Patents Examined by Madelein Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9578207
    Abstract: Various embodiments are directed to methods, systems, and devices for improving the quality of image data for printing by a printer having relatively low resolution capabilities. Image data may be scanned, captured or otherwise received. The image data may be received in bands, chunks, blocks, portions, regions, or its entirety. An edge detector is subsequently employed to detect a location of edges in a region of the received image data. For image data pixels that are located in or close to a detected edge, a first screen is applied to modify these pixels to compensate for printing at or near the detected edge. Otherwise, a second image screen is applied to modify pixels for printing that are not close to a detected edge. The first screen may be an error diffusion screen or a threshold screen. The second screen may be a halftone screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: CSR IMAGING US, LP
    Inventors: Fred William Andree, Sung-Chu Lee, Neil Brad Epstein
  • Patent number: 9571676
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus stores image data generated from a document scanned by a scanner on a removable medium. When storage on the removable medium is not completed, part of the image data that has been stored by that time is deleted from the removable medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuichi Utsumi
  • Patent number: 9569706
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a target value calculation unit configured to calculate a target value to be output in a predetermined region in input image data based on pixel values of pixels included in the region, a distribution order determination unit configured to determine a distribution order of output values for distributing output values corresponding to the target value in the region based on a pixel value of each pixel included in the region and a threshold value in the threshold matrix corresponding to the pixel, and an output value determination unit configured to determine an output value of each pixel included in the region by allocating the target value to at least one pixel included in the region in the distribution order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeo Kodama, Hisashi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 9560222
    Abstract: A document reading device includes a document reading section, a sticky note image detecting section, a first determining section, a detection target image storage section, a consistent image detecting section, a second determining section, and a control section. When the first determining section determines that the position of a sticky note image in a document image of an original document is at a location in the document where a content is described and the second determining section determines that an image consistent with the sticky note image is located at a signature space in a second document image of the original document read by a different reading, the control section permits formation or saving of the second document image acquired by the different reading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Mitsutoshi Nakao
  • Patent number: 9531906
    Abstract: A method of scanning a set of documents in a container such as a file folder or storage box where the container contains a unique label containing identification associated with the documents in the container. The label comprises both alphanumeric characters and color information where each character is associated with a particular color. By scanning the container and analyzing the image of the container the unique identification can be retrieved with increased reliability by using both the color and alphanumeric information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Nathaniel G. Martin, Paul R. Austin
  • Patent number: 9525800
    Abstract: A document reading device includes: a document feed section; a contact glass plate on which an original document is fed from the document feed section; a white color reference member beside a front surface of the contact glass plate; a first reading unit beside a back surface of the contact glass plate, configured to read the original document on the front surface of the contact glass plate or the white color reference member; and a positioning member configured to position the white color reference member to be read selectively between a first reading position being the same position as the original document in contact with the front surface of the contact glass plate and a second reading position away from the front surface of the contact glass plate by a document passage clearance allowing the original document to pass between the contact glass plate and the white color reference member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yasuyuki Horiguchi
  • Patent number: 9503611
    Abstract: An aspect of the invention provides an image forming apparatus storing first, second, and third dither pattern groups. The first group contains a plurality of line screens, each associated with one of gray levels in a first range, varying such that as the gray level increases, the line width increases. The second group contains a plurality of void-dot screens, each associated with one of gray levels higher than those in the first range, varying such that as the gray level increases, dots increase to reduce void portions surrounded by the dots. The third group contains, for switching from the line screen to the void-dot screen, a plurality of dither patterns varying such that as the gray level increases from a reference gray level, adjacent lines are connected at joint portions tapered toward tip ends in a manner that a position that gradually advances from the tip ends to basal ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Igawa, Hideki Kamaji
  • Patent number: 9503605
    Abstract: An image reader including a controller configured to acquire white reference data based on a signal output from a sensor that has received reflected light from a white reference member, by controlling a light source to emit light of a first quantity onto the white reference member, acquire black reference data based on a signal output from the sensor that has received reflected light from the white reference member, by controlling the light source to emit light of a second quantity lower than the first quantity onto the white reference member, acquire image data of a document sheet based on a signal output from the sensor that has received reflected light from the document sheet, by controlling the light source to emit light of the first quantity onto the document sheet, and correct the acquired image data with the acquired white reference data and the acquired black reference data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Sugiyama, Takeshi Kuno
  • Patent number: 9491328
    Abstract: A method and system prints an output document from an original document having multiple input sheets, each input sheet having a front side and a back side, the output document having multiple output sheets, each output sheet having a front side and a back side, the output sheet of the output document having a same plex as a plex of a corresponding input sheet. The method and system also prints an output document from an original document having multiple input sheets, wherein all output sheets of the output document are simplex. Further, the method and system prints an output document from an original document having multiple input sheets, wherein all output sheets of the output document are duplex.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Lee D. Roche, Xing Li
  • Patent number: 9485376
    Abstract: Conventionally, during a copy operation, certain advanced mode settings make the extraction of additional security information impossible. In order to solve this problem, the print control apparatus includes: determining unit for determining an interval between a pattern element and a pattern element adjacent to the pattern element from the received image data; and control unit for performing a control so as to scale the image at a magnification specified by a user and have the scaled image printed by a printing apparatus when the product of the magnification specified by the user and the interval determined by the determining unit falls within a predetermined range, and configured to terminate or interrupt the printing of the image by the printing apparatus when the product of the magnification specified by the user and the interval determined by the determining unit does not fall within the predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoki Tsuchitoi
  • Patent number: 9485388
    Abstract: An apparatus that corrects multivalued data after halftone processing and which includes a line input unit configured to input multivalued data of a correction line to be corrected among the multivalued data, a detection unit configured to convert multivalued data of a precedent line that precedes the correction line by N lines into dot data and to detect a dot in the precedent line, and a line correction unit configured to correct the multivalued data of the correction line based on a number of linked dots from the bottom-end edge, and the number of linked detected dots is the number of dots that are linked in a sub scanning direction from the correction line down to the bottom-end edge, and the bottom-end edge is an edge at which the density becomes lower in the sub scanning direction and the lower of density values represents the background color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigeo Kodama, Hisashi Ishikawa, Go Araki
  • Patent number: 9479661
    Abstract: In an image-reading device, a reading unit reads an object. An edge image generation generates a plurality of sets of edge image data respectively corresponding to a plurality of target lines. The plurality of sets of edge image data includes a first set of edge image data corresponding to a first target line. A mask setting unit determines whether an edge pixel is included in the first set of edge image data. When the edge pixel is included in the first set of edge image data, the mask setting unit sets a mask region on the image. The mask region includes a part of the plurality of lines based on the first target line. An edge detection unit detects the edge pixel detects a positional coordinate of the edge pixel from among pixels in the plurality of sets of edge image data outside the mask region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshihiro Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9465570
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a first acquiring unit, an identifying unit, and a transmitting unit. The first acquiring unit acquires image data including color values each of which denotes a corresponding one of multiple pixels in one or multiple pages. The identifying unit identifies, from the color values, color regions to which pixels constituting at least part of the multiple pixels belong in a predetermined color model. The transmitting unit transmits the number of pages in which the color regions identified by the identifying unit correspond to a predetermined color region combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Mitsuhashi, Yuichi Nishikuni, Masaru Okutsu, Daigo Hama
  • Patent number: 9443175
    Abstract: As image processing apparatus includes a color converter 20 as a color converting device. The color converter 20 has, as main functional components for carrying out color conversion of halftone of a spot color, a spot color information acquiring unit 21 for acquiring spot color information from manuscript data, a spot color Lab acquiring unit 22 for acquiring L*a*b* values in an L*a*b* color space when the dot percentage of the spot color is 100%, a first calculating unit 23 for calculating halftone L*a*b* values, using the L*a*b* values at 100% dot percentage of the spot color acquired by the spot color Lab acquiring unit 22 and a dot percentage of the spot color in a printing target portion of the spot color, and a second calculating unit 24 for converting, using an output ICC profile, the halftone L*a*b* values calculated by the first calculating unit 23 into CMYK values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: SCREEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shigenori Arizono, Kohei Ueda
  • Patent number: 9402009
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a facsimile communication unit; a mail communication unit; an outputting unit; an external power source processing unit to operate the image processing apparatus using external power supplied from an external power source; a power-storing source processing unit to operate the image processing apparatus using stored power stored in a power-storing unit; a power source detection unit to detect whether the apparatus is operated with the external power or the stored power to output a detection result; and a facsimile data output control unit to transmit, when the facsimile communication unit receives facsimile data, the facsimile data to a destination address via e-mail with the mail communication unit based on the detection result indicating that the stored power is supplied, and to output the image of the facsimile data based on the detection result indicating that the external power is supplied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 9384433
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer member that is driven to be rotated; an image forming unit configured to form an image on the transfer member; a detection unit configured to detect inclination of the transfer member relative to a rotation direction of the transfer member; and a control unit configured to perform correction control of color misregistration caused by the inclination of the transfer member when an image is formed by the image forming unit, based on the inclination of the transfer member. The control unit is further configured not to perform the correction control when a monochrome image is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shingo Kitamura
  • Patent number: 9378440
    Abstract: A method of printing a half tone image on an image forming apparatus using toner that is fused to a substrate is provided. The method includes generating a dot design that represents the half tone image, the dot design being made up of a plurality of dots; analyzing the dot design using an algorithm; matching the dot design to an equivalent alternate design that represents the half tone image, the matching being based on results of the analyzing, the equivalent alternate design being made up substantially entirely of a plurality of non-dot shapes; forming the half tone image on the substrate using the equivalent alternate design; and fusing the half tone image on the substrate with a fuser device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Erwin Ruiz, Steven M. Russel, Paul M. Fromm, Robert W. Phelps, John T. Newell, III
  • Patent number: 9369594
    Abstract: A transmission device includes an obtainment unit configured to obtain a fax number of a relay device and transmission destination information that determines a transmission destination; a scanner unit configured to scan a script of a transmission target so as to generate image data of the script; and a processor configured to execute a process including: generating a command for transmitting the image data to the transmission destination by using the obtained transmission destination information; converting each character constituting the command into a binary number; adding, to the image data, dot data represented by a dot that corresponds to the binary number; and transmitting the image data to which the dot data has been added, to the relay device via fax communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventor: Kazushi Yoda
  • Patent number: 9363416
    Abstract: An example embodiment may involve obtaining an m×n pixel cell from an input image. Each of the m×n pixels in the m×n pixel cell may be associated with at least one color value. An m×n attribute cell may be determined, elements of which may be associated in a one-to-one fashion with respective pixels in the m×n pixel cell. The m×n pixel cell may be compressed in a lossy fashion, and the m×n attribute cell may be compressed in a lossless fashion. Compression of the m×n pixel cell may be based on at least part of the m×n attribute cell. An interleaved representation of the compressed m×n pixel cell and the compressed m×n attribute cell may be written to an output medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Michael M. Chang, Kenneth A. Schmidt, Dongpei Su, Sheng Li, Kendrick Wong, Larry Lubman, Alfred Abkarian, Stephen L. Schafer
  • Patent number: 9350885
    Abstract: There is disclosed an image processing apparatus provided with a reader for reading an original image, a connection unit for connection with a network to which plural computers are connected, and a transfer units for transferring the image data, read by the reader, to a computer through the connection unit, the apparatus comprises a specifying unit for specifying desired one among the computers connected through the connection unit, and a designation unit for designating image reading by the reader, wherein the transfer unit is adapted to transfer the image data, read by the reader in response to the designation by the designation unit, to a computer specified by the specifying unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Kajita, Toshihiro Kadowaki, Seishi Ejiri, Soichi Yamamuro, Masaya Kondo, Takekazu Kumagai, Takeshi Tsukamoto, Masaru Saruwatari, Masaki Toyama