Patents by Inventor Hajime Usami

Hajime Usami 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).

  • Publication number: 20230391074
    Abstract: A printing apparatus, having a plurality of heads, a plurality of head controlling circuits, a master transmitter, and a determining unit, is provided. The head controlling circuits are connected to the heads in one-to-one correspondence and are connected with one another serially. Each head controlling circuit controls a corresponding one of the heads to record a part of the image based on master data. The master transmitter transmits the master data to a most upstream one of the head controlling circuits. The head controlling circuits are configured to pass the master data received by the most upstream one of the head controlling circuits serially downstream onto a most downstream one of the head controlling circuits, and generate differential data indicating a difference between the master data and read data generated by reading an image. The determining unit determines whether the image contains a defect based on the differential data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2023
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hajime USAMI
  • Patent number: 11755089
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a power processor, an interface, a detector that detects at least one of a voltage value and a current value on an electric power line that connects the power processor and the interface, and a controller. The controller transmits warning information to an external device via the interface in a case where a detection value of the detector indicates an abnormal value while electric power is supplied to the external device via the interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Seigo Hayashi, Hajime Usami
  • Patent number: 11750015
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a power processor, an interface, a detector that detects at least one of a voltage value and a current value on an electric power line which connects the power processor and the interface, and a controller. The controller notifies a swap request for swapping electric power roles with an external device to the external device via the interface in a case where a detection value of the detector indicates an abnormal value while electric power is supplied to the external device via the interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Seigo Hayashi, Hajime Usami
  • Publication number: 20230166509
    Abstract: A controller includes a plurality of control circuits configured to be connected to respective ones of a plurality of head units. Each head unit has a nozzle. The plurality of control circuits includes a first control circuit, a second control circuit connected to the first control circuit in series to perform communication, and a third control circuit connected to the second control circuit in series to perform communication. The first control circuit is configured to transmit first data to the second control circuit. The first data is data for controlling at least one of the plurality of head units. The second control circuit is configured to transmit second data to the third control circuit. The second data is data for controlling at least one of the plurality of head units. A data amount of the second data is smaller than a data amount of the first data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2022
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hajime USAMI
  • Patent number: 11557902
    Abstract: An interface performs power delivery and communication with an external apparatus. A convert device is configured to convert a voltage of input power that is supplied from the external apparatus through the interface. A convert device includes a first convert device having first conversion efficiency and a second convert device having second conversion efficiency different from the first conversion efficiency. A processing device is configured to operate by using power converted by the convert device. A controller is configured to switch a conversion state between: a first conversion state of converting, by the first convert device, the input power supplied from the external apparatus through the interface and supplying the converted input power to the processing device; and a second conversion state of converting, by the second convert device, the input power supplied from the external apparatus through the interface and supplying the converted input power to the processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Seigo Hayashi, Hajime Usami
  • Patent number: 11556287
    Abstract: The printing device includes a printing unit, an interface, and a controller. In a case that a print job is received while electric power is being supplied to an external device from the interface, the controller determines whether a first condition or a second condition is met. The print job is for commanding the printing unit to execute printing. The second condition is different from the first condition. The controller executes printing based on the print job while limiting a level of the electric power being supplied to the external device from the interface in a case that the controller determines that the first condition is met. The controller holds the print job without limiting a level of the electric power supplied to the external device from the interface in a case that the controller determines that the second condition is met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hajime Usami, Yasuhiro Shimamura, Seigo Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11507162
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a first communication interface for receiving a job, a second communication interface for delivering electric power, a processing unit that performing processing related to the job, and a controller that is configured to, in response to receiving the job received from an external device via the first communication interface, transmits a power request to the external device via the second communication interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Ohtake, Hajime Usami
  • Patent number: 11509158
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a power processor, an interface, a first detector that detects at least one of a voltage value and a current value on an electric power line which connects the power processor and the interface, a second detector that detects at least one of a voltage value and a current value on the electric power line, a switch that switches a supply of electric power supplied from the interface to an outside, and a controller. The controller controls the switch to restrict the electric power supplied from the interface to an outside in a case where at least one of a detection value of the first detector and a detection value of the second detector is equal to or greater than a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Shimamura, Hajime Usami
  • Patent number: 11372604
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: an image forming engine; an interface; and a controller; wherein the controller is configured to: supply electric power to an external device via the interface; determine whether to execute, during executing the supplying the electric power to the external device via the interface, a first operation relating to image formation by the image forming engine; limit a power amount to be supplied to the external device when the controller determines to execute the first operation based on a result of the determining whether to execute the first operation; execute the first operation in a state in which the power amount to be supplied to the external device is limited; and determine, after the controller has started the executing the first operation, whether to execute a second operation different from the first operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Shimamura, Hajime Usami, Seigo Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20220137892
    Abstract: The printing device includes a printing unit, an interface, and a controller. In a case that a print job is received while electric power is being supplied to an external device from the interface, the controller determines whether a first condition or a second condition is met. The print job is for commanding the printing unit to execute printing. The second condition is different from the first condition. The controller executes printing based on the print job while limiting a level of the electric power being supplied to the external device from the interface in a case that the controller determines that the first condition is met. The controller holds the print job without limiting a level of the electric power supplied to the external device from the interface in a case that the controller determines that the second condition is met.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2021
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Hajime USAMI, Yasuhiro SHIMAMURA, Seigo HAYASHI
  • Patent number: 11237607
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface configured to connect with a plurality of external devices and supply an electric power to each of the external devices connected with the interface, the plurality of external devices including a first device having a battery and a second device, and a controller configured to, when the first device and the second device are connected with the interface, determine whether the first device satisfies a first condition concerning charging of the battery of the first device, and in response to determining that the first device satisfies the first condition, make a specific ratio of an electric power to be supplied to the first device via the interface to an electric power to be supplied to the second device via the interface larger than when it is determined that the first device does not satisfy the first condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsunori Sakai, Hajime Usami
  • Patent number: 11221657
    Abstract: A first interface performs power delivery and communication with a first external apparatus. A second interface performs power delivery and communication with a second external apparatus. A controller is configured to perform: storing, in a memory, history information relating to power delivery performed with the second external apparatus through the second interface, the history information including identification information of the second external apparatus and an amount of power delivery with the second external apparatus; determining whether to perform a power role switch with the first external apparatus, the power role switch being a switch of a power role between a power source of supplying power and a power sink of receiving power; and in response to determining that the power role switch is to be performed, performing power delivery with the second external apparatus through the second interface based on the history information stored in the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Shimamura, Hajime Usami
  • Patent number: 11223734
    Abstract: A CPU of a printer requests a first external device to supply electric power via a first interface through communications according to the USB standard. When the CPU determines that the requested electric power is to be unsupplied from the first external device, the CPU requests a second external device to supply the electric power via a second interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsunori Sakai, Hajime Usami
  • Publication number: 20210373819
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: an image forming engine; an interface; and a controller; wherein the controller is configured to: supply electric power to an external device via the interface; determine whether to execute, during executing the supplying the electric power to the external device via the interface, a first operation relating to image formation by the image forming engine; limit a power amount to be supplied to the external device when the controller determines to execute the first operation based on a result of the determining whether to execute the first operation; execute the first operation in a state in which the power amount to be supplied to the external device is limited; and determine, after the controller has started the executing the first operation, whether to execute a second operation different from the first operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiro SHIMAMURA, Hajime USAMI, Seigo HAYASHI
  • Patent number: 11165923
    Abstract: A CPU of an MFP receives battery information from a first external device via a first interface, determines whether a total amount of electric power supplied to a plurality of interfaces from a power supply is maintained, and reduces an amount of the electric power supplied to the first external device via the first interface in a case where determining that the first external device has no battery based on the battery information in response to determining that the total amount of the electric power supplied to the plurality of the interfaces from the power supply is not maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Shimamura, Hajime Usami
  • Patent number: 11093183
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an interface, a first load device, a battery, a controller, and a plurality of power transmission paths including first to third power transmission paths, wherein the controller is configured to start up the controller with power having a first power amount from an external device via the interface, request a second power amount greater than the first power amount to the external device, determine whether it is possible to receive power supply of the second power amount from the external device, supply power to the first load device via the second power transmission path to start up the first load device, and supply the power to the battery via the third power transmission path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nao Kato, Masaki Ohtake, Hajime Usami
  • Patent number: 11023031
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus, including a power source, an image engine, an interface to communicate with an external device and deliver power from the power source to the external device, and a controller, is provided. The controller is configured to detect connection of the external device to the interface; receive power information, including a value of regular operable power and a value of minimum operable power, from the external device; receive a job execution command; in response to receiving the job execution command, determine whether a first power value including the value of the regular operable power exceeds a value of power available for the external device during a predetermined operation by the image engine; and in response to a determination that the first power value exceeds the value of power available for the external device, control the power source to deliver the minimum operable power to the external device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsunori Sakai, Mitsuru Nakamura, Hajime Usami
  • Publication number: 20210132673
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a power processor, an interface, a detector that detects at least one of a voltage value and a current value on an electric power line that connects the power processor and the interface, and a controller. The controller transmits warning information to an external device via the interface in a case where a detection value of the detector indicates an abnormal value while electric power is supplied to the external device via the interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2020
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Seigo Hayashi, Hajime Usami
  • Publication number: 20210135476
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a power processor, an interface, a first detector that detects at least one of a voltage value and a current value on an electric power line which connects the power processor and the interface, a second detector that detects at least one of a voltage value and a current value on the electric power line, a switch that switches a supply of electric power supplied from the interface to an outside, and a controller. The controller controls the switch to restrict the electric power supplied from the interface to an outside in a case where at least one of a detection value of the first detector and a detection value of the second detector is equal to or greater than a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2020
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Shimamura, Hajime Usami
  • Publication number: 20210135477
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a power processor, an interface, a detector that detects at least one of a voltage value and a current value on an electric power line which connects the power processor and the interface, and a controller. The controller notifies a swap request for swapping electric power roles with an external device to the external device via the interface in a case where a detection value of the detector indicates an abnormal value while electric power is supplied to the external device via the interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2020
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Seigo Hayashi, Hajime Usami