Patents by Inventor Masanori Tsuboi

Masanori Tsuboi 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: 11222097
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus installs a license instructed to be installed when a reliable date has been successfully acquired from a server. When the reliable date fails to be acquired and the license instructed to be installed is a valid-days-designated license, the information forming apparatus installs the valid-days-designated license based on the image forming apparatus' built-in clock. When the reliable date fails to be acquired and the license instructed to be installed is an expiration-date-designated license, the information forming apparatus does not install the expiration-date-designated license.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 11200036
    Abstract: The information processing apparatus obtains attribute information of an application from the server in accordance with an instruction for instructing an update of an application stored in the storage unit and searches for and retrieves an application in a dependency relationship with the application to be updated based on the attribute information. The apparatus determines whether or not it is possible to allocate in the storage unit a free area in which it is possible to store the application to be updated and the retrieved application in the dependency relationship with the application to be updated, and, in a case that it is determined that the free area can be allocated, downloads, from the server, the application to be updated and the application in the dependency relationship with the application to be updated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi
  • Publication number: 20200387362
    Abstract: The information processing apparatus obtains attribute information of an application from the server in accordance with an instruction for instructing an update of an application stored in the storage unit and searches for and retrieves an application in a dependency relationship with the application to be updated based on the attribute information. The apparatus determines whether or not it is possible to allocate in the storage unit a free area in which it is possible to store the application to be updated and the retrieved application in the dependency relationship with the application to be updated, and, in a case that it is determined that the free area can be allocated, downloads, from the server, the application to be updated and the application in the dependency relationship with the application to be updated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 10702112
    Abstract: A self-propelled electronic device including: at least one drive wheel disposed at a bottom of a housing, the drive wheel traveling the housing while being displaced in a vertical direction in accordance with undulations of a floor surface; a drive wheel sensor for detecting a position of the drive wheel relative to the housing; a floor detection sensor for detecting a distance between the bottom of the housing and the floor surface; and a travel control unit for determining and deciding a course of the housing based on the determination that there exists a step on the floor surface if the distance detected by the floor detection sensor is longer than a predetermined reference distance, or, otherwise, the position of the drive wheel detected by the drive wheel sensor is lower than a predetermined reference position, by successively referring to output of the drive wheel sensor and the floor detection sensor, wherein, if the position of the drive wheel detected by the drive wheel sensor is lower than a predete
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masanori Tsuboi, Toshihiro Senoo
  • Patent number: 10653283
    Abstract: A self-propelled electronic device comprising: a housing; a drive wheel that enables the housing to travel; a wheel drop sensor that detects loss of contact of the drive wheel with a floor surface; and a travel control unit that controls travel of the housing, wherein, when the wheel drop sensor detects loss of contact of the drive wheel with the floor surface, the travel control unit continues travel of the housing for a predetermined continuous travel time, and if the wheel drop sensor still detects loss of contact of the drive wheel with the floor surface after the continuous travel time has elapsed, the travel control unit stops the rotation of the drive wheel, and then, rotates the drive wheel in a direction opposite to the direction of the rotation for a predetermined reverse travel time, to cause the housing to travel in a reverse direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masanori Tsuboi, Masashi Matsumoto, Toshihiro Senoo, Fumio Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 10376122
    Abstract: A self-propelled electronic device comprising: a housing; drive wheels that enable the housing to travel; a travel control unit that controls travel of the housing; and a periphery detection sensor that detects a region around the housing where the device is unable to travel, wherein the drive wheels include a left drive wheel and a right drive wheel which are independently driven, and the travel control unit: causes the left drive wheel and the right drive wheel to move backward in such a manner that an amount of rotation of the left drive wheel is smaller than an amount of rotation of the right drive wheel, when the periphery detection sensor detects that there is a region where the device is unable to travel at front left of the housing; and causes the left drive wheel and the right drive wheel to move backward in such a manner that an amount of rotation of the right drive wheel is smaller than an amount of rotation of the left drive wheel when the periphery detection sensor detects that there is a region
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masanori Tsuboi, Toshihiro Senoo
  • Publication number: 20180235421
    Abstract: A self-propelled electronic device including: at least one drive wheel disposed at a bottom of a housing, the drive wheel traveling the housing while being displaced in a vertical direction in accordance with undulations of a floor surface; a drive wheel sensor for detecting a position of the drive wheel relative to the housing; a floor detection sensor for detecting a distance between the bottom of the housing and the floor surface; and a travel control unit for determining and deciding a course of the housing based on the determination that there exists a step on the floor surface if the distance detected by the floor detection sensor is longer than a predetermined reference distance, or, otherwise, the position of the drive wheel detected by the drive wheel sensor is lower than a predetermined reference position, by successively referring to output of the drive wheel sensor and the floor detection sensor, wherein, if the position of the drive wheel detected by the drive wheel sensor is lower than a predete
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Inventors: MASANORI TSUBOI, TOSHIHIRO SENOO
  • Publication number: 20180232503
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus installs a license instructed to be installed when a reliable date has been successfully acquired from a server. When the reliable date fails to be acquired and the license instructed to be installed is a valid-days-designated license, the information forming apparatus installs the valid-days-designated license based on the image forming apparatus' built-in clock. When the reliable date fails to be acquired and the license instructed to be installed is an expiration-date-designated license, the information forming apparatus does not install the expiration-date-designated license.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 10022028
    Abstract: The self-propelled cleaner (1) of the present invention includes an event detecting section (101) for detecting an event which relates to cleaning and has occurred in the cleaner, a feeling selecting section (201) for selecting, from a plurality of options, an operation mode with which the cleaner carries out an operation in response to the event, in accordance with measured information which relates to the cleaning and is measured by the cleaner, and a response operation control section (301) for controlling the cleaner to carry out the operation based on the operation information which is associated with the event and the operation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masanori Tsuboi, Jitsuo Sakamoto, Masashi Matsumoto, Mami Yatake
  • Patent number: 9983865
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of executing update processing for updating firmware, comprises: a setting unit which sets either a first setting indicating that the update processing is executed periodically or a second setting indicating that the update processing is executed at a particular date/time rather than periodically; an obtaining unit which obtains update firmware for updating; an extraction unit which executes extraction processing for extracting the update firmware; a determination unit which determines, in a case where the extraction processing is interrupted due to a power-off and the image forming apparatus re-boots, whether the first setting or the second setting is set by the setting unit; and a deciding unit which, based on a result of the determination by the determination unit, decide whether or not to re-execute the extraction processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi
  • Publication number: 20180049613
    Abstract: A self-propelled electronic device comprising; a housing; a drive wheel that enables the housing to travel; a wheel drop sensor that detects loss of contact of the drive wheel with a floor surface; and a travel control unit that controls travel of the housing, wherein, when the wheel drop sensor detects loss of contact of the drive wheel with the floor surface, the travel control unit continues travel of the housing for a predetermined continuous travel time, and if the wheel drop sensor still detects loss of contact of the drive wheel with the floor surface after the continuous travel time has elapsed, the travel control unit stops the rotation of the drive wheel, and then, rotates the drive wheel in a direction opposite to the direction of the rotation for a predetermined reverse travel time, to cause the housing to travel in a reverse direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: February 22, 2018
    Inventors: MASANORI TSUBOI, MASASHI MATSUMOTO, TOSHIHIRO SENOO, FUMIO YOSHIMURA
  • Patent number: 9894149
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided that includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about an installed application if reservation information acquired from a server is reservation information about a distributed application; a first download unit configured to download the distributed application if the installed application matches the distributed application; a first update unit configured to update the installed application by using the distributed application; a second download unit configured to download firmware if the acquired reservation information is reservation information about the firmware; and a second update unit configured to execute an update using the firmware. If a state of the installed application is a stop state, the first update unit does not set the state of the application to a start state. If the state of the installed application is the start state, the first update unit sets the state of the application to the start state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi
  • Publication number: 20180035860
    Abstract: A self-propelled electronic device comprising: a housing; drive wheels that enable the housing to travel; a travel control unit that controls travel of the housing; and a periphery detection sensor that detects a region around the housing where the device is unable to travel, wherein the drive wheels include a left drive wheel and a right drive wheel which are independently driven, and the travel control unit: causes the left drive wheel and the right drive wheel to move backward in such a manner that an amount of rotation of the left drive wheel is smaller than an amount of rotation of the right drive wheel, when the periphery detection sensor detects that there is a region where the device is unable to travel at front left of the housing; and causes the left drive wheel and the right drive wheel to move backward in such a manner that an amount of rotation of the right drive wheel is smaller than an amount of rotation of the left drive wheel when the periphery detection sensor detects that there is a region
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Inventors: MASANORI TSUBOI, TOSHIHIRO SENOO
  • Patent number: 9560220
    Abstract: In response to a request from an image forming apparatus, a separate apparatus identifies information on applicable firmware, determines whether warning is permitted based on an output ability of the image forming apparatus and a result of referring to a warning permission policy table, and transmits a response including the information on applicable firmware and warning permission information. When making the request and applying the firmware after receiving the response, in a case where the warning permission information indicates displaying of warning is permitted, the image forming apparatus determines a message to be output and displays the message based on the result of referring to the warning display pattern table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi
  • Publication number: 20170017438
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided that includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about an installed application if reservation information acquired from a server is reservation information about a distributed application; a first download unit configured to download the distributed application if the installed application matches the distributed application; a first update unit configured to update the installed application by using the distributed application; a second download unit configured to download firmware if the acquired reservation information is reservation information about the firmware; and a second update unit configured to execute an update using the firmware. If a state of the installed application is a stop state, the first update unit does not set the state of the application to a start state. If the state of the installed application is the start state, the first update unit sets the state of the application to the start state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Publication date: January 19, 2017
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 9505127
    Abstract: A self-propelled cleaner (1), i.e., a self-propelled electronic device, includes a temperature measurement unit (63) that measures an ambient temperature during self-propelled operation, a temperature decision unit (521) that decides whether the measured ambient temperature is equal to or more than a set value, and an abnormal temperature notification unit (522) that externally reports abnormal temperature information indicating that the measured ambient temperature is equal to or more than the set value if the measured ambient temperature is decided to be equal to or more than the set value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masanori Tsuboi, Masashi Matsumoto, Mami Yatake
  • Patent number: 9348543
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of a network system requests a distribution system for firmware, acquires the firmware from the distribution system, applies the firmware, and notifies the distribution system about version information for specific firmware relating to a function that performs application time designation. The distribution system of the network system manages version information for the firmware based on a notice from the image forming apparatus, provides a screen for a distribution setting for the firmware with the image forming apparatus, provides a first screen on which the time designation for applying the firmware is enabled, or a second screen on which the time designation is disabled by switching the screens for each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses based on the version information for the specific firmware managed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 9323907
    Abstract: A distribution apparatus accepts registration of an application program configured to provide a specific service to a device and an extension application program. When an application program that is specified by the extension application program is registered, the image forming apparatus manages the extension application program by linking it with the application program. When a license key has been received, the distribution apparatus distributes, to the image forming apparatus, an application program specified by a license key and/or an extension application program linked to the application program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi
  • Publication number: 20160100069
    Abstract: In response to a request from an image forming apparatus, a separate apparatus identifies information on applicable firmware, determines whether warning is permitted based on an output ability of the image forming apparatus and a result of referring to a warning permission policy table, and transmits a response including the information on applicable firmware and warning permission information. When making the request and applying the firmware after receiving the response, in a case where the warning permission information indicates displaying of warning is permitted, the image forming apparatus determines a message to be output and displays the message based on the result of referring to the warning display pattern table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi
  • Publication number: 20160019048
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of executing update processing for updating firmware, comprises: a setting unit which sets either a first setting indicating that the update processing is executed periodically or a second setting indicating that the update processing is executed at a particular date/time rather than periodically; an obtaining unit which obtains update firmware for updating; an extraction unit which executes extraction processing for extracting the update firmware; a determination unit which determines, in a case where the extraction processing is interrupted due to a power-off and the image forming apparatus re-boots, whether the first setting or the second setting is set by the setting unit; and a deciding unit which, based on a result of the determination by the determination unit, decide whether or not to re-execute the extraction processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuboi