Patents Examined by Fan Zhang
  • Patent number: 8488157
    Abstract: A printing system that enables to recover documents of a recovery target print job easily without forcing a user to do complicated operations. An information processing apparatus transmits a print job. An image forming apparatus prints out the received print job. A management information storage unit stores management information of a print job to be recovered. A management information transmission unit transmits the management information corresponding to user information. An identifying information input unit receives an input of identifying information for identifying a user. A user information transmission unit transmits the user information determined by authenticating the identifying information. A management information receiving unit receives the management information corresponding to the transmitted user information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroki Masuda
  • Patent number: 8477356
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided, which includes a first unit which stores set information for operating the image processing apparatus, a second unit which updates the set information stored in the first unit by using set information which is received via a network from another image processing apparatus connected to the network and used to operate the image processing apparatus, a storage unit which stores the set information before update by the first unit, a return instruction acceptance unit which accepts from the user an instruction to return the set information updated by the first unit to the set information before update, and a return unit which returns the set information to the set information before update that is stored in the storage unit when the return instruction acceptance unit accepts the instruction to return the set information to the set information before update.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yukiyoshi Hikichi
  • Patent number: 8456686
    Abstract: According to this invention, the date range can be intuitively designated by designating up, down, left, and right directions, and images stored in a storage medium can be easily restricted to images which may be subjected to printing. In order to restrict images stored in a memory card on the basis of the date, a region for inputting the start date of the date range is displayed at the upper portion of a display window on a display device, and a region for inputting the end date is displayed at the lower portion. One of the regions is designated and selected with up and down direction keys. A date in the selected region is changed with left and right direction keys. Images having storage dates between the start date and the end date are decided as printing target candidates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Hibi, Tetsuya Kawanabe, Nobuyuki Tsukada, Tatsuya Fukuda, Tomoaki Suga
  • Patent number: 8441693
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus that generates print data sent to a printing device acquires variable information from a plurality of devices, the variable information being finalized when the printing device carries out printing. The apparatus selects variable information from the plural pieces of variable information acquired from the plurality of devices in accordance with its own operation environment and operating location. The apparatus then adds the selected variable information to the print data and outputs the resultant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masanori Aritomi
  • Patent number: 8437021
    Abstract: The present invention provides, to an image forming apparatus that cannot interpret access control information representing permission to execute printing, a mechanism for flexibly restricting a print job by using the access control information. Specifically, a proxy server verifies whether the access control information is valid. If the proxy server verifies that the access control information is valid, an ACT in the print job is deleted. The print job with the ACT deleted is queued. The queued print job is transmitted and printed out in the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hidehiko Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 8432575
    Abstract: Disclosed are an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a transmitting apparatus that can inhibit an inappropriate printing process when performing scaling of an image including a tint image. In the case of performing scaling of image data including a tint image in which concealed characters that appear when scanning the image are embedded, and printing the image data with a printer unit, it is judged whether there is a possibility that the form of the tint image will be inappropriate when the scaling is performed with a scaling factor acquired by a scaling factor acquiring unit. If it is judged that the form of the tint image will be inappropriate, control is carried out such that processing that is different from that performed otherwise is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Masaya Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 8432562
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a new application management system. A platform provided in the image forming apparatus manages applications also provided in the image forming apparatus. An operation screen display application included in the application managed by the platform displays operation screens. Objects to be operated by the operation screens are the applications managed by the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuo Ando, Kunihiro Akiyoshi
  • Patent number: 8427713
    Abstract: A document reader includes an image sensor. The image sensor is movable in a secondary scanning direction and rotatable about a rotational axis extending in a primary scanning direction, and obtains image information from a region facing a light-receiving surface. Rotation of the image sensor is controlled based on distance information about a distance between a document surface and a platen in such a manner as to make an image distance fall within a depth-of-field range of the image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Junko Yabuta
  • Patent number: 8422068
    Abstract: An image processor is connectable with a storing medium storing still image data corresponding to a still image and moving image data corresponding to a moving image, the moving image data including a plurality of sets of frame image data corresponding to a plurality of frame images respectively. The image processor includes an outputting unit, an extracting unit, and index image producing unit, and a layout unit. The outputting unit outputs an image list having a first layout area having a first layout size and a second layout area having a second layout size. The extracting unit extracts at least two sets of frame image data from the plurality of sets of frame image data. The index image producing unit produces a first index image from the still image data and a plurality of second index images from the extracted frame image data. The layout unit lays out the first index image in the first layout area and the plurality of second index images in the second layout area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiko Hasegawa, Masaki Kondo
  • Patent number: 8422070
    Abstract: The image processing apparatus is provided with: a reception unit that receives image information; an acquisition unit that acquires target information on a targeted level of an image forming material used at image formation based on the image information received by the reception unit; and a determination unit that determines a content of processing for reducing the image forming material for each portion of the image information received by the reception unit in accordance with the target information acquired by the acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuki Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 8416436
    Abstract: A communication apparatus which is capable of easily knowing the status of image transmission/reception in IP fax communication while performing voice communication in parallel. The communication apparatus performs IP telephone communication and IP fax communication in parallel, with a partner communication apparatus via a network. When the IP fax communication is completed, a sound source-processing section of the communication apparatus notifies at least one of a handset of the communication apparatus and the partner communication apparatus of the completion of the image communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Munetaka Sakata
  • Patent number: 8416438
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an input control unit, a processing unit, an output control unit, a first sending unit, and a second sending unit. When an output request including a unique identifier and a data generation condition of image data is received, the first sending unit writes the image data corresponding to the unique identifier in the processing unit. The processing unit compares the image data written by the first sending unit with the data generation condition thereby determining a processing condition, processes the image data based on the processing condition, and outputs the processed image data to the output control unit via the second sending unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventor: Koichi Suse
  • Patent number: 8395806
    Abstract: An apparatus selects a cover layout type to be used during bookbinding processing from among a plurality of cover layout types, and determines page data to be laid out in a cover area, from among page data included in original data. The apparatus lays out the determined page data in the cover area according to the selected cover layout type, and generates a print job based on the original data and a result of laying out the determined page data in the cover area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuki Kusakabe
  • Patent number: 8390842
    Abstract: A port monitor program to transmit data about a print job generated by a printer driver to an image forming apparatus includes reading the data about the print job that is generated by the printer driver and spooled by a spooler; determining whether an authentication process associated with restriction of printing is to be performed for the readout data about the print job; submitting an authentication request to an external server over a network to acquire functional restriction information used for the restriction of printing from the server if it is determined that the authentication process is to be performed; and determining how the print job is restricted on the basis of the functional restriction information acquired from the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroki Shouno
  • Patent number: 8358452
    Abstract: An imaging system comprises a calibration system adapted to perform a calibration scan of a charged luminescent calibration strip disposed in a scan window of an automatic document feeder. The calibration system is adapted to determine whether an opaque object is disposed within a visible area defined by the scan window from the calibration scan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company
    Inventors: William Robert Haas, Kirk Steven Tecu, Louis R. Turf, III
  • Patent number: 8355158
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method of map data output processing includes the operations of: extracting a plurality of map elements satisfying a predetermined condition from a map data storage unit storing map data including map elements; determining output frames of a minimum size each covering at least one of the extracted map elements, with a fixed scaling factor for all the extracted map elements, among a plurality of types of output frames predefined to constitute an entire available output area per page alone or in combination; clipping out map areas corresponding to the determined output frames from the map data stored in the map data storage unit; and generating output data by embedding the clipped-out map areas in the entire available output area per page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Mihoko Abe, Mitsuhiro Okita, Tomohiro Saito, Yuki Ohara
  • Patent number: 8351065
    Abstract: When a paper sheet is required during execution of a print job, a printing apparatus requests paper sheet information about the states of paper feed trays from the other printing apparatuses. When the other printing apparatuses transmit the paper sheet information, the printing apparatus of the request source displays a search result display screen 22 which represents the states, such as the size, type, and residual amount of paper sheet in the paper feed tray of each of the other printing apparatuses. By viewing the screen 22, the user is able to determine the position of the printing apparatus and the paper feed tray, in which the required paper sheet is stored. Therefore, when the paper sheet is required during execution of the print job, the paper sheet can be quickly replenished by notifying the presence position of the paper sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Nishii
  • Patent number: 8305606
    Abstract: A job management system includes a print server and an image forming apparatus. The print server publishes, on a network, a print-job information list in an RSS format. The image forming apparatus spontaneously obtains and reads the print-job information list, and, based on the print-job information list, requests the print server to transmit a print job. In response to the request, the print server transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeo Negoro
  • Patent number: 8300277
    Abstract: In a method for reading a document set on a document positioning plate to output image data, an edge area of an image of an entire reading area is extracted to form a first rectangle area including the extracted edge area. If a position of an apex of the first rectangle area farthest from a reading reference position and a size of the first rectangle area satisfy predetermined conditions, image data corresponding to a second rectangle area including the first rectangle area and the reading reference position are output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yusuke Hattori
  • Patent number: 8294926
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus with increased convenience of setting an operation panel includes a touch panel LCD, an LCD controller, a video RAM, a control RAM, a panel CPU performing an operation for realizing the image forming apparatus based on data input from outside, a nonvolatile RAM a backup power supply, a flash ROM, a communication unit, a printer CPU performing communications for realizing image formation processing with the panel CPU through the communication unit, an input/output unit, a control RAM, an image RAM, a flash ROM, and an external I/F controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kentaro Nagatani, Tomoyuki Atsumi, Hiroaki Sugimoto, Hiroyasu Ito, Tatsuro Asano