Patents Assigned to PFU Limited
  • Patent number: 9350894
    Abstract: An image capturing system includes an image capturing unit to photograph a medium placed on a medium installation face, a lighting unit disposed in a top unit to irradiate the medium installation face, a lighting control unit to perform driving control of the lighting unit, a scan instruction unit to issue an instruction to perform scanning to photograph the medium and to generate image data of the medium, and a non-readable area determining unit to determine whether or not there is a non-readable area based on an image of the medium obtained by photographing the medium with in a turned-on state of the lighting unit. When there is the non-readable area, the scanning is performed by turning off the lighting unit when the lighting unit was in a turned-on state, and when there is not the non-readable area, the scanning is performed in the turned-on state of the lighting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Yuki Kasahara, Masanari Takabatake
  • Patent number: 9350888
    Abstract: An image-reading apparatus includes a housing having an insertion slot for inserting single medium or plural media, a conveying unit that conveys the single medium or plural media into the housing, an image capturing unit that captures an image of the single medium or plural media conveyed, a control unit that controls at least the conveying unit and the image capturing unit, and an image processor configured to generate a captured image including single medium image or plural media image, and clip a plurality of medium images that correspond respectively to media images in the plural media image off the captured image when the generated captured image includes the plural media image in a direction along a width direction of the insertion slot. The image processor outputs the plurality of medium images clipped in an order of insertion of the plural media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Shingo Kanaya
  • Patent number: 9350893
    Abstract: An overhead image reading apparatus includes an image-capturing unit that captures an image of a medium to be read placed on a placement surface from above, a light source capable of irradiating the medium with light, and a brightness controller that gradually alters brightness of the light source at least when the light source is turned on or when the light source is turned off. The overhead image reading apparatus may gradually alter the brightness by duty control on current supplied to the light source. Or, the overhead image reading apparatus may gradually alter the brightness by controlling a current value supplied to the light source. Alternatively, the overhead image reading apparatus may include a variable aperture between the light source and the placement surface to gradually alter the brightness by controlling an opening area of the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Keisuke Kimura
  • Publication number: 20160134787
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus comprises a housing to block ambient light and including a rectangular opening on a bottom, an image capturing unit to capture an image of a medium in the opening, and a plurality of light sources disposed in the housing and emitting light to irradiate different areas of the opening. The housing includes four cover portions corresponding to sides of the rectangular opening. The four cover portions include a pair of inclined-cover portions which are switched between an open state and a folded state and a pair of connecting-cover portions which connect the two inclined-cover portions. The two connecting-cover portions are connected to the inclined-cover portions in a transformable manner, and when the two inclined-cover portions are in the folded state, the connecting-cover portions enter gap between the inclined-cover portions by being transformed with respect to the inclined-cover portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Applicant: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Ryo HAYASHI
  • Patent number: 9325909
    Abstract: An image capturing system includes a smartphone serving as an imaging unit, and a mounting stand to be disposed on a medium setting surface on which a medium serving as a reading target is set. The mounting stand has a placement surface on which the smartphone is placed at a position allowing the smartphone to image the medium set on the medium setting surface. When generating a starting trigger based on image information of an imaging area in the state where the smartphone is placed on the mounting stand, the smartphone executes a function (scanning operation) associated with the starting trigger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Yuki Kasahara
  • Patent number: 9305236
    Abstract: The image processing apparatus includes an input image acquisition module for acquiring an input image generated by reading a document, a character string information calculator for calculating character string density or character string variance in the input image, and a document type identification module for identifying a type of the document based on the character string density or the character string variance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: PFU Limited
    Inventors: Katsuhito Shimazaki, Yuki Matsuda
  • Patent number: 9300827
    Abstract: An image-reading apparatus includes a battery that is built-in in a housing, a conveying unit conveying a medium, an image capturing unit capturing an image of the medium, a control unit controlling at least the conveying unit and the image capturing unit, a setting-table-opened/closed sensor as a state detector detecting whether the image capturing unit is ready to read the medium, a reset unit resetting the control unit, a scanning button and a Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) button, each of which is an operation unit disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the housing and used for giving an instruction to the control unit. The reset unit resets the control unit upon satisfaction of a first condition that the setting-table-opened/closed sensor determines that the image capturing unit is unready to read the medium and a second condition that the operation unit is operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Shingo Kanaya
  • Patent number: 9300831
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus is provided with a book data acquisition unit which acquires a book data item including a plurality of image data items related to covers and individual pages of a book, a length acquisition unit which acquires a longitudinal length and a lateral length of the book based on lengths of two sides of the plurality of image data items included in the book data item, and an image data determination unit which compares the longitudinal and lateral lengths of the book to the lengths of the two sides of each of the image data items to determine the image data item determined to include neither one page nor two facing pages as the image data item including a spine image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Chieko Murai, Mitsuhiro Iwase, Masato Izumi
  • Patent number: 9294650
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a casing configured to cut off ambient light and have a casing-opening portion at the bottom, an image capturing unit configured to perform image capturing of a medium that is exposed to an inside of the casing in the casing-opening portion, a plurality of light sources configured to be arranged on the inside of the casing and emit light to different areas on horizontal plane in the casing-opening portion, a control unit configured to control at least the image capturing unit and the plurality of light sources, and an attachment configured to be detachably attached to the bottom of the casing. The attachment surrounds the casing-opening portion in a state in which the attachment is attached to the casing and cuts off the ambient light together with the casing in a state in which the bottom is placed on the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: PFU Limited
    Inventors: Masaya Takamori, Yuki Kasahara
  • Patent number: 9286536
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus including a candidate pixel detector for detecting candidate pixels of boundary lines of sides of a document region, a classifier for classifying coordinates of the candidate pixels into coordinate groups, an approximate line calculator for calculating approximate lines for the boundary line based on each of the coordinate groups, a provisional line determination unit for determining a provisional line of the boundary line based on the approximate lines that is selected based on the number of candidate pixels that are within a distance from the approximate line, a shadow detector for detecting a shadow image of an edge of the document within a predetermined distance from the provisional line, and a boundary line determination unit for determining whether the boundary line is within the predetermined distance from the provisional line based on the shadow image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: PFU Limited
    Inventors: Masayoshi Hayashi, Hiroyuki Sakano, Akira Iwayama
  • Patent number: 9288221
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus is provided with: a comparison unit that compares a communication by a terminal connected to a network with a pattern held in advance; a specification unit that specifies an evaluation value indicating an extent to which it is inferred that the terminal is used to conduct unauthorized activity, and a phase of unauthorized activity, in accordance with a comparison result; a holding unit that holds a maximum value of the evaluation value, for each phase, and for each terminal; and a determination unit that determines whether or not the terminal is used to conduct unauthorized activity, based on the maximum value of the evaluation value for each of the phases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Koide, Keiji Michine
  • Patent number: 9280036
    Abstract: A lighting device includes a base unit arranged on a medium installation face on which a medium is disposed, an arm unit extending upwardly from the base unit, a top unit extending from the arm unit so as to face the medium installation face, a mounting face disposed on the top unit to mount an image capturing unit at a position capable of photographing the medium on the medium installation face, a lighting disposed in the top unit to irradiate the medium installation face, and a lighting control unit configured to adjust an amount of light of the lighting. The lighting control unit sets the amount of light of the lighting to a maximum at the time of photographing and, after the photographing, returns the amount of light to that before the photographing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Yuki Kasahara, Jian Li
  • Patent number: 9274732
    Abstract: There is provided a form processing system including a form creation device and a printer, wherein the form creation device includes a layout generation unit that generates layout information denoting a layout of a form, a drawing instruction unit that causes a drawing performing unit in the printer to generate referential image data which corresponds to at least part of the generated layout information, based on the generated layout information, and an image transmission unit that transmits the generated referential image data to an OCR device, and the printer includes the drawing performing unit that generates the referential image data in accordance with an instruction from the drawing instruction unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Shoichi Hagisawa, Go Dojo, Toshihiko Sugita, Yoshinori Kuwamura
  • Patent number: 9275200
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a storage for storing a plurality types of software licenses in association with a number of possessed licenses, a product type of a software product, and a device specification condition, a receiver for receiving information of a software product operating in a management target device and information of a device specification of the management target device, a determining module for determining a software license to be assigned to the management target device based on the number of possessed licenses, a number of the product types, or the device specification condition, when there is a plurality of software licenses, in which the software product is included in the product type and the device specification meets the device specification condition, among the plurality types of software licenses, and an assigning module for assigning a software license determined by the determining module to the management target device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: PFU Limited
    Inventors: Tomoharu Nakamura, Masaki Matsuda, Koji Hirohashi
  • Patent number: 9258448
    Abstract: An overhead scanner successively obtains a plurality of images by controlling an area sensor, calculates a movement pattern by image difference extraction by using the obtained images, detects a page turning movement on the basis of the movement pattern, and determines that a read operation be started when the page turning movement is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Masayuki Sakai
  • Patent number: 9253363
    Abstract: An image-reading apparatus includes a light source unit that includes, a light source section on which a plurality of light-emitting elements that emit light toward a medium whose image is read by an image-capturing unit are arranged in a main-scanning direction, and a diffusion unit that diffuses therein the light emitted from the light-emitting elements, wherein a rib provided in a frame of the image-reading apparatus, the rib being capable of being fitted with a cutout portion, the light source section includes a connector provided at one end of the main-scanning direction and the cutout portion provided at the other end of the main-scanning direction, the diffusion unit has a shape through which the light source section is inserted, and a size of the diffusion unit in the main-scanning direction is equal to or shorter than a distance between the connector and the cutout portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Hideaki Shibata, Keisuke Kokuma
  • Patent number: 9242815
    Abstract: A medium supply device includes a feeding unit that feeds a medium among one or more media placed on a placing table, a separating unit that is arranged to come into pressure-contact with the feeding unit, a blocking portion that is movable and blocks a space formed between the feeding unit and the separating unit in an upstream side of a nip region in a conveying direction of the medium, and a curve-forming portion that presses the medium against the feeding unit side to form a curve in a width direction of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Hideyuki Okumura, Kiichiro Shimosaka, Ryoichi Yasukawa
  • Patent number: 9241086
    Abstract: An image-reading apparatus includes a case constituted to shut off ambient light and including an opening on a bottom surface thereof, an image capturing unit capturing an image of a medium in the case through the opening, a plurality of light sources disposed in the case to emit light to the opening, and an image-processing unit performing image capturing by the image capturing unit, and performing composition process on plural image data captured by the image capturing unit. The light sources emit light in a direction to form shadowed areas outside of different edges of the medium when the medium is smaller than an area of the opening, and the image-processing unit extracts the edges based on the shadowed areas in the image data and crops the medium from the image data based on the extracted edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Masayoshi Hayashi, Kiyoto Kosaka, Ryo Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9219838
    Abstract: An overhead scanner 1 includes an imaging unit 22 that images a medium S placed on a mount surface 2 to be read from above and a light source 21 that is arranged to be able to irradiate the medium S with light during imaging by the imaging unit 22. A control device 40 of the overhead scanner 1 performs anti-glare control when detecting that the medium S is glossy. This prevents glare from occurring to the user during operation of the overhead scanner 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Kengo Kawata
  • Patent number: D753642
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: PFU Limited
    Inventors: Kayo Iimuro, Natsumi Sato, Isao Nakanishi, Masayuki Haruta