Patents by Inventor Jeffrey Alan Sikkink

Jeffrey Alan Sikkink 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: 11360717
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein modify AFP translations of non-AFP print jobs in order to ensure that exceptions in the non-AFP print jobs are handled correctly. One embodiment comprises a controller that receives a job ticket for a non-AFP print job, where the job ticket defines at least one page exception for the non-AFP print job. The controller receives an AFP translation of the non-AFP print job, where the AFP translation does not implement the at least one page exception defined in the job ticket for the non-AFP print job. The controller modifies the AFP translation to include one or more structured fields based on the at least one page exception, and provides the modified AFP translation to a print server to generate a printed output that represents the non-AFP print job as specified by the job ticket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Linda Sue Liebelt, Ned Otey, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, David Laurence Wagner, Marquis G. Waller
  • Patent number: 11204728
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for handling print jobs. One embodiment is a system that includes a print server that serves a print shop having printers which exhibit different capabilities. The print server includes an interface that receives print jobs that each include content in the form of a Job Definition Format (JDF) job ticket and Portable Document Format (PDF) print data, a memory that stores the print jobs, and a controller. The controller schedules the print jobs for printing at the printers, and converts content of at least one of the print jobs to a different implementation, such that print jobs scheduled for printing at different printers include different implementations of content, based on the capabilities of the printer that they are scheduled for printing at.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Walter R. Albers, Linda Sue Liebelt, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, Marquis G. Waller
  • Publication number: 20210271429
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein modify AFP translations of non-AFP print jobs in order to ensure that exceptions in the non-AFP print jobs are handled correctly. One embodiment comprises a controller that receives a job ticket for a non-AFP print job, where the job ticket defines at least one page exception for the non-AFP print job. The controller receives an AFP translation of the non-AFP print job, where the AFP translation does not implement the at least one page exception defined in the job ticket for the non-AFP print job. The controller modifies the AFP translation to include one or more structured fields based on the at least one page exception, and provides the modified AFP translation to a print server to generate a printed output that represents the non-AFP print job as specified by the job ticket.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Linda Sue Liebelt, Ned Otey, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, David Laurence Wagner, Marquis G. Waller
  • Publication number: 20210263689
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for handling print jobs. One embodiment is a system that includes a print server that serves a print shop having printers which exhibit different capabilities. The print server includes an interface that receives print jobs that each include content in the form of a Job Definition Format (JDF) job ticket and Portable Document Format (PDF) print data, a memory that stores the print jobs, and a controller. The controller schedules the print jobs for printing at the printers, and converts content of at least one of the print jobs to a different implementation, such that print jobs scheduled for printing at different printers include different implementations of content, based on the capabilities of the printer that they are scheduled for printing at.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Publication date: August 26, 2021
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Walter R. Albers, Linda Sue Liebelt, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, Marquis G. Waller
  • Patent number: 10789030
    Abstract: A system to is described. The system includes at least one physical memory device to store print workflow manager and one or more processors coupled with the at least one physical memory devices to execute the print workflow manager receive a plurality of print jobs, each including a plurality of documents to be printed, receive job tickets including a description as to how pages in the plurality of documents are to be printed, store the plurality of documents in a document pool, store a document property record associated with each of the plurality of documents in the document pool, wherein a document property record provides and process the job tickets and the document property records to generate a combined print job including two or more of the plurality of the documents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Marquis G. Waller, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, Walter R. Albers, Michael Glen Lotz
  • Patent number: 10678488
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for dynamically splitting print jobs to reduce the time taken to start printing those jobs, allowing those jobs to be printed on a wider range of printers more efficiently. One embodiment includes a print server with an interface that is able to receive a Portable Document Format (PDF) print job. The print server also includes a job controller that divides the PDF print job into segments. Dividing the PDF print job includes determining a segment size comprising a number of the logical pages to include in each segment, based on the memory footprint for the logical pages. Dividing the PDF print job also includes generating multiple segments, populating each of the segments with logical pages from the PDF print job based on the segment size, and populating each of the segments with a page tree. The job controller transmits the segments to a printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Gerald Donald Boldt, Michael Glen Lotz, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, Joseph Wayne Stradling, Marquis G. Waller
  • Publication number: 20200133602
    Abstract: A system to is described. The system includes at least one physical memory device to store print workflow manager and one or more processors coupled with the at least one physical memory devices to execute the print workflow manager receive a plurality of print jobs, each including a plurality of documents to be printed, receive job tickets including a description as to how pages in the plurality of documents are to be printed, store the plurality of documents in a document pool, store a document property record associated with each of the plurality of documents in the document pool, wherein a document property record provides and process the job tickets and the document property records to generate a combined print job including two or more of the plurality of the documents.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: MARQUIS G. WALLER, JEFFREY ALAN SIKKINK, WALTER R. ALBERS, MICHAEL GLEN LOTZ
  • Patent number: 10509607
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for replacing preprinted forms with blank print media. One embodiment is a system that includes a memory that stores entries which include Page Description Language (PDL) instructions for marking blank print media to match different types of preprinted forms, and an interface that receives a print job comprising PDL print data. The system also includes a controller that determines that the print job includes a media callout referring to one of the types of preprinted forms, consults an entry that corresponds with the type of preprinted form, integrates PDL instructions from the entry into PDL print data for an existing page of the print job to match an appearance of the type of preprinted form at the existing page, selects a printer, and transmits the print job to the printer for printing after the PDL instructions have been integrated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Linda Sue Liebelt, Michael Glen Lotz, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, Marquis G. Waller
  • Publication number: 20190129660
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for replacing preprinted forms with blank print media. One embodiment is a system that includes a memory that stores entries which include Page Description Language (PDL) instructions for marking blank print media to match different types of preprinted forms, and an interface that receives a print job comprising PDL print data. The system also includes a controller that determines that the print job includes a media callout referring to one of the types of preprinted forms, consults an entry that corresponds with the type of preprinted form, integrates PDL instructions from the entry into PDL print data for an existing page of the print job to match an appearance of the type of preprinted form at the existing page, selects a printer, and transmits the print job to the printer for printing after the PDL instructions have been integrated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: Linda Sue Liebelt, Michael Glen Lotz, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, Marquis G. Waller
  • Patent number: 10261729
    Abstract: A system to generate perform document optimizations is described. The system includes at least one physical memory device and one or more processors coupled with the at least one physical memory device, the one or more processors to receive data from a customer owner indicating a request to perform one or more optimizations on a document file, analyze the structure of the document file to identify one or more problems included in the document file, select one or more optimizations to be performed on the document file based on one or more problems identified in the document file and simultaneously perform the one or more optimizations to generate an optimization list corresponding to each of the one or more optimizations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Marquis G. Waller, Gerald Donald Boldt, Walter R. Albers, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink
  • Patent number: 10235105
    Abstract: A system to generate perform document optimizations is described. The system includes at least one physical memory device and one or more processors coupled with the at least one physical memory device, the one or more processors to receive a print file including one or more print jobs to be processed, determine a number of processing steps to be implemented to process the print file, generate a microservice corresponding to each of the step components and process each of the step components via a corresponding microservice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Marquis G. Waller, Joseph Wayne Stradling, Michael Glen Lotz, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink
  • Patent number: 10152284
    Abstract: Systems and methods for synchronizing metadata with alterations to a PDF print job. One embodiment includes a system that includes a print server with an interface and memory. The interface receives a Portable Document Format (PDF) print job associated with a metadata file that defines contextual information for the PDF print job, and the memory stores an action list that defines a sequence of steps for modifying the PDF print job. The print server also includes a job controller that, for the sequence, iteratively detects a step that performs a change to printable content in the PDF print job, identifies a parameter field in the metadata file that relates to the printable content, and modifies the parameter field in the metadata file based on the change to the printable content in the PDF print job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, Marquis G. Waller, Michael Glen Lotz
  • Patent number: 10078478
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for merging print data and metadata for a print job processed in a print workflow. One system is a print server that monitors an input device that receives print files and metadata files, groups at least one print file and at least one metadata file into a batch based on a predetermined pattern defined for the input device, and initiates processing of the batch as a print job in a print workflow in response to a determination that the batch meets a threshold condition. A step of the print workflow is configured to merge document properties from the at least one print file and the at least one metadata file into a single document properties file. Subsequent steps in the print workflow process the print job according to the single document properties file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Thomas Nathan Bilan, Scott Matthew Jones, Linda Sue Liebelt, Michael Glen Lotz, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, Marquis G. Waller
  • Publication number: 20180113658
    Abstract: Systems and methods for synchronizing metadata with alterations to a PDF print job. One embodiment includes a system that includes a print server with an interface and memory. The interface receives a Portable Document Format (PDF) print job associated with a metadata file that defines contextual information for the PDF print job, and the memory stores an action list that defines a sequence of steps for modifying the PDF print job. The print server also includes a job controller that, for the sequence, iteratively detects a step that performs a change to printable content in the PDF print job, identifies a parameter field in the metadata file that relates to the printable content, and modifies the parameter field in the metadata file based on the change to the printable content in the PDF print job.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, Marquis G. Waller, Michael Glen Lotz
  • Publication number: 20170206043
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for dynamically splitting print jobs to reduce the time taken to start printing those jobs, allowing those jobs to be printed on a wider range of printers more efficiently. One embodiment includes a print server with an interface that is able to receive a Portable Document Format (PDF) print job. The print server also includes a job controller that divides the PDF print job into segments. Dividing the PDF print job includes determining a segment size comprising a number of the logical pages to include in each segment, based on the memory footprint for the logical pages. Dividing the PDF print job also includes generating multiple segments, populating each of the segments with logical pages from the PDF print job based on the segment size, and populating each of the segments with a page tree. The job controller transmits the segments to a printer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Gerald Donald Boldt, Michael Glen Lotz, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, Joseph Wayne Stradling, Marquis G. Waller
  • Publication number: 20170090838
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for merging print data and metadata for a print job processed in a print workflow. One system is a print server that monitors an input device that receives print files and metadata files, groups at least one print file and at least one metadata file into a batch based on a predetermined pattern defined for the input device, and initiates processing of the batch as a print job in a print workflow in response to a determination that the batch meets a threshold condition. A step of the print workflow is configured to merge document properties from the at least one print file and the at least one metadata file into a single document properties file. Subsequent steps in the print workflow process the print job according to the single document properties file.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Thomas Nathan Bilan, Scott Matthew Jones, Linda Sue Liebelt, Michael Glen Lotz, Jeffrey Alan Sikkink, Marquis G. Waller