Patents Assigned to PFU Limited
  • Patent number: 11790493
    Abstract: Provided are an image processing apparatus, a control method, and a control program for more accurately removing the seal component from the input image including the seal. An image processing apparatus includes an acquisition module to acquire an input image, a detection module to detect a seal area corresponding to a seal in the input image, a calculation module to calculate a seal color ratio for each pixel in the seal area, a background information generating module to generate background information, a seal removal image generating module to generate a seal removal image acquired by removing a seal component from the input image, by synthesizing each pixel in the seal area and the background information corresponding to each pixel, based on the seal color ratio, and an output module to output the seal removal image or information generated using the seal removal image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Kiyoto Kosaka, Keiji Honda
  • Patent number: 11785160
    Abstract: In a scanner, a pulse generator generates a pulse signal, a transmissive optical sensor includes a light projector that projects pulsed light corresponding to the pulse signal and a light receiver disposed so as to face the light projector, a peak hold circuit holds a peak value of a voltage value indicating a light reception amount of the pulsed light in the light receiver, and a first current supply circuit increases a light projection amount of the pulsed light projected from the light projector by increasing a current supplied to the light projector when the peak value is smaller than a reference value and decreases the light projection amount of the pulsed light projected from the light projector by decreasing the current supplied to the light projector when the peak value is larger than the reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Kyohei Oura
  • Patent number: 11772918
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a first optical sensor located on an upper part of the housing and in a central part of the housing in a direction perpendicular to a medium conveying direction, a second optical sensor located on an upper part of the housing and on a side of the first optical sensor in the direction perpendicular to the medium conveying direction, and a processor to detect a folding of a medium based on the first signal or the second signal, and stop feeding of the medium by the feed roller in accordance with a detection result of the folding of the medium. The first light emitter emits first light toward a downstream side of the medium in the medium conveying direction, and the second light emitter emits second light toward an upstream side of the medium in the medium conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Kiichiro Shimosaka, Masato Shimura
  • Patent number: 11772920
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a suctioner that suctions a medium of a plurality of media to a feed belt, a driver that moves the feed belt to feed the medium, a first side blower that blows air at a first airflow rate to a first end face of the medium, a second side blower that blows air at a second airflow rate to a second end face of the medium, and a controller that controls the first side blower to blow air to the first end face at a third airflow rate that is greater than the first airflow rate and the second airflow rate when the medium has not been auctioned to a first portion of the feed belt close to the first end face and has been auctioned to a second portion of the feed belt close to the second end face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Ryoichi Yasukawa, Naoto Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11770485
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a first housing, a second housing, an imaging sensor, a reference member provided to be able to move between a first position facing the imaging sensor and a second position, a cam to make the reference member move, and an abutting member provided to make the cam move. The abutting member is located at a projecting position sticking out from the first housing, to make the cam move so that the reference member moves from the first position to the second position when the second housing is closed with respect to the first housing. The abutting member is provided so as to be able to retract when the second housing is opened and closed with respect to the first housing and abuts against the cam in the state located at the projecting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Kengo Kawata
  • Patent number: 11767188
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus conveyable a passport includes a guide pair including a first guide, and a second guide located so as to sandwich a medium conveyance path together with the first guide, to regulate a vertical direction of the medium conveyance path, a light emitting element located on an outside of the medium conveyance path with one of the first guide or the second guide in between to detect the medium, a light receiving element located on an outside of the medium conveyance path with the first guide in between, to receive a light emitted by the light emitting element, and an opening provided in the first guide, to pass the light emitted from the light emitting element. A reflectivity in a periphery of the opening of the first guide is 55% or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Tomoki Shimada
  • Patent number: 11765291
    Abstract: In a medium conveying device, a projector projects light, a projection light amount of the light changes, at every fixed time, to a first projection light amount and a second projection light amount less than the first projection light amount, a receiver receives the light projected from the projector, a processor determines, at fixed sampling timings, whether a reception light amount of the receiver is at a first reception light level or a second reception light level smaller than the first reception light level, determines, when the reception light amount alternately changes to the first reception light level and the second reception light level, that a medium is not present on a conveying path, and determines, when the reception light amount is fixed to either the first reception light level or the second reception light level, that the medium is present on the conveying path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Kenichi Tamura
  • Patent number: 11755519
    Abstract: A display control method for a peripheral device shared by a plurality of user terminals includes: storing a connection history of a user terminal for connecting the peripheral device; storing settings information specifying an operation of the peripheral device, the settings information being associated with identification information of the user terminal; selecting settings information stored in the storing settings information or identification information of a user terminal on the basis of the connection history stored in the storing a connection history; and displaying settings information or identification information selected in the selecting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Yasutaka Maeda, Osamu Miyakawa, Hitoshi Matsuo, Nobuyuki Shichino
  • Patent number: 11729335
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a first communication device provided communicatively with a first information processing apparatus, a second communication device provided communicatively with a second information processing apparatus, and a processor to receive a setting for a transmission destination of an input image, prohibit transmission of the input image via the second communication device when the first information processing apparatus that can communicate via the first communication device is set as the transmission destination of the input image, determine whether the first communication device is in a state physically communicable with a network. The processor permits transmission of the input image via the second communication device when the first information processing apparatus is set as the transmission destination of the input image and it is determined that the first communication device is not in a state physically communicable with the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Katsunori Aoyama
  • Patent number: 11729328
    Abstract: An information processing device executes: acquiring a scanned image of a document and a protective sheet that protects the document, the scanned image being obtained by imaging the document and the protective sheet while being conveyed at the same time; acquiring a first length that is a conveying direction length of a predetermined portion of the protective sheet; acquiring a second length that is a conveying direction length of the predetermined portion in the scanned image; and estimating a ratio between a document length, which is a conveying direction length of the document, and a document image length, which is a conveying direction length of the document in the scanned image, based on the first length and the second length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Takeshi Yokogawa, Hiroyasu Goto
  • Patent number: 11729332
    Abstract: An imaging device includes a light source unit located so as to be inclined with respect to a medium conveying surface or a medium placing surface. The light source unit includes a light emitting element, a light guide provided with the light emitting element on a first end surface side, to guide light emitted from the light emitting element in a predetermined direction, and emit the light toward the medium from an emitting surface extending in the predetermined direction, and a reflector located around the light guide other than the emitting surface. The light guide includes a light diffusing surface on an opposite side to the emitting surface. The reflector does not cover a second end surface opposite to the first end surface of the light guide. A medium side surface of the reflector is located so as to protrude from the second end surface of the light guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Eiki Yamada, Kengo Nakano
  • Patent number: 11722615
    Abstract: To provide an image processing apparatus capable of correcting an orientation of a scanned image, even if the orientation of a document during scanning is incorrect. An image processing apparatus includes a document type determination unit configured to determine a document type of image data obtained by optical reading, a selection unit configured to select, based on a determination result from the document type determination unit, a determination algorithm to be applied, from a plurality of determination algorithms for determining an orientation of an image, and an orientation determination unit configured to determine an orientation of an image in the image data by using the determination algorithm selected by the selection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Kunihiko Ohmi
  • Patent number: 11714339
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a placement board, a camera that captures an image of a subject placed on the placement board, a first holding member to which the camera is fixed, a second holding member that is fixed to the placement board, and a fixing portion that fixes the first holding member to the second holding member, wherein a sliding surface along a spherical surface is formed on one of the first holding member and the second holding member, three contact points disposed at three different positions respectively are formed on the other one of the first holding member and the second holding member, the first holding member is rotatably supported about three axes by the second holding member as a result of the three contact points coming into contact with the sliding surface, and the camera is disposed inside the spherical surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Yuki Maeda, Yasuhiko Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 11706855
    Abstract: A light emitting element driving device includes a light emitting element to emit light in response to a supply of a first current, a first switching element to turn ON/OFF the first current supplied to the light emitting element, a second switching element to turn ON/OFF a second current not supplied to the light emitting element, a constant current circuit to adjust a total current amount of the first current and the second current to be constant, and a control circuit. The control circuit turns ON the first switching element in a state of flowing the second current to the second switching element by turning ON the second switching element, and after turning ON the first switching element, flows the first current to the light emitting element and the first switching element by turning OFF the second switching element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Shumpei Koshima, Masaaki Sakai
  • Patent number: 11673758
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a housing including an accommodation portion provided with a guide portion at an end portion in a width direction, a tray accommodated in the accommodation portion so as to be pulled out, and including a placing surface for placing an ejected medium, and an engaging portion provided on a side surface of the tray, to engage the guide portion. The guide portion includes a pair of rails inclined upward and having a predetermined width. The engaging portion includes two protrusions provided so as to slide between the pair of rails and located apart from each other by a predetermined distance. By locating the two protrusions between the pair of rails, the tray is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the housing with a front end portion of a downstream side in the medium ejecting direction located upward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Ryuichi Nagai, Takayuki Umi
  • Patent number: 11673759
    Abstract: A medium ejecting apparatus includes an ejection roller to eject medium, a first tray to place the medium ejected by the ejection roller, a second tray provided so as to be pulled out from the first tray, and a stopper accommodated in the first tray together with the second tray in a laid state, rotatably supported at a downstream end portion in a medium ejecting direction of the second tray, and provided with a slid portion. The first tray is provided with a sliding portion to slide with respect to the slid portion in response to an operation in which the second tray is pulled out from the first tray to raise the stopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Isao Nakanishi, Hideyuki Okumura
  • Patent number: 11657632
    Abstract: An image processing device comprising a processor configured to: determine presence or absence of a face image for each of a plurality of pieces of image data read from at least one image presenting medium, and decide a relationship for the plurality of pieces of image data, based on a result of the determination. The relationship is a front and back of the image presenting medium or a page order, and the processor is further configured to: decides that image data including a face image is on a front side of the image presenting medium or on a page before image data not including a face image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Keiji Ohara
  • Patent number: 11649123
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a setting member to set a torque limiter that defines a maximum torque applied to a brake roller to a first torque limiter or a second torque limiter, a unit including the first torque limiter, the second torque limiter and the brake roller, and a transmission member to transmit a drive force to the first torque limiter. The unit is swingably supported so that a predetermined force acts on the brake roller in a direction away from the feed roller when the driving force is transmitted. A force in a direction in which the brake roller presses the feed roller when the second torque limiter defines the maximum torque applied to the brake roller is greater than the force in the direction in which the brake roller presses the feed roller when the first torque limiter defines the maximum torque applied to the brake roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Takayuki Umi
  • Patent number: 11632485
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes an imaging device, a first communication device capable of communicating at a first communication speed according to a first communication protocol, a second communication device capable of communicating at a second communication speed lower than the first communication speed according to a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol, a first processor to separately transmit a first image acquired by imaging a first surface of a medium by the imaging device, and a second image acquired by imaging a second surface of the medium by the imaging device, via the first communication device, and a second processor to transmit a combined image acquired by combining the first image and the second image via the second communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Katsunori Aoyama
  • Patent number: 11632476
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a first communication device provided communicatively with a first information processing apparatus, a second communication device provided communicatively with a second information processing apparatus, and a processor to receive a setting for a transmission destination of an input image, prohibit transmission of the input image via a communication device different from a communication device provided communicatively with the transmission destination, and determine whether the communication device provided communicatively with the transmission destination is in a state physically communicable with a network or an information processing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Katsunori Aoyama