Patents by Inventor Akihiro Shimura

Akihiro Shimura has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20040215840
    Abstract: A communication system for issuing commands from an initiator to a target, thereby allowing the target to write or read out data into/from a memory area which the initiator has and exchanging the data. The initiator transmits read and write commands for the memory area to the target so as not to exceed the total number of commands which can be held by the target. The target holds the received read and write commands, holds references to the commands by different queues, and independently processes the commands, so that the number of the commands to be transmitted can be managed efficiently.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2004
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akihiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 6750980
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus which outputs data to an electronic device. Information indicating a data processing ability of the electronic device is first obtained, whereupon data processing means is controlled so as to process the data output to the electronic device depending on the data processing ability indicated by the information so obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Inventors: Akihiro Shimura, Satoshi Nagata, Yoshifumi Okamoto, Tetsuya Morita, Shunya Mitsuhashi, Nobuhiko Sato, Takanori Nishijima, Masaki Unishi
  • Patent number: 6717693
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an acquiring unit for acquiring information from a printer connected through a bidirectional interface, and a control unit for controlling a display status of a virtual printer, which is displayed on a display screen and represents the printer, on the basis of the information acquired by the acquiring unit. An output apparatus includes a setting unit for setting an operating environment, and a changing unit for changing operating environment information set by the setting unit on the basis of information acquired from an information processing apparatus connected through a bidirectional interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunya Mitsuhashi, Satoshi Nagata, Yoshifumi Okamoto, Tetsuya Morita, Akihiro Shimura, Nobuhiko Sato, Takanori Nishijima, Masaki Unishi
  • Publication number: 20040061886
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an acquiring unit for acquiring information stored in a memory of a printing device connected through a bidirectional interface, and a selecting unit for selecting a printer driver corresponding to the information acquired by the acquiring unit from a plurality of printer drivers on the basis of the information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Sato, Satoshi Nagata, Yoshifumi Okamoto, Tetsuya Morita, Akihiro Shimura, Shunya Mitsuhashi, Takanori Nishijima, Masaki Unishi
  • Patent number: 6701386
    Abstract: An initiator holds commands corresponding to ORBs issued to a target in an I/O request queue until it receives a completion response from the target. The target has read and write execution agents, and processes commands from the initiator. When a connection between the initiator and target is disconnected, and is connected again, the initiator deletes all ORBs, and generates and issues ORBs again to the target on the basis of the commands held in the I/O request queue. Upon processing an ORB, the target holds an identifier of the ORB whose processing is in progress, and the address of a buffer which is undergoing a read or write. After re-connection, the target compares the held identifier with the identifier of an ORB re-issued by the initiator. If the two identifiers match each other, the target restarts the read or write from the held address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Isoda, Akihiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 6667812
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus acquires identification information which specifies an interpreting program for interpreting a device control language, the specified interpreting program being operable in an external device connected to the information processing apparatus. It is discriminated whether a selected first control program corresponds to the device control language interpreted by the specified interpreting program. If it is discriminated that the selected first control program does not correspond to the device control language interpreted by the specified interpreting program, a second control program corresponding to the device control language interpreted by the specified interpreting program is selected from a plurality of control programs. Data is output to the external device using the first control program or, if it is discriminated that the first control program does not correspond to the device control language, the selected second control program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Sato, Satoshi Nagata, Yoshifumi Okamoto, Tetsuya Morita, Akihiro Shimura, Shunya Mitsuhashi, Takanori Nishijima, Masaki Unishi
  • Patent number: 6654134
    Abstract: A printing control method causes the printer to print data of even pages on one side of respective recording media; causes the printer to print data of odd pages to be printed on the recording medium except for the last page of it is an odd page, having print data of one of even and odd pages printed on one side to the printing means, detecting a jam on the printing means, designating the pages to be printed on both sides of recording medium which is lost due to the jam, when the jam is detected during printing of print data of another of even and odd pages by the printing means, outputting print data of one of designated pages to be printed on one side of a newly supplied recording medium to the printing means, prompting the operator to set the recording medium having print data of one of the designated pages recorded on one side thereof to the sheet feeding means, and outputting print data of another of the designated pages to be printed on another side of the recording medium having print data of one of th
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoichi Sakamoto, Akihiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 6647016
    Abstract: To manage each channel of a system connected by multichannels every channel, an initiator has at least one I/O request queue every channel and a management queue. When the channel is extinguished, a KILL command is assigned to the management queue and transmitted to a target. A management queue agent of the target sends the KILL command to an execution agent of each queue and extinguishes the queues.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Isoda, Akihiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 6612760
    Abstract: A high-efficiency printing apparatus, a printing system, a print control method, and a storage medium require an extremely small-capacity receiving buffer memory of a printing apparatus and put an extremely small burden on a host apparatus. A PC has an IEEE 1394 interface section for communicating with a printer, a memory that can be accessed by a printer and that stores text data, and a CPU that provides the printer with an information block that includes address information of text data. The printer has an IEEE 1394 interface section for communicating with the PC, a printing section for printing on a recording medium, and a CPU that reads text data stored in the memory of the PC on the basis of an address of the information block that includes the address information of the text data provided by the PC, and causes the printing section to perform printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Ueda, Akihiro Shimura
  • Publication number: 20030056672
    Abstract: A high-efficiency printing apparatus, a printing system, a print control method, and a storage medium require an extremely small-capacity receiving buffer memory of a printing apparatus and put an extremely small burden on a host apparatus. A PC has an IEEE 1394 interface section for communicating with a printer, a memory that can be accessed by a printer and that stores text data, and a CPU that provides the printer with an information block that includes address information of text data. The printer has an IEEE 1394 interface section for communicating with the PC, a printing section for printing on a recording medium, and a CPU that reads text data stored in the memory of the PC on the basis of an address of the information block that includes the address information of the text data provided by the PC, and causes the printing section to perform printing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 1999
    Publication date: March 27, 2003
    Inventors: SHIGERU UEDA, AKIHIRO SHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20030014564
    Abstract: An initiator holds commands corresponding to ORBs issued to a target in an I/O request queue until it receives a completion response from the target. The target has read and write execution agents, and processes commands from the initiator. When a connection between the initiator and target is disconnected, and is connected again, the initiator deletes all ORBs, and generates and issues ORBs again to the target on the basis of the commands held in the I/O request queue. Upon processing an ORB, the target holds an identifier of the ORB whose processing is in progress, and the address of a buffer which is undergoing a read or write. After re-connection, the target compares the held identifier with the identifier of an ORB re-issued by the initiator. If the two identifiers match each other, the target restarts the read or write from the held address.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2002
    Publication date: January 16, 2003
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Isoda, Akihiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 6504955
    Abstract: It is an object to print an image as it is inherently formed. Objects constructing the image are separated to character train objects in which there is no need to consider an overlap and the other objects by a character train separator. A character train converter converts the separated character train objects in which there is no need to consider the overlap into character code information and transmits to a printer. The other objects are converted into image information by a drawer and transmitted to the printer. The printer synthesizes a glyph formed by a glyph generator from the character code information onto the received image information and outputs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Oomura, Akihiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 6499069
    Abstract: An interface apparatus capable of appropriate connection with external devices having various specifications. Control signal DRVSEL is used for setting output method of a signal from output circuit 801 to an open-collector drive or a totem-pole drive. 3-State buffer 904 which drives a communication path comes into high-impedance status when its enable input is at a H level, on the other hand, when the enable input is at a L level, drives its output with the same logic as that of AND gate output. When the signal DRVSEL is at the L level, the 3-state buffer 904 drives the output only when its internal signal is at the L level, thus output is made in the open-collector drive. On the other hand, when the signal DRVSEL is at the H level, the 3-state buffer 904 drives the output with the same logic as that of its internal signal, thus output is made in the totem-pole drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akihiro Shimura
  • Publication number: 20020171870
    Abstract: A printer has a queue for queuing a queued execution command, an immediate execution agent for executing a write command, and a queued execution agent for executing a read command. The immediate execution agent immediately executes the received write command, and writes data in a host. The queued execution agent picks up a read command from the queue, and reads out data from the host. The host appends a data transfer request from the printer to a queue, issues a write command to the printer on the basis of that data transfer request, and issues a read command to the printer on the basis of a print data transmission request or the like from an application. Independent full-duplex channels can be provided in two directions. Also, a write command can be immediately processed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2002
    Publication date: November 21, 2002
    Inventors: Takashi Isoda, Akihiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 6477587
    Abstract: An initiator holds commands corresponding to ORBs issued to a target in an I/O request queue until it receives a completion response from the target. The target has read and write execution agents, and processes commands from the initiator. When a connection between the initiator and target is disconnected, and is connected again, the initiator deletes all ORBs, and generates and issues ORBs again to the target on the basis of the commands held in the I/O request queue. Upon processing an ORB, the target holds an identifier of the ORB whose processing is in progress, and the address of a buffer which is undergoing a read or write. After re-connection, the target compares the held identifier with the identifier of an ORB re-issued by the initiator. If the two identifiers match each other, the target restarts the read or write from the held address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Isoda, Akihiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 6452693
    Abstract: A printer has a queue for queuing a queued execution command, an immediate execution agent for executing a write command, and a queued execution agent for executing a read command. The immediate execution agent immediately executes the received write command, and writes data in a host. The queued execution agent picks up a read command from the queue, and reads out data from the host. The host appends a data transfer request from the printer to a queue, issues a write command to the printer on the basis of that data transfer request, and issues a read command to the printer on the basis of a print data transmission request or the like from an application. Independent full-duplex channels can be provided in two directions. Also, a write command can be immediately processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Isoda, Akihiro Shimura
  • Publication number: 20020067499
    Abstract: There is disclosed a control method for printing a plurality of pages of print data on both sides of the recording medium without using a both side printing mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2002
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoichi Sakamoto, Akihiro Shimura
  • Publication number: 20020048038
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an acquiring unit for acquiring information from a printer connected through a bidirectional interface, and a control unit for controlling a display status of a virtual printer, which is displayed on a display screen and represents the printer, on the basis of the information acquired by the acquiring unit. An output apparatus includes a setting unit for setting an operating environment, and a changing unit for changing operating environment information set by the setting unit on the basis of information acquired from an information processing apparatus connected through a bidirectional interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 1993
    Publication date: April 25, 2002
    Inventors: SHUNYA MITSUHASHI, SATOSHI NAGATA, YOSHIFUMI OKAMOTO, TETSUYA MORITA, AKIHIRO SHIMURA, NOBUHIKO SATO, TAKANORI NISHIJIMA, MASAKI UNISHI
  • Patent number: 6377356
    Abstract: A printing control method causes a printer to print data of even pages on one side of respective recording media, thereafter causes the printer to print data of odd pages, except for the last page if it is an odd page, on the other side of the recording medium, on one side of which the data of the even pages were printed and which were manually set in the sheet feeding device by an operator, and thereafter causing the printer to print data of the last page on a recording medium different from the recording media, on one side of which the data of even pages are printed and which were manually set in the sheet feeding device by the operator, if the last page is an odd page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoichi Sakamoto, Akihiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 6369905
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus for communicating information with an information device. The information processing apparatus accesses virtual device image data representing an image of the information device, obtains status information representing a status of the information device from the information device through a bidirectional interface, and controls a display to display a virtual device image of the information device based on the accessed virtual device image data and the obtained status information. The virtual device image is a visual representation of the physical appearance of the information device in the status represented by the obtained status information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunya Mitsuhashi, Satoshi Nagata, Yoshifumi Okamoto, Tetsuya Morita, Akihiro Shimura, Nobuhiko Sato, Takanori Nishijima, Masaki Unishi