Patents Examined by Arthur G. Evans
  • Patent number: 6563598
    Abstract: A multi-function printer device is configured for use with job control sheets having machine readable indicia thereon, the multi-function printer device including a housing; an imaging area supported by the housing; a scanner supported by the housing to selectively scan at the imaging area; a print engine supported by the same housing; a control keypad supported by the housing; computer network interface hardware supported by the housing and adapted to be coupled to a computer network; and a controller coupled to the scanner, print engine, control keypad and computer network interface hardware and configured to control the print engine, and the scanner to provide a plurality of predefined printing, scanning, and copying functions, the functions including a function to receive a digital document from the computer network via the network interface hardware and to print one or more copies, a number of the functions being selectable from the computer network, but only a subset of the number of functions being sel
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Steven M. Johnson, Bruce L. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6563596
    Abstract: In a printer apparatus, printing of desired images is to be executed easily, only images satisfying pre-set characteristics are printed and unneeded printing is to be suppressed to the maximum extent possible. To this end, the printer apparatus includes an image data inputting unit 1 for outputting first digital image data, a data working unit 5 for correcting the first digital image data if necessary to generate second digital image data, a print output processing unit 24 for converting the first digital image data and/or the second digital image data into image data, and an image printing unit 3 for performing printing/outputting based on the printing data. The data working unit 5 verifies whether or not pre-set characteristics of at least one type of the inputted first digital image data are within a pre-set range. If the pre-set characteristics are within the pre-set range, the first digital image data is corrected, if necessary, to generate the second digital image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Toshio Narushima
  • Patent number: 6559965
    Abstract: A method for establishing two-way communications between a host system and a device when the address of the device is initially unknown. The host system submits a job to a device with the job including address and other information required for the device to respond with the device's address. Once the host system has the device address, the host system and the device can establish bi-directional communications. In a print job, a print job language (PJL) command known as SOCKETPING is used to transmit the information between a print client and a printer. The SOCKETPING command includes fields for host system address family, protocol, address, and port as well as extensions to define job status reporting parameters. The printer responds to the SOCKETPING command with the necessary address information for the printer and job status reports as specified in the SOCKETPING extensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Shell S. Simpson, Richard Detweiler, Matt Howell, Mark E. Hodges
  • Patent number: 6559961
    Abstract: In electronic collated printing of an electronic document of plural electronic pages with a printer printing normal sheets with a normal jam rate but printing abnormal printing sheets with a substantially higher jam rate, where associated with the electronic pages is printing sheet selection information, there is provided here electronic separation of the electronic pages of the document which specify the abnormal printing sheets. The system then prints those separated pages onto their abnormal printing sheets prior to printing any of the other electronic pages, temporarily holds them in an interposer, then prints the other pages of the document onto normal sheets, and provides collated merging in the interposer to provide collated output of the entire electronic document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Robert J. Isernia, James S. Stoll, Richard E. Nearpass
  • Patent number: 6559967
    Abstract: In order to improve the ease of use of personal boxes provided in a copier connected to a host computer via a network, a large-capacity hard disk is provided. A personal-box region having a plurality of storage regions corresponding to respective users are present within the hard disk. The copier performs control so that a printing mode changed through an operation unit returns to a printing mode set by the host computer in accordance with a predetermined instruction. When a plurality of image data to be printed are selected from a personal box, it is prohibited to change the printing mode set by the host computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Rieko Akiba, Hideyuki Ikegami, Shunsaku Kondo
  • Patent number: 6559968
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for selective copying of regions of a printed sheet (101). The printed sheet (101) comprises a plurality of said regions (111,112,113, and 114) having recorded therein associated text and/or graphics. The printed sheet (101) also includes information (202,204,206,208) stored on said printed sheet indicating the location of the regions. The method comprises a reading step (304), a selecting step (302), and a copying step (308). In the reading step (304), the method reads the information stored on said printed sheet indicating the location of the regions. In the selection step (302), a user selects one or more desired regions and associated text and/or graphics for copying. In the copying step (308), the method copies the selected regions and associated text and/or graphics in accordance with said information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Seppo Reino Keronen
  • Patent number: 6556310
    Abstract: A computer implemented printer control system includes memory configured to provide an operating system and operative to store files representing at least one document to be printed and a display configured to provide an image of a graphical user interface in a viewing window. The graphical user interface is configured to convey information describing a relationship between matter to be printed on a first side of a page and matter to be printed on a second side of the page. The control system also includes processing circuitry configured to display, in the graphical user interface, a print preview image of a page to be printed and to display, together with the print preview image, an icon providing an indication of which binding option has been selected for a document that includes the page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: Kris R. Livingston
  • Patent number: 6552816
    Abstract: A printer receives job location data showing the location of the job data of each print job and simultaneously sends a request for acquiring attribute data such as a header related to the job data to host computers which the job location data shows. The printer analyzes attribute data sent earliest, demands job data related to the attribute data from the host computer which sends the attribute data and processes the print job. Another printer provided with plural output bins receives job data for the number of the output bins, allocates the job data to each output bin, processes the print jobs of the job data in parallel and outputs the printed result generated by the processing to the allocated output bin in the generated order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toshihiro Shima
  • Patent number: 6549299
    Abstract: A document printing and finishing system includes a computer and a standalone finishing machine. The computer is used to print individual sheets that are to be assembled into a finished document by the finishing machine. In addition, the computer prompts its operator for finishing instructions, and then prints an instruction sheet setting forth such finishing instructions. In addition to being set forth in human-readable terms, the instructions are recorded in barcode form or some other format that is easily readable by a computer-based device. After the document sheets and instruction sheet have been printed, an operator submits them to the finishing machine. The finishing machine scans and decodes the instructions from the instruction sheet and automatically configures itself to finish the document in the manner prescribed by the instruction sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Co., L.P.
    Inventors: Ross R. Allen, Per Gunnar Lundgren
  • Patent number: 6545772
    Abstract: An integrated computerized system for use in color printing having at least one digital representation of a color characteristic of at least one page to be printed and a digital storage memory for storing the digital representation. An imposition apparatus is connected to the storage memory to receive the digital representation and arrange the digital representation in accordance with a desired plate layout, thereby to define a plate image. A press set-up device extracts from the plate image the color characteristic and provides ink flow set-up data to a printing press in accordance with the extracted color characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Creo Il Ltd.
    Inventors: Rafail Bronstein, Ehud Spiegel, Miriam Bareket, Ephraim A. Carlebach, Avigdor Bieber
  • Patent number: 6545767
    Abstract: An image forming system includes a print server and an image forming apparatus communicating with the print server, the print server including a first storage device for storing an identifier for identifying each user, a first comparator for comparing the identifier included in a print job sent from a client for identifying the client with identifiers stored in the first storage device to determine whether the identical identifier exists, a converter for converting the identifier included in the print job to confidential data unique to each user when the first comparator determines that the identical identifier exists, and an embedding device for embedding the confidential data obtained by converting by the converter in the print job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoshi Kuroyanagi
  • Patent number: 6542256
    Abstract: A medicine envelope preparation system for automatically, quickly preparing medicine envelopes having prints of information about medicines contained in the medicine envelopes in response to the simple operation of inputting information about the medicines shown on a prescription, for example. The system includes a storage device whish stores various information about medicines as electronic data; an input device for inputting signals to extract part of the information; a grouping program for grouping the extracted part of information into groups each for a single medicine envelope according to predetermined grouping parameters; and an envelope printer for printing visual data corresponding to each of the groups of the extracted part of information on a single medicine envelope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Saitama Medicom Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsuya Nemoto
  • Patent number: 6538763
    Abstract: Printer driver architectures and methods of providing adaptable printer driver architectures are described. In one embodiment, a printer driver architecture includes a kernel which is configured to implement printer driver functionalities. At least one interface is provided into the kernel which is configured to permit addition and incorporation of at least one operation-specific functionality, which is not specifically provided by the kernel's printer driver functionalities. In another embodiment, a kernel is defined and configured to implement printer driver functionalities. A plurality of interfaces are defined in the kernel and are configured to permit addition and incorporation of various operation-specific functionalities which are not specifically provided by the kernel's printer driver functionalities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Elliot Lee Klosterman, John P. Daly, Philip C. Verghese
  • Patent number: 6538767
    Abstract: A printing system and method applies images to an object, such as a golf ball, through the use of one or more print heads. The object is mounted in a manipulator assembly that rotates the object as the image is transferred to the object. The print head is also movable with respect to the object so that it is at a desired distance from the object as it prints from one end of the object to the other. A plurality of print heads may be provided with each print head applying a different color to the object. These print heads may be arranged in a vertical fashion with the object traveling in a vertical direction between the print heads or the object may be mounted on a rotatable table with the print heads situated about the perimeter of the table. Images to be applied to the object are broken down into their constituent colors with the image data for each color being provided to a separate print head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Designer Image Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan E. Over, Fred Martin
  • Patent number: 6538756
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus provided with an auxiliary memory device for storing type skeletal shape information indicating skeletal shapes of characters, including symbols and pictorial symbols, and element shape information indicating an outline shape and a skeletal shape of each of constituent elements constituting the characters in advance, and a pattern generator for generating a pattern by changing the element shape information according to the type skeletal shape information, drawing the constituent elements according to a predetermined design corresponding to the changed element shape information, and combining the constituent elements thus drawn. This information processing apparatus is capable of easily generating high-quality patterns, which are colored in various ways according to typeface, by reducing the number of data producing steps and data volume necessary for generating patterns by putting a plurality of colors into each stroke of characters including symbols and pictorial symbols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Susumu Hasegawa, Megumi Itou
  • Patent number: 6538758
    Abstract: In an image output apparatus which performs printing based on transferred data, when bus reset occurs during isochronous data transfer through a serial bus, the data transfer is suspended and a print error is caused. Therefore, when bus reset occurs during image data transfer through the serial bus, transferring and outputting of image data is performed again, and stapling is performed for proper stapling. Similarly, when bus reset occurs, transferring and outputting of image data is suspended, the printouts whose printing has been suspended are discharged to a dedicated bin provided for erroneous printouts, and transferring and outputting of the image data is performed again. Accordingly, an erroneous printout caused by bus reset is not intermingled with proper printouts on the same bin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiharu Ikegawa
  • Patent number: 6535299
    Abstract: This disclosure sets forth a verifier for verifying the quality of print such as bar codes in combination with a printer wherein the printer can be controlled to provide proper printing functions for printing in response to the verifier input. The printer upon receipt of a particular report from the verifier can stop the printing such as bar code printing as to a bad label, overstrike a bad label, or reprint the label. Further to this extent, the printer can be controlled by operator intervention on the control panel or by automatic input through the controller of the printer to provide for the respective necessary and correct print or bar codes being printed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Printronix, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew V. Scherz
  • Patent number: 6535293
    Abstract: Print information to be printed by a printing apparatus is generated in response to a print request command, and coordinate information representing a plotting area of a generated print object is registered in a registration area. When a character string is printed, the registered coordinate information is compared with character-string print position information and whether or not there is overlap is determined. The type of processing for printing the character string is switched based upon the results of the determination, and it is possible to set a print processing mode that is optimum for a print object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shunya Mitsuhashi
  • Patent number: 6532079
    Abstract: A method for processing a digital image to obtain therefrom a photographic print which consists in transmitting a prerecorded image and data related to its processing to a data server connected to a data transmission network. The data server temporarily memorizes the received data. An image processor connected to an image recorder for recording a negative of the image to be processed on the data from the data server, formats them, and supplies to the image recorder the images to be processed preceded by a virtual image, identifying the user, for automatic processing by a standard filmline processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Fotowire Development SA
    Inventors: Patrick Serex, Alan Tawil-Kummerman, Daniel Cerutti
  • Patent number: 6529288
    Abstract: When printing an image frame on the basis of digital image data, a printer produces a bar code representative of a memory location storing the image data, and prints it on one side of the image frame. To reprint the image frame, the printer reads out the bar code from the initial print, to retrieve the image data from the memory location determined by the bar code. Thus, the same image frame is reprinted on the basis of the same image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takao Miyazaki