to reboot the device to deploy one or more downloaded firmware packages from the non-operational storage area to the device, launch an Early Boot Installer manager to spawn and monitor the status of one or more Early Boot Installer processes contained in the firmware bundle download, determine in parallel whether a firmware install to one or more subsystems of the device is desire, and install the downloaded firmware package in parallel to one or more subsystems of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Eugene Cohen, Brian Hoffmann, Chris Lee
  • Publication number: 20090037904
    Abstract: A firmware bundle is download to a non-operational storage area without changing a live copy of firmware in a device. The firmware bundle is downloaded in order to reboot the device to deploy one or more downloaded firmware packages from the non-operational storage area to the device, launch an Early Boot Installer manager to spawn and monitor the status of one or more Early Boot Installer processes contained in the firmware bundle download, determine in parallel whether a firmware install to one or more subsystems of the device is desire, and install the downloaded firmware package in parallel to one or more subsystems of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Inventors: Eugene Cohen, Brian Hoffmann, Chris Lee
  • Publication number: 20070079943
    Abstract: A roller stop for connection to the head rail of a covering for an architectural openings is releasably connectable to a rear edge of the head rail in overlying relationship with a roller having shade material thereon with the shade material having a bottom rail. The roller stop has a pivotally mounted body selectively positionable in closely adjacent but spaced relationship from the outer wrap of shade material on the roller and in a position to engage the bottom rail when the shade material is fully wrapped on said roller. A catch arm is selectively engageable with serrated teeth to releasable hold the pivotal body in a preselected desired position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Publication date: April 12, 2007
    Applicant: Hunter Douglas Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Smith, Brian Hoffmann
  • Publication number: 20050139329
    Abstract: An indexed limit stop for mounting on the headrail of a covering for architectural openings is easily connected to the headrail in overlying relationship with shade material wrapped on a roller in the headrail and has two elements that are pivotally interconnected and movable between selected fixed positions. The second element includes an abutment stop for engagement with the bottom rail of the shade material when the covering is fully retracted and can be positioned such that the abutment stop is spaced from the outer wrap of shade material to avoid damage to the shade material while being desirably positioned for intercepting movement of the bottom rail to limit retracting movement of the roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Publication date: June 30, 2005
    Applicant: Hunter Douglas Inc.
    Inventor: Brian Hoffmann
  • Publication number: 20050094175
    Abstract: Systems and methods for cooperative rasterization of print data in an enterprise network are described. In one aspect, a primary printer rasterizes a portion of a print job to input raster bits into a raster buffer associated with the primary printer. During print job processing operations, the primary printer identifies a potential underflow condition of the raster buffer. Thus, the primary printer communicates an un-rasterized portion of the print job to a secondary printer for the secondary printer to rasterize—the primary printer not rasterizing the un-rasterized portion. Subsequently, the primary printer receives raster bits corresponding to the un-rasterized portion from the secondary printer. The primary printer prints all of the raster bits corresponding to the print job.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2003
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Christiansen, Scott Clouthier, Brian Hoffmann
  • Patent number: 6034711
    Abstract: A test page, system, and method are used to set a color density level of a laser printer, by producing a dot gain test pattern. The laser printer has at least one primary color. The dot gain test pattern is self-indicating and thus requires no external reference in order to determine a correct color density level. A preferred embodiment of the dot gain test pattern includes (a) a stable pattern having a color density which is stable with respect to changes in the laser printer operating conditions, and (b) a sensitive pattern having a color density which is sensitive to changes in the operating conditions, wherein the sensitive pattern in reference to the stable pattern indicates the density level of the laser printer for the at least one primary color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Trask, Brian Hoffmann
  • Patent number: 5898505
    Abstract: A print apparatus performs a halftoning action on a raster pixel image. The print apparatus includes a super-pixel data base for storing plural n.times.n superpixels, each superpixel corresponding to a subset (or "bucket") of gray level pixel values. The method comprises the steps of: logically tiling a dither matrix across the raster pixel image and outputting a threshold value which, logically and positionally corresponds to a given image pixel value. The given image pixel value is then quantized into a selected bucket of pixel values which encompass the given image pixel value. A proportionality value is then determined which identifies the relative position of the given image pixel value within the selected bucket of pixel values. The outputted threshold value is then compared to the determined proportionality value, and the selected bucket number is incremented to a next sequential bucket number if the proportionality value exceeds the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Qian Lin, Brian Hoffmann, Jeffrey L. Trask
  • Patent number: 5793406
    Abstract: Fine pulse width modulation (PWM) adjustments in the output of a laser printer are accomplished by receiving values from a bit map and modifying the values in accordance with values in a lookup table (LUT). The lookup table is subdivided into a plurality of blocks, and a selection of the blocks is made in accordance with external values. This allows the output of a pulse width modulation circuit to be adjusted to a precision that is greater than that afforded by the bit size of the values from the bit map. The use of plural blocks in the lookup table permits adjustments in the output of the pulse width modulation circuit in accordance with external factors such as relative humidity, sensitivity of an optical photoreceptor, and developer life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Trask, Rulon G. Esplin, David S. Pitou, Richard H. Benear, James A. Kazakoff, Brian Hoffmann
  • Patent number: 5760920
    Abstract: A method and a system for generating a dither matrix calibrated to a desired tonal response. The method and system comprise generating a dither matrix with a predicted tonal response, measuring the actual tonal response, manipulating a cumulative histogram for the dither matrix in response to the actual tonal response, and inputting the cumulative histogram to a dither matrix generation program to generate a dither matrix that conforms to the cumulative histogram. Other systems and methods are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Inventors: Qian Lin, Brian Hoffmann