Patents by Inventor Akio Takamoto

Akio Takamoto 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).

  • Patent number: 11726725
    Abstract: A printing device, which is communicable with an external device via a cable and performs printing by using first power supplied from an external power supply, includes a volatile storage section having a volatile storage region, a nonvolatile storage section having a nonvolatile storage region, a printing mechanism that performs the printing, a connector that is coupled to the cable and is used for both communication with the external device and supply of second power from the external device, a communication control section that controls communication with the external device via the cable, and a control section, in which, when the first power is not supplied from the external power supply and when the second power is supplied from the external device via the cable, the communication control section, the control section, the volatile storage section, and the nonvolatile storage section operate using the supplied second power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akio Takamoto
  • Patent number: 11693613
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a communication section configured to perform wireless communication with a first external device using a first communication mode and with a second external device using a second communication mode, a printing section, a storage section configured to store first communication setting information, second communication setting information related, and print setting information, a detector configured to detect a predetermined input, and a controller. The controller determines a predetermined error state, generates, when the detector detects the predetermined input, based on the second communication setting information, symbol image information, and controls the printing section to print the symbol image information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akio Takamoto
  • Patent number: 11550519
    Abstract: A terminal device includes a first acquisition unit acquiring identification information of a target terminal device in a communicable state with a printing apparatus, a second acquisition unit acquiring respective pieces of identification information of one or more search terminal devices searched based on transmission of one or more search signals for searching for the target terminal device, a third acquisition unit acquiring respective pieces of distance information indicating distances to the one or more search terminal devices, and a notification controller. The notification controller causes a notifier to provide a notification of the distance information indicating a distance to the search terminal device identified by a target identification information, that is identification information identical to the identification information of the target terminal device acquired by the first acquisition unit, among the respective pieces of distance information acquired by the third acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akio Takamoto
  • Patent number: 11526394
    Abstract: A POS terminal has: a device driver; a POS application that communicates with a peripheral through the device driver; a filter driver that acquires communication information related to communication performed between the POS application and the peripheral through the device driver; and a failure detection application that acquires communication information from the filter driver over a predetermined period, defines a decision reference according to which a decision is made about an abnormality related to the peripheral, according to the acquired communication information, and makes a decision about an abnormality related to the peripheral through a comparison between the defined decision reference and communication information acquired from the filter driver after the predetermined period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akio Takamoto
  • Publication number: 20220261197
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a communication section configured to perform wireless communication with a first external device using a first communication mode and with a second external device using a second communication mode, a printing section, a storage section configured to store first communication setting information, second communication setting information related, and print setting information, a detector configured to detect a predetermined input, and a controller. The controller determines a predetermined error state, generates, when the detector detects the predetermined input, based on the second communication setting information, symbol image information, and controls the printing section to print the symbol image information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventor: Akio TAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20220253256
    Abstract: A terminal device includes a first acquisition unit acquiring identification information of a target terminal device in a communicable state with a printing apparatus, a second acquisition unit acquiring respective pieces of identification information of one or more search terminal devices searched based on transmission of one or more search signals for searching for the target terminal device, a third acquisition unit acquiring respective pieces of distance information indicating distances to the one or more search terminal devices, and a notification controller. The notification controller causes a notifier to provide a notification of the distance information indicating a distance to the search terminal device identified by a target identification information, that is identification information identical to the identification information of the target terminal device acquired by the first acquisition unit, among the respective pieces of distance information acquired by the third acquisition unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventor: Akio TAKAMOTO
  • Patent number: 11397637
    Abstract: A POS terminal has: a device driver; a POS application that communicates with a peripheral through the device driver; a filter driver that acquires communication information related to communication performed between the POS application and the peripheral through the device driver, the communication information including time information; and a failure detection application that acquires communication information from the filter driver over a predetermined period, defines a decision reference according to the communication information acquired over the predetermined period, and makes a decision about an abnormality related to the peripheral through a comparison between the defined decision reference and communication information acquired from the filter driver after the predetermined period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akio Takamoto
  • Patent number: 11194525
    Abstract: A method of controlling a PC setting a first IP address for a printer having a network segment different from a network segment of the PC, the method including: setting a second IP address for the PC, searching for the printer having an IP address before a change by communication using the second IP address and transmitting a network setting command including the first IP address to the searched printer to set the first IP address, generating a third IP address having a network segment identical to a network segment of the first IP address set for the printer, setting the generated third IP address for the PC, and transmitting a printer setting command to the printer using the third IP address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akio Takamoto
  • Publication number: 20210279701
    Abstract: A POS peripheral device includes a storing section configured to store setting information and a control section configured to control the storing section. When a first device is connected as an external device, the control section transmits, to the first device, information indicating that the POS peripheral device operates as a communication device. When a second device is connected as the external device, the control section transmits, to the second device, information indicating that the POS peripheral device operates as a storage that stores information in the storing section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: Akio Takamoto, Kazuaki Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20210281702
    Abstract: A printing apparatus that is communicable with an external apparatus and performs printing by using first electric power supplied from an external power supply, the printing apparatus includes a storage section, a connector which is connectable to a cable and to which second electric power is supplied from the external apparatus via the cable, and a control section, and the control section acts as a storage that stores information in the storage section when the first electric power is not supplied from the external power supply but the second electric power is supplied from the external apparatus via the connector and acts as a device that performs the printing when the first electric power is supplied from the external power supply.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventor: Akio TAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20210124534
    Abstract: A printing device, which is communicable with an external device via a cable and performs printing by using first power supplied from an external power supply, includes a volatile storage section having a volatile storage region, a nonvolatile storage section having a nonvolatile storage region, a printing mechanism that performs the printing, a connector that is coupled to the cable and is used for both communication with the external device and supply of second power from the external device, a communication control section that controls communication with the external device via the cable, and a control section, in which, when the first power is not supplied from the external power supply and when the second power is supplied from the external device via the cable, the communication control section, the control section, the volatile storage section, and the nonvolatile storage section operate using the supplied second power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventor: Akio TAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20210019222
    Abstract: A POS terminal has: a device driver; a POS application that communicates with a peripheral through the device driver; a filter driver that acquires communication information related to communication performed between the POS application and the peripheral through the device driver; and a failure detection application that acquires communication information from the filter driver over a predetermined period, defines a decision reference according to which a decision is made about an abnormality related to the peripheral, according to the acquired communication information, and makes a decision about an abnormality related to the peripheral through a comparison between the defined decision reference and communication information acquired from the filter driver after the predetermined period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Publication date: January 21, 2021
    Inventor: Akio TAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20210019212
    Abstract: A POS terminal has: a device driver; a POS application that communicates with a peripheral through the device driver; a filter driver that acquires communication information related to communication performed between the POS application and the peripheral through the device driver, the communication information including time information; and a failure detection application that acquires communication information from the filter driver over a predetermined period, defines a decision reference according to the communication information acquired over the predetermined period, and makes a decision about an abnormality related to the peripheral through a comparison between the defined decision reference and communication information acquired from the filter driver after the predetermined period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Publication date: January 21, 2021
    Inventor: Akio TAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20200394000
    Abstract: A method of controlling a PC setting a first IP address for a printer having a network segment different from a network segment of the PC, the method including: setting a second IP address for the PC, searching for the printer having an IP address before a change by communication using the second IP address and transmitting a network setting command including the first IP address to the searched printer to set the first IP address, generating a third IP address having a network segment identical to a network segment of the first IP address set for the printer, setting the generated third IP address for the PC, and transmitting a printer setting command to the printer using the third IP address.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Inventor: Akio TAKAMOTO
  • Patent number: 10615983
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: a printing apparatus storage unit that stores firmware to which a public key is added, the public key being information related to a public key encryption method; a printing apparatus network-communication unit that receives signature information obtained by encrypting a hash value of overwriting firmware with a private key corresponding to the public key, from the management server, and that receives the overwriting firmware from the file providing server; and a printing apparatus control unit that determines validity of the overwriting firmware by comparing a hash value generated by decrypting the signature information which is received from the management server with the public key stored in the printing apparatus storage unit, and a hash value of the overwriting firmware which is received from the file providing server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akio Takamoto
  • Patent number: 10552104
    Abstract: A print data processing device that is a device for processing print data transmitted from a host device, and electronically providing printouts according to user needs without making changes on the host device side and without wasting paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akio Takamoto
  • Patent number: 10489093
    Abstract: Disclosed is a server unit connectable to a printing apparatus, the server unit being configured to: receive printing apparatus information from the printing apparatus and transmit an address which designates a storage location of overwriting firmware of firmware to the printing apparatus in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied; and transmit the overwriting firmware to the printing apparatus in a case where a request of transmission of the overwriting firmware based on the address is received from the printing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akio Takamoto
  • Patent number: 10362147
    Abstract: Increasing the processing load on the server is suppressed in a network system in which response requests are intermittently transmitted from a client to a server. A network system has a client configured to transmit response requests at a specific time interval, and a server configured to send a response to the client according to a received response request. The server calculates a communication interval indicating an interval at which the client is to transmit its response request based on a factor affecting the processing load of the server, and sends communication interval information indicating the calculated communication interval to the client. The client transmits its response request at the time interval indicated by the communication interval information received from the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Morimichi Mizuno, Takayuki Yamamoto, Akio Takamoto
  • Patent number: 10248944
    Abstract: Various functions can be easily added using print data output from an exist lag application without modifying the existing application program. A function expansion method for executing a process that expands the functions of an application runs on a computer that operates according to an operating system on the operating system kernel layer, executes a specific process according to an application on an application layer, and has one or more communication ports, includes a step of acquiring print data output from the application on the operating system kernel layer, and a step of performing at the application layer a process expanding the function of the acquired print data, and outputs the print data after processing to a suitable communication port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Furuhata, Akio Takamoto, Tomohiro Kodama, Hitoshi Oyama
  • Patent number: 10187534
    Abstract: Redundant monitoring of the same printer by multiple monitoring devices when multiple monitoring devices monitor multiple printers is prevented in a network system 1 including a printer, multiple monitoring devices able to monitor printer states, and an information processing device. A monitoring device requests, at a specific interval, from one or more printers targeted for monitoring, a response of printer state information related to a state of the printer; receives printer state information in response to the request; and sends the received printer state information to the information processing device. The information processing device manages the state of the printer based on the received printer state information. When requested for a response of printer state information by a different monitoring device, the printer stops requesting a response of printer state information by monitoring devices other than a specific monitoring device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akio Takamoto