Patents by Inventor Yoshihiro Itogawa

Yoshihiro Itogawa 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: 20130193628
    Abstract: A recording medium post-processing apparatus includes: a stacker which is stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon; an receiving device which receives at least one of information regarding the images to be recorded on the recording media and information regarding the recording media; an alignment device which applies an external force to the recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the recording media; a controller which sets, on the basis of the at least one information received by the receiving device, at least one of (i) stacked-sheet number that is the number of the recording media, and (ii) a magnitude of the external force that is applied to the recording media and which controls the alignment device on the basis of the setted at least one of the stacked-sheet number and the magnitude of the external force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
  • Patent number: 8439469
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus, including: a feeding mechanism which feeds a recording medium; a first ejection head including a first ejection opening for ejecting first liquid and a first energy generating portion which generates an energy for ejecting the first liquid; an image-data storage section storing image data for ejecting the first liquid onto dot areas on the recording medium; an image-recording controlling section which controls the first energy generating portion based on the image data; a flushing-data producing section which produces flushing data for flushing; and a flushing controlling section which controls the first energy generating portion such that a flushing dot is formed on the recording medium, wherein the flushing-data producing section produces the flushing data such that the flushing dot is landed on one of the dot areas which is distant, by a specific area, from an edge dot area corresponding to an edge of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Itogawa
  • Patent number: 8419146
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus of the present invention includes an image data storage unit, a record head, a head controller, an image data changing unit, an edge detection unit, a thin-line image portion judging unit, and a thin-line blank region judging unit. The image data changing unit changes an image data such that an amount of reduction in a recording droplets ejected onto a region including a dot region where an image dots constituting at least an edge of a thin-line image portion are formed is large when the thin-line image portion neighbors a thin-line blank region, as compared to a case where the thin-line image portion does not neighbor the thin-line blank region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Itogawa
  • Publication number: 20130086638
    Abstract: When authentication information is input via an IC card reader and includes predetermined information. A portable terminal corresponding to the authentication information is identified, and specific identification information that identifies an image-data file associated with the authentication information is extracted. The extracted specific identification information is transmitted to the identified portable terminal, and the portable terminal displays a list of the received specific identification information on its touch panel. The operation of a printing mechanism is controlled, so that the image-data file corresponding to the specific identification information that selected with a touch panel on the portable terminal is accessed, and an image defined by the image-data file defines is printed on a sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA, Noriaki KISHIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20120313991
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus including: a flushing-operation-data producing section which produces flushing-operation data for flashing of ink; a second-liquid-ejection-data producing section which produces data about ejection of treatment liquid such that (i) the treatment liquid is to be landed on a dot area on which the ink is to be landed upon forming an image dot among dot areas and (ii) the second liquid is not to be landed on at least one dot area on which the first liquid is to be landed on the basis of the control of the flushing-operation controlling section by referring the flushing-operation data produced by the flushing-operation-data producing section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
  • Publication number: 20120274974
    Abstract: A printing system comprising a printing device and a server configured to perform data communication with the printing device. The printing device comprises a printing unit configured to print an image on a printing sheet, an attachment unit to which a removable medium is removably attached, a first communication interface configured to communicate with the server, and a first controller configured to acquire at least part of data in the removable medium attached to the attachment unit, control the first communication interface to transmit the acquired data to the server, delete the data in the removable medium corresponding to the acquired data. The server comprises a second communication interface configured to communicate with the printing device, a server-side storage configured to store the acquired data, and a second controller configured to store the acquired data received by the second communication interface in the server-side storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
  • Publication number: 20120250059
    Abstract: An image recording system is provided. The image recording system includes an image recording apparatus, a mobile terminal to wirelessly manipulate the image recording apparatus and including a display device, a receiver to receive a signal from one of the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal, a distance determining unit to determine a distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal, a range determining unit to determine a range, which includes the detected distance amongst a plurality of continuously incremental ranges partitioned by a predetermined reference distance originating from the image recording apparatus, a storage to store information concerning a plurality of operation screens associated with the plurality of ranges respectively, and a display controller to control the display device to display one of the plurality of operation screens associated with one of the plurality of ranges, which includes the detected distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA, Noriaki KISHIMOTO
  • Patent number: 8272705
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus including: a flushing-operation-data producing section which produces flushing-operation data for flashing of ink; a second-liquid-ejection-data producing section which produces data about ejection of treatment liquid such that (i) the treatment liquid is to be landed on a dot area on which the ink is to be landed upon forming an image dot among dot areas and (ii) an amount of the treatment liquid landed to be on at least one dot area on which the ink is to be landed upon flashing of the ink is made smaller, by referring the flushing-operation data produced by the flushing-operation-data producing section, than an amount of the treatment liquid to be landed on a dot area on which the ink is not to be landed upon flashing; and a second-liquid controlling section which controls a head on the basis of the data produced by the second-liquid-ejection-data producing section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Itogawa
  • Publication number: 20120218347
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a conveyer configured to convey a recording medium along a conveying path in a conveying direction, an image forming unit configured to form an image on the recording medium being conveyed, a supporting member arranged in a position to face the image forming unit and configured to support the recording medium, and an aspirator configured to aspirate dust through an aspiration inlet, which is formed in a downstream position along the conveying direction with respect to the image forming unit and in proximity to a downstream end of the supporting member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
  • Publication number: 20120081423
    Abstract: A liquid discharger is provided, which includes a condition determining unit configured to, based on a remaining amount of first liquid detected by a first liquid remaining amount detector and a remaining amount of second liquid detected by a second liquid remaining amount detector, determine whether a predetermined condition is satisfied under a situation where the remaining amount of the second liquid is less than the remaining amount of the first liquid. When the condition determining unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied, a second liquid discharge head is controlled to discharge onto image formation areas the second liquid of an amount smaller than an amount of the second liquid to be discharged onto the image formation areas in a case where the condition determining unit determines that the predetermined condition is not satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA, Takashi SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20120081479
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a liquid cartridge having a plurality of liquid tanks, a cartridge mount, liquid applicators, communication paths to communicably connect the liquid tanks with the liquid applicators, a subsidiary tank arranged in an intermediate position in one of the communication paths, a first remaining amount detector to detect amounts of liquids remaining in the liquid tanks, a first liquid conveyer to transfer the liquid from the communicably connected liquid tank to the subsidiary tank, and a first liquid conveyer controller to manipulate the first liquid conveyer. When an amount of one of the liquids remaining in one of the liquid tanks is smaller than a first predetermined amount, the first liquid conveyer controller manipulates the first liquid conveyer to transfer the other of the liquids remaining in the other of the liquid tanks to the subsidiary tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
  • Publication number: 20110242165
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus, including: a conveying mechanism which conveys a recording medium in a predetermined conveying direction, a first head for ejecting first liquid; a second head for ejecting second liquid for coagulating or precipitating components of the first liquid, and disposed upstream of the first head in the conveying direction; and a controller, wherein a pair of second ejection openings of the second head are arranged side by side, wherein the second liquid is to be ejected respectively from the pair of second ejection openings at different timings onto a pair of unit areas arranged side by side, and wherein the controller controls the second head so as to reduce an amount of the second liquid ejected from at least one of the pair of second ejection openings, where an amount of the second liquid to be ejected from one of the pair of second ejection openings at an earlier one of the different timings is equal to or larger than a first predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
  • Publication number: 20110210996
    Abstract: A droplet ejection device includes a head that ejects droplets onto a recording medium so as to form an image, an extract unit that extracts a part of the image as a specific image portion, and a control unit that controls a treating-agent application member to apply treating agent to a first section and a second section of the recording medium. The specific image portion is formed in the first section, and at least a part of a non-specific image portion of the image is formed in the second section. When a remaining amount of the treating agent is less than a first amount, the treating-agent application member applies the treating agent to the second section by an amount less than an amount of the treating agent that is applied to the second section when the remaining amount is not less than the first amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
  • Publication number: 20110211205
    Abstract: An image data processing device processes image data. The image data processing device includes an image data storing unit, a correction data producing unit, and an image density value addition unit. The image density value is either a first density value that is greater than or equal to a prescribed value or a second density value that is less than the prescribed value. The ink droplet is ejected on the first subject pixel whereas the ink droplet is unejected on the second subject pixel. The correction data producing unit produces correction data including a plurality of correction density values. The image density value addition unit adds the correction density value to the second density value of the corresponding pixel. The correction data producing unit produces a first correction density value and a second correction density value as the correction density value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
  • Publication number: 20110157265
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus of the present invention includes an image data storage unit, a record head, a head controller, an image data changing unit, an edge detection unit, a thin-line image portion judging unit, and a thin-line blank region judging unit. The image data changing unit changes an image data such that an amount of reduction in a recording droplets ejected onto a region including a dot region where an image dots constituting at least an edge of a thin-line image portion are formed is large when the thin-line image portion neighbors a thin-line blank region, as compared to a case where the thin-line image portion does not neighbor the thin-line blank region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
  • Publication number: 20110074851
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus, including: a feeding mechanism which feeds a recording medium; a first ejection head including a first ejection opening for ejecting first liquid and a first energy generating portion which generates an energy for ejecting the first liquid; an image-data storage section storing image data for ejecting the first liquid onto dot areas on the recording medium; an image-recording controlling section which controls the first energy generating portion based on the image data; a flushing-data producing section which produces flushing data for flushing; and a flushing controlling section which controls the first energy generating portion such that a flushing dot is formed on the recording medium, wherein the flushing-data producing section produces the flushing data such that the flushing dot is landed on one of the dot areas which is distant, by a specific area, from an edge dot area corresponding to an edge of the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
  • Publication number: 20110050768
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus including: a flushing-operation-data producing section which produces flushing-operation data for flashing of ink; a second-liquid-ejection-data producing section which produces data about ejection of treatment liquid such that (i) the treatment liquid is to be landed on a dot area on which the ink is to be landed upon forming an image dot among dot areas and (ii) an amount of the treatment liquid landed to be on at least one dot area on which the ink is to be landed upon flashing of the ink is made smaller, by referring the flushing-operation data produced by the flushing-operation-data producing section, than an amount of the treatment liquid to be landed on a dot area on which the ink is not to be landed upon flashing; and a second-liquid controlling section which controls a head on the basis of the data produced by the second-liquid-ejection-data producing section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA