Patents Examined by Douglas Q. Tran
  • Patent number: 11336790
    Abstract: A scanner includes: a pulse generator that generates a pulse signal; a transmissive optical sensor including a photo transmitter that projects pulsed light in response to the pulse signal and a photo receiver facing the photo transmitter; a charge-discharge unit capable of storing an electric charge of the pulse signal and discharging the stored electric charge; and a controller that causes the charge-discharge unit to discharge the electric charge when the photo receiver receives the pulsed light, causes the charge-discharge unit to store the electric charge when the photo receiver does not receive the pulsed light, and that starts supply of power to a CPU when an amount of the electric charge is at or above a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Kyohei Oura
  • Patent number: 11334300
    Abstract: A non-transitory storage medium stores a program readable by a computer of an information processing apparatus. When executed by the computer, the program causes the information processing apparatus to execute: (a) in response to receipt of an establishing instruction, obtaining processing of obtaining device information of at least one connectable device which is a device capable of connecting to the information processing apparatus, (b) specifying processing of specifying a particular device to which the wireless communication is established based on the obtained device information, and (c) instruction processing of instructing an operating system of the information processing apparatus to execute pairing with the particular device. The operating system establishes wireless communication based on a prescribed wireless communication protocol with the particular device in response to receipt of an instruction for the pairing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Po Chun Chew
  • Patent number: 11321026
    Abstract: A color value prediction system includes a color-value predicting section configured to receive an input of information representing ink amounts of a first apparatus and output spectral reflectance, a receiving section configured to receive an input of information representing a designated color gamut, a preparing section configured to prepare first teacher information representing a plurality of sets of combinations of ink amounts of the first apparatus and second teacher information, which is a plurality of sets of spectral reflectance respectively associated with the plurality of sets of combinations of ink amounts of the first teacher information, and a generating section configured to generate the color-value predicting section with machine learning in which the first teacher information serving as an input value and the second teacher information serving as an output value are used as teacher data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yuko Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11314470
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, the image forming apparatus includes a communication interface, a communication unit, a first storage unit, an acquisition unit, and a transmission unit. The communication interface is connected to a network to which other image forming apparatuses and a mobile terminal can be connected. The communication unit communicates with a server that processes an image forming job requested by the mobile terminal. The first storage unit stores first device information for specifying the server. The acquisition unit acquires device information transmitted from the other image forming apparatuses to the network. The transmission unit transmits the first device information stored in the first storage unit to the network via the communication interface, when the device information acquired by the acquisition unit does not include the first device information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Katsunori Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11310373
    Abstract: A system and method for maintenance and supplying of a fleet of multifunction peripheral devices includes two or more networked devices including a decision engine. Devices discover one another and one device is designated as a server. The server creates a virtual lobby accessible by other devices and its decision engine is enabled. The server invites other devices into its virtual lobby, and these devices join the lobby in response. Devices provide their device state information to the lobby. The enabled decision engine generates recommendations for consumable replenishment, device servicing or device configuration, relaying the recommendations to a system administrator's tablet or smartphone. The administrator may accept, reject, modify or implement received suggestions. Consumable supplies or servicing recommendations can be done automatically if enabled. Administrator actions are fed back to the server for machine learning to improve future suggestions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Toshiba TEC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Guillermo Hernandez Gallegos, David Fuentes, Kevin Marquez Vaca, Daniel Garcia Zuñiga, Carlos Perez Hermosillo
  • Patent number: 11295369
    Abstract: A service providing server providing a delivery service delivering ink includes an obtaining section configured to obtain first use information associated with use of the delivery service by a first user, a determination section configured to determine a corresponding charge plan which is one of charge plans of the delivery service corresponding to the first use information obtained by the obtaining section based on the first use information obtained by the obtaining section, second use information associated with use of the delivery service by a second user, and a selected charge plan which is one of the charge plans of the delivery service selected by the second user, and a display controller configured to display corresponding charge plan information indicating the corresponding charge plan determined by the determination section in a terminal device of the first user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Jobetto, Ikumi Watanabe, Mikio Nagahara, Hiroshi Kaiho
  • Patent number: 11295156
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus configured to perform character recognition processing to recognize characters included in image data and acquire character information, display characters indicated by the character information acquired, accept a selection of characters displayed by a user, generate a folder path based on the selected characters, and transmit the image data to a folder indicated by the folder path. In a case where the selection of characters is accepted multiple times, generate a folder path based on a combination of selected characters and transmit the image data to a folder indicated by the folder path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shu Kumahashi
  • Patent number: 11290602
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, the information processing device shares shared data with another information processing device by exchanging the shared data that does not designate a transmission destination with the other information processing device. The information processing device includes a reception unit, an execution unit, and a publication unit. The reception unit receives first shared data including a first parameter and an execution request for requesting the execution of a first service using the first parameter. The execution unit outputs a first execution result by executing the first service according to the first shared data. The publication unit publishes second shared data including the first execution result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takesi Kawaguti
  • Patent number: 11281413
    Abstract: A user device generates metadata including location information of a print job target, based on a user input made via a user interface device, and transmits the generated metadata to an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus analyzes the metadata received from the user device via a communicator, obtains a print job target from a server storing the print job target, based on location information of the print job target included in the metadata, and performs a printing job according to a format of the obtained print job target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Yoon Soo Lee
  • Patent number: 11283939
    Abstract: An information processing device includes a CPU, and when the information processing device receives print image data through a network, the CPU sets a transmission destination of the print image based on transmission history of a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Chikako Tomita
  • Patent number: 11283961
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus may include a processor including a processing unit, a creating unit, and an output unit. The processing unit stores image data created by executing a job in a storage unit. The creating unit creates an information code representing information indicating a storage area of the storage unit in which the image data is stored. The output unit displays the information code created by the creating unit on a display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasukazu Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11269571
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus for transmitting device management information is provided. The apparatus includes a first communication unit to, in relation to an external apparatus, perform communication that uses an IP address; and a second communication unit to communicate with an external apparatus by a communication method different from a communication method used by the first communication unit; wherein a selection of either the first communication unit or the second communication unit as a communication unit used to transmit the device management information is received, and in a case where the second communication unit is selected as the communication unit, among a plurality of types of management information that can be transmitted to an external unit in a case where the first communication unit is selected, a subset of the types of management information can be transmitted to an external unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyohiro Tsunekawa, Minoru Fujisawa
  • Patent number: 11265430
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an acceptance unit that accepts an input of setting change information of the information processing apparatus, a setting change unit that changes a setting of the information processing apparatus by using the setting change information accepted by the acceptance unit, and a transmission unit that transmits the setting change information accepted by the acceptance unit to other apparatuses through BLE communication which is a communication method in which it is not necessary to specify a communication partner in advance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventor: Shungo Nakayama
  • Patent number: 11262956
    Abstract: A server system transmits, to a terminal apparatus, list information of a service list, communication information corresponding to a service in the list and used to communicate with a service providing server system, and authentication information corresponding to an apparatus. The terminal apparatus selects service(s) from the list, and transmits, based on the communication information corresponding to the selected service(s), the authentication information to service providing server system(s) corresponding to the selected service(s). The server system executes a registration process for enabling the apparatus to use the service corresponding to each of the service providing server system(s), if the authentication information is received from each of the service providing server system(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Michihei Murayama
  • Patent number: 11256451
    Abstract: A server disclosed herein may include a controller configured to: receive a location information request for requesting sending of location information from a function executing device; receive a first screen request including the location information from a first terminal device that has obtained the location information; send screen data representing the setting change screen to the first terminal device; receive a change request for requesting a change of the setting information from the first terminal device; and in a case where the change request is received from the first terminal device, change the setting information in the memory according to the change request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoshi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11249696
    Abstract: A cloud server for converting a voice command into text code blocks that support a printing service is presented. The cloud server includes a communicator, a processor, and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor. The processor executes the instructions to convert a voice command received from a user terminal through the communicator into text code blocks supporting a printing service and to control the communicator to transmit the text code blocks to the user terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Sung Jin Park
  • Patent number: 11249693
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a job control unit configured to, in response to, during a period in which an output processing unit is performing printing of image data for a first print job, a reception unit receiving a second print job higher in degree of priority than the first print job, cause an input processing unit to interrupt acquisition of data for each page about the first print job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shu Kumahashi
  • Patent number: 11249699
    Abstract: A sever configured to execute communication with a printer may include a controller. The controller may be configured to: in a case where a first predetermined condition is satisfied, execute a first delivering process for delivering a new first consumable article to a user of the printer; and in a case where the first delivering process is executed, send an initialization instruction to the printer, wherein the initialization instruction is a command instructing the printer to initialize first count information, wherein the first count information is stored in the printer and related to a used amount of a first consumable article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takeshi Nagasaki
  • Patent number: 11249697
    Abstract: A printing system and a printing method are provided. The user terminal includes a print content processing unit and a sliding print content conversion unit, and the handheld printer includes an inkjet printing unit that performs inkjet printing at a predetermined inkjet width in a sliding direction when performing sliding print. The print content processing unit determines the number of sliding print motions and sequentially generates bitmaps corresponding to the respective sliding print motions based on the respective print content mode and the inkjet width, and generates bitmap format instructions corresponding to the respective bitmaps. The sliding print content conversion unit converts pixels in the bitmaps into binary data to form sliding print content. The handheld printer sequentially prints the respective sliding print content based on the respective bitmap format instructions and the print content mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chenglan Li, Takeshi Shikama, Hao Zhang, Zhenwei Shi
  • Patent number: 11243720
    Abstract: In an image forming device, in a case where a storage medium is connected to an input output interface, and a storage medium stores import instruction information including a plurality of setting values, a controller imports a target value from the storage medium to a memory. The plurality of setting values is associated with respective ones of a plurality of pieces of device-specific information. The target value is a setting value selected from the plurality of setting values and is associated with a piece of device-specific information unique to the image forming device. Each of the plurality of setting values associated with respective ones of a plurality of pieces of device-specific information is for setting a prescribed parameter of a corresponding device. After the target value is imported, the controller operates according to the target value set for the prescribed parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideki Nogawa