Patents by Inventor Masaaki Kikuchi

Masaaki Kikuchi 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: 10026105
    Abstract: A display system, a display apparatus, computer-readable storage medium are described. According to one implementation, a display system includes display apparatuses placed at a plurality of designated sites and a management server. Each of the display apparatuses include a communication unit which acquires user information from a terminal apparatus and transmits the user information to the management server. The management server includes a server receiving unit which receives the user information, a user registering unit which registers the user information on the terminal apparatus, a sheet creating unit which creates a stamp rally sheet including at least one of the plurality of designated sites for the user information, and a server transmitting unit which transmits the created stamp rally sheet to the display apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaaki Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20180198532
    Abstract: To easily capture the light emission position of a light-emitting apparatus on the imaging apparatus side, even when the positional relationship of the two changes. A mobile device detects its own speed, and an LED within the mobile device accomplishes light emission in accordance with any out of a first light emission pattern, a second light emission pattern and a third light emission pattern so that the light emission cycle becomes shorter the faster the speed of the mobile device. On the other hand, a server detects the speed of the mobile device from frames obtained through imaging by an imager, and changes the imaging interval of the imager so that the imaging interval becomes longer the slower the speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Publication date: July 12, 2018
    Inventor: Masaaki Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20180083703
    Abstract: A portable terminal detects a color change region corresponding to a marker in frames, and determines whether the brightness and/or hue change with time in the color change region matches a search rule. Subsequently, when the brightness and/or hue change with time in the color change region matches a search rule, the portable terminal restores information by decoding and determines whether the information is the content of predetermined information corresponding to the search rule determined to match. Furthermore, when the restored information is the content of predetermined information corresponding to the search rule determined to match, the portable terminal displays the information in association with the color change region to provide notice that the corresponding flying object is an appropriate flying object performing optical communication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Inventors: Nobuo Iizuka, Masaaki Kikuchi, Keiichi Kaneko
  • Publication number: 20180083702
    Abstract: A reception device acquires multiple frames for a period corresponding to an optical signal format and determines whether a color change region within the frames includes any of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), which is a first color, and black (Bk) in the non-emission period corresponding to a header, which is a second color. Moreover, when the color change region within the multiple frames for a period corresponding to an optical signal format includes any of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) and black (Bk), the reception device controls decoding of a bit data string corresponding to the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors in the color change region to acquire communication target information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2017
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Applicant: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaaki KIKUCHI
  • Publication number: 20170279025
    Abstract: A thermoelectric conversion material (10) according to an embodiment includes a plurality of parent-phase particles (22) and nanoparticles (30). The parent-phase particles (22) have a crystalline structure. Each of the nanoparticles (30) includes an oxide and exists at an interface between the parent-phase particles (22). The nanoparticles (30) include at least one element that constitutes the crystalline structure. When a range of 6 ?m×4 ?m of the thermoelectric conversion material (10) is observed with a scanning electron microscope to acquire one sheet of cross-sectional observation image, an average particle diameter d, which is an average of an equivalent circle diameter of a particle group including the parent-phase particles (22) and the nanoparticles (30) which are observed on the cross-sectional observation image, is equal to or more than 100 nm and equal to or less than 1000 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Inventors: Tomohide HARAGUCHI, Kenta KAWANO, Shoji TAKAHASHI, Takahiro OCHI, Masaaki KIKUCHI, Shogo SUZUKI, Taketoshi TOMIDA, Atsuro SUMIYOSHI, Ge NIE, Satoru ITO, Junqing GUO
  • Patent number: 9729794
    Abstract: In a smartphone, the imaging mode of an imager or the display mode of a display is changed from a normal mode when an image of an optical communication region is captured. More specifically, a process of lowering the contrast of the entire image (frame), a process of superimposing an icon image on the candidate region, a masking process for lowering the contrast of the candidate region, a process of reducing the count of display frames by image averaging or thinning, or a zoom limiting process of limiting the upper limit of the zoom ratio of the imager or the upper limit of the enlarged display magnification on the display is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaaki Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 9716554
    Abstract: An information transmission system includes: an information sending device including a light emitting section that emits light in a plurality of colors, a modulating section that modulates information to be transmitted into signals composed of changes in color, and a light emission control section that controls the light emitting section to emit light while changing color temporally based on the signals generated by the modulating section; and a receiving device including a camera that captures an image having color, and a control and communication section that detects a temporal color change of the light emitting section emitting light by light emission control by the information transmitting device, from images consecutively captured by the camera, decodes the detected color change into information, and outputs the generated information to a display section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuo Iizuka, Keiichi Kaneko, Masaaki Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 9705596
    Abstract: An optical communication apparatus includes a light receiving unit, a wavelength band determining unit and an estimating unit. The light receiving unit receives light which changes to predetermined wavelength bands in a predetermined cycle according to communication object information, for a predetermined light reception period. The wavelength band determining unit determines each wavelength band of the light received by the light receiving unit. The estimating unit estimates that a wavelength band of the light received by the light receiving unit is any one of the predetermined wavelength bands, in a case where said wavelength band determined by the wavelength band determining unit is not any one of the predetermined wavelength bands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuo Iizuka, Masaaki Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20160380697
    Abstract: Markers 200-0˜200-3 emit light, according to control by as server 100, in accordance with a light emission pattern. On the other hand, a mobile device 300 distinguishes a reference signal and a numerical signal based on a mode of light emission of the markers 200-0˜200-3, and displays, upon receiving the numerical signal, a numerical value at a position of the marker 200 corresponding to the numerical signal in a frame, and displays, upon receiving the reference signal, ongoing reception of an ID at a position of the marker 200-0 corresponding to the reference signal in the frame. Furthermore, the mobile device 300 displays, at timing when all of the reference signals and the numerical signals are received, at a position of the marker 200-0 in the frame, a plurality of numerical values and units of the plurality of numerical values being integrated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventor: Masaaki Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20160276564
    Abstract: Provided is a thermoelectric conversion material including a plurality of kinds of phases including a first phase and a second phase which have elemental compositions different from each other. The first phase and the second phase have a skutterudite structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Inventors: Ge NIE, Atsuro SUMIYOSHI, Taketoshi TOMIDA, Takahiro OCHI, Shogo SUZUKI, Masaaki KIKUCHI, Junqing GUO
  • Publication number: 20160218805
    Abstract: An optical communication apparatus includes a light receiving unit, a wavelength band determining unit and an estimating unit. The light receiving unit receives light which changes to predetermined wavelength bands in a predetermined cycle according to communication object information, for a predetermined light reception period. The wavelength band determining unit determines each wavelength band of the light received by the light receiving unit. The estimating unit estimates that a wavelength band of the light received by the light receiving unit is any one of the predetermined wavelength bands, in a case where said wavelength band determined by the wavelength band determining unit is not any one of the predetermined wavelength bands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Publication date: July 28, 2016
    Applicant: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuo IIZUKA, Masaaki KIKUCHI
  • Publication number: 20160156952
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a system includes a hardware processor, wherein the hardware processor is configured to receive first viewing information relating to viewing a first content item by a set of users, second viewing information relating to viewing a second content item by the set of users, and action information relating to actions performed by at least some of the set of users, and to output information relating to a viewing condition of the first content item and information relating to a viewing condition of the second content item based on a first action by a plurality of users from the set of users, the plurality of users set as a statistical population when the first action is designated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Publication date: June 2, 2016
    Inventors: Motonobu SUGIURA, Masaaki KIKUCHI, Hiroshi HATTORI, Yoshihiro OHMORI, Hideo KATAOKA, Sougo TSUBOI
  • Patent number: 9337409
    Abstract: A thermal stress of electrode members (121 to 123) due to an operation temperature may be relaxed by thermal stress relaxation layers (141 to 144), and thus peeling of the electrode members (121 to 123) due to thermal stress at the operation temperature may be prevented in a satisfactory manner. Furthermore, diffusion of a constituent component of the thermoelectric conversion members (111 and 112) due to the operation temperature and the like may be prevented by diffusion prevention layers (151 to 154), and thus durability and stability of the thermoelectric conversion module (100) may be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: FURUKAWA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Ochi, Shogo Suzuki, Masaaki Kikuchi, Huiyuan Geng, Satoru Ito, Junqing Guo
  • Patent number: 9305200
    Abstract: The imager and controller of an information apparatus images the back face of another information apparatus to acquire the manufacturing number of the other information apparatus corresponding to the two-dimensional bar code provided on the back face of the other information apparatus and acquire visible light information corresponding to blinking of light emitted by the light emitter arranged on the back face of the other information apparatus. Furthermore, the controller controls the imager so as to be able to image the two-dimensional bar code and the light emitted by the light emitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD
    Inventor: Masaaki Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20160037075
    Abstract: In a smartphone, the imaging mode of an imager or the display mode of a display is changed from a normal mode when an image of an optical communication region is captured. More specifically, a process of lowering the contrast of the entire image (frame), a process of superimposing an icon image on the candidate region, a masking process for lowering the contrast of the candidate region, a process of reducing the count of display frames by image averaging or thinning, or a zoom limiting process of limiting the upper limit of the zoom ratio of the imager or the upper limit of the enlarged display magnification on the display is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2015
    Publication date: February 4, 2016
    Applicant: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaaki KIKUCHI
  • Publication number: 20150381900
    Abstract: An electronic device includes: a range setter which sets a range for searching an image of light from an information source included in an image; and an informer which makes informed the range set by the range setter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: Keiichi Kaneko, Nobuo Iizuka, Masaaki Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20150318460
    Abstract: A thermoelectric conversion module includes a p-type thermoelectric conversion member (111) and an n-type thermoelectric conversion member (112) that contain Sb, and an electrode member (120) that is joined to the p-type thermoelectric conversion member (111) and the n-type thermoelectric conversion member (112), composed of an alloy of Cu and a metal material M1 having a lower thermal expansion coefficient than that of Cu, and includes two or more crystalline phases composed of Cu and M1. Therefore, it is possible to improve durability while realizing the properties required for the thermoelectric conversion module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2013
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Inventors: Shogo SUZUKI, Masaaki KIKUCHI, Takahiro OCHI, Satoru ITO, Junqing GUO
  • Patent number: 9141706
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a region-of-interest extraction apparatus includes following units. The acquisition unit acquires a structured document including elements. The first extraction unit extracts block regions including specific elements, from the structured document. The second extraction unit extracts, as a display region, parts of the elements being displayed on a display screen, from the structured document. The third extraction unit extracts a region of interest, in which a user is interested, from the structured document, based on relations between the block regions and the display region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Masayuki Okamoto, Nayuko Watanabe, Masaaki Kikuchi, Takayuki Iida
  • Publication number: 20150205980
    Abstract: The imager and controller of an information apparatus images the back face of another information apparatus to acquire the manufacturing number of the other information apparatus corresponding to the two-dimensional bar code provided on the back face of the other information apparatus and acquire visible light information corresponding to blinking of light emitted by the light emitter arranged on the back face of the other information apparatus. Furthermore, the controller controls the imager so as to be able to image the two-dimensional bar code and the light emitted by the light emitter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Publication date: July 23, 2015
    Inventor: Masaaki Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20150023673
    Abstract: An information transmission system includes: an information sending device including a light emitting section that emits light in a plurality of colors, a modulating section that modulates information to be transmitted into signals composed of changes in color, and a light emission control section that controls the light emitting section to emit light while changing color temporally based on the signals generated by the modulating section; and a receiving device including a camera that captures an image having color, and a control and communication section that detects a temporal color change of the light emitting section emitting light by light emission control by the information transmitting device, from images consecutively captured by the camera, decodes the detected color change into information, and outputs the generated information to a display section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Applicant: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuo IIZUKA, Keiichi KANEKO, Masaaki KIKUCHI