Patents by Inventor Tsutomu Sakaue

Tsutomu Sakaue 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: 20100214624
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus regardless of usage environment, at any time, for any occasion, without requiring a dedicated chart or device, spatial frequency conversion method and program for the apparatus that can calculate spatial frequency response characteristics necessary for calibration. The apparatus includes first and second image reading units reading a print-out image of a patch image stored in a storage section, and first and second spatial frequency conversion units performing spatial frequency conversion on images read by first and second reading units. Based on the amounts of change, caused through processing by first spatial frequency conversion unit, in spatial frequency response, the apparatus determines a patch image used for spatial frequency conversion, and calculates correction amounts for conversion by first and second spatial frequency conversion units, according to a result of spatial frequency conversion, using the patch image, by first and second spatial frequency conversion units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tsutomu Sakaue
  • Publication number: 20100214323
    Abstract: This invention provides a mechanism that enables to use history information representing the history of a predetermined operation performed by an operator during a presentation without shooting it by a video camera or the like. To accomplish this, an image processing system stores, as history information, user operations such as pointer manipulation and an enlargement rendering operation at the time of presentation on the display apparatus together with the operation target display area. An image processing apparatus creates the digest data of the presentation using the history information and display data used for the presentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tsutomu Sakaue
  • Publication number: 20100171999
    Abstract: There are cases in which an effective search index cannot be provided to an image data only by extracting character codes from a character object in PDL data. An image processing apparatus of the present invention obtains image data by rendering PDL data, and extracts a character object from the image data. The image processing apparatus performs character recognition processing on the extracted character object to obtain character code information, and provides metadata including the character code information to the image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2009
    Publication date: July 8, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Namikata, Tsutomu Sakaue, Manabu Takebayashi, Reiji Misawa, Osamu Iinuma, Naoki Ito, Yoichi Kashibuchi, Junya Arakawa, Shinji Sano
  • Patent number: 7751086
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus configured to generate image data for forming an image using a plurality of color materials of similar colors and of different densities includes a gradation changing unit configured to conduct a gradation changing process for changing gradation of C, M, Y, and K signals of an image and a color separation unit configured to conduct a color separation process for separating color component data for a dark color material into color component data for a dark color material and color component data for a light color material. The gradation changing unit is configured to conduct the gradation changing process before the color separation unit conducts the color separation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsutomu Sakaue, Shinichi Kato, Ritsuko Otake, Yoko Sato, Yoichi Kashibuchi
  • Publication number: 20100110498
    Abstract: In order to provide a technique that allows to print out a CFIP composite image with an appropriate image density, a printing apparatus includes a storage unit which stores CFIP image data including a latent portion and background portion, a comparison unit which compares a CFIP density setting value at the generation timing of the CFIP image data and that at the issuance timing of the printout instruction, a replacement unit which replaces, when the comparison unit determines that the CFIP density setting values are not equal to each other, an image pattern of at least one of the latent and background portions included in the CFIP image data by the other image pattern having a different density, and a control unit which prints out the CFIP image data in which the image pattern of at least one of the latent and background portions is replaced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tsutomu Sakaue
  • Publication number: 20100097656
    Abstract: An input image is segmented into regions based on attributes of the input image. It is determined whether each segmented region is an illustration region. When it is determined that the segmented region is an illustration region, the color of the determined illustration region is compared with that of a region around the illustration region. When these colors coincide with each other as a result of the comparison, attribute information of the illustration region is changed to that of the region around the illustration region. Print data is generated based on the changed attribute information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2009
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Reiji Misawa, Hiroshi Kaburagi, Tsutomu Sakaue, Takeshi Namikata, Manabu Takebayashi, Osamu Iinuma, Naoki Ito, Yoichi Kashibuchi, Junya Arakawa, Shinji Sano
  • Publication number: 20100092092
    Abstract: When a halftone dot region includes a character or line drawing, high extraction performance of a halftone dot region cannot be obtained. Hence, the isolation amount of an interest pixel is calculated, and the isolation amounts are integrated in a plurality of areas having different sizes. Thresholds set for respective areas are compared with the integration result to determine whether or not the interest pixel belongs to a halftone dot region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2006
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tsutomu Sakaue
  • Patent number: 7689050
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus extracts DC components of an image, generates a histogram of the extracted DC components, and detects a background level of the image based on the histogram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tsutomu Sakaue
  • Publication number: 20100070854
    Abstract: In a system that performs object division of a manuscript and adds metadata, a method is provided which can edit the metadata by an intuitive operation when no appropriate metadata is added or when it is desired that the metadata be increased by adding. An image processing device, which divides an manuscript acquired through an input component into a plurality of objects and adds the metadata, has a user interface for editing the metadata of the objects, and switches, after selecting first and second objects, a retouching method of the metadata in accordance with the contents of the respective metadata of the first object and second object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoichi Kashibuchi, Hiroshi Kaburagi, Tsutomu Sakaue, Takeshi Namikata, Manabu Takebayashi, Reiji Misawa, Osamu Iinuma, Naoki Ito, Junya Arakawa, Shinji Sano
  • Publication number: 20100033778
    Abstract: When color materials of more than four colors are used, a signal for the amount of toner used within a range appropriate for the apparatus and toner characteristic is generated using a color separation table. However, a printer receives print data of various formats, such as image data separated into signal values of more than four colors, or image data of a special format to which a six-color separation table cannot be applied. Hence, an image signal representing a combination of colors is input. The sum of the signal values of colors in each pixel of the image signal is calculated and compared with a limit value. When the sum exceeds the limit value, the signal values of base colors are replaced with that of a spot color based on a replacement table for replacing the signal values of the base colors with that of the spot color.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: RITSUKO OTAKE, SHINICHI KATO, TSUTOMU SAKAUE, YOKO SATO, YOICHI KASHIBUCHI
  • Publication number: 20090303504
    Abstract: The objective of the preset invention is to easily determine an optimal method for the use of transparent toner. In order to resolve this problem, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an addition unit for adding, to each of objects that constitute an original document, information indicating either that transparent toner is to be printed for the entire surface of the original document or that transparent toner is to be printed for only part of the original document, a storage unit for storing the object and a generating unit for generating image data by employing the object stored in the storage unit, wherein, based on the information added to the object that is stored in the storage unit, the generating unit controls a number of pixels used for printing the transparent toner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Osamu Iinuma, Hiroshi Kaburagi, Tsutomu Sakaue, Manabu Takebayashi, Reiji Misawa, Naoki Ito, Yoichi Kashibuchi, Junya Arakawa, Shinji Sano, Takeshi Namikata
  • Publication number: 20090297033
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus extracts an area for each color from an illustration area, specifies an area that is in contact with the boundary of the illustration area, extracts a color around the illustration area, determines whether or not the extracted color around the illustration area is the same as the color of the specified area, and processes vector data that represents an area that has been determined as having the same color.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2009
    Publication date: December 3, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoki Ito, Hiroshi Kaburagi, Tsutomu Sakaue, Takeshi Namikata, Manabu Takebayashi, Reiji Misawa, Osamu Iinuma, Yoichi Kashibuchi, Junya Arakawa, Shinji Sano
  • Publication number: 20090290797
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus has a separation unit for separating objects constituting an image input by an image input unit, a setting unit for setting a criterion to determine whether or not a separated object is stored, and a determination unit for determining whether the separated object is stored based on the criterion set by the setting unit. The image processing apparatus also has a unit for displaying the separated object, responding to a user access via an interface unit, when the separated object is determined to be stored by the determination unit and storing the separated object such that the separated object can be reused.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junya Arakawa, Hiroshi Kaburagi, Tsutomu Sakaue, Takeshi Namikala, Manabu Takebayashi, Reiji Misawa, Osamu Iinuma, Naoki Ito, Yoichi Kashibuchi, Shinji Sano
  • Publication number: 20090284801
    Abstract: Each object in input image data is separated into an area by an image area separation unit. An area determined to be a character area based on the image area separation processing is smoothened by an MTF correction unit. The resulting data is then binarized by a binarizing unit. The binarized data is split according to types of objects, and characters and line drawings are vectorized and stored in a storage unit. Alternatively, the characters and line drawings are printed out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Publication date: November 19, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: TSUTOMU SAKAUE, Takeshi Namikata, Shinji Sano, Junya Arakawa
  • Patent number: 7616360
    Abstract: When color materials of more than four colors are used, a signal for the amount of toner used within a range appropriate for the apparatus and toner characteristic is generated using a color separation table. However, a printer receives print data of various formats, such as image data separated into signal values of more than four colors, or image data of a special format to which a six-color separation table cannot be applied. Hence, an image signal representing a combination of colors is input. The sum of the signal values of colors in each pixel of the image signal is calculated and compared with a limit value. When the sum exceeds the limit value, the signal values of base colors are replaced with that of a spot color based on a replacement table for replacing the signal values of the base colors with that of the spot color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ritsuko Otake, Shinichi Kato, Tsutomu Sakaue, Yoko Sato, Yoichi Kashibuchi
  • Publication number: 20090274369
    Abstract: An image processing device includes a dividing unit for dividing objects of an input image, a metadata adding unit for adding metadata to each of the divided objects by performing OCR processing and morpheme analysis, a display unit for displaying at least one of the divided objects and the metadata added to the divided object, and a metadata accuracy determining unit for determining accuracies of the added metadata. The display unit preferentially displays metadata determined as being low in accuracy by the metadata accuracy determining unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Publication date: November 5, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinji Sano, Hiroshi Kaburagi, Tsutomu Sakaue, Takeshi Namikata, Manabu Takebayashi, Reiji Misawa, Osamu Iinuma, Naoki Ito, Yoichi Kashibuchi, Junya Arakawa
  • Publication number: 20090110313
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image processing device able to compress the information volume of attribute data by vectorizing the attribute data. A transmitting image processing device includes an attribute separating unit that extracts attribute data from image data, a vectorization processing unit that vectorizes the attribute data extracted by the attribute separating unit, and a transmission unit that transmits, to another device, the vectorized attribute data that was vectorized by the vectorization processing unit together with the image data. A receiving image processing device includes a receiving unit that receives the image data and the vectorized attribute data that was obtained by vectorizing the original attribute data, as well as a RIP unit that restores attribute data from the vectorized attribute data in order to accurately restore the attribute data that was vectorized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2008
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tsutomu Sakaue
  • Publication number: 20080316510
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, computer-program, and storage medium capable of acquiring a paper fingerprint efficiently and improving convenience for users. An image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an image sensor acquiring RGB signals. The G signal is separated from the acquired RGB signals, and the RGB signals are input into a gain adjustment 1+A/D-converting 1 section and the separated G signal is input into a gain adjustment 2+A/D-converting 2 section. The gain adjustment 2+A/D-converting 2 section performs gain adjustment on the input G signal on a different basis from the gain adjustment 1+A/D-converting 1 section. The gain-adjusted G signal is input into a paper fingerprint extracting section via a shading correcting section. The paper fingerprint extracting section extracts a paper fingerprint based on the input G signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tsutomu Sakaue
  • Publication number: 20080130963
    Abstract: Paper fingerprint information that represents a fiber pattern unique to a paper sheet is scanned, and the paper fingerprint information and its position information are embedded at two corners as the cater-cornered positions on a paper sheet. The paper fingerprint information is extracted based on the embedded position information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2007
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tsutomu Sakaue
  • Publication number: 20080002230
    Abstract: An original image is scanned for respective pixels to determine attributes indicating features for respective pixels of the scanned document. Pixel values included in an M×M (M is a natural number) including a pixel of interest are weighted, the pixel value of the pixel of interest is changed based on the weighted pixel values, and smoothing processing is applied to pixels included in that area. Upon applying the smoothing processing, a size of a filtering area used for the smoothing processing is reduced to a size of an N×N (N is a natural number, M>N) including the pixel of interest according to the determined attributes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tsutomu Sakaue