Patents Examined by Michael Y Tzeng
  • Patent number: 8941862
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus includes an image formation processing managing unit and a control unit. The image formation processing managing unit manages first image formation processing to form an image on a face of plane-shaped recording medium based on received information. The control unit controls conveyance of the plane-shaped recording medium between the image formation apparatus and the other image formation apparatus which performs second image formation processing to form an image on the other face of the plane-shaped recording medium, a second term needed to stop the second image formation processing since receiving an instruction to stop the second image formation processing on an image forming operation being longer than a first term needed to stop the first image formation processing since receiving an instruction to stop the first image formation processing on the image forming operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koh Tanabe
  • Patent number: 8928910
    Abstract: A user efficiently prints a book as desired during the generation of a job. When a form is assigned a flag indicating a last page of the book, a page containing the form assigned the flag is set as the last page of the book and is added to a number of pages that have already been drawn to calculate the total number of pages, and the number of blank pages necessary to place the page containing the form assigned the flag on the last page of the book is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kinya Honda
  • Patent number: 8913279
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a construction unit which constructs a setting value tree expressed in a tree structure by defining a parent-child relationship between plural job setting values; a generation unit which generates plural hot folders corresponding to job setting value combinations respectively constructing plural setting value trees; and a display unit which displays plural hot folders, of the plural hot folders generated, which correspond to job setting value combinations which are selectable at levels designated by the plural setting value trees, wherein job setting values of the plural hot folder are respectively inherit the job setting values superordinate to combined job setting values on the plural setting value trees corresponding to the plural hot folders, and the display unit displays job setting values corresponding to hot folders in accordance with a hierarchical structure of each of the plural setting value trees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Kise
  • Patent number: 8896867
    Abstract: A method of assigning a job to a production device may include identifying a queue comprising a plurality of print jobs, identifying a plurality of print production devices capable of processing the plurality of print jobs, determining that one of the identified print production devices is an idle print production device, identifying a top priority print job from the queue, determining a completion time associated with processing the top priority print job by each of the identified print production devices, identifying a fastest print production device, assigning the top priority print job to the fastest print production device, determining whether the fastest print production device is the idle print production device, and in response to determining that the fastest print production device is the idle print production device, sending the top priority print job to the fastest print production device and removing the top priority print job from the queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Michael Gross, Timothy Wayne Jacobs, Jack Gaynor Elliot, Sudhendu Rai
  • Patent number: 8873084
    Abstract: A copier that includes a reading unit to read a document to obtain an image and a printing unit configured to print the obtained image to obtain a copied document. The copier further includes a setting unit to set a setting for adding an image indicating that copying the copied document is inhibited and a controlling unit to control the printing unit so in a case where a document having an image indicating that copying the document is permitted subject to an input of authentication information is read to obtain an image and the setting is not set, the obtained image is printed subject to an input of the authentication information, and in a case where a document having an image indicating that copying the document is permitted subject to an input of authentication information is read to obtain an image and the setting is set, not printed the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8854677
    Abstract: A push notification system includes an image forming apparatus, a mobile terminal apparatus, a push notification server, and a provider that are connected to a network. The image forming apparatus prints print job data transmitted from the mobile terminal apparatus, generates a first event message including a status code, its attribute information, and a device token of the mobile terminal apparatus in the print job data, and transmits it to the provider. The provider generates a second event message including the device token in a record, registered in a subscription table and matching a status type code of the status code in the first event message and the device token, and the status code in the first event message, and transmits it to the push notification server. The push notification server transmits the second event message to the mobile terminal apparatus of the device token in the second event message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions inc.
    Inventor: Takashi Oguma
  • Patent number: 8854651
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an application is disclosed. The image forming apparatus includes a determining unit that, when the application starts in the image forming apparatus, checks first information indicating a function to be used by the application against second information indicating a function supported by the image forming apparatus so as to determine whether the function to be used by the application is executable, and changes operations of the application according to a determination result. The determining unit is automatically updated if the determining unit does not support a structure of the first information or a structure of the second information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tsutomu Ohishi
  • Patent number: 8848226
    Abstract: The printing apparatus is provided for processing a print job received from an information terminal to accumulate the print job sent from the information terminal in an image storage portion, and includes a timer for measuring elapse of a predetermined time from reception of a print job for each user indentified according to user identification information included in the print job; and a control portion for controlling a print order, during the time measurement, so as to skip printing of a print job received from a corresponding user to print a print job not including the user identification information first, and print print jobs received from the corresponding user in a lump after the elapse of the predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Maeda, Kenji Ogasawara
  • Patent number: 8842313
    Abstract: There is disclosed a system and method of processing a document corresponding with a printable format in a print path. A browser, communicating with a user interface (having a display) and a network, is used to access a services interface, the services interface including at least one selectable service available by way of the network. A browser activating system, communicating with the browser and a print driver, is used to open the browser to display the at least one selectable service of the services interface on the user interface display. Responsive to selecting the at least one selectable service from the displayed services interface, the at least one selectable service is applied to the document corresponding with the printable format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Steven J Harrington
  • Patent number: 8842336
    Abstract: There is provided a printing apparatus which is configured to control a basic color in performing the basic color in a printing medium. The printing apparatus includes: a table in which a correspondence relationship between a grayscale value in image data of the basic color and a color material amount is defined; an obtaining section which is configured to obtain a density range of a color which is to be printed on the basis of the image data of the basic color; and an adjustment section which is configured to adjust a grayscale range of the table so that the grayscale value corresponding to a color material amount range which corresponds to the density range of the color is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takayuki Fukuda
  • Patent number: 8836986
    Abstract: A print controller and associated methods of purging a print data path are disclosed. A print controller comprises a job storage system that receives and stores print jobs, and a print data path, which includes components operable to process print jobs, from the job storage system to print engines. The control system receives registrations from the components for flush job messages, flush path messages, or both. The control system receives a request to purge the print data path, and identifies print jobs being processed in the print data path. The control system transmits flush job messages to the components registering for the flush job messages for each print job instructing the components to purge data for the print jobs. The control system also transmits a flush path message to the components registering for the flush path messages instructing the components to purge data for the print jobs being handled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Production Print Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Dennis M. Carney, Allan A. Hren, Charles D. Johnson, Lisa A. Morgan
  • Patent number: 8830530
    Abstract: Provided is an image processor and image processing method that are capable of suppressing both density unevenness and graininess that occur due to deviation of the printing position of dots that are printed by a plurality of relative movements (or a plurality of printing element groups). In order to accomplish this, the dot overlap rate of an image characteristic in which density unevenness stands out is made higher than the dot overlap rate of an image characteristic in which other defects stand out more than the density unevenness. By doing so, it is possible to suitably adjust the dot overlap rate according to an image characteristic, and to output an image having no density unevenness or graininess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ayumi Sano, Fumihiro Goto, Akitoshi Yamada, Akihiko Nakatani, Mitsuhiro Ono, Fumitaka Goto, Okinori Tsuchiya, Takashi Fujita, Rie Kajihara, Tomokazu Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 8830501
    Abstract: A process flow execution apparatus capable of notifying a user of a task or a setting that is not supported in an application of a version lower than a version set in a process flow that describes process contents of a plurality of tasks. A process flow application handling the process flow is installed in the apparatus that can communicate with another apparatus capable of handling the process flow application, via a network. An acceptance unit accepts an instruction to execute the plurality of tasks based on the process flow. A control unit controls to display a warning screen on a display unit if a version of a process flow application that generates the process flow for which the acceptance unit has accepted the execution instruction is higher than a version of the process flow application installed in the process flow execution apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tetsuya Sato
  • Patent number: 8830520
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for enhancing black density of a halftoned bitmap are provided. The method includes receiving a halftoned bitmap into computer memory, and, using a computer, identifying at least one black-only pixel in the halftoned bitmap. The method further includes for each of the identified black-only pixels, identifying at least one black-only pixel as a candidate for adding color based at least in part on the location of the black-only pixel with respect to an edge in the halftoned bitmap, modifying the halftoned bitmap by adding color to at least one of the candidate black-only pixels, and outputting the modified halftoned bitmap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Meng Yao
  • Patent number: 8817331
    Abstract: Methods and systems for transcoding continuous tone Run Length Limited (RLL) encoded datastreams for including information for identifying halftone screens within the datastream are disclosed. Sequential packets comprising headers and bitmap data are identified within the datastream. Halftone screens associated with bitmap data within the packets are identified and merged into the packets to generate a modified RLL output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Production Print Solutions LLC
    Inventor: Michael J. Holley
  • Patent number: 8797618
    Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus that improves the accuracy in ACS determination without needing a mechanism to detect an original document size, a user input of an original document size, or pre-scanning of an original document, and a control method therefor. To accomplish this, the image processing apparatus specifies, when reading an original document, the size of the original document, based on the timings at which the leading edge and the trailing edge of the original document that is conveyed were detected. Furthermore, the image processing apparatus determines whether image data read from the original document is a color image or a monochrome image, for each size of a plurality of standard-size printing medium, and selects, from among the determination results, a determination result obtained by performing determination using the standard-size printing medium size that is similar to the specified size of the original document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tetsuya Onishi
  • Patent number: 8797562
    Abstract: A print controller and associated methods of performing recovery processes responsive to a redrive event (i.e., print setting changes/hardware errors) are disclosed. A print controller in one embodiment comprises a job storage system that receives and stores print jobs from host systems, and a print data path from the job storage system to one or more print engines. The print data path includes components operable to process print jobs for imaging on the print engine. The print controller further comprises a redrive system that detects a redrive event, and identifies the print job interrupted by the redrive event. The redrive system also identifies a target page of the identified print job from which to restart the print job, and purges the identified print job from the print data path (along with other print jobs). The redrive system then reschedules the identified print job for processing followed by other eligible jobs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Production Print Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Dennis M. Carney, Allan A. Hren, Charles D. Johnson
  • Patent number: 8792115
    Abstract: A system includes an image processing device configured to output image data to an image forming device and the image forming device is configured to form an image based on the image data output from the image processing device, wherein information including a type of security is communicated between the image forming device and the image processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuzo Harano
  • Patent number: 8760684
    Abstract: A system for producing continuous print jobs, which includes a printing unit which prints an image and a client computer having executable instructions for creating a print job for producing a continuous print job. The executable instructions include activating a continuous print mode from a list of print properties within a printer driver user interface, and wherein the continuous print mode stacks at least two print jobs in a print job queue until instructed to print; sending at least two print jobs to the print job queue; selecting a final print format for each of the at least two print jobs; processing and formatting each of the at least two print jobs into a single combined print job; and printing the single combined print job. The printing unit and the client computer are connected via a network and/or direct connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc.
    Inventors: Ann Qiongying Feng, Xiaonong Zhan
  • Patent number: 8749858
    Abstract: A movable guide is able to switch an attitude of a supporting surface of the movable guide relative to the reading unit between a first attitude and a second attitude. The second attitude is a state where a side to which the sheet is introduced is open more than in the first attitude. The movable guide is set to the first attitude during reading of the test pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Koda