Patents Examined by Michael Y Tzeng
  • Patent number: 9223241
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus that includes a controlling unit for controlling executions of a single color calibration which is for correcting a reproduction characteristic of a single color image, formed by an image forming unit, according to measurement of a single color image formed by the image forming unit with a single color recording material and a multi-color calibration which is for correcting a reproduction characteristic of a multi-color image, formed by the image forming unit, according to measurement of a multi-color image formed by the image forming unit with a plurality of recording materials. It is decided to execute at least one of the single color calibration and the multi-color calibration in accordance with history information of the single color calibration executed by the controlling and then the calibration which has been decided on is executed by the controlling unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hidekazu Nakashio
  • Patent number: 9220011
    Abstract: A mobile communication device that detects and responds to theft is disclosed. The mobile communication device comprises at least a cellular radio transceiver, a processor, a memory, wherein the memory comprises a user partition and a system partition, and an operating system kernel stored in the system partition of the memory. When executed by the processor, the operating system kernel prevents unprivileged users from accessing the system partition and determines a theft status of the mobile communication device or of at least one hardware component of the mobile communication device. When a theft status is determined, the operating system kernel performs at least one theft response selected from preventing boot-up of the mobile communication device, sending a message via the cellular radio transceiver, commanding presentation of a theft alert message on a display of the mobile communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: Sprint Communications Company L.P.
    Inventors: Brandon C. Annan, John E. Belser, M. Jeffrey Stone
  • Patent number: 9207897
    Abstract: An information processing system, which is implemented by one or more information processing apparatuses, includes an electronic data receiving unit configured to receive electronic data via a network from an external apparatus; and a data conversion unit configured to identify at least one of an output setting and a data format corresponding to attribute information of a user operating the external apparatus by referring to a storage unit storing at least one of the output setting and the data format in association with the attribute information of the user, and convert the received electronic data into output data according to at least one of the output setting and the data format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazunori Takatsu, Naritake Kondoh
  • Patent number: 9201617
    Abstract: A control device includes a recording control unit, a detection unit, a port selection unit and a communication control unit. The recording control unit configures a logical port for data communication according to an interface standard. The detection unit detects a recording device wirelessly communicable with the control device. The port selection unit links a virtual port corresponding to the detected recording device with the logical port. The communication control unit opens the virtual port linked to the logical port and the recording device for wireless data communication with the recording device according to a wireless communication standard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kei Jintsugawa, Satoshi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9197777
    Abstract: An image processing device includes a power supply unit, an operation unit, and an image processing unit. The power supply unit supplies power in first power supply mode or second power supply mode. The operation unit receives power from the power supply unit in first or second power supply mode and accepts an input from a user. The image processing unit receives the power if the power supply unit is in first power supply mode. At least one of the operation unit and the image processing unit determines whether a predetermined condition is satisfied if the power supply unit is in first power supply mode. At least one of the operation unit and the image processing unit is configured to perform a shutoff process to shut off power supply to at least one of electronic components in the image processing device if the predetermined shutoff condition is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masahiro Nagami
  • Patent number: 9172847
    Abstract: In a method of scanning an image on an original, an optical sensor including sensor elements for each of a number of basic colors is used to generate pixel values of rows of pixels of the scanned image. The sensor elements are used to generate grey scale pixel values representing different parts of the image. A first sensor element for each of the basic colors is used to generate pixel values of odd pixels of rows on the original, and a second sensor element for each of the basic colors is used to generate pixel values of even pixels of rows of the original. Each color pixel value is generated mainly on the basis of a pixel value of at least one of the first sensor elements and pixel values of at least two of the second sensor elements for adjacent pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Oce-Technologies B.V.
    Inventor: Johannes H. M. Janssen
  • Patent number: 9165224
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus may include a scanner configured to read a document, a feeder configured to feed a sheet, a printer configured to print an image on the sheet, a processor, and memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processor, may cause the image forming apparatus to control the scanner to read the document to generate read data, determine whether the read data provides an image while the scanner is reading the document, and control the feeder to start feeding the sheet to the printer in response to determining that the read data provides the image. Determining whether the read data provides the image may include determining whether a substantially blank sheet would be printed based on the read data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kosuke Mori
  • Patent number: 9160888
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus manages user information in such a manner that the user information is unable to be acquired using an authority different from a user authority, and acquires the user information by changing an authority of a control unit configured to control print processing under a system authority from a system authority to the user authority of a user that issues an instruction for print processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akihiro Mitsui
  • Patent number: 9137406
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an information processing apparatus operable in any of a plurality of power states including a first power state and a second power state in which power consumption is lower than power consumption in the first power state. The information processing apparatus includes a reception unit configured to receive a shift instruction to shift to the second power state, and a control unit configured to shift the information processing apparatus to the second power state in a case where the reception unit receives the shift instruction while an application that does not support the second power state is not running, and not to shift the information processing apparatus to the second power state in a case where the reception unit receives the instruction while an application that does not support the second power state is running.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takaaki Miyata
  • Patent number: 9100528
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an information processing apparatus operable in any of a plurality of power states including a first power state and a second power state in which power consumption is lower than power consumption in the first power state. The information processing apparatus includes a reception unit configured to receive a shift instruction to shift to the second power state, and a control unit configured to shift the information processing apparatus to the second power state in a case where the reception unit receives the shift instruction while an application that does not support the second power state is not running, and not to shift the information processing apparatus to the second power state in a case where the reception unit receives the instruction while an application that does not support the second power state is running.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takaaki Miyata
  • Patent number: 9082051
    Abstract: A control unit 112 of an image forming apparatus generates a first image pattern in which a user information authenticated by an authentication processing unit 113 and an application information concerned with a predetermined application that can be used in the image forming apparatus by the user authenticated are embedded, and displays the first image pattern on a display unit 105. A control unit 208 of a mobile terminal analyzes the first image pattern read out by a camera unit 203 from the display unit 105 of the image forming apparatus to derive the user information and the application information. Furthermore, the control unit 208 of the mobile terminal displays, on a display unit 201 of the mobile terminal, an operation image frame for use a predetermined application corresponding to the derived application information during a period of reading out of the first image pattern by the camera unit 203.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomomi Murata
  • Patent number: 9071777
    Abstract: An information processing system includes a determination part, a history storage part, a provisional history storage part, and a changing part. The determination part determines whether or not a printing mode of a job set at a terminal matches a recommended printing mode. The history storage part stores printing histories of plural jobs. The provisional history storage part stores, in a case where the printing mode does not match the recommended printing mode, provisional printing histories including resource-saving effect which represents an effect of reduced resources based on an assumption that the jobs are printed in accordance with the recommended printing mode. The changing part changes the recommended printing mode, based on the stored printing histories and the provisional printing histories.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD
    Inventor: Yuji Kazama
  • Patent number: 9063676
    Abstract: The page descriptions in a document description describe individual document pages. Some of those pages require special processing. Special processing is accomplished by applying subtasks to page descriptions. The subtasks are associated with subset criteria. A subtask is applied to a page description if and only if the page description meets a subset criterion associated with that subtask. In essence, subtasks are prepress operations applied to and limited to the scope of individual page descriptions with the document description. As such, a modified prepress module is ideal for subtask application. In general, page descriptions are evaluated against the subset criteria and the subtasks applied before the more generalized prepress processing converts the document description into a print ready document description.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Javier A. Morales
  • Patent number: 9036213
    Abstract: A method for image processing a digital color image uses a single array of threshold values in a halftoning process if a total density value, which is found adding up the color density value for each of the process colors of a pixel, is lower than a predetermined density threshold. However, when the total density value exceeds the density threshold, the individual color density values are split in a basic part and an excess part, the basic parts adding up to the predetermined density threshold. In the halftoning process the basic parts still use the single array of threshold values, but the excess parts use uncorrelated arrays of threshold values that are associated with each individual process color. This provides for a balance between graininess at low color density and registration independent color rendering at high color density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: OCE-TECHNOLOGIES B.V.
    Inventor: Carolus E. P. Gerrits
  • Patent number: 9025225
    Abstract: A color adjustment apparatus includes an acquisition unit acquiring the color value for specified paper of a desired image forming apparatus and a color value for unspecified paper, a generation unit generating a relational expression associating the color value for the specified paper with the color value for the unspecified paper, a registration unit obtaining and registering an association between the property information of a reference color for the unspecified paper and the relational expression, a calculation unit calculating the predicted color value for the specified paper of another image forming apparatus based on a relational expression associated with the property information of the reference color of arbitrary paper and the color value for the same paper of the other image forming apparatus, and a setting unit setting the predicted color value as a color value to be reproduced by the desired image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yuka Miyanaga
  • Patent number: 9025220
    Abstract: A self-contained mobile optical scanning system having an image scanner contained within a hollow inside space defined by mated engagement of an upper housing and a lower housing having corresponding upper and lower transparent windows having reduced margins and a scanning control interface rotatable through the enclosed space which allows scanning through the upper transparent window in either the upright or inverted condition by alignment of viewable indicator marks and overlap indicators in relation to an article which allows stitched alignment of a plurality of scanning cycles to generate images embeddable with metadata or data files.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Teco Image Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Gordon R. Nuttall, Eugene A. Miksch
  • Patent number: 9025187
    Abstract: A printing system includes a management server and an image forming apparatus connected to each other via a network. The management server executes an authentication of a logged-in user of the image forming apparatus, manages a remaining quota and a temporary allowance, reserves the temporary allowance of the logged-in user, and provides a notification to the image forming apparatus of the reserved temporary allowance. The image forming apparatus provides a notification to the management server of a requested sheet count, executes printing within a range of the temporary allowance notified of by the management server, and provides a notification to the management server of a printed sheet count.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Daisuke Yoshida, Keisaku Matsumae, Ryusuke Nakatani
  • Patent number: 8988703
    Abstract: A program installation method of an image forming system in which an image forming apparatus having a web server is connected to a host device via a network. The method includes storing programs which are used when the image forming apparatus is in use, receiving information about the host device as the web server is driven, determining whether the stored programs are installed at the host device based on analysis information which is a result of analyzing information about the host device, and installing a predetermined program of the stored programs at the host device based on the analysis information. Accordingly, the program for use with the image forming apparatus is easily installed at the host device, and also an optimal program is installed at the host device. Therefore, a wrong program installation can be prevented, and thus errors are prevented during use of the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Haeng-nan Kim
  • Patent number: 8958096
    Abstract: Image forming apparatus and system include a searcher and a search responder, wherein the searcher transmits a first search-message notifying first identification-information and first group-confirmation-information to other image forming apparatuses, receives a search-response-message notifying second identification-information, and to store the second identification-information notified by the received second search-response-message in the storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Ishigure
  • Patent number: 8941899
    Abstract: A method for simulating a textured appearance on a uniform substrate includes using variable halftone dot orientations. A texture description is provided for generating electronic data representing a three-dimensional texture. Texture regions of the texture description are identified using pixel cells in the electronic data. Halftone dot orientations are assigned for each pixel cell based on a value of the pixel cell. The halftone dot orientation represents a recessed or a raised surface portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Mu Qiao, Marc Rene, William A. Fuss, Shen-ge Wang, Paul Conlon