Dot Matrix Array (e.g., Printheads, Etc.) Patents (Class 358/1.8)
  • Patent number: 11960430
    Abstract: A remote mapping method, apparatus and device for computing resources, and a storage medium, which are applied to a server. Said method comprises: identifying each FPGA heterogeneous accelerator card in an FPGA BOX; establishing a network communication connection with each FPGA heterogeneous accelerator card via a network interface of each FPGA heterogeneous accelerator card in the FPGA BOX, and establishing a network communication connection between FPGA heterogeneous accelerator cards; mapping each FPGA heterogeneous accelerator card to the server; establishing network transmission for the established network communication connections, and migrating a control flow and a data flow that are performed by the PCIE to the network transmission; and deploying a target application in the FPGA BOX through the established network transmission, and when running the target application, performing data exchange with the FPGA BOX via the network transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: INSPUR (BEIJING) ELECTRONIC INFORMATION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yanwei Wang, Rengang Li, Hongwei Kan
  • Patent number: 11954782
    Abstract: A method, system, and non-transitory computer readable storage medium for rasterizing primitives are disclosed. The method, system, and non-transitory computer readable storage medium includes: generating a primitive batch from a sequence of one or more primitives, wherein the primitive batch includes primitives sorted into one or more row groups based on which row of a plurality of rows each primitive intersects; and processing each row group, the processing for each row group including: identifying one or more primitive column intercepts for each of the one or more primitives in the row group, wherein each combination of primitive column intercept and row identifies a bin; and rasterizing the one or more primitives that intersect the bin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignees: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Michael Mantor, Laurent Lefebvre, Mikko Alho, Mika Tuomi, Kiia Kallio
  • Patent number: 11822559
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for generating a holographic structure are provided. The methods may include retrieving datasets stored in an object-based database. Each dataset may store a record of an interaction between a customer and an entity. The methods may include running a first routine and a second routine on the retrieved datasets to generate a holographic token (“HT”). The HT may store user questions and an emotion. In response to an edge gateway receiving a request, from an edge device associated with the customer, to establish a communication session leveraging extended reality capabilities, the methods may include activating a representative device to establish a communication session with the edge device. The methods may also include triggering the representative device to display a holographic structure for viewing via the representative device that includes a facial image displaying the emotion and the subset of the extracted user questions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Bank of America Corporation
    Inventors: Geetika Sen, Krishna Rangarao Mamadapur, Durga Prasad Kutthumolu
  • Patent number: 11797803
    Abstract: A method for correcting in-track position errors in a digital printing system includes determining a non-linear in-track position correction function responsive to measured in-track position errors, wherein the in-track position corrections are quantized to integer in-track position corrections. A representation of the in-track position correction function is stored in a digital memory, wherein the representation of the in-track position correction function includes the cross-track positions and transition direction of transitions in the in-track position correction function. Digital image data for a digital image to be printed is received, and corrected image lines are determined by resampling the digital image data responsive to the stored representation of the in-track position correction function. The corrected image lines are modified to provide anti-aliasing pixels at cross-track positions adjacent to transitions in the in-track position correction function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventor: Chung-Hui Kuo
  • Patent number: 11790199
    Abstract: A printing apparatus prints on print media including a paper medium and a special print medium other than the paper medium. The printing apparatus includes an analysis unit that analyzes a print job, and a determination unit that determines whether or not the print job is a job to cause execution of printing on the special print medium, based on a result of analysis by the analysis unit. Based on the determination by the determination unit that the print job is the job to cause execution of printing on the special print medium, an operation manual in a case of printing on the special print medium is printed on the paper medium. After the operation manual is printed, the printing on the special print medium is executed based on a premise that a prescribed operation is carried out by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Makoto Satake
  • Patent number: 11775231
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an enquirer that temporarily suspends production of a printed material, after at least one set of the printed materials has been produced, upon deciding that a print request has been sent from a predetermined remote location distant from an installation site of the image forming apparatus, and enquires whether the production of the printed material may be resumed, to a user through a network I/F, a response receiver that receives a response from the user, to the enquiry made by the enquirer, and a controller that resumes the production of the printed material, upon deciding that the response receiver has received a permission to resume the production of the printed material, from the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Kohei Okabe
  • Patent number: 11633960
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a print head includes one or more light emitting element arrays, a light emission control circuit, and one or more drive circuit arrays. The light emitting element arrays include a plurality of light emitting elements arrayed continuously along a main scanning direction. The light emission control circuit outputs drive signals of different phases in units of a light emitting element group configured by a predetermined number of continuous light emitting elements included in the light emitting elements. The drive circuit arrays include a plurality of drive circuits, the drive circuits cause the light emitting elements to emit light individually based on the drive signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignees: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha, FUTABA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koji Tanimoto
  • Patent number: 11463603
    Abstract: A method of screening a continuous-tone image is configured to produce an output image to be printed on a surface. The continuous-tone image comprises a plurality of pixels having respective corresponding intended print locations. The method includes selecting a first sequence comprising a subset of the plurality of intended print locations, the first sequence being selected based on properties of the plurality of intended print locations. For each intended print location in the first sequence, the method also includes identifying the corresponding pixel in the continuous-tone image to obtain a second sequence for an error diffusion process comprising the identified corresponding pixels in the continuous-tone image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Global Inkjet Systems Limited
    Inventors: Philip D A Collins, Nicholas Campbell Geddes
  • Patent number: 11425793
    Abstract: There is provide a printing apparatus including: a transport section that transports a medium in a first direction; a discharge section that discharges a liquid to the medium transported by the transport section; a signal generation section that outputs a first pulse signal; and a heating section that is provided downstream of the discharge section in the first direction, includes a first heater that generates heat in accordance with a first pulse included in the first pulse signal, and heats the medium, in which the signal generation section adjusts the first pulse in accordance with a heating amount for heating the medium by the heating section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Inventors: Masaaki Fujimori, Hironori Endo, Toshiyuki Suzuki, Toru Matsuyama, Ryo Hirabayashi, Nobuaki Ito
  • Patent number: 11341381
    Abstract: A recording device includes a recording unit configured to execute recording on a recording medium using a color material of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and a control unit configured to control recording executed by the recording unit, wherein the control unit causes the recording unit to record an edge region of black data included in image data using at least the color material of black, causes the recording unit to record an inner region on an inner side of the edge region of the black data using at least the color material of cyan, magenta, and yellow, and sets the amount of the color material of black per unit area of the edge region to be greater than the amount of the color material of black per unit area of the inner region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takuma Hayashi, Yasutoshi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 11295284
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method, device, storage medium, and system for sharing a nail printing pattern. The method may include receiving the nail printing pattern and price information of the nail printing pattern uploaded by a first account via a first user terminal or a first nail printing device; verifying the nail printing pattern and the price information of the nail printing pattern based on a preset rule; and if the nail printing pattern qualifies for the preset rule, storing qualified nail printing pattern to a server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: SHENZHEN DANYA TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ran Li, Zhenqing Lin, Peng He
  • Patent number: 11281410
    Abstract: The controller causes the print engine to perform preliminary ejection on a maintenance sheet that is a print sheet different from the print sheet of the user document image, and to print an inspection chart image on a maintenance sheet. The controller causes, to be displayed on a predetermined display device, the maintenance sheet setting screen allowing a user to specify output conditions for the preliminary ejection and the printing of the inspection chart image, and specifies the output condition specified by the user on the maintenance sheet setting screen, and when an output condition is satisfied in printing the user document image by the print engine, the controller causes the print engine to automatically perform the preliminary ejection and printing of the inspection chart image on the maintenance sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Masayuki Miyake
  • Patent number: 11157223
    Abstract: A color conversion method for performing color conversion on print data includes a color conversion process of converting a color of a pre-conversion color system used to express a color in the print data before the color conversion is performed to a color of an ink color system corresponding to inks of multiple colors, and in the color conversion process, a position selecting process of selecting some positions from the positions in the print data, a profile using process of converting the color of each position in the print data according to a profile associating the colors before and after the conversion, and a color correcting process of performing correction on results of color conversion in the profile using process with respect to the selected position selected in the position selecting process to obtain a color expressed using ink of the predetermined number of colors or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuta Katsuzawa
  • Patent number: 11153462
    Abstract: A granularity check chart is printed and granularity is evaluated for each area representing a combination of a color value of blue and a color value of cyan and magenta. Thereafter, an unusable region regarding combinations of a color value of blue and a color value of cyan and magenta is determined on the basis of evaluation results. Then, corresponding relationships among a color value of cyan and magenta before spot color separation, a color value of blue after the spot color separation, and a color value of cyan and magenta after the spot color separation are determined so that each combination of a color value of blue and a color value of cyan and magenta after the spot color separation is not included in the unusable region, and a spot color separation LUT is created so that the corresponding relationships are satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: SCREEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shigenori Arizono
  • Patent number: 11138482
    Abstract: A digital printing system having a linear printhead includes corrections for in-track position errors. A data processing system implements a method for determining an in-track position function which includes printing a test target including a plurality of alignment marks, automatically analyzing a captured image of the printed test target to determine a measured in-track position for each of the alignment marks, comparing the measured in-track positions for the alignment marks to reference in-track positions to determine measured in-track position errors, and determining an in-track position correction function responsive to the measured in-track position errors. The in-track position correction function specifies in-track position corrections to be applied as a function of cross-track position. A corrected digital image is determined by resampling an input digital image responsive to the in-track position correction function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Chung-Hui Kuo, Brian B. Mix, Michael Thomas Dobbertin
  • Patent number: 11126107
    Abstract: A digital printing system having a linear printhead includes corrections for cross-track position errors. A data processing system implements a method for determining a cross-track position function which includes printing a test target including a plurality of alignment marks, automatically analyzing a captured image of the printed test target to determine a measured position for each of the alignment marks, comparing the measured positions for the alignment marks to reference positions to determine measured cross-track position errors, and determining a cross-track position correction function responsive to the measured position errors. The cross-track position correction function specifies cross-track position corrections to be applied as a function of cross-track position. A corrected digital image is determined by resampling the image lines of a digital image responsive to the cross-track position correction function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Chung-Hui Kuo, Brian B. Mix, David W. Dellert
  • Patent number: 11106954
    Abstract: A method for correcting in-track position errors in a digital printing system having a linear printhead includes printing a test target including a plurality of alignment marks. A data processing system is used to automatically analyze a captured image of the printed test target to determine a measured in-track position for each of the alignment marks. The measured in-track positions for the alignment marks are compared to reference positions to determine measured in-track position errors. An in-track position correction function is determined responsive to the measured in-track position errors, wherein the in-track position correction function specifies in-track position corrections to be applied as a function of cross-track position. A corrected digital image is determined by resampling an input digital image responsive to the in-track position correction function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Chung-Hui Kuo, Brian B. Mix, Michael Thomas Dobbertin
  • Patent number: 11090938
    Abstract: A digital dispense device and method for ejecting one or more fluids into a target area of a substrate. The digital dispense device includes (A) a fluid ejection head for the digital dispense device having one or more arrays of fluid ejectors thereon; (B) a fluid ejection head translation device for moving the ejection head over the target area of the substrate in a first direction, wherein the one or more arrays of fluid ejectors on the fluid ejection head are oriented parallel to the first direction; and (C) a control device for activating one or more fluid ejectors in the one or more arrays of fluid ejectors as the one or more fluid ejectors intersect the target area of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Inventors: Bruce A. DeBoard, John Glenn Edelen, Michael A. Marra, III
  • Patent number: 11044385
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus is configured to perform: acquiring target image data representing a target image made up of a plurality of partial images; determining whether a specific condition is met for each of the plurality of partial images; selecting a direction-determining method of a printing direction for each of the plurality of partial images in accordance with a determination result; determining whether the selected direction-determining method matches a correct method; and adjusting condition data for controlling a printing device so as to increase selectability of the correct method in response to determining that the selected direction-determining method differs from the correct method. The specific condition indicates that an image evaluation value be greater than or equal to a threshold. The image evaluation value represents an expected color difference between a first image printed by a first-directional partial print and a second image printed by a second-directional partial print.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shota Morikawa
  • Patent number: 11001077
    Abstract: A method identifies at least one malfunctioning nozzle in a digital printing press, the digital printing press including a plurality of nozzles. The method includes printing a design on a substrate, acquiring at least one image of the printed design and identifying at least one artifact in the acquired image. The method further includes identifying the malfunctioning nozzle and classifying the at least one malfunctioning nozzle according to the at least one of the acquired image of the printed design, at least a portion of a nozzle pattern and at least a portion of a uniformity pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Advanced Vision Technology (A.V.T.) Ltd.
    Inventors: Chanan Gazala, Gilad Golan, Barry Ben Ezra, Dan Zamir
  • Patent number: 10951821
    Abstract: An imaging control device includes a wide-angle image acquisition unit 401, an imaging information acquisition unit 405, a margin information acquisition unit 407, a region information acquisition unit 409, an imaging region calculation unit 413 that calculates an imaging region of each of divided images constituting a composite image as each imaging region in a wide-angle image, in which a margin is secured, based on imaging information, margin information, and imaging target region information, and a control unit 411 that moves a moving object, makes the moving object image each calculated imaging region in a closed-up imaging mode with a camera, and acquires captured closed-up images as the divided images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Yonaha, Masashi Kuranoshita
  • Patent number: 10922593
    Abstract: A test image having a plurality of line rows is printed. The individual lines of the line rows are printed by different nozzles of a print head. The lines are thereby associated with the different line rows such that the lines of two directly adjacent line rows are not printed by all respective nozzles from two nozzle rows of the print head that are connected with one another via a common ink supply channel. Crosstalk between the nozzle rows, and print image artifacts of the test image that are linked therewith, may thus be advantageously avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Production Printing Holding B.V.
    Inventor: Claus Schneider
  • Patent number: 10723126
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a sheet conveying unit, a storage unit, a line head, and a control unit. The line head includes an upstream-side head and a downstream-side head. The upstream-side and downstream-side heads are fitted to have overlapping portions in which a plurality of nozzles arranged in respective end portions of the heads overlap as seen from the sub scanning direction. When an adjustment chart is printed, the control unit makes the nozzles in the overlapping portion of the upstream-side head print a first line. The control unit makes the nozzles in the overlapping portion of the downstream-side head print a second line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventors: Hiroomi Nakatsuji, Naoko Kawashima
  • Patent number: 10603893
    Abstract: A 3D printing device and a printing correction method are provided. The 3D printing device includes a printing nozzle, a printing platform and a controller. The printing nozzle is controlled to move on the movement plane. The printing platform includes a first tilt sensor to sense a tilting state of the printing platform. The controller is coupled to the first tilt sensor. The printing correction method adapted to the 3D printing device includes following steps: sensing the tilting state of the printing platform; controlling the printing nozzle to be depressed in a first position on the printing platform to change the tilting state of the printing platform; and, correcting the relative position of the print platform with the movement plane by the first position and the changes of tilting state of the printing platform sensed by the tilt sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignees: XYZprinting, Inc., Kinpo Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Yu-Jie Yang
  • Patent number: 10596806
    Abstract: A method for detecting and compensating for defective printing nozzles in an ink jet printing machine by using a computer includes printing printing nozzle test charts next to an actual print in a production run, subsequently recording and digitizing the printed printing nozzle test charts by using at least one image sensor, evaluating recorded test charts and, based thereon, defining characteristic values for all printing nozzles contributing to the printed printing nozzle test charts by using the computer, calculating a failure probability for every contributing printing nozzle based on the determined characteristic values by applying a statistical prediction model using the computer, and switching off and compensating for all printing nozzles exceeding a first defined threshold for the calculated failure probability. A printing operation is then carried out on the ink jet printing machine with printing nozzle compensation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Steffen Neeb, Nicklas Raymond Norrick, Andreas Henn, Andreas Fehlner, Thomas Wolf, Jens Forche
  • Patent number: 10574857
    Abstract: An image processing device includes: a sensor that reads a print region and a non-print region of a print medium, an image being printed in the print region, the non-print region being a blank area; and a controller that makes shading correction for an output from the sensor, based on a read result from the sensor. The controller sets a patch image printed in the print region to a black reference, sets the non-print region to a white reference, and makes the shading correction, based on properties of the black reference and the white reference at individual locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuichi Shikagawa
  • Patent number: 10429954
    Abstract: This document describes techniques for, and systems that enable, a multi-stroke smart ink gesture language. The described techniques enable a digital ink user interface that allows a display, that is capable of receiving a digital ink stroke from a passive stylus or an active pen, to receive the digital ink stroke as either a content input or an action input. The digital ink stroke may be determined to be an action input based on proximity to, intersection with, or chronological immediacy to a prior-received digital ink stroke. When multiple digital ink strokes are determined to represent a multi-stroke gesture associated with an action input, the action input is provided to the application, which can then perform the action associated with the action input. The multi-stroke gesture allows users to input both content and actions using the passive stylus or active pen and natural digital inking strokes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Jan-Kristian Markiewicz, Robert Joseph Disano, Christian Klein
  • Patent number: 10423223
    Abstract: A method of displaying content on a device includes sensing first color information of at least one object reflected on a transparent display of the device; comparing second color information of content displayed on the transparent display with the first color information; and changing the second color information based on a difference between the first color information and the second color information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hyung-rae Cho
  • Patent number: 10409532
    Abstract: A multifunction peripheral includes a printer and a panel. The printer may perform a print process based on a print job and a process of printing an eco-report. The panel may simultaneously display a print instruction screen and a notification screen. The panel may instruct the print process based on a print job when the two screens are simultaneously displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoto Akimoto
  • Patent number: 10402802
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for setting a printing fee based on the result of image analysis. The apparatus determines whether an input image is color or monochrome, obtains the color amount in the input image, performs image processing on the input image, prints the processed input image, and sets a fee for printing the input image based on the obtained color amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Matsunaga, Yoshikazu Sato
  • Patent number: 10255109
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus relating to techniques for avoiding cache lookup for cold cache. In an example, an apparatus comprises logic, at least partially comprising hardware logic, to receive a completion acknowledgment from the plurality of graphics processing units and in response to a determination that the workload is finished, to terminate one or more communication connections on the interconnect bridge. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Altug Koker, Abhishek R. Appu, Kiran C. Veernapu, Joydeep Ray, Balaji Vembu
  • Patent number: 10245849
    Abstract: In one example, a vapor control heater for a printer includes a housing, a heating element at least partially enclosed by the housing, and a fan to move air over the heating element and into a flow of air from the printer dryer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Juan Manuel Valero Navazo, Francisco Javier Perez Gellida, Emilio Angulo Navarro, Ezequiel Jordi Rufes Bernad, Marina Cantero Lazaro, Antonio Gracia Verdugo, Santiago Sanz Ananos, Roger Bastardas Puigoriol, Mikel Zuza Irurueta, Oriol Borrell Avila, Eva Blay Lerin
  • Patent number: 10192150
    Abstract: A print engine includes a printer module for printing image data in a plurality of different print modes, wherein each print mode has an associated line print time. A data interface receives image data and associated metadata for a print job from a pre-processing system, the metadata including print mode metadata. A digital memory stores a plurality of pulse timing functions, each pulse timing function corresponding to one of the line print times associated with the plurality of print modes. A metadata interpreter interprets the metadata and determines the print mode to be used to print the image data. A printer module controller controls the printer module to print the image data using the pulse timing function corresponding to the line print time associated with the print mode, wherein each light source is activated for a pulse count corresponding to a pixel code value of an associated image pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Chung-Hui Kuo, David R. Brent, Frederick Edward Altrieth, III, Stacy M. Munechika, Richard George Allen
  • Patent number: 10181094
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a head including a wire and performing recording on a medium by allowing the wire to strike the medium, a temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of the head, a driving circuit for driving the wire, and a control unit that controls an energization state of the driving circuit. The control unit switches the energization state of the driving circuit between an ON state and an OFF state at each time determined by the control unit, based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit such that a current flowing in the driving circuit is kept constant, when the head performs recording on the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masanori Abe
  • Patent number: 10105907
    Abstract: A printing system and method of printing an object having a surface of varying height, by a printer configured to print a number of pass images on top of each other in a number of passes, including: deriving from an object image a number of pass images to be printed on top of each other, including: establishing pass pixels of the pass images for which pass pixels a pass pixel height is defined, where a sum of the defined heights of a sequence of pass pixels that corresponds to a respective pixel of the object image equals the height of that pixel of the object image; and printing the pass images on top of each other. An amount of printed material that is printed per printed pass pixel is varied in accordance with the defined pass pixel heights. The pass pixels heights are selected, based on random data, from a respective set of at least two positive pass pixel heights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: OCE-TECHNOLOGIES B.V.
    Inventor: Cédric T. Valade
  • Patent number: 9925767
    Abstract: In one example, a device for driving a nozzle of a fluid-jet printing device includes a circuit to, for each pixel time of a plurality of pixel times select a waveform from a plurality of waveforms based on more than one of waveform time delay, waveform pulse width and waveform shape, and apply the selected waveform to the nozzle to drive the nozzle to eject fluid for a current pixel time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Andrew L. Van Brocklin, Eric T. Martin, Neel Banerjee
  • Patent number: 9917985
    Abstract: A method, a system, and a non-transitory computer readable recording medium are disclosed for a first printer connected to a second printer to perform color calibration for the second printer, wherein the second printer does not have a sensor, the first printer including a sensor which measures a media, which has been printed by the second printer and is being fed on a media path of the first printer. The method includes (a) determining the timing to instruct the second printer to print a first measurement chart; (b) instructing, at the timing determined at step (a), the second printer to print the first measurement chart; (c) measuring, by the sensor, the first measurement chart which has been printed by the second printer; and (d) outputting information corresponding to a result measured at step (c).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA LABORATORY U.S.A., INC.
    Inventor: Kazuto Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9908353
    Abstract: A print assisting device detects, from information on a captured image including a first reference marker for a manual scanning type printing device and a second reference marker of a print medium on which the printing device is placed, information on the first and the second reference marker, and creates, as information on an assisting image, based on the information on the first and second reference markers and information on a contents to be printed by the printing device, at least any one of information on a first image of the contents that is printed in a case where the printing device is scanned from a current position, information on a second image of the contents that is printed in a case where the printing device is scanned from a printing start position which is designated, and information on a third image to guide a position of the printing device to the printing start position, and causes a display device to display the assisting image superimposed on the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shota Nakahara
  • Patent number: 9876927
    Abstract: An image reading device is movable between a first position and a second position spaced farther apart from an image forming device than the first position, and a regulating member configured to regulate respective positions of two cables maintains, when the image reading device is at the first position, the two cables, respectively, in a bent state in a direction away from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuichiro Osawa, Yu Shuhama
  • Patent number: 9832350
    Abstract: An image processing method includes performing first halftone processing and second halftone processing. The second halftone processing is performed, for a second kind of color in advance among a plurality of colors constituting an original image, in units of blocks each consisting of a plurality of pixels that constitute the original image and the second kind of color is converted into an amount of second kind of ink corresponding to the second kind of color among the plurality of inks. The first halftone processing is performed, for the first kind of color, for each pixel that constitutes the original image or each pixel group having a smaller number of pixels than the block and the first kind of color is converted into an amount of first kind of ink corresponding to the first kind of color among the plurality of inks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiaki Kakutani
  • Patent number: 9776398
    Abstract: Staged sequencing of printers can include copy firing instructions, assigned to a plurality of shift registers of a printer via a first network, to a plurality of parallel registers and providing, via a second network, a primitive sequence including a respective firing order of each of a plurality of primitives included in the primitive sequence to the parallel registers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventor: Guan-Kwee Goh
  • Patent number: 9742954
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes a preprocessing section that causes an input data column to serve as a first determination data column and obtains a second determination data column by delaying the input data column and obtains a processing data column by delaying the input data column by an amount larger than an amount by which the input data column is delayed in order to obtain the second determination data column and a controller that controls, by using the first determination data column and the second determination data column as indices, an operation performed by a FIFO memory for outputting the processing data column, which has been input to the FIFO memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuo Yamada, Mitsuyuki Tamatani
  • Patent number: 9738066
    Abstract: A method of compensating for an inoperable inkjet in a printer includes applying a first modification to a first swath of image data that includes a raster corresponding to the inoperable inkjet in image data of a printed image. The method also includes applying a plurality of modifications to a plurality of swaths in the image data to generate a plurality of modified swaths in the image data, where each swath in the plurality of swaths includes a plurality of rasters that do not include the raster corresponding to the inoperable inkjet. The method further includes forming a printed image based on the modified swaths of image data to compensate for an inoperable inkjet in the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Stephen M. Kroon
  • Patent number: 9636937
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus has a first quantization configured to quantize multi-valued data corresponding to the first ink to generate the first quantized data, the multi-valued data indicating intermediate density; and a second quantization unit configured to quantize multi-valued data corresponding to the second ink to generate the second quantized data, the multi-valued data indicating intermediate density. In a case where a satellite of the first ink is more conspicuous than a satellite of the second ink on the print medium, a first dot pattern printed on the print medium based on the first quantized data has higher dispersibility than a second dot pattern printed on the print medium based on the second quantized data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tohru Ikeda, Yumi Yanai, Masao Kato, Manabu Yamazoe
  • Patent number: 9550375
    Abstract: An inkjet image forming apparatus is provided. The inkjet image forming apparatus includes a recording unit, a selection heater, a heater, and a processor. The recording unit forms an ink image on a recording medium being conveyed. The selection heater is disposed downstream from the recording unit relative to a direction of conveyance of the recording medium, and selectively heats the ink image formed on the recording medium. The heater is disposed downstream from the selection heater relative to the direction of conveyance of the recording medium, and heats the recording medium on which the ink image has been selectively heated. The processor controls the recording unit, the selection heater, and the heater, and sets an output of the selection heater in view of an occurrence of cockling on the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masafumi Yamada, Takuma Nakamura, Tetsurou Sasamoto
  • Patent number: 9547904
    Abstract: A system includes a sensor to generate a first image having a first two-dimensional image pixel data set. A database provides a second image having a second two-dimensional image pixel data set that includes a three-dimensional positional data set describing a navigational position of each pixel in the second two-dimensional image pixel data set. A vision module includes an edge extractor to extract image edge features from the first two-dimensional pixel data set and image edge features from the second two-dimensional image pixel data set. The vision module includes a feature correlator to determine a navigational position for each pixel in the first two-dimensional data set based on an image edge feature comparison of the extracted edge features from the first and second two-dimensional image pixel data sets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Yunqian Ma
  • Patent number: 9533513
    Abstract: A system, method and non-transitory computer readable medium for testing the alignment of a bidirectional scanning print system are described. A first swathe is printed in first direction, and a second swathe is printed after the first in a second direction along a print axis. Each swathe comprises a plurality of printed blocks aligned along the print axis, separated by unprinted bars. Misalignment in the print system can be identified from the print output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventor: Li Qian
  • Patent number: 9522537
    Abstract: The liquid droplet discharge apparatus (ink jet printer) includes a head having a nozzle row in which nozzles capable of discharging liquid droplets onto paper as a medium are aligned, and a carriage unit as a movement portion which moves the head relatively to the paper, the ink jet printer discharging the liquid droplets onto the paper through the nozzles by causing the head to perform main scanning a plurality of number of times by the carriage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tomohiro Yuda
  • Patent number: 9514155
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a system and process for altering the presentation of data items to enable efficient presentation of large sets of data items. For example, if a data set includes 40,000 data items that are to be rendered as points at different geographic locations on a map, such as a map of the United States, rather than trying to render all 40,000 data items, the implementations described herein will process the data set to reduce the amount of data items that will be presented without losing the information that is visually provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Debarghya Majumdar, Amit Neogy, Niketh Sabbineni, Nadella Sindhuri
  • Patent number: 9250967
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described that facilitate performing model-based planning techniques for allocations of multi-capacity resources in a machine. The machine may be, for instance, a printing platform, such as a xerographic machine. According to various features, the multi-capacity resource may be a sheet buffer, and temporal constraints may be utilized to determine whether an insertion point for a new allocation of the sheet buffer is feasible. Multiple insertion points may be evaluated (e.g., serially or in parallel) to facilitate determining an optimal solution for a print job or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Minh Binh Do, Wheeler Ruml, Rong Zhou