Patents Assigned to Konica-Minolta
  • Patent number: 10067446
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a cleaning device including a cleaning member that abuts a surface of an image carrier and cleans a surface of the image carrier; a detector that detects a stain generated on the surface of the image carrier in a moving direction of the surface of the image carrier; an adjusting mechanism that adjusts a relative position between the image carrier and the cleaning member in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction; and a hardware processor that controls the relative position between the image carrier and the cleaning member by driving the adjusting mechanism based on information regarding the stain detected by the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Tomo Kitada
  • Patent number: 10069987
    Abstract: A touch panel has a display region for an operation screen and senses an outer object touching the display region. A vibrator unit applies vibration to the display region. In response to the touch panel sensing the object, a response controller unit instructs the vibrator unit to apply to the display region vibration responsive to the object. The response controller unit checks whether an image processing unit is under waiting or operating condition at the time the touch panel senses the object, and when the image processing unit is under the operating condition, sets the responsive vibration to a level lower than when the image processing unit is under the waiting condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Mineo Yamamoto, Isao Watanabe, Toshikazu Higashi, Hiroshi Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 10069988
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of ensuring a log when a malfunction has occurred in an operation panel, without affecting working performance of the image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a volatile memory, an operation device, and a processor. The volatile memory accumulates a log of actions of each function and has a volatile property. The operation device receives user operations performed by a user. The processor is configured to determine whether a user operation pattern based on a series of the user operations within a certain period of time received by the operation device satisfies a predetermined condition or not. Then, when the user operation pattern satisfies the predetermined condition, the processor is configured to store the log accumulated in the volatile memory into a nonvolatile memory having a nonvolatile property.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Shuta Saito
  • Publication number: 20180246452
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a first device; a second device; and an operation display part, wherein the operation display part includes: an operation panel; and a hardware processor that controls operations of the operation panel, the hardware processor is: capable of sending operation input information on the operation panel to the first device via a first interface; sending the operation input information on the operation panel to the second device via a second interface; and receiving a switch request of switching a device, the first interface and the second interface are of mutually different types, and when receiving the switch request, the hardware processor: changes a source device from which display contents of the operation panel are sent, and changes a destination device to which the operation input information on the operation panel is sent, and sends the operation input information to a post-changing destination device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Hisataka FUNAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20180246686
    Abstract: An operation display apparatus for shared use between a first and a second apparatus each being capable of operating independently, the operation display apparatus including a display, a manipulation device, and a processor, wherein the processor performs: allowing the display to selectively show either of display data received from the first apparatus through a first display interface and display data received from the second apparatus through a second display interface; transmitting operation information of an operation on the manipulation device to the first apparatus through a first input-output interface and to the second apparatus through a second input-output interface; detecting through the first or second display interface whether at least either one of the first and second apparatus enters power saving mode; and prohibiting the transmission of operation information to the first or second apparatus when at least either one of the first and second apparatus enters power saving mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Hisataka FUNAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20180249030
    Abstract: An information processing system includes an information processing apparatus, an image processing apparatus, a manipulation panel, and a first processor. The manipulation panel includes an input interface and a control circuit operable in a first mode in which the information input to the input interface is transmitted to the image processing apparatus or a second mode in which the information input to the input interface is transmitted to the information processing apparatus. When the first processor determines that the image processing apparatus transitions from a first state in which the input information input is able to be processed to a second state in which the input information is unable to be processed, the first processor instructs the control circuit to transition from the first mode to the second mode and outputs a transition notification to the information processing apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshinobu FURUYA
  • Publication number: 20180246683
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, in a case a user is authenticated, allocates a sub address provided under the network address of the image forming apparatus to the user, outputs destination information including the network address and the sub address along with a job file for setting to the outside, in a case the job file for setting is received, associates the sub address and identification information of the user with one another, in a case the sub address and the identification information of the user are associated with one another, associates the printing data with the identification information of the user, and stores the printing data on a storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Masao Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20180246463
    Abstract: Information processing equipment includes: a main body housing unit; and a console panel provided at the main body housing unit, the console panel having a front surface which has a display unit visible on the main body housing unit and does not include at least a hard key for switching an operation mode to a maintenance mode, the hard key being provided on a surface other than the front surface of the console panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoshitada ICHIKAWA, Hideyuki NUKUMI
  • Publication number: 20180246684
    Abstract: An information processing system includes a first communication interface, an information processing apparatus which obtains job data through the first communication interface, and an image processing apparatus which executes a print job defined by the job data. The job data includes print data which defines an image and setting data which defines setting for the print job. The information processing apparatus includes a processor which performs specific processing in accordance with the setting and modifies contents of setting for the setting data of the job data so as to cancel the setting corresponding to the performed specific processing and a second communication interface which transfers the modified job data to the image processing apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: Konica Minolta. Inc.
    Inventor: Toshinobu YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20180247149
    Abstract: A method for character recognition. The method includes: obtaining a plurality of character segments extracted from an image; determining a first character bounding box having a first set of the plurality of character segments and a second character bounding box having a second set of the plurality of character segments; determining a plurality of directions for the first set and a plurality of timing properties for the first set, where the plurality of timing properties includes an ordering for first set and a drawing duration for the first set; and executing character recognition for the first character bounding box by sending the first set, the plurality of directions for the first set, and the plurality of timing properties for the first set to an intelligent character recognition (ICR) engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc.
    Inventors: Stuart Guarnieri, Jason James Grams
  • Publication number: 20180249023
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a plurality of devices each having a power source, and a display. The display is shared by the plurality of devices and operated by receiving power supply from the power source of any one of the plurality of devices. The display determines a power supply device which is a device for supplying electric power to the display from the power source thereof, out of the plurality of devices, on the basis of a state of each of the plurality of devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Hisataka Funakawa
  • Patent number: 10063749
    Abstract: Provided are a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a control program for creating a database for use in color calibration and that storing a control program for a judgement based on the database. The control programs cause a computing device to perform the following operations. The database-creating operations include calculating a white-ground color difference using a print medium, and repeating a feedback adjustment of a color correction LUT, to obtain a resulting color accuracy. The operations further include obtaining white-ground color differences and resulting color accuracies for plural paper products of a certain print medium type, to obtain a mathematical relation and create a database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Tomoko Kuroiwa
  • Patent number: 10061234
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus configured to fix a coloring material attached to a recording medium by heating the recording medium by using a fixing member includes: a heater configured to heat the fixing member; an AC power source configured to apply AC voltage to the heater; a temperature detection unit configure to detect a temperature of the heater; and a power control unit configured to control drive power supplied to the heater from the AC power source by calculating an application pattern of AC voltage to be applied to the heater based on an output of the temperature detection unit, and by appropriately selecting a half wave of AC waveform from the AC power source based on the application pattern, wherein the power control unit supplies power equivalent to a waveform with a predetermined phase angle on a non-selected half wave from the AC power source to the heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Kosuke Sasaki, Masashi Sugano
  • Patent number: 10062001
    Abstract: A method for segmenting an image containing handwritten text into line segments and word segments. The image is horizontally down sampled at a first ratio. Connected regions in the down-sampled image are detected; horizontal neighboring ones are merged to form lines, to segment the original image into line images. Each line image is horizontally down sampled at a second ratio which is smaller than the first ratio. Connected regions in the down-sampled line image are detected to obtain potential word segmentation positions. A path is a way of dividing the line at some or all of the potential word segmentation positions into multiple path segments; for each of all possible paths, word recognition is applied to each path segment to calculate a word recognition score, and an average word recognition score for the path is calculated; the path with the highest score gives the final word segmentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA LABORATORY U.S.A., INC.
    Inventor: Duanduan Yang
  • Patent number: 10063733
    Abstract: An alignment sheet for alignment of an image forming position of a sheet includes a first side and a second side. The first side has a reference image which is formed in a periphery of the first side and which is used for measuring a position of an image on the first side. The second side has a background image with a predetermined area which is formed at a location where the background image does not overlap the reference image. The reference image and the background image are read at the same time by an image reading section while an area with the reference image is folded such that the background image appears as a background.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Kazuomi Sakatani
  • Patent number: 10061064
    Abstract: A prism used in analysis utilizing surface plasmons is prism of a dielectric medium with a predetermined reflective index. Trapezoidal prism comprises an incident surface on which excitation light is incident from outside, a reflective surface at which the excitation light incident on the incident surface is reflected, an emission surface from which the excitation light reflected by the reflective surface is emitted; and an opposite surface which opposes the reflective surface. The opposite surface is a recessed sink mark surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Umetsu, Yoshihiro Okumura, Takehiko Goshima
  • Patent number: 10061219
    Abstract: An electrostatic charge image developing white toner according to the present invention includes toner base particles including rutile type titanium oxide particles as colorant and a binder resin. The rutile type titanium oxide particles are composed of two groups Ga and Gb of rutile type titanium oxide particles have different volume particle size distribution. A volume particle size distribution curve of the rutile type titanium oxide particles represents diameter on a horizontal axis and volume ratio on a vertical axis and has two main peaks. Diameters Da and Db of peak top positions of the two main peaks are respectively within a range of 100 to 500 nm, and satisfy following Relational expressions: (Relational expression 1):??25 nm?Db?Da?200 nm (Relational expression 2):??(mass of Ga):(mass of Gb)=5:95 to 30:70.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Takanari Kayamori, Masaharu Matsubara, Naoya Tonegawa, Kouji Izawa, Atsushi Iioka
  • Patent number: 10063717
    Abstract: An information transmitting device includes: a receiving unit configured to receive setting of a first mode or a second mode as a transmitting mode; a transmitting unit configured to transmit the data in the transmitting mode the setting of which is received; a first obtaining unit configured to obtain identification information associated with a process by an application for setting; a storage unit configured to store the obtained identification information; a second obtaining unit configured to obtain the identification information regarding the transmitting process of the data when the first mode is set; a determining unit configured to determine whether the identification information stored in the storage unit is identical to the identification information obtained by the second obtaining unit; and a switching unit configured to switch the transmitting mode to the second mode when it is determined that the pieces of identification information are not identical to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Shohei Iwamoto, Yoshiyuki Harada
  • Patent number: 10061439
    Abstract: Touch panel input device including: display panel having display surface; display controller causing display of button image on the display surface, the button image used for receiving touch operation performed by user; touch position detector detecting touch position of the display surface by detecting X and Y coordinates on X-Y rectangular coordinate system; area specifier specifying first area and second area of the display surface, the first area being area at which the button image is to be displayed, the second area being remaining area of display surface; and detection instructor referring to result of the specification by the area specifier and instructing the touch position detector (i) to perform touch position detection with respect to an area corresponding to the first area and (ii) to put in off state touch position detection with respect to an area corresponding to at least a part of the second area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Tomoo Yamanaka, Tomoaki Yamada, Katsuaki Wakui
  • Patent number: 10063722
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller configured to switch a display mode of a menu screen for setting between a first display mode and a second display mode. On a menu screen of the first display mode, the controller (i) determines as display object function buttons a part of function buttons of a plurality of function buttons used to call up each of detailed settings screens each related to each of a plurality of functions provided in the image forming apparatus, (ii) displays the display object function buttons to be arranged in a row in a predetermined direction, and (iii) changes and displays the display object function buttons according to a scroll operation performed by a user. On a menu screen of the second display mode, the controller displays at least a part of function buttons of the plurality of function buttons to be arranged in a grid-like manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Yuji Kawamura, Yoichi Kurumasa, Jun Kunioka, Mie Kawabata