Patents Examined by Benny Q. Tieu
  • Patent number: 9609151
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image reading section, a storage section, a communication section, an acceptance section, and an operation control section. The storage section has a plurality of storage regions at least one or more of which are signage-specific storage regions associated one-to-one with the one or more digital signage devices. Each of the signage-specific storage regions stores the image data generated by the image reading section having read the original document. The operation control section is further configured to, when the acceptance section accepts the delivery instruction, allow the communication section to send the image data stored in the signage-specific storage region associated with the individual digital signage device designated in the delivery instruction to the digital signage device designated in the delivery instruction and allow the storage section to store the delivery instruction as history information in the associated signage-specific storage region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yasuhiko Kida
  • Patent number: 9602695
    Abstract: Provided is an image data processing server including: a user authenticating unit that authenticates a user of an imaging device; a permission acquiring unit that acquires access permission to a user account of a predetermined service; an image receiving unit that receives image data which is transmitted from the imaging device; a type determining unit that determines a type of the image data; and a data transmitting unit that transmits data to the user account of the predetermined service when the image data is determined to be image data of a predetermined type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Yasuo Omori, Hisashi Yanagisawa
  • Patent number: 9597908
    Abstract: A printer includes a printing portion, a display, and a processor. The printing portion includes a plurality of heating elements arrayed in a specified direction. The printing portion is configured to perform printing on a print medium. The display is configured to display an image. The processor is configured to cause the display to display a first image, the first image being an image that shows the plurality of heating elements, receive specification of a check range, the check range being a range that includes a heating element to be checked among the plurality of heating elements, check, in a case where the specification of the check range is received, a state of the heating element included in the check range, and cause the display to display a check result of the state of the heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Kanda
  • Patent number: 9594988
    Abstract: The printing control apparatus compares, when printing a bit image, a data set of a transmitted compressed image data to a data set of an untransmitted compressed image data, omits transmission of the data set in the subsequent compressed image data when the data sets coincide with each other, and notifies the printing apparatus that transmission of the data set has been omitted with setting in a printing command. The printing apparatus holds the compressed image data in which the data set has been omitted, and, when it is notified that transmission of the part of the data set has been omitted, generates the bit image by reusing a part of the already existing data set and developing the held compressed image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Azami, Yasushi Otaki, Yasuyoshi Fujimori, Shinji Nozawa
  • Patent number: 9594532
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus is disclosed. An electronic apparatus may include a communications interface configured to retrieve accessible access points and receive information of neighbor access points of each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses; a selector configured to select an image forming apparatus that is nearest neighbor to the electronic apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses by comparing each of the received information of a plurality of neighbor access points with the retrieved access points; a printer driver configured to generate printing data for a document; and a control configured to control the communications interface to transmit the generated printing data to the selected image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hye-soo Kim
  • Patent number: 9594528
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus, cooperation system and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium is provided with: a computer-readable program capable of implementing a user interface for easily changing an operation of each apparatus individually while one or more first apparatuses and one or more second apparatuses are cooperatively operating wherein a state of the corresponding change instruction object is switched in correspondence to the progressing status of the operation of each apparatus, it is possible to implement the user interface for easily changing an operation of each apparatus individually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Norihiko Asai
  • Patent number: 9591160
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a light source that emits light that is to be applied to an original document, a light receiving portion that receives reflected light, which is reflected off the original document, and multiple light reflection members that guide the reflected light, reflected off the original document, to the light receiving portion. At least one of the multiple light reflection members is used as a light guide to guide light from the light source to the original document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kaoru Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9591164
    Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus having a web browser and a control method thereof. The image processing apparatus has an application that executes a function of the image processing apparatus. When a control request is received from the web browser, a corresponding application is executed by loading a class of the corresponding application and calling an execution function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasutomo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 9584693
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, having a main controller for controlling access to a main memory, and a method of controlling the apparatus, determine whether the main memory is a non-volatile memory or a volatile memory, and store the result of the determination in non-volatile memory, and, erasing data stored in the main memory when transition is made to a power off state or a sleep mode when it is determined that the main memory is a non-volatile memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiaki Iizuka
  • Patent number: 9578206
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus that can keep the character of a concealing area secret certainly even if it makes low the printing rate of a see-through preventive image. A concealing area specifying part specifies the concealing area that includes a concealing character string in the print data. A character discriminating part discriminates character attribute of the concealing character string. A see-through preventive image generation part sets the see-through preventing area where shape and a size are the same as the concealing area. Also, see-through preventive image generation part generates a see-through preventive image where multiple characters having the character attribute discriminated by the character discriminating part are generated at random. A printing part prints the see-through preventive image in the position piled up by the same direction for the concealing area at the time of enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tatsuo Noda
  • Patent number: 9571686
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a first mode, a second mode, a mode transition accepting unit, a state confirmation unit, and a transition determination unit. The mode transition accepting unit is configured to accept from a plurality of demanding sources a transition demand to transition from the first mode to the second mode. The state confirmation unit is configured to confirm a device state of the electronic device. The transition determination unit is configured to determine whether or not a transition from the first mode to the second mode is possible based on a demanding source of the transition demand accepted by the mode transition accepting unit, and the device state confirmed by the state confirmation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventor: Yuichi Imamura
  • Patent number: 9558176
    Abstract: This disclosure pertains to a classification model, and to functionality for producing and applying the classification model. The classification model is configured to discriminate whether an input linguistic item (such as a query) corresponding to either a natural language (NL) linguistic item or a keyword language (KL) linguistic item. An NL linguistic item expresses an intent using a natural language, while a KL linguistic item expresses the intent using one or more keywords. In a training phase, the functionality produces the classification model based on query click log data or the like. In an application phase, the functionality may, among other uses, use the classification model to filter a subset of NL linguistic items from a larger set of items, and then use the subset of NL linguistic items to train a natural language interpretation model, such as a spoken language understanding model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Gokhan Tur, Fethiye Asli Celikyilmaz, Dilek Hakkani-Tür, Larry P. Heck
  • Patent number: 9560233
    Abstract: In an information processing apparatus controlling a scanner, a reading instruction and a reading setting made in the scanner is detected by the scanner driver. When the reading instruction is detected, reading to be performed according to the detected reading setting is acquired by an application via an operating system, and the scanner driver is instructed that the scanner executes the reading according to the acquired reading setting, with the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideki Hanano
  • Patent number: 9554015
    Abstract: Provided is an image compression apparatus including a dividing unit that divides a bit width pixel value set in advance that indicates compressed image information into an invalid bit region and a valid bit region other than the invalid bit region that are replaced with a fixed value determined in advance, an image information conversion unit that makes a value of the valid bit region be a value of a bit corresponding to the pixel value and makes a value of the invalid bit region be the fixed value determined in advance and converts the compressed image information to conversion image information, and a compression unit that compresses the conversion image information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD
    Inventor: Kenichi Kawauchi
  • Patent number: 9552180
    Abstract: An information processing device includes multiple communication interfaces, a holding unit, a counting unit, and a processing unit. The holding unit holds requests for the multiple communication interfaces in order for each of the communication interfaces, respectively. The counting unit counts a number of times that a turn to process the requests was not given for each of the communication interfaces. The processing unit selects one of the communication interfaces on the basis of the number of times, and processes the request being held for the selected communication interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tatsuyuki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9549093
    Abstract: A light guide for use in an image reading apparatus. The light guide extends in a predetermined direction and includes: a reflecting surface being parallel to the predetermined direction; an emitting surface; and a prism configured to reflect light to the emitting surface. The prism includes a plurality of asperities formed on the reflecting surface. When viewed from a first direction orthogonal to the reflecting surface, at least one of the plurality of asperities includes a portion parallel to a predetermined curve or a predetermined straight line inclined from a second direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Satoko Tanaka, Masahiko Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9542137
    Abstract: Devices and methods for an image shift template. Information defining a document and a first print job is received into a printer. The first print job comprises instructions for printing the document and document finishing instructions. The finishing instructions are analyzed and areas of the pages of the document that will be unusable after a finishing operation according to the instructions are identified. Selection is received to print an image shift template on the document. The image shift template comprises x- and y-axes associated with the document and indication of the areas of the pages of the document that will be unusable after the finishing operation. A second print job is created comprising instructions for printing the pages of the document with the image shift template superimposed on the pages. The pages of the document including the image shift template are printed, according to the second print job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Barry K. Ayash, Mark A. Rule, James E. Quigley
  • Patent number: 9544449
    Abstract: A method, non-transitory computer readable medium and apparatus for analyzing operational sensor data of a device collected by a mobile endpoint device operating with the device are disclosed. For example, the method includes receiving the operational sensor data, a time stamp, a location of the device and a device identification (ID) from the mobile endpoint device, wherein the operational sensor data is collected by the mobile endpoint device from the device when the mobile endpoint device initiates a communication session with the device and transmitting the operational sensor data to a management service, wherein the operational sensor data is analyzed to determine a cause of a failure of the device when the device fails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Peter J. Zehler, Gavan Leonard Tredoux, Premkumar Rajendran
  • Patent number: 9544452
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes: a housing accommodating a plurality of component devices serving functions provided in the information processing apparatus; a plurality of tags mounted to individual locations on the housing relating to the respective associated component devices, each of the tags being embedded with a piece of device type information indicating the component device associated with the tag; a storage section configured to store a plurality of component device information sets indicating respective sets of information about the component devices; a communication section configured to send and receive data to and from a mobile terminal; and a communication control section configured to allow the communication section to receive data sent from the mobile terminal and allow the communication section to send back to the mobile terminal the component device information set about the component device indicated by the piece of device type information contained in the received data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Toru Honda
  • Patent number: 9538036
    Abstract: Various embodiments and methods relating to a scan area indicator are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Hall