Patents Examined by Madeleine Anh-Vinh Nguyen
  • Patent number: 6204936
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus having a partition module between an image sensor module and a heat source (e.g., a laser-beam printer) includes a partition module disposed between the image sensor module and the heat source. The partition module has two walls with a gap therebetween for thermally insulating the image reading module from the heat source. Preferably, the partition module has an air intake port, and an air exhaust port, and a fan for circulating cooling air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Haruo Ishizuka
  • Patent number: 6185010
    Abstract: An image forming system including a printer unit connected to a scanner unit, each having their own housing. The scanner unit includes a display for displaying the states including error conditions of both the scanner unit as well as the printer unit. A user interface of the scanner unit inputs operation parameters and commands for the entire image forming system. The printer section includes an LED display section for displaying errors and the status of the printer unit. The printer unit and scanner unit are connected to each other using a single integrated cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Atsushi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6097836
    Abstract: An image processing system including a correction pattern storing unit for storing correction patterns set corresponding to kinds of color fogs, a correction pattern selecting unit for selecting a correction pattern suitable for correction of input image, a correction amount storing unit for storing a correction amount indicative of an appropriate degree of correction on color fog, a tone curve generating unit for generating a tone curve of RGB based on a selected correction pattern and a correction amount stored in the correction amount storing unit, and an LUT converting unit for performing table conversion on image data of input image according to a generated tone curve to conduct color conversion processing of all the pixels of image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2000
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Inoue
  • Patent number: 5838819
    Abstract: A system and method for processing and managing electronic copies of handwritten notes are provided. The system includes a processor for processing the handwritten notes to generate the electronic copies, with each electronic copy associated with a respective identifier corresponding to at least one set of the respective handwritten notes, in which the identifiers facilitate the management of the electronic copies. The system includes an electronic notepad and can also include devices operatively connected to the electronic notepad for operating with the electronic notepad to receive, manage, merge, and/or display the electronic copies from the electronic notepad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Laurence W. Ruedisueli, Gordon Thomas Wilfong
  • Patent number: 5825921
    Abstract: A computer implemented apparatus and method for transferring information from one set or sets of memory locations to another set or sets of memory locations. The present invention has particular advantageous use within a computer system specially implemented for pattern recognition applications, such as handwriting or voice recognition. The present invention includes a system with an automatic sequencer able to sequentially generate sequential source and destination addresses and able to generate appropriate data requests to internal and external memory controllers. The present invention memory to memory transfer unit allows memory transfer operations to occur in parallel with the operation of arithmetic pipelines that process pattern recognition procedures. Therefore, using the present invention, no additional processing time is consumed by a memory transfer. Double buffering is utilized to transfer information and process information in the same time frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Carole Dulong
  • Patent number: 5812280
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting the remaining sheets of paper supplied in a facsimile, is disclosed including a supplier for supplying paper; a generator for generating a signal corresponding to the mounting of the supplier and the number of sheets of paper supplied; a detector for detecting the signal of the generator; a calculator for calculating the number of sheets of remaining paper according to a detection signal; and a display for displaying the number of sheets of remaining paper calculated in the calculator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Sim Kwan-Bo
  • Patent number: 5684834
    Abstract: Digital data is encoded using a modulus m converter to produce fractionally encoded words, where m is the nearest integer larger than 2.sup.c and c is a noninteger. The fractionally encoded words are mapped into a symbol constellation having m symbols to produce a two dimensional data signal. The data signal is added to a two dimensional analog signal, which was obtained by encoding an input analog signal, to produce a combined two dimensional signal. The combined signal is modulated using QAM and then transmitted over a communication channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Assignee: Paradyne Corporation
    Inventors: William Lewis Betts, Gordon Bremer
  • Patent number: 5646745
    Abstract: An image data processing apparatus for performing processing using data corresponding to a plurality of lines which correspond to a plurality of scanning lines at the time of reading an image. For example, when processing is performed using data corresponding to three lines, that is, the present line, a line one ahead of the present line and a line two lines ahead of the present line, a line memory having a capacity of two lines is used. When the data corresponding to the line two lines ahead of the present line are read out from the memory, the data corresponding to the present line are written to storage locations from which the data have been read out. Consequently, it is possible to perform processing using data corresponding to three lines using a line memory having a capacity for two lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1997
    Assignee: Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuji Kajitani, Ariyoshi Hikosaka, Hideo Azumai, Satoshi Iwatsubo
  • Patent number: 5644598
    Abstract: A switching arrangement is provided for coupling a transmitting unit to a transmission line. According to the present invention, a transformer is provided, whose secondary winding is a portion of the transmission line and whose primary winding is connected with the transmitting unit and integrated into a parallel resonance circuit, whose resonant frequency is tuned, each time, to the carrier frequency of the transmitted signal. In addition, a tuning unit may be provided for the automatic tuning of the parallel resonance circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 1, 1997
    Assignee: Siemens Schweiz AG
    Inventor: Werner Bidese
  • Patent number: 5629779
    Abstract: An image coding method includes the steps of producing a complexity normalizing signal for respective macro blocks based on a complexity in a space domain with regard to an input image, producing a zero coefficient sum by performing a discrete cosine transform operation on the input image and counting the discrete cosine transform coefficients from -1 to +1, producing a zero coefficient normalizing value for respective macro blocks in accordance with the zero coefficient sum; producing a transient weight signal for respective macro blocks in accordance with the zero coefficient sum and a predetermined compression ratio, and summing the complexity normalizing signal, the zero coefficient normalizing value and the transient weight signal so as to produce the scale factor. The quantization step size of the discrete cosine transform coefficients is controlled in a macro block in accordance with the scale factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1997
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jong-gu Jeon
  • Patent number: 5627662
    Abstract: The present invention is a digital imaging system for a copier that comprises a full-frame, two-dimensional sensor array to capture a document's image and a full-frame output light valve with backlight to flash expose the image onto a photoreceptor belt. The document is flash exposed to illuminate the page and the full-page image is captured by the full-frame, two dimensional sensor array. The sensor array then reads out the digital image data in response to a driver. The data is then input into the full-frame digital output light valve. The driver provides for the synchronous control of the system. Optionally, an electronic subsystem may perform digital image processing according to user demand--before the data arrives at the output light valve. After image processing (if any), the digital data, supplied to the full-page output light valve, forms a pattern on the display according to the data. The patterned image is then flash exposed by a backlight, through the light valve, and onto a photoreceptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Maurice F. Holmes, John S. Brown, Malcolm J. Thompson, William D. Turner
  • Patent number: 5625467
    Abstract: A facsimile apparatus includes a reading part for optically reading font pattern data by raster scanning of a font pattern sheet, a communication part for receiving image data from an external facsimile terminal via a telephone line and for transmitting image data read from a document to an external facsimile terminal via the telephone line, a memory part for temporarily storing image data received or transmitted by the communication part, a printing part for printing an image on a recording sheet in accordance with the image data stored in the memory part, a converting part for converting the font pattern data read by the reading part into bi-level image signals, and for supplying this font data to the memory part, a storage part for storing the font data produced by the converting part, and a control part for reading the font data from the storage part and for allowing the printing part to print an image by using the font data read from the storage part, so that the printed image includes data represented b
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1997
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunji Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 5608539
    Abstract: An image processor inputs coded image data, which is comprised of a plurality of resolution levels, and image processor thereafter rearranges and stores the coded image data into image memory 4 so that the resolution levels of the coded image data can be stored into a consecutive address area of the image memory 4. Thereafter DMA controller 11 reads out the coded image data stored in the image memory 4 into decoder 7 by accessing the consecutive address area of the image memory 4. The decoder 7 decodes the coded image data transferred at high speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masahiro Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 5602654
    Abstract: The present invention is a two-step, contour-sensitive deinterlacing technique. The first step of the technique determines for each missing pixel of an interlaced frame of image pixels whether the absolute difference between the pixels above and below the missing pixel is greater than a preselected threshold value. If it is decided that the missing pixel lies at a low-vertical frequency location, its value is estimated via vertical interpolation. Otherwise, the second step is carried out. The goal of the second step is to determine whether or not there is a well-defined contour passing through the missing pixel, and to determine its direction if there is one. In the presence of a well-defined contour, the missing pixel is obtained by averaging the intensity values along the direction of the contour in the field lines immediately above and below the missing field line. Otherwise the process effectively falls back to vertical interpolation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: National Science Council
    Inventors: Andrew J. Patti, Jonathan K. Riek, M. Ibrahim Sezan
  • Patent number: 5602880
    Abstract: A method and system is provided for minimizing resynchronization delays in a digital microwave radio system by, immediately upon detecting a signal degradation such as a loss of signal or an out-of-specification signal at any one of a series of digital microwave radio transmitters, setting the transmitter's elastic buffer to an average condition and thereby minimizing frequency offsets at all downstream transmitters and receivers during the degradation period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: Alcatel Network Systems
    Inventors: Jerry K. Webster, Jeffrey L. Zwiebel
  • Patent number: 5594556
    Abstract: A laser scanning device is disclosed which includes a spinner, one light spot misalignment detector and a beam misalignment corrector. The spinner scans a light beam across a scanning line. The detector is located generally at a beginning of the scanned line and measures an initial misalignment of the light spot in a cross-scanning direction. The corrector dynamically corrects, during scanning along said scanning line, the scanning misalignment of the light beam in accordance with at least the initial misalignment. The corrector includes a pre-positioner which determines an offset for the initial misalignment, a pyramidal error estimator which estimates a first portion of the misalignment due to pyramidal error and a wobble estimator which estimate a second portion of the misalignment caused by wobble. The estimations are summed together and used for correcting the misalignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: Scitex Corporation Ltd.
    Inventors: Eliyahu Vronsky, Boaz Kenan
  • Patent number: 5592312
    Abstract: In a method for transforming a color signal, a target output color signal component (X, Y, Z) is transformed into an input signal component (B, G, R) by referring to a look-up table, and a target output color signal component, which is not stored in the look-up table, is transformed into an input signal component by an interpolating process. In an output color signal space, a local coordinate system is set by using a successive approximation process, and a desired output color signal component is subjected to linear interpolation in the local coordinate system. A three-dimensional interpolating process is thus carried out quickly and accurately and over the entire color reproduction range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takafumi Noguchi
  • Patent number: 5589950
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, characteristic correcting data for correcting input gray level-output gray level characteristics for each of a plurality of steps into which input gray levels are divided is inputted by an inputting device. At the time of image formation processing, input gray level-output gray level characteristic data are corrected on the basis of the characteristic correcting data inputted by the inputting device. Further, when there occurs at the boundary between adjacent steps such a reversal phenomenon that an output gray level in the step having relatively low input gray levels is higher than an output gray level in the step having relatively high input gray levels in input gray level-output gray level characteristic data obtained by correction using a correcting device, the input gray level-output gray level characteristic data are so corrected that output gray levels gradually increase with higher input gray levels in the vicinity of the boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1996
    Assignee: Mita Industrial, Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaya Fujimoto, Haruo Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 5587797
    Abstract: The present invention relates to process for encoding and transmitting information wherein data, digitalized speech, image, or documents, optionally in colour, are encoded by multilevel combination code with multilevel code elements into a signal, in particular represented by period duration of said signal and/or by a different number of periods in connection with amplitude levels of said signal whereby an amplitude level is used as redundance or quasi level for an identification of code combinations. In the case of digital encoding of the information of a sequence of similar code elements, similar code words, similar lines with associated code words in the sequence are combined in such a way that the number of the sequences are provided in code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Inventor: Josef Dirr
  • Patent number: 5583657
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for scanning an N.times.N image signal in a particular direction depending upon an energy distribution of the two-dimensional data. The invention involves scanning image signal transform coefficients of an N.times.N block using a slope determined on the basis of the energy distribution pattern, the blocks being defined by transforming an input image signal of a time domain to signals of a frequency domain, compressing and transferring the scanned transform coefficients, restoring the compressed transform coefficient data and rearranging the restored coefficient data into original image data of N.times.N blocks by scanning them in conformance with the energy distribution pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Je-Chang Jeong