Patents Assigned to Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
  • Patent number: 11665296
    Abstract: There is provided an image reading device in which a controller is configured to perform detecting, by executing an edge detection process, edge pixels from image data scanned by a reading device and stored in a storage, the edge pixels being pixels obtained by reading an edge of an original document. Then, it is determined whether a sequence of the detected edge pixels in a particular direction is interrupted. When interrupted, an expansion process is executed to increase the edge pixels in a particular range in a neighborhood of the detected edge pixels of the image data. Then, a particular process is performed on the image data using the edge pixels detected from the image data after the edge pixels are increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiki Motoyama, Takayuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11660890
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: a housing having a discharge port through which a printing medium being allowed to be discharged; an installation part to which a unit being removably installable to the installation part, the unit being configured to surround at least a part of the discharge port in a case the unit is installed, the unit being configured to perform specific processing on the printing medium; and a lid member removably installed to the installation part, the lid member being installable to the installation part in a case the unit is not installed to the installation part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke Ikemoto, Yushi Kato, Sho Asai, Shotaro Watanabe, Takehiko Inaba
  • Patent number: 11660883
    Abstract: There is provided an image recording apparatus having a housing having a front wall and a rear wall, and a right wall and a left wall defining an internal space of the housing, a sheet roll holder configured to hold a sheet roll, a supporting member configured to support the sheet roll, the supporting member extending in an axial direction of the sheet roll and being supported by the sheet roll holder, a sheet conveyer arranged in an internal space of the housing, the sheet conveyer being configured to convey a sheet unwound from the sheet roll, and a recording device configured to record an image on the sheet unwound from the sheet roll and conveyed by the sheet conveyer. The sheet roll holder is configured to be slidable with respect to the housing so as to be detachable from and attachable to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keita Sugiura, Takaaki Oguchi
  • Patent number: 11660864
    Abstract: A liquid discharging head is provided with: individual channels; a first common channel; and a second common channel. The individual channels include: first individual channels which have first pressure chambers and which are aligned in a second direction to form a first individual channel array, and second individual channels which have second pressure chambers and which are aligned in the second direction to form a second individual channel array; the first individual channel array and the second individual channel array are arranged in a third direction. The first common channel communicates with both of the first individual channels and the second individual channels; and the first pressure chambers and the second pressure chambers do not overlap with the second common channel in a first direction, and do not overlap with each other in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Katayama, Shotaro Kanzaki, Jiro Yamamoto, Keita Sugiura, Taisuke Mizuno
  • Patent number: 11660881
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes: a discharging head configured to discharge an ultraviolet cure ink onto a recording medium; and a controller configured to control the discharging head to: discharge the ink onto the recording medium on the basis of a raster data for an image to be formed on the recording medium, the image including a solid image area formed with the raster data at 100% of a printing rate; and execute a gloss reduction printing in which the solid image area is printed on the recording medium by varying the printing rate such that printing rates lower than 100% appear along a printing direction periodically or aperiodically in the course of 100% printing rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shuhei Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11661692
    Abstract: A sewing machine includes a sewing portion, a movement portion, a processor, and a memory. The memory is configured to store computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, instruct the processor to perform processes. The processes include pattern acquisition processing of acquiring data relating to an embroidery pattern, first position information acquisition processing of acquiring first position information indicating a position of the holder when the holder is in a first position, second position information acquisition processing of acquiring second position information indicating a position of the holder when the holder is in a second position different from the first position, generating processing of generating sewing data for sewing the embroidery pattern re-shaped on the basis of the first position information and the second position information, and sewing control processing of controlling the sewing portion and the movement portion in accordance with the generated sewing data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Minematsu, Tsuneo Okuyama, Mitsuhiro Iida, Kazutaka Imaizumi
  • Patent number: 11660868
    Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus jetting a liquid onto a recording medium conveyed in a first direction includes head units arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. One head unit includes nozzle chips; one nozzle chip has a nozzle arrangement area wherein nozzles are aligned in a third direction crossing the first and second directions. The nozzle chip is arranged to be shifted relative to another nozzle chip in a direction crossing the first and second directions and different from the third direction. The head unit has a first overlapping portion wherein nozzle arrangement areas of first and second nozzle chips included in the nozzle chips partially overlap with each other in the first direction. The liquid jetting apparatus has a second overlapping portion wherein nozzle arrangement areas of third and fourth nozzle chips included in the head units partially overlap with each other in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Taisuke Mizuno, Hideki Hayashi, Keita Sugiura
  • Patent number: 11665291
    Abstract: An MFP is configured to perform an upper limit setting process of setting an upper limit value of scan data amount storable in a RAM, a scanning process of controlling a scanning device to generate scan data of one document medium and store the scan data in the RAM, a determining process of determining, after performing the scanning process, whether an amount of the scan data accumulated in the storage exceeds the upper limit value, when determining that the amount of the scan data exceeds the upper limit value, a transmitting process of inhibiting the scanning process and transmitting the scan data accumulated in the RAM to a server through a communication device, and a releasing process of deleting the scan data accumulated in the RAM and releasing inhibition of the scanning process after performing the transmitting process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tetsuya Okuno
  • Patent number: 11662676
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, upon receipt of a printing instruction, a controller starts rotation of a heating member, starts rotation of a photoconductor drum when a standby time has elapsed from a time of the start of the rotation of the heating member, starts conveyance of a sheet after the start of the rotation of the photoconductor drum, and forms a toner image on the sheet after the start of the conveyance of the sheet. The controller is configured to be operated in one of selectable modes including a multicolor mode in which a toner image is formed using both of toner of a first color and a second color and a monochrome mode in which a toner image is formed using toner of the second color only. The standby time adopted in the monochrome mode is longer than the standby time adopted in the multicolor mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Soun Kanada, Yuki Fukusada, Tatsuya Koyama, Kotaro Fujishiro
  • Patent number: 11662964
    Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores a support program for an information processing device connectable to a printer. In an operating system of the information processing device, a general-purpose printing program corresponding to the printer is embedded. The support program, when executed by a computer of the information processing device, causes the information processing device to perform: acquiring; requesting; and processing. The acquiring acquires, in response to a print instruction being issued from an editing application program, status information from the printer. The requesting requests a displaying application program to display a notification screen by transferring a parameter based on the status information to the displaying application program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshito Hosomizo
  • Patent number: 11662685
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided, including a housing; a drum cartridge; a developing cartridge; a drawer movable between an inner position and an outer position; and a lock member provided on the drawer and movable between a lock position at which the lock member locks the drum cartridge to the drawer, and a release position at which a lock between the drum cartridge and the drawer is released. The lock member includes an operation portion for moving the lock member between the lock position and the release position. The developing cartridge includes a cover member that covers at least a portion of the operation portion in a state in which the drum cartridge is mounted to the drawer, and the developing cartridge is mounted to the drum cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shougo Sato
  • Patent number: 11663432
    Abstract: A printer includes a printing device including a print head, a first moving device, and a second moving device, and a controller. The controller is configured to generate first partial-dot-data by executing a first generating process with respect to first partial-image data and generate second partial-dot-data by executing a second generating process with respect to second partial-image-data. In the second generating process, the controller determines a degree of reduction in density by the second generating process to a first degree of reduction in a first case where a particular condition including a code condition that is satisfied when the second partial-image includes at least a portion of a code image is satisfied, and determine the degree of reduction in density by the second generating process to a second degree different from the first degree of reduction when the second partial-image does not include the code image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Tsuyoshi Ito, Masao Mimoto
  • Publication number: 20230158798
    Abstract: A first frame holds a platen. A second frame holds a head. When the second frame is at a first position, the head faces the platen. When the second frame is at a second position, the second frame is positioned farther away from the first frame than when the second frame is at the first position. At the second position, the head is positioned farther away from the platen than when the second frame is at the first position. A head lifter is held by the second frame. At the first position, the head lifter moves the head with respect to the second frame between a printing position and a separate position. At the printing position, the head ejects liquid toward a medium supported by the platen. At the separate position, the head is farther away from the platen in an intersecting direction than at the printing position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2023
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shinya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11654684
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a head having nozzles; a conveyor configured to convey a recording medium; and a controller. The controller executes: a recording processing of conveying the recording medium by the conveyor and ejecting liquid from the nozzles with respect to the recording medium based on image data; a flushing processing of discharging the liquid from the nozzles with respect to a flushing area, based on flushing data different from the image data; and a first determining processing of determining, based on the image data, whether a time interval after completion of a first recording processing and until start of a second recording processing exceeds a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoru Arakane
  • Patent number: 11654707
    Abstract: A printing device is configured to print a multi-layer thermal printing medium. The printing device includes a thermal head and a controller. The thermal head has a heat generating elements configured to form images on a heat sensitive multi-layer. The controller is configured to perform detecting whether a viewing direction of the heat sensitive multi-layer is a thickness direction to view from a second surface toward a first surface or a direction opposite the thickness direction to view from the first surface toward the second surface. The controller is configured to further perform creating print data to be applied to each of the heat generating elements. The created print data is such that color development states of a first color and a second color according to the detected viewing direction are differentiated from color development states of the first color and the second color according to an undetected viewing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akira Minami, Keisuke Nishihara
  • Patent number: 11656575
    Abstract: An image forming device, including: a housing; a drawer movable between an inside position at which the drawer is located inside the housing and an outside position at which the drawer is located outside the housing; a drum cartridge including a photoconductive drum and a developer roller and mountable on the drawer; a toner cartridge storing toner to be supplied to the developer roller and mountable on the drawer, wherein the drawer includes a first guide that guides the toner cartridge in mounting the toner cartridge on the drawer, and wherein the drum cartridge includes a second guide connected to the first guide in a state in which the drum cartridge is mounted on the drawer, the second guide being configured to guide the toner cartridge in mounting the toner cartridge on the drawer in the state in which the drum cartridge is mounted on the drawer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuna Taguchi, Shougo Sato
  • Patent number: 11654675
    Abstract: An inkjet recording device includes: a head including a nozzle configured to eject ink toward a recording medium; a storage portion storing therein ink and formed with an air communication opening allowing an interior of the storage portion to be communicated with an outside thereof; a valve movable between an opening position opening the air communication opening and a closing position closing the air communication opening; an actuator configured to move the valve; a state sensor configured to output a detection signal based on the state of the inkjet recording device; and a controller configured to perform: (a) determining, on the basis of the detection signal, whether the inkjet recording device has an abnormality; and (b) controlling, in a case where determination is made in (a) that the inkjet recording device has an abnormality, the actuator to move the valve to the closing position from the opening position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinori Osakabe, Fumio Nakazawa, Taichi Shirono, Sosuke Kuroyanagi
  • Patent number: 11656574
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a housing; a process cartridge including a photoconductive drum and a developing roller; a toner cartridge containing toner; and a drawer movable between an inner position and an outer position. The process cartridge includes a lock member movable between a lock position at which the lock member locks the process cartridge to the drawer, and a release position at which a lock between the process cartridge and the drawer is released. The lock member is located at the lock position in a state in which the process cartridge is mounted to the drawer, and the toner cartridge is mounted to the process cartridge. The lock member is located at the release position in a state in which the process cartridge is mounted to the drawer, and the toner cartridge is removed from the process cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shougo Sato
  • Patent number: 11656809
    Abstract: A terminal device may display a setting screen for inputting setting information; after the setting information is inputted in the setting screen, supply a communication executing instruction to an OS program. The OS program may supply a signal sending instruction to a first wireless interface. The first wireless interface may start sending a polling signal, establish a first wireless connection with a function executing device, and communicate connection information with the function executing device by using the first wireless connection. The OS program may establish, by using the connection information, a second wireless connection for communicating with the function executing device via a second wireless interface. In a case where the second wireless connection is established, the terminal device may send a function executing request to the function executing device via the second wireless interface by using the second wireless connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Longlong Ruan
  • Patent number: 11654682
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes an individual flow passage member; and a common flow passage member joined to the individual flow passage member in a first direction. The individual flow passage member has nozzle groups formed on a surface on a side opposite to the common flow passage member and connecting hole groups formed on a surface on a side of the common flow passage member; and the common flow passage member has manifold flow passages corresponding to the connecting hole groups respectively. Each of the nozzle groups includes nozzles aligned in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and each of the connecting hole groups includes connecting holes aligned in the second direction and connected to the nozzles respectively. Each of the manifold flow passages extends in the second direction and is connected to the nozzles via the connecting holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideki Hayashi