Tone Marking Patents (Class 347/240)
  • Patent number: 11825038
    Abstract: A reading apparatus includes a reading device and processing circuitry. The reading device reads a recording medium. The processing circuitry outputs maintenance information based on read information read by the reading device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tohru Matsumoto, Kohta Aoyagi, Tatsuya Ishii, Kimiharu Yamazaki, Satoshi Nakayama, Ryosuke Ebinuma, Ryoh Ishitsuka
  • Patent number: 11799460
    Abstract: A clock generator circuit including an integer divider, having a first input receiving a reference clock and configured to generate an intermediate clock at a frequency divided down from a frequency of the reference clock by an integer value, a digital delay stage configured to generate a delayed intermediate clock delayed from the intermediate clock by a number of fractional cycles of the reference clock selected responsive to a fractional cycle value, and an analog delay stage configured to generate an output clock delayed from the delayed intermediate clock by a delay value selected responsive to a fine adjustment value. The clock generator circuit further includes math engine circuitry configured to compute a phase adjustment code responsive to the phase adjustment word, the phase adjustment code comprising the integer value, the fractional cycle value, and the fine adjustment value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Madusudanan Srinivasan Gopalan, Christopher Schell, Benyong Zhang
  • Patent number: 11740277
    Abstract: To test a first LED, a second LED, and a third LED in a light-emitting unit, a method is disclosed herein comprising the following steps: setting the first and second LEDs in respective driven states to generate associated light; providing the third LED to receive the light associated with the first and second LEDs, thereby generating a first photocurrent and a second photocurrent; providing the first LED to receive the light associated with the second LED, thereby generating a third photocurrent; and calculating a decay factor of each of the LEDs based on the first, second, and third photocurrents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Dynascan Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Tsun-I Wang, Ching-Chun Wu, Chia-Liang Yang
  • Patent number: 11613843
    Abstract: A system automatically generates apparel collection imagery from user-provided imagery. The user-provided imagery includes images of people wearing one or more garments. The system uses segmenting analysis to analyze the user-provided image to identify locations of the garment. From the locations of the garments, the system can determine which garments from an apparel collection can be used to replace those in the user-provided imagery. The system uses pose estimation on the user-provided imagery and modifies a preview image of a replacement garment from the collection. This modified replacement garment image is used to replace the garment in the user-provided imagery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Levi Strauss & Co.
    Inventors: Jennifer Schultz, Debdulal Mahanty, Benjamin Bell, James Barton Sights, Christopher Schultz
  • Patent number: 11600238
    Abstract: A display device includes a light source, a light modulator, and a control apparatus, the light modulator includes a digital micromirror array including micromirrors and is arranged on a light path of light emitted by the light source and configured to modulate the light emitted by the light source based on a target image and luminance of the light source to obtain a grayscale image. The control apparatus is configured to control a driving current of the light source to adjust the luminance of the light source in different periods within a frame image, and to cause a driving current overdrive pulse of the light source during at least one of the periods, so that a display bit depth of the grayscale image increases from n to n+i and the periods correspond to bitplanes of the grayscale image in one-to-one correspondence, i?1 and i is an integer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: APPOTRONICS CORPORATION LIMITED
    Inventors: Chen Chen, Fei Hu, Xin Yu, Zuqiang Guo, Yi Li
  • Patent number: 11363171
    Abstract: A color table is modulated. The color table includes a plurality of nodes, and each node corresponds with a color input in the first color space and provides a print output in a second color space. The set of the plurality of nodes are arranged in a vector of a first color perception parameter. The vector can be arranged according to an order of increasing second color perception parameter in the first color space to an end node of the set of the plurality of nodes. A node in the set of the plurality of nodes that provides a peak amount of the second color perception parameter on the medium is determined. The print output for the end node is replaced with a print output corresponding with the node that provides the peak amount of the second color perception parameter on the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Miguel Angel Lopez Alvarez
  • Patent number: 11310396
    Abstract: A color management system includes an external apparatus and a printing apparatus. The external apparatus includes a first controller including a first processor and a first memory to send a color verification setting, including at least sheet information, that is set for a color verification operation, and a color verification execution condition that is set for the color verification operation to the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus includes a second controller including a second processor and a second memory to receive the color verification setting and the color verification execution condition from the external apparatus, print a chart image on a sheet corresponding to the sheet information included in the color verification setting in accordance with having satisfied the color verification execution condition, measure the chart image printed on the sheet, and transmit data obtained by a measurement of the chart image to the external apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuuki Maeda
  • Patent number: 11169463
    Abstract: In an example, a method includes determining an indication of pixel separation for an image region to be printed to a substrate. A power level of a laser light source to address a pixel on a region of a photoconductive surface corresponding to the image region may be adjusted based on the indication of pixel separation to compensate for print spot size variation associated with pixel separation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: HP Indigo B.V.
    Inventors: Oron Ambar, Guy Nesher, Haim Vladomirski, Tal Frank, Craig Breen, Yuval Yunger
  • Patent number: 11134165
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus that executes jobs in parallel using a small number of resources. A controller includes an image processor that applies an image process to image data. A scanner controller includes storage for storing image data generated by scanning a document with a scanner and transfers the image data stored to the controller through a data bus. A processor executes instructions to set a frequency of an image transfer clock to a first frequency when a first job including a process that transfers image data generated by scanning documents to the controller is executed alone, and set the frequency of the image transfer clock to a second frequency lower than the first frequency when the first job is executed in parallel to a second job including an image process. The frequency of the image transfer clock is maintained at the second frequency until finishing the first job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuki Sato
  • Patent number: 11115552
    Abstract: A multifunction peripheral capable of preventing discontinuation of a simultaneous double-sided reading process, caused by congestion of an image bus. An image transfer clock is controlled for transferring image data of a document sheet from a reading unit for reading both sides of the document sheet, to an image processing unit for performing image processing on data acquired via an image bus. When transfer of image data of one side of the document sheet is singly executed, a frequency of the image transfer clock is set to a predetermined frequency, and when transfer of image data of the other side of the document sheet, which is executed in succession to the transfer of image data of the one side, is to be executed in parallel with the image processing, the frequency is switched from the predetermined frequency to a lower frequency than the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuki Sato
  • Patent number: 10795265
    Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a light radiator configured to radiate a light for processing into an irradiation area which is smaller than a processing target area of a surface of a substrate; a driver configured to move the irradiation area in two directions that cross each other in a plane along the surface of the substrate; and a controller configured to control the driver to move an irradiation position in two directions according to a movement pattern which has been set to radiate the light to an entire area of the processing target area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Norihisa Koga, Yoshitaka Konishi, Naruaki Iida, Yuzo Ohishi, Kazuhiro Takeshita
  • Patent number: 10589507
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material using a linear solidification device is shown and described. Either a build platform or a solidification substrate has a curved surface, and each point on the curved surface traverses a trochoidal path during an object solidification operation. The curved surface allows the separation forces between the solidification substrate and the most recently solidified layer of material to be concentrated along a line instead of along a planar section which reduces the overall separation force and the likelihood of damaging a part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Global Filtration Systems
    Inventors: Ali El-Siblani, Alexandr Shkolnik, Chi Zhou
  • Patent number: 10126696
    Abstract: A method is described for calibrating a linear printhead including an array of light sources. A test target is printed by activating the light sources in the printhead in accordance with digital image data for the test target, wherein a current value for each light source is controlled responsive to an initial set of current control parameters. A digital image capture system is used to capture an image of the printed test target, and the captured digital image is analyzed to determine an estimated exposure gain error for each light source. An updated set of current control parameters is then determined which is adapted to compensate for the estimated exposure gain errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Chung-Hui Kuo, Stacy M. Munechika, Frederick Edward Altrieth, III
  • Patent number: 9375962
    Abstract: A method of analyzing a printed test pattern includes printing first and second rows of marks, each row including at least two pluralities of marks. A gap between two pluralities of marks in the first row is located in a first position in a cross-process direction that is different than a second position of another gap between pluralities of marks in the second row. A controller identifies the first row of marks with reference to a predetermined set of image data corresponding to the first row of marks including the first plurality of marks, the second plurality of marks, and the gap in the first row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Patricia J. Donaldson, Michael B. Monahan, James P. Calamita
  • Patent number: 9152095
    Abstract: A method for determining transfer bias settings in an electrophotographic printing system having a plurality of printing modules, each printing module including a respective transfer subsystem operated at an associated transfer bias setting. The method includes defining a plurality of test transfer bias sets, each test transfer bias set including a transfer bias setting for the transfer subsystem in each of the printing modules. For each of the defined test transfer bias sets, a plurality of process control patches are transferred onto a measurement surface, wherein the process control patches include a monochrome patch printed using a particular printing module and at least one multi-color patch. A monochrome transfer function and a multi-color transfer function are determined characterizing the amount of the transferred toner as a function of the transfer bias, and are used to determine a transfer bias setting for the particular printing module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Mark Cameron Zaretsky, Rodney Ray Bucks, Kevin Edward Spaulding
  • Patent number: 9132623
    Abstract: A multi-station flexographic printing system includes a first flexographic printing station that includes a first flexo master. The system includes one or more additional flexographic printing stations, wherein each of the one or more additional flexographic printing stations includes a flexo master. The first flexo master includes one or more alignment boxes in one or more unique positions. Each flexo master of the one or more additional flexographic printing stations includes an alignment box completion in a predetermined position. A method of marking a substrate for visual alignment includes printing one or more alignment boxes in one or more unique positions on a substrate. One or more alignment box completions are printed in one or more predetermined positions on the substrate. The one or more predetermined positions correspond to the one or more unique positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: UNIPIXEL DISPLAYS, INC.
    Inventors: Evan M. Goldberg, Christopher Derichs
  • Patent number: 9030516
    Abstract: Compensation is performed for nonuniformity in a printer. The printer has a photoreceptor and a print head with a plurality of different light sources, each light source capable of producing a plurality of different levels of light. A plurality of stored gain control signals for each light source are related to the light output of that light source. Print job data includes screened pixel levels and a halftone screen specification. The stored gain control signals are adjusted based on the halftone screen specification. The screened pixel levels are modified using the adjusted gain control signals to provide engine pixel levels. Those levels are provided to corresponding light sources to expose the photoreceptor in respective pixel areas with light corresponding to the compensated pixel levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Stacy M. Munechika, Chung-Hui Kuo, Hwai-Tzuu Tai, Stephen J. Famand
  • Patent number: 9007414
    Abstract: Density unevenness is suppressed even in an image that is formed by a multiple exposures method in which the same region on a photoreceptor is exposed multiple times with different laser light sources (light emitting elements), by adjusting the amounts of light of the respective lasers based on a density difference among test images. An image is formed for each group of light emitting elements grouped together for multiple exposures by dividing, in the main scanning direction, the region of a test image formed on a recording medium. The images formed for the respective multiple-exposure light emitting element groups are compared to one another in density, to thereby adjust the amounts of light of the respective laser light sources (light emitting elements) and reduce fluctuations in image density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masayuki Hirano
  • Patent number: 8953009
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus using the laser scan method or the LED method, which is capable of reducing a variation of spot diameter with a simple mechanism, and of forming a high-quality image by adjusting the density depending on the image resolution with a low cost. The image forming apparatus forms an image by developing an electrostatic latent image formed by irradiating a charged photoconductor with light emitted from a light source with developer. A detecting unit detects a distance between an attention pixel and an adjacent image that is adjacent to an image including the attention pixel across a white background. An adjustment unit adjusts a density of the attention pixel based on the distance measured with the detecting unit and a spot diameter of the light on a surface of the photoconductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasutomo Furuta
  • Patent number: 8947485
    Abstract: A drawing control device includes: a fill-stroke generating unit that generates a fill stroke that includes a plurality of strokes that fill a drawing area; a shape-stroke generating unit that generates a shape stroke which is a stroke of a shape to be formed on the drawing area; a first detecting unit that detects an overlap portion where the fill stroke and the shape stroke overlap with each other; a modifying unit that removes the overlap portion from the fill stroke to modify the fill stroke to obtain a drawing stroke; a drawing-instruction generating unit that generates a drawing instruction for drawing each stroke in the drawing stroke; and a drawing control unit that controls a drawing device by using the drawing instruction to cause the drawing device to draw the drawing stroke on an object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Fumihiro Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 8854408
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes; an exposure unit configured to perform, based on the image data, first exposure for a photosensitive member and second exposure for the photosensitive member exposed by the first exposure; a determination unit configured to determine a type of the image to be formed based on image data; and a control unit configured to control the exposure unit such that a difference in an exposure amount between the first exposure and the second exposure performed based on the image data when the type of the image is a character is larger than the difference in the exposure amount between the first exposure and the second exposure performed based on the image data when the type of the image is a picture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Zaima, Tomohisa Itagaki, Takahiro Ishihara, Yasuhito Shirafuji
  • Patent number: 8842145
    Abstract: A substrate marking apparatus for use in combination with a substrate comprising a multi-color change diacetylene compound is disclosed. The substrate marking apparatus comprises: at least two radiation sources operable to emit radiation of different wavelengths, optical transformation elements and a control system. The control system takes digital file information and converts this to a set of emission instructions for the radiation sources. The radiation sources are then applied to the substrate in sequence and intensity determined by the control system such that the substrate is activated to change from a colorless state to any one of a range of multiple permanent colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: DataLase Limited
    Inventors: John Cridland, Anthony Jarvis, Martin Walker, Chris Wyres
  • Patent number: 8786655
    Abstract: A system for generating a differential gloss image includes a marking material having absorbing elements useful for absorbing electromagnetic radiation emitted by a laser glossing imager, and accommodating heating and resultant melting of the marking material for altering a surface of the marking material image. The absorbing element is a pigment or dye. The absorbing element is carbon black, or a pigment capable of absorbing IR light, while being transparent to visible light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Chu-heng Liu, Nancy Y. Jia, Jing Zhou
  • Patent number: 8680489
    Abstract: An installation and method for etching at least one wafer coated with an etch-ready, blank photosensitive layer is disclosed. In accordance with an embodiment, the wafer has thickness irregularities, wherein the wafer is arranged to be able to be submitted to irradiation-beam scanning, a sheet transparent to the radiation to which the photosensitive layer is sensitive covers the wafer, and a probe beam intended to reflect on the upper portion of the sheet perpendicularly to the irradiation beam spot on the photosensitive layer is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Commissariat à L'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives
    Inventors: Christophe Martinez, Pascal Boulitreau, Fabien Laulagnet
  • Patent number: 8576267
    Abstract: An optical writing device stores pieces of dithering information indicating dithering patterns whose densities are different, each piece of dithering information including pieces of identification information associated with pixels of the corresponding dithering pattern, and stores pieces of pixel setting information in which pieces of colored/colorless information indicating each of the pixels is colored or colorless are associated with the pieces of identification information, the pieces of colored/colorless information being set based on a resolution of a light source for forming an electrostatic latent image. The optical writing device also includes a control unit configured to arrange the same dithering patterns in a way that the dithering patterns form a pattern with a given size, and cause the light source to emit light based on information generated by setting the pixels of each of the same dithering patterns to be colored or colorless in accordance with the pixel setting information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Motohiro Kawanabe, Tatsuya Miyadera, Masayuki Hayashi, Kunihiro Komai, Yasuo Yamaguchi, Yoshinori Shirasaki, Takeshi Shikama, Izumi Kinoshita, Susumu Miyazaki, Takuhei Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 8559081
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for processing raster image data and determining via a reference device (e.g., LUT), an amount of marking medium (toner, ink) to be used for printing a document. Then billing costs based on the amount of medium is determined. In particular, a calibration method may be performed on an apparatus to determine the amounts of medium used for that particular apparatus. The calibration method includes printing pages with test patches for a plurality of colors at a particular dot value (or density), and weighing similar printed test pages so that the amount of medium used to print colors at particular dot values is determined by subtracting a weight of the pages before printing from the weight of the printed test pages. The change in weight (or mass) of the medium is used to populate the reference device for that apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Peter A. Crean
  • Patent number: 8542409
    Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided with a halftone unit performing a halftone process in which a possibility of dot formation is determined for each pixel based on a dot occurrence rate of the pixel constituting image data, and a printing unit forming dots on a recording medium based on the possibility of dot formation. The halftone unit predicts the occurrence of dot overlap in which a plurality of dots overlaps on the printing medium and performs the halftone process based on an evaluation index according to the dot overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Wakayama, Satoshi Yamazaki, Toshiaki Kakutani
  • Patent number: 8537192
    Abstract: An exposure device includes a mirror to reflect light used for exposure of an object, a holder to hold the mirror, an adhesive that bonds the mirror to the holder and elastically deforms, and an adjusting tool that pushes the mirror to change a direction of the mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Endo
  • Patent number: 8451310
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including; an exposure section provided with, a light emitting element, a polygon mirror to receive light beams from the light emitting element, and to expose an image carrier using light beam via the polygon mirror based on image data; an image processing section to adjust image magnification by image processing of the image data; and, a control section configured to select at least either of a first magnification adjustment to change a rotation speed of the polygon mirror and a second magnification adjustment to carry out image processing of the image data by the image processing section, based on comparison results between a paper interval time during recording paper conveyance in image formation and the first magnification adjustment time required to stabilize polygon mirror rotation in the first magnification adjustment, when adjusting image magnification with respect to recording paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Tamaki, Masashi Sugano, Akinori Kimata, Katsunori Takahashi, Akifumi Isobe, Satoshi Shimao
  • Patent number: 8432423
    Abstract: A method is provided for forming an image on a media while the media is moved relative to an imaging head. The media can include a pattern of registration sub-regions, such as a matrix. The image can include one or more patterns of features, such as color features for a color filter which can be registered with the pattern of registration sub-regions. The images can be formed by a laser-induced thermal transfer process. The method can include the steps of operating an imaging head to emit imaging beams. A first portion of the image is formed while scanning a first group of imaging beams in a first direction over the media at a first scanning speed and a second portion of the image is formed while scanning a second group of the imaging beams in a second, opposite direction over the media at a second, different scanning speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Kodak Graphics Communications Canada Company
    Inventor: Greg Peregrym
  • Patent number: 8422898
    Abstract: In the image forming apparatus, the partial image data for gradation adjustment is threshold conversion data of a partial image, the partial image is a part of a base pattern image with a predetermined size and does not contain any sides of the base pattern image, and the base pattern image is an image generated in an error diffusion method; and the patch image generator unit generates an image of a toner pattern by arranging the partial image of the partial image data repeatedly, and forms the toner pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroomi Nakatsuji, Jun Nakano, Hiroki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8411324
    Abstract: Line width of images marked by an image marking device is adjusted by reading a calibration patch marked by the marking device, and then adjusting one or more settings of the marking device, such as exposure intensity or cleaning field intensity, independent of the digital control of the tone reproduction curve so that the line width of subsequently marked images becomes closer to a target value. A digital control may be implemented to compensate for the impact of the modification of the one or more settings on the tone reproduction curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Paul L. Jacobs, W. Bradford Willard, Brian R. Conrow
  • Patent number: 8411123
    Abstract: A light scanning apparatus is provided in which a light source is controlled so that the total exposure energy density of when light beams are emitted to an image carrying member across light deflection scanning of a plurality of times becomes constant on the image carrying member, thereby high image quality, long lasting output images are obtained. Exposure energy density necessary when exposure is completed by light deflection scanning of one time is set to Ex1, the latent image electrical potential deepness of a latent image formed thereof is set to Vs1, total exposure energy density across light deflection scanning of a plurality of times is set to Ex_n, the latent image electrical potential deepness thereof is set to Vs_n, wherein Ex_n=Ex1??Ex and {(Vs_n/Vs1)^3?1.05}×Ex1<?Ex<{(Vs_n/Vs1)^3?0.95}×Ex1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Suhara
  • Patent number: 8390661
    Abstract: A method of calibrating an electrophotographic printer (30), the printer configured with a plurality of light settings, each light setting arranged to produce a different element type, the method comprising: determining (S10) a first light level required to print a first element type by applying a proportional change to a first initial light setting; and determining (S30) a second light level required to print a second element type by applying substantially the same proportional change to a second initial light setting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Indigo B.V.
    Inventors: Ran Waidman, Eyal Shelef, Shlomo Harush
  • Patent number: 8310512
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of storing images on a medium able to be etched on the basis of a writing procedure using a laser beam, in which a substrate, preferably flexible, comprises a multiplicity of expanses of lateral dimensions less than 10 millimeters, each reserved for an image, and an expanse reserved for an image comprises as many elementary zones as there are image pixels to be stored, the image stored in an expanse being able to be read by optical magnification means. Each elementary zone comprises an engraved pattern whose diameter represents one respective grey level out of n possible levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique
    Inventor: Christophe Martinez
  • Patent number: 8305414
    Abstract: A write control circuit for controlling driving of a plurality of light sources each including a laser diode for emitting light includes a plurality of write control mechanisms configured to control the plurality of laser diodes to perform writing for image forming with a plurality of colors. Each of the plurality of write control mechanism includes at least one image development part for developing and processing image data and at least one laser diode control part for controlling driving of the laser diodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoshi Ohmiya
  • Patent number: 8274701
    Abstract: High speed printing system for printing magnetic ink systems and associated methods are disclosed. A color of the magnetic ink may be designed to resemble one of the non-magnetic inks so that instead of ejecting the one non-magnetic ink, the printing system ejects the magnetic ink. Nozzles in a printhead may also be arranged to be adjacent to each other and may be appropriately spaced without causing the inks to be mixed in the printhead. Additionally, a color transform system may be provided to transform a sheet image in accordance with ejecting at least the magnetic and the non-magnetic ink from the printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Production Print Solutions LLC
    Inventor: John Seibt
  • Patent number: 8253768
    Abstract: A disclosed optical scanner includes a light source unit and a control unit configured to control the light source unit. Light emitted from the light source unit is scanned to expose a scan object surface and form an image on the scan object surface. The light source unit includes plural light sources arranged at a density equal to N (N being an integer of two or more) times higher than a density of pixels on the scan object surface. The control unit controls the light source unit such that one pixel is formed by at least two of the light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Ishida, Yasuhiro Nihei, Atsufumi Omori, Jun Tanabe
  • Patent number: 8233022
    Abstract: It is determined whether a low density area in which pixels having density less than a predetermined density exist in succession is included in an image signal or not, and if the low density area exists, an image is formed by irradiating the laser light in a first condition for a pixel to be interested in each pixel area within the low density area and irradiating the laser light in a second condition being different from the first condition for other pixels in the pixel area. In this way, it is possible to improve reproducibility of a highlight area in a high resolution image and improve reproducibility of characters and line images or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeo Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8233020
    Abstract: Methods for imaging patterns of features by thermal transfer involve controlling intensities of a plurality of beams. The intensities of beams that image edge portions of a feature may be set to be different from the intensities of beams that image interior portions of the feature. Beams that image home and away edges of a feature may be controlled to have different intensities. Apparatus for imaging patterns of features may comprise a controller configured to maintain intensity information for channels of a multi-channel imaging head. The controller uses the intensity information to set intensities of those channels that correspond to edge portions of features being imaged in a current swath of the imaging head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Kodak Graphic Communications Canada Company
    Inventors: Sylvia H. Stevenson, Valentin Karasyuk
  • Patent number: 8212847
    Abstract: A method is provided for decoupling the control of dot gain and optical density in electrophotographic based printing by varying the exposure level for each dot in an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Dror Kella, Ron Maurer, Ayelet Pnueli, Mani Fischer, Eyal Shelef
  • Patent number: 8189224
    Abstract: Each time printing is performed by an MFP, a controller control unit counts up a billing counter value stored in a billing-counter recording unit. Additionally, each time a print job is completed, the controller control unit stores a job history of the print job in a job-history storage unit. A job history of a print job that is in progress at a predetermined counting time is divided into a plurality of job histories and managed by a job-history managing application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Isamu Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20120126525
    Abstract: An identification document (10) comprises a personalized first visual marking (14) that is arranged in a first region (12) of the identification document (10), the first region (12) being configured in such a way that, upon laser irradiation of the same, local darkenings of the optical impression of the identification document (10) are produced, resulting from material transformations. The identification document (10) further exhibits a second visual marking (26) that produces the optical impression of a copy of the first visual marking (14) and is arranged in a second region (22) of the identification document (10), the second region (22) being configured in such a way that, upon laser irradiation of the same, local lightenings of the optical impression of the identification document (10) are produced, resulting from material transformations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH
    Inventors: Walter Dorfler, Alfons Assfalg
  • Patent number: 8159732
    Abstract: An apparatus and methods of use for adjusting a sliding guide rod for an imaging device of a flatbed scanner to improve scanner skew misalignment comprising an attachment member movably mounting the sliding guide rod at one end thereof to one side of the flatbed scanner so as to allow skew-adjusting movement of the sliding guide rod at an opposite end thereof relative to the flatbed scanner and a skew adjustment assembly attached to an opposite side of the flatbed scanner and movably coupling and supporting the opposite end of the sliding guide rod to the opposite side of the flatbed scanner and being actuatable to cause the sliding guide rod to undergo skew adjustment relative to the flatbed scanner to correct scanner skew misalignment of the imaging device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Chengwu Cui, Adam Christopher Kelty, Charles Brandon Langrel
  • Patent number: 8144177
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus for executing image formation by exposing an image carrier with irradiation light emitted from a laser source on the basis of an input signal to drive the laser source includes a correction amount calculation unit configured to calculate, on the basis of a generated correction pattern, a correction amount to control the ON or OFF timing to drive the laser source, and a signal generation unit configured to generate, on the basis of image data and the correction amount calculated by the correction amount calculation unit, a corrected signal obtained by correcting the input signal to drive the laser source so as to form the image data by controlling the ON or OFF timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsumi Takahashi, Tsuyoshi Moriyama, Atsushi Chaki, Takahiko Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 8125506
    Abstract: An electro-optical device includes a potential generating circuit that generates a first power supply potential and a second power supply potential that is different from the first power supply potential; a first signal processing circuit that selectively outputs one of a first high potential and a first low potential according to a data signal at one of at least three levels; a second signal processing circuit that selectively outputs one of a second high potential that is different from the first high potential and a second low potential that is different from the first low potential according to the data signal; a first current source that generates a first current in accordance with an output of the first signal processing circuit and the first power supply potential; a second current source that generates a second current in accordance with an output of the second signal processing circuit and the second power supply potential; and an electro-optical element that provides a tone level according to the fi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shinsuke Fujikawa
  • Patent number: 8111415
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of this invention includes an image forming position correction unit which corrects an inclination or curve of an image in the main scanning direction by converting coordinates designating pixel positions of a bitmap image in the sub-scanning direction. It is discriminated whether image formation is normal image formation or formation of the toner image for detection by an image forming condition correction unit. Based on the discrimination result, the image forming apparatus is controlled so as to correct the image forming position by using the image forming position correction unit in a case in which the image formation is discriminated as the normal image formation, but so as not to correct the image forming position by using the image forming position correction unit in a case in which the image formation is discriminated as formation of the toner image for detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoichiro Maebashi
  • Patent number: 8098401
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a printing method that can utilize a lightly pigmented toner along with a darkly pigmented toner to improve the image quality. The method can include receiving a dataset corresponding to a printing of a printing system using a darkly pigmented toner. The printing system may have an undesirable optical density printing range for the darkly pigmented toner. Further, the method can include converting the dataset to a first dataset corresponding to a first printing of the printing system using the darkly pigmented toner, and a second dataset corresponding to a second printing of the printing system using a lightly pigmented toner. The first dataset can avoid the undesirable optical density printing range for the darkly pigmented toner, and a combination of the first printing and the second printing providing a substantially same printed optical density corresponding to the received dataset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Richard P. N. Veregin, Karen A. Moffat, Dale R. Mashtare, Daryl W. Vanbesien, Jordan H. Wosnick, Cuong Vong, Robert P. Loce
  • Patent number: 8040580
    Abstract: Attribute information accessory to a pixel can be used to determine whether to execute an interpolation process of less than one pixel at a scan line changing point in color misregistration compensation for a printout from an image forming apparatus having a characteristic shifted in the laser scanning direction for each color. When the attribute information is an attribute representing execution of the interpolation process of less than one pixel, it is enlarged in the sub-scanning direction. Attribute information of each color component can be generated from attribute information accessory to a pixel by using the attribute information accessory to the pixel, and each color component value which forms the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuyuki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7916164
    Abstract: A method of measuring a relative darkness of an image recorded on a recording medium, comprising: applying first electromagnetic energy having a first wavelength to the recording medium to record an image thereon, applying second electromagnetic energy having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength to the recorded image on the recording medium, and measuring a reflection of the second electromagnetic energy from the recorded image to determine the relative darkness of the recorded image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: D. Mitchel Hanks, Paul Boerger, Andrew L. Van Brocklin, Greg J. Lipinski