Patents Examined by John R Wallace
  • Patent number: 11966642
    Abstract: An information processing device changes a printer queue generated at the time of USB coupling with a printer to a printer queue corresponding to a predetermined printer driver, when it is detected that the generated printer queue is not a printer queue corresponding to the predetermined printer driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuki Ohashi, Yohei Kondo
  • Patent number: 11966648
    Abstract: Provided is an industrial printing system that efficiently performs peer-to-peer distributed processing of production printing by grouping. The storage unit stores capability information indicating capabilities of processability in rasterizing process, printing process, and post-processing process. The group setting unit sets a group that designates an apparatus capable of processing the job based on the capability information stored in the storage unit. The job collection unit collects the job corresponding to the group set by the group setting unit by determining from processing requirement of the job. The processing management unit transmits the job collected by the job collection unit to the apparatus designated in the group and requests processing thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Taku Matsuo
  • Patent number: 11954383
    Abstract: An image processing device includes: a communicator that executes external communication via a communication path; a hardware processor that detects a threat in the image processing device, and cuts off the communication by the communicator upon detecting the threat; a transmitter that executes communication, after the hardware processor detects the threat, to transmit a notification that the threat has been detected to a defined destination via another communication path; and a receiver that executes communication to receive communication restoration trigger information via another communication path. Once the receiver receives the communication restoration trigger information, the hardware processor executes a communication control to restore the communication by the communicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Takeshi Hibino
  • Patent number: 11956402
    Abstract: In an example, a method includes, by one or more processors, receiving a greyscale image having a plurality of pixels, each pixel being associated with a grey level, and the greyscale image having a first number of grey levels. An order of the pixels may be determined based on the grey level. A second number of grey levels may be determined, wherein the second number of grey levels is greater than the first number, and an indication of a target number of pixels per grey level of the second number of grey levels may be further be determined. Taking the pixels in order, and based on the target number of pixels per grey level, a new grey level may be allocated to each pixel to provide the second number of grey levels. The new grey levels may be converted to a threshold of a threshold halftone screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Gideon Amir
  • Patent number: 11954392
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to create a group of jobs to be executed that have a common attribute, acquire, before execution of the jobs, information on materials used for execution of the jobs or a storage place for storing products obtained as a result of execution of the jobs, the information indicating that the materials or the storage place, which is not suitable for execution of the jobs at a time of creation of the group, reaches a state suitable for execution of the jobs after creation of the group, and create an execution plan so that the jobs are executed per group in a time window in which the materials or the storage place reaches the state suitable for execution of the jobs by using the information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Ohkawa
  • Patent number: 11934721
    Abstract: Provided is an industrial printing system that performs peer-to-peer distributed processing of variable content in variable printing for production printing. A variable attribute generating unit generates variable attribute information having content information that is variable content information of variable data for variable printing. A variable analyzing unit analyzes the content information of the variable attribute information generated by the variable attribute generating unit and determines other print server capable of processing the variable content of the variable data. A processing management unit that requests the other print server determined to be capable of processing by the variable analyzing unit to process the variable content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Taku Matsuo
  • Patent number: 11934730
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a display, a storage, and a controller. The controller displays either an execution screen that accepts an execution command of a job or a simple execution screen whose displayed contents are simplified from those of the execution screen, on the display. The storage stores history information related to the job which was instructed to be executed through either the execution screen or the simple execution screen. The controller displays the execution screen or the simple execution screen on the display unit, in accordance with the history information selected by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Mikiya Okada
  • Patent number: 11928376
    Abstract: According to examples, an apparatus may include a processor and a memory on which are stored machine-readable instructions that when executed by the processor, may cause the processor to maintain client presence information that is received from a client and maintain printer presence information that is received from a printer. The client presence information may include a client network property and the printer presence information may include a printer network property. In some examples, the processor may receive print job information for a print job from the client and may determine a recommended print job delivery path for the print job based on the print job information, the client presence information, and the printer presence information. The processor may cause the print job to be routed to the printer based on the recommended print job delivery path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michael St. Laurent, Rajivkumar Vinodchandra Mistry
  • Patent number: 11922079
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an obtaining unit that obtains a job including a plurality of pages, and a determining unit that determines a page group constituted by consecutive sheets of a same sheet type, from the plurality of pages included in the job obtained by the obtaining unit. A setting unit sets a transport speed of sheets in the page group determined by the determining unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shogo Higashi, Yoshiji Kanamoto, Kosuke Tsujita, Koichiro Manabe, Kazuo Wakai
  • Patent number: 11914908
    Abstract: A print management system includes a printing apparatus, a first acquisition section that acquires print information indicating a print status, a second acquisition section that acquires collection information indicating a collection status of waste paper, and a provision instruction section that gives an instruction to provide a benefit to a user of the printing apparatus based on both the print information and the collection information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Wakasa, Toshifumi Sakai
  • Patent number: 11899992
    Abstract: A print device that includes a supply portion, a print portion, a conveyance portion, a notification portion, a processor, a reading portion, and a memory. The memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, instruct the processor to perform processes including acquisition processing of acquiring judgment image data that does not satisfy a predetermined standard used to judge a print quality of a barcode, print processing of controlling the print portion to print a judgment image on a medium, judgment processing of judging whether read judgment image data output by the reading portion as a result of reading the judgment image satisfies the predetermined standard, and notification processing of controlling the notification portion to notify an error, when, in the judgment processing, it is judged that the read judgment image data satisfies the predetermined standard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroto Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11893294
    Abstract: A printing system includes a printer and an information processing apparatus which communicates with the printer. The information processing apparatus transmits a printing capability information request to the printer. The printer transmits the printing capability information of the printer to the information processing apparatus, in response to the printing capability information request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshito Hosomizo
  • Patent number: 11890814
    Abstract: Systems and methods for aggregating and analyzing digital manufacturing data are disclosed. An aggregator can collect output data generated by a number of digital manufacturing machines. The output data can be filtered and transmitted to a server for storage in a database. One or more clients can access the data in the database via an API. This can extract 3D printer data, transform it into a canonical form, and upload it to a network-based database. These services can interact using a client-centric messaging system like Kafka or, more generally, a message manager. When a client's producer sends a message, the messaging system responds that the message request either can or cannot be processed. If the message can be processed, then the aggregator sends the message; otherwise the producer can retry at a future time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Kemeera, Inc.
    Inventors: Carlo Quinonez, Skyler Brungardt
  • Patent number: 11893287
    Abstract: Systems and methods relate generally to graphics and image processing by a printing device. In such a method, a graphics orderlist is obtained by a printer engine. The graphics orderlist has at least one imaging issue for printing an associated image. A debug mode is entered for debugging the graphics orderlist. A selection for a debug region is received. A graphic order of the graphics orderlist is executed by a graphic execution unit of the printer engine in the debug mode. The graphic execution unit determines whether the debug region is accessed by the execution of the graphic order. Responsive to the debug region being accessed for the execution of the graphic order, an interrupt is issued. Information of the graphic order and buffer contents associated with the debug region is stored in a log file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Kendrick Esperanza Wong
  • Patent number: 11886757
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus where an amount to be printed due to execution of a job designating printing according to a first printing mode exceeds a first printable amount, a screen is displayed to accept an instruction for changing printing according to the first printing mode designated by the job to printing according to a second printing mode. When the instruction is accepted on the screen, a print setting screen which is able to accept a change of print setting of the job is displayed. If an amount printed according to the second printing mode would exceed the second printable amount even if print setting of the job is changed, the print setting screen is repeatedly displayed until print setting of the job is set such that the amount to be printed on printing according to the second printing mode does not exceed the second printable amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Michinori Shioda
  • Patent number: 11886762
    Abstract: A printing control system comprising: a plurality of image forming apparatuses set as parent units; and a plurality of image forming apparatuses set as child units, all of which are connected together through a network, wherein a child of the child units unit obtains a job list response from any one of the parent units either storing a print data item to be identified with a job name of a print data item included in a job list information item requested by a job list request, or not storing the print data item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Yoshimoto
  • Patent number: 11880620
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that is capable of obtaining and printing a file stored in a management system, and makes it possible to perform printing with enhanced user convenience by improving coordination between the management system and the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a printing unit, and a processor that causes the image forming apparatus to function as an obtaining unit that obtains post data relating to the file; and a print control unit that causes the printing unit to print the file and post information included in the post data obtained by the obtaining unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takuya Saito
  • Patent number: 11880618
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a print head, a conveyance device and a control device configured to: obtain image data each corresponding to a respective divided image; generate print data, including combining at least two lines of a plurality of lines obtained by dividing the divided image; print the print image based on the print data; determine whether to perform printing based on next print data after performing the printing based on one print data; if yes, stop printing of a predetermined number of lines from an end of the one print data when performing the printing based on the one print data; and combine a first line of the one print data and a second line of the next print data, the number of the first and the second lines corresponding to the predetermined number of the lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Feng Zhu
  • Patent number: 11875077
    Abstract: A history information management device includes a storage capable of storing a predetermined limit number of pieces of setting history information pertaining to execution of a job; and a controller that controls execution of the job by using the setting history information. In a case where the number of pieces of the stored setting history information has reached the predetermined limit number, the controller deletes, from the storage, the setting history information according to a result of use of the setting history information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Naoya Arifuku
  • Patent number: 11861242
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a feeding unit, an image forming unit, a reading unit, a conveyance unit, a first discharge unit and a second discharge unit, a determination unit, and a control unit. When an (n)th sheet in a first copy is an abnormal sheet, remaining sheets include sheets fed by the feeding unit after the abnormal sheet is fed by the feeding unit until the image on the abnormal sheet is read by the reading unit, and the remaining sheets include a first group of remaining sheets and a second group of remaining sheets. The control unit is configured to execute an abnormal discharge mode in which the sheets of the first group of the remaining sheets are discharged to the second discharge unit and each of the sheets of the second group of the remaining sheets is discharged selectively to the first or the second discharge unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Eda, Tsuyoshi Shiga, Hiromi Shimura, Rumi Konno