Patents by Inventor Minako Kato

Minako Kato 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: 8757754
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a plurality of inkjet print heads to which humidified air is supplied to retain the humidity in the print heads. Ink colors for the plurality of heads are arranged in a sequence corresponding to ink characteristics. The plurality of print heads are arranged in a sequence such that a print head configured to eject ink characterized by having a larger amount of volatile components evaporated within a predetermined time is located in a more upstream area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Azuma, Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Minoru Teshigawara, Yoshiaki Murayama, Susumu Hirosawa, Yutaka Kano, Takeshi Murase, Kentarou Muro, Masao Kato, Minako Kato
  • Publication number: 20140092164
    Abstract: A process of detecting a defective recording element and a process of correcting the defective recording element are performed with appropriate processing loads. When the detection process and the correction processes are performed with small loads, for example, at a time of recording, a resolution used for reading an inspection pattern is set lower than that set in a case where the processes can be performed with small loads, for example, at down time before recording. The reading resolution to be set may be determined by an apparatus in accordance with a processing load or may be arbitrarily determined by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Murase, Masao Kato, Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Minako Kato, Minoru Teshigawara, Yoshiaki Murayama, Susumu Hirosawa, Yutaka Kano, Satoshi Azuma, Kentarou Muro
  • Patent number: 8675250
    Abstract: A waiting time Ts is decided on the basis of ink type information and ink feed amount information, referring to waiting time table A (Step 6). Along with this, a dried printing paper is carried to and stopped in a waiting area 9 (Step 7), a time period T is measured after stopping, and measurement processing in the next step is delayed until the time period T reaches the waiting time Ts. Then, when the time period T reaches the waiting time Ts, a measuring instrument 10 is used to measure a density of a patch printed on the printing paper (Steps 8 and 9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentarou Muro, Susumu Hirosawa, Yutaka Kano, Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Minoru Teshigawara, Yoshiaki Murayama, Takeshi Murase, Satoshi Azuma, Masao Kato, Minako Kato
  • Publication number: 20140022303
    Abstract: The present invention provides a recording apparatus including recording heads each including a plurality of nozzle arrays that are arranged so as to overlap, wherein the width with which the overlapping portions of the recording heads for colors that are simultaneously used with a relatively high frequency overlap in an intersecting direction that intersects an array direction of nozzles is smaller than the width with which the overlapping portions of the recording heads for colors that are simultaneously used with a relatively low frequency overlap in the intersecting direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Satoshi Azuma, Yoshiaki Murayama, Minoru Teshigawara, Susumu Hirosawa, Yutaka Kano, Takeshi Murase, Kentarou Muro, Masao Kato, Minako Kato
  • Patent number: 8628164
    Abstract: A process of detecting a defective recording element and a process of correcting the defective recording element are performed with appropriate processing loads. When the detection process and the correction processes are performed with small loads, for example, at a time of recording, a resolution used for reading an inspection pattern is set lower than that set in a case where the processes can be performed with small loads, for example, at down time before recording. The reading resolution to be set may be determined by an apparatus in accordance with a processing load or may be arbitrarily determined by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Murase, Masao Kato, Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Minako Kato, Minoru Teshigawara, Yoshiaki Murayama, Susumu Hirosawa, Yutaka Kano, Satoshi Azuma, Kentarou Muro
  • Publication number: 20140010442
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for processing image data obtained by reading a document and a background image outside the document, and method of controlling the apparatus. The apparatus determines a degree of similarity between a color of the background image and a color of a marginal region of the document from the image data, sets a region extraction parameter based on the determined degree of similarity, and determines a document region by using the region extraction parameter from the image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2013
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Inventors: Minako Kato, Tetsuya Suwa, Takashi Nakamura, Yugo Mochizuki, Masao Kato
  • Publication number: 20140010463
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a first acquisition unit configured to acquire main object information specifying a main object in generation of a layout image, a second acquisition unit configured to acquire object correlation information specifying an object having a correlation with the main object, an extraction unit configured to extract at least one image including the main object and at least one image including the object having the correlation with the main object from a plurality of images based on the acquired main object information and the acquired object correlation information acquired, and a generation unit configured to generate, using a layout template, a layout image in which the at least one image extracted by the extraction unit and including the main object and the at least one image extracted by the extraction unit and including the object having the correlation with the main object are laid out therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Inventors: Minako Kato, Kiyoshi Umeda, Hiroyuki Sakai, Hiroyasu Kunieda, Yusuke Hashii, Naoki Sumi
  • Patent number: 8567891
    Abstract: The present invention provides a recording apparatus including recording heads each including a plurality of nozzle arrays that are arranged so as to overlap, wherein the width with which the overlapping portions of the recording heads for colors that are simultaneously used with a relatively high frequency overlap in an intersecting direction that intersects an array direction of nozzles is smaller than the width with which the overlapping portions of the recording heads for colors that are simultaneously used with a relatively low frequency overlap in the intersecting direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Satoshi Azuma, Yoshiaki Murayama, Minoru Teshigawara, Susumu Hirosawa, Yutaka Kano, Takeshi Murase, Kentarou Muro, Masao Kato, Minako Kato
  • Patent number: 8523320
    Abstract: The present invention provides a recording apparatus including recording heads each including a plurality of nozzle arrays that are arranged so as to overlap, wherein overlapping portions of the recording heads for two different colors are separated from each other with a distance therebetween in an array direction of nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Satoshi Azuma, Yoshiaki Murayama, Minoru Teshigawara, Susumu Hirosawa, Yutaka Kano, Takeshi Murase, Kentarou Muro, Masao Kato, Minako Kato
  • Patent number: 8472079
    Abstract: For a printing apparatus which saves on a color material, an image processing apparatus is realized which enables a user to incur printing costs only for necessary information and necessary areas in a print product. For this purpose, there is provided an image processing apparatus including a separation unit configured to analyze and separate print information into text, photograph, and graphic constituent elements, a display unit configured to display information about a color material used amount to be used in printing for each of the separated constituent elements, and a setting unit configured to allow a user to set a change in the color material used amount for each of the separated constituent elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobutaka Miyake, Yusuke Hashii, Makoto Torigoe, Ryosuke Iguchi, Tetsuya Suwa, Minako Kato, Hiromitsu Akiba
  • Patent number: 8444246
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a drying unit to dry a printing medium on which an image was printed using an inkjet head; a humidification unit to humidify the printing medium that was dried by the drying unit so that the moisture content of the printing medium becomes the equilibrium state in the ambient environment; a colorimetric unit to perform colorimetry on the printing medium that was humidified by the humidification unit; and a calibration unit to calibrate printing properties on the basis of the result of colorimetry by the colorimetric unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentarou Muro, Susumu Hirosawa, Yutaka Kano, Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Minoru Teshigawara, Yoshiaki Murayama, Takeshi Murase, Satoshi Azuma, Masao Kato, Minako Kato
  • Publication number: 20130100504
    Abstract: A signal value representing at least one of a plurality of types of optical characteristics are calculated for each pixel from the read signal obtained and output by reading light reflected by a document placed on a document table and a document table cover while the document is covered with the cover. It is determined, based on the signal value calculated, whether or not a target pixel is a pixel in a document region. A document region is detected from the determination result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Suwa, Minako Kato, Yugo Mochizuki, Takashi Nakamura, Masao Kato
  • Patent number: 8339668
    Abstract: The quality of an image read from a degraded image of an original document can be improved. Hence, a specific pixel of an image is selected, and additional information to be added to the image is generated from the position information and color information of the selected pixel. The image of an original document is read, position information and color information added to the original document are extracted, and the color information of a pixel corresponding to the position information is acquired from the read image. The color of the read image is corrected based on the extracted color information and the acquired color information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Minako Kato
  • Patent number: 8213733
    Abstract: An image processing method is a method for correcting both an image quality of an overall image and an image quality of a partial image with excellent balance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Minako Kato, Kiyoshi Umeda, Ryosuke Iguchi
  • Publication number: 20120162677
    Abstract: The quality of an image read from a degraded image of an original document can be improved. Hence, a specific pixel of an image is selected, and additional information to be added to the image is generated from the position information and color information of the selected pixel. The image of an original document is read, position information and color information added to the original document are extracted, and the color information of a pixel corresponding to the position information is acquired from the read image. The color of the read image is corrected based on the extracted color information and the acquired color information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Minako Kato
  • Patent number: 8203759
    Abstract: The quality of an image read from a degraded image of an original document can be improved. Hence, a specific pixel of an image is selected, and additional information to be added to the image is generated from the position information and color information of the selected pixel. The image of an original document is read, position information and color information added to the original document are extracted, and the color information of a pixel corresponding to the position information is acquired from the read image. The color of the read image is corrected based on the extracted color information and the acquired color information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Minako Kato
  • Publication number: 20120114188
    Abstract: A process of detecting a defective recording element and a process of correcting the defective recording element are performed with appropriate processing loads. When the detection process and the correction processes are performed with small loads, for example, at a time of recording, a resolution used for reading an inspection pattern is set lower than that set in a case where the processes can be performed with small loads, for example, at down time before recording. The reading resolution to be set may be determined by an apparatus in accordance with a processing load or may be arbitrarily determined by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Murase, Masao Kato, Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Minako Kato, Minoru Teshigawara, Yoshiaki Murayama, Susumu Hirosawa, Yutaka Kano, Satoshi Azuma, Kentarou Muro
  • Publication number: 20120026229
    Abstract: To provide an inkjet printing apparatus that suppresses occurrence of image deterioration, such as a texture, a moire, and a streak in a printing result. In order for this to be achieved, a level is set up to a overlapping portion of a chip of a print head depending on dot impact accuracy, and a print data distribution rate of each chip in the overlapping portion is determined according to the level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Minako Kato, Yoshiaki Murayama, Satoshi Azuma, Yutaka Kano, Minoru Teshigawara, Takeshi Murase, Susumu Hirosawa, Kentarou Muro, Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Masao Kato
  • Publication number: 20110316921
    Abstract: When an image is recorded using a multichip recording head including a plurality of chips each having a plurality of nozzle arrays, a change in image density can occur due to a registration error between chips in an overlapping part where two chips are connected. To suppress the change in image density, input image data is distributed to two chips such that there are dots overlapping each other between the two chips in the overlapping part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Azuma, Yoshiaki Murayama, Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Minoru Teshigawara, Susumu Hirosawa, Yutaka Kano, Takeshi Murase, Kentarou Muro, Masao Kato, Minako Kato, Tomokazu Ishikawa, Fumitaka Goto, Mitsuhiro Ono, Akitoshi Yamada, Yugo Mochizuki
  • Patent number: D699284
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tatsuo Nanjo, Yasuo Kotaki, Kenta Udagawa, Wataru Takahashi, Kazuya Yoshii, Masao Kato, Minako Kato, Eiichiro Shimizu