Patents by Inventor Hiroyuki Funahashi
Hiroyuki Funahashi 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).
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Patent number: 8554905Abstract: A network system includes printers as terminals interconnected via a network. Each of the printers can obtain information on the others, and transmit the obtained information together with information on itself to a browser computer as a controller. Therefore, by obtaining the information only from one of the printers, the computer can obtain together with it the information on the others. In this system, it is possible to obtain the information on the printers efficiently without using a server computer.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2010Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Funahashi
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Patent number: 7933032Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a printing unit that performs a printing operation; a printing possibility determination unit that determines whether printing is possible, at the time of starting the printing operation; a printing stop unit that stops the printing operation, when the printing possibility determination unit determines that printing is impossible; a notification unit that notifies an error, when the printing operation is stopped; a notification time counting unit that counts a period in which an error is notified; a notification release unit that releases error notification, when the period in which an error is notified by the notification unit is counted for a predetermined time; and a stopped state reset unit that returns a stopped state of the printing unit whose printing operation is stopped, to a standby state before the printing unit performs the printing operation, when notification of an error is released.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2006Date of Patent: April 26, 2011Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Funahashi
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Publication number: 20100290086Abstract: A network system includes printers as terminals interconnected via a network. Each of the printers can obtain information on the others, and transmit the obtained information together with information on itself to a browser computer as a controller. Therefore, by obtaining the information only from one of the printers, the computer can obtain together with it the information on the others. In this system, it is possible to obtain the information on the printers efficiently without using a server computer.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 8, 2010Publication date: November 18, 2010Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Funahashi
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Patent number: 7808658Abstract: A printing system that includes: a printing condition command receiving unit that receives a primary printing condition command, the primary condition command being included together with printing image data in printing control data; printing condition command converting unit that converts the primary printing condition command to a secondary printing condition command corresponding to a printing apparatus; and a printing apparatus that carries out processing related to printing the printing image data based on the secondary printing condition command.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2006Date of Patent: October 5, 2010Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Naoki Hashimoto, Hiroyuki Funahashi
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Patent number: 7779120Abstract: A network system includes printers as terminals interconnected via a network. Each of the printers can obtain information on the others, and transmit the obtained information together with information on itself to a browser computer as a controller. Therefore, by obtaining the information only from one of the printers, the computer can obtain together with it the information on the others. In this system, it is possible to obtain the information on the printers efficiently without using a server computer.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2007Date of Patent: August 17, 2010Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Funahashi
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Patent number: 7406018Abstract: A signal generating circuit of the invention includes a current polarity switch circuit that receives an output current of a light-sensitive element and outputs a current of which the direction the polarity switch circuit keeps constant regardless of the direction of the received current, a current-to-voltage conversion circuit that converts the current outputted from the current polarity switch circuit into a voltage, and a signal processing circuit that receives the voltage outputted from the current-voltage conversion circuit to generate a signal based on the received voltage. Thus, the signal based on the received current signal can be generated regardless of the direction of the received current signal.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2005Date of Patent: July 29, 2008Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.Inventors: Ayumu Ibusuki, Hiroyuki Funahashi, Koji Nishikawa
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Patent number: 7340514Abstract: A printing system includes a printer and computers connected by an network. A mail server is provided for transmitting notification data from the printer to the computers in the form of an email message. Print data stored in the printer is erased once the print data has been used for reprint operations a certain amount of times. If the amount of print data stored in the printer exceeds a reference size, then print data sets are selected for erasure based on predetermined conditions. Data stored in the printer can be retrieved from the printer and amended at the computer.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2005Date of Patent: March 4, 2008Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Akihiro Yamada, Hiroyuki Funahashi, Yoshiko Orito
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Publication number: 20070283019Abstract: A network system includes printers as terminals interconnected via a network. Each of the printers can obtain information on the others, and transmit the obtained information together with information on itself to a browser computer as a controller. Therefore, by obtaining the information only from one of the printers, the computer can obtain together with it the information on the others. In this system, it is possible to obtain the information on the printers efficiently without using a server computer.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 1, 2007Publication date: December 6, 2007Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Funahashi
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Patent number: 7254629Abstract: A network system includes printers as terminals interconnected via a network. Each of the printers can obtain information on the others, and transmit the obtained information together with information on itself to a browser computer as a controller. Therefore, by obtaining the information only from one of the printers, the computer can obtain together with it the information on the others. In this system, it is possible to obtain the information on the printers efficiently without using a server computer.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 1999Date of Patent: August 7, 2007Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Funahashi
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Patent number: 7207734Abstract: A printing system includes a printer and computers connected by an network. A mail server is provided for transmitting notification data from the printer to the computers in the form of an email message. Print data stored in the printer is erased once the print data has been used for reprint operations a certain amount of times. If the amount of print data stored in the printer exceeds a reference size, then print data sets are selected for erasure based on predetermined conditions. Data stored in the printer can be retrieved from the printer and amended at the computer.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2005Date of Patent: April 24, 2007Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Akihiro Yamada, Hiroyuki Funahashi, Yoshiko Orito
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Publication number: 20070041033Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a printing unit that performs a printing operation; a printing possibility determination unit that determines whether printing is possible, at the time of starting the printing operation; a printing stop unit that stops the printing operation, when the printing possibility determination unit determines that printing is impossible; a notification unit that notifies an error, when the printing operation is stopped; a notification time counting unit that counts a period in which an error is notified; a notification release unit that releases error notification, when the period in which an error is notified by the notification unit is counted for a predetermined time; and a stopped state reset unit that returns a stopped state of the printing unit whose printing operation is stopped, to a standby state before the printing unit performs the printing operation, when notification of an error is released.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 10, 2006Publication date: February 22, 2007Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Funahashi
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Patent number: 7180611Abstract: A laser beam printer 1 is connected to a host computer and receives job data 100 from the host computer. The job data 100 includes a transmission time information 103. If the laser beam printer 1 is provided with a clock IC 98, a CPU 91 of the laser beam printer 1 reads a current time from the clock IC 98 and set the current time as receiving time information. On the other hand, if the laser beam printer 1 is not provided with the clock IC 98, then the CPU 91 sets the transmission time information 103 included in the received job data 100 as the receiving time information.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2000Date of Patent: February 20, 2007Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Funahashi
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Publication number: 20070013934Abstract: A printing system that includes: a printing condition command receiving unit that receives a primary printing condition command, the primary condition command being included together with printing image data in printing control data; printing condition command converting unit that converts the primary printing condition command to a secondary printing condition command corresponding to a printing apparatus; and a printing apparatus that carries out processing related to printing the printing image data based on the secondary printing condition command.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2006Publication date: January 18, 2007Inventors: Naoki Hashimoto, Hiroyuki Funahashi
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Publication number: 20050238401Abstract: A printing system includes a printer and computers connected by an network. A mail server is provided for transmitting notification data from the printer to the computers in the form of an email message. Print data stored in the printer is erased once the print data has been used for reprint operations a certain amount of times. If the amount of print data stored in the printer exceeds a reference size, then print data sets are selected for erasure based on predetermined conditions. Data stored in the printer can be retrieved from the printer and amended at the computer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2005Publication date: October 27, 2005Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Akihiro Yamada, Hiroyuki Funahashi, Yoshiko Orito
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Publication number: 20050238402Abstract: A printing system includes a printer and computers connected by an network. A mail server is provided for transmitting notification data from the printer to the computers in the form of an email message. Print data stored in the printer is erased once the print data has been used for reprint operations a certain amount of times. If the amount of print data stored in the printer exceeds a reference size, then print data sets are selected for erasure based on predetermined conditions. Data stored in the printer can be retrieved from the printer and amended at the computer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2005Publication date: October 27, 2005Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Akihiro Yamada, Hiroyuki Funahashi, Yoshiko Orito
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Publication number: 20050185525Abstract: A signal generating circuit of the invention includes a current polarity switch circuit that receives an output current of a light-sensitive element and outputs a current of which the direction the polarity switch circuit keeps constant regardless of the direction of the received current, a current-to-voltage conversion circuit that converts the current outputted from the current polarity switch circuit into a voltage, and a signal processing circuit that receives the voltage outputted from the current-voltage conversion circuit to generate a signal based on the received voltage. Thus, the signal based on the received current signal can be generated regardless of the direction of the received current signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2005Publication date: August 25, 2005Inventors: Ayumu Ibusuki, Hiroyuki Funahashi, Koji Nishikawa
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Patent number: 6932523Abstract: A printing system includes a printer and computers connected by an network. A mail server is provided for transmitting notification data from the printer to the computers in the form of an email message. Print data stored in the printer is erased once the print data has been used for reprint operations a certain amount of times. If the amount of print data stored in the printer exceeds a reference size, then print data sets are selected for erasure based on predetermined conditions. Data stored in the printer can be retrieved from the printer and amended at the computer.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2000Date of Patent: August 23, 2005Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Akihiro Yamada, Hiroyuki Funahashi, Yoshiko Orito
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Patent number: 6788902Abstract: With a push of a maintenance button disposed on a printer, printer information mail is created based on information previously stored in a memory, and sent to a mail server. The sent mail is read by a support server, the support server extracts maintenance information that best suits the contents of the sent mail from a database, and sends it as maintenance information mail to the mail server in reply to the mail. When the maintenance information mail arrives at the printer, cleaning is performed or error remedy is displayed or printed, according to the contents of the maintenance information mail.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2002Date of Patent: September 7, 2004Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Funahashi
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Publication number: 20040169884Abstract: A printing system includes a printer and computers connected by an network. A mail server is provided for transmitting notification data from the printer to the computers in the form of an email message. Print data stored in the printer is erased once the print data has been used for reprint operations a certain amount of times. If the amount of print data stored in the printer exceeds a reference size, then print data sets are selected for erasure based on predetermined conditions. Data stored in the printer can be retrieved from the printer and amended at the computer.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 10, 2004Publication date: September 2, 2004Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Akihiro Yamada, Hiroyuki Funahashi, Yoshiko Orito
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Patent number: 6572288Abstract: A printing system includes a plurality of networked printers where macro data can be stored efficiently and quickly in selected printers. First, a host computer reads macro data stored in a HDD of a predetermined printer and displays the macro data on a CRT display. Then, upon the user's selection of macro data to be copied and the IP addresses of destination printers, the selected macro data is transmitted to each of the destination printers. Each of the destination printers receives the selected macro data and stores it in its HDD.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2000Date of Patent: June 3, 2003Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Funahashi