Patents by Inventor Masahito Niikawa

Masahito Niikawa 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: 20020101440
    Abstract: An image display apparatus has a display for displaying image data and a controller having a display mode in which, from an image recording medium on which a plurality of image files each containing low-resolution image data and high-resolution image data are recorded, the low-resolution image data of each of the image files is displayed successively on said display. Thus, particular images can be extracted quickly and reliably from a number of image files.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 1998
    Publication date: August 1, 2002
    Inventors: MASAHITO NIIKAWA, KENJI NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20020093574
    Abstract: A digital camera (1) comprises an operational guide element (93) for providing a guide about an operational procedure while displaying a menu on a monitor (21). A user makes a predetermined operation in accordance with the operational guide element (93), and data is copied to a RAM (113) from a memory card (40A). In accordance with an instruction for changing card made by the operational guide element (93), the user removes the memory card (40A) and inserts a memory card (40B) into the same card slot (41), and thereafter makes a predetermined operation in accordance with the operational guide element (93), whereby the data temporarily recorded in the RAM (113) is transferred to the memory card (40B).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2002
    Publication date: July 18, 2002
    Applicant: MINOLTA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Taizou Aoki, Shinya Nara, Akira Fukada, Masahito Niikawa
  • Publication number: 20020093582
    Abstract: A digital camera functioning as a data communication terminal generates a “new file for transmission” which is a new file by copying data contents of an “original file for transmission” which is a file to be sent to a server, and transmits the new file for transmission to the server after giving a file name which is different from a file name of the original file for transmission to the new file for transmission. The file name after changing has a variable part having a number which increases in accordance with a number of times of send. For example, as for an original file for transmission “PIC00001.JPG”, the file name is changed to “00100001.JPG” in the first transmission and “00200001.JPG” in the second transmission. Therefore, the server recognizes these files as different files, so that it is possible to prevent the file from being overwritten by mistake.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2002
    Publication date: July 18, 2002
    Inventors: Taizou Aoki, Akira Fukuda, Masahito Niikawa
  • Publication number: 20020040303
    Abstract: An image printing system includes a mounting mechanism that mounts a medium on which image data is recorded, an instructing unit by which the user places an order for printing with regard to the images recorded on the medium, a printer that prints the images recorded on the medium, and a controller that inputs the image data recorded on the medium, causes the printer to perform printing in response to the order via the instructing unit, and receives the printing fee, wherein the medium comprises a medium having a prepay function, and the controller updates the prepaid balance in the prepayment information of the medium after the printing instruction is issued from the instructing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Publication date: April 4, 2002
    Inventors: Toshihiro Hamamura, Masaaki Kuriyama, Masahito Niikawa
  • Publication number: 20020036632
    Abstract: An image processor reduces the load on a user when selecting a frame image from among a group of frame images comprising a dynamic image by executing a specific process for printing and editing. The image processor includes a display controller for displaying a still frame image of a dynamic image with a stop time, and a group of temporally consecutive frame images with the still frame image as the center frame image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2001
    Publication date: March 28, 2002
    Inventors: Masaaki Kuriyama, Toshihiro Hamamura, Masahito Niikawa
  • Patent number: 6346937
    Abstract: A digital camera having a display unit for displaying an image is designed to operate on electric power from an internal power source or from an external power source. When no operation is performed for a predetermined length of time, if the internal power source is used, supply of electric power is shut off to stop operation of the entire camera and, if the external power source is used, supply of electric power to the display unit is shut off but operation other than displaying of an image is continued irrespective of whether the camera is operated or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Gen Sasaki, Masahito Niikawa
  • Publication number: 20010050719
    Abstract: Flash emission is required when image data have a low luminance value and when it is determined that flash emission is not prohibited, the built-in flash is used for autofocus (AF). An AF evaluation value is obtained under the flash emission, and the lens is driven based on this value. This operation is repeated until it is determined that the lens is focused, and accurate AF is executed even in dark conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Publication date: December 13, 2001
    Applicant: MINOLTA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Kobayashi, Kazuhiko Yukawa, Kazumi Yukawa, Masahito Niikawa
  • Publication number: 20010043279
    Abstract: A digital camera has an image capturing mode MD1 and a reproduction mode MD2. When an event regarding reproduction, specifically, attachment of a lens cap, operation of a four-way switch or the like to reproduce an image or sound, or insertion of a memory card for reproduction is detected in the image capturing mode M1, the digital camera is automatically switched to the reproduction mode MD2. On the other hand, when an event regarding image capturing, specifically, operation of a pop-up flash, detection of contact of the eye to an eye cup, various settings regarding image capturing, insertion of a memory card for image capturing, or operation of image capturing with a self-timer, focusing, zoom, aperture, shutter button, recording, or display switching is detected in the reproduction mode MD2, the digital camera is automatically switched to the image capturing mode MD1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2001
    Publication date: November 22, 2001
    Inventors: Masahito Niikawa, Yasuhiro Morimoto, Yoshio Nakagawa, Naohiko Hayashi, Yoshiyuki Inoue, Daigo Yoshioka, Shoichi Minato
  • Publication number: 20010043277
    Abstract: This electronic camera changes display characteristics (such as brightness, contrast, and hue) of an image displayed on an electronic view finder (EVF) in accordance with characteristics (such as brightness and hue) of environment light. For example, as the brightness of environment light increases, the brightness of an image displayed on the EVF is reduced, or the hue of an image displayed on the EVF is changed in a direction opposite to that of changing the hue of the environment light. By the operation, the display characteristics of an image displayed on the EVF can be optimized in accordance with the characteristics of the environment light. By automatically displaying a live view on the EVF when the brightness of the environment light is high or displaying a pre-light emission image captured with a flash, the display states of the LCD and EVF are optimized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2001
    Publication date: November 22, 2001
    Applicant: MINOLTA CO., LTD.,
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Tanaka, Yasuhiro Morimoto, Hiroaki Kubo, Masahito Niikawa
  • Publication number: 20010003464
    Abstract: A determination is made as to whether or not the magnification set for image sensing is greater than the upper limit of the optical finder. When the set magnification is greater, the original image is subjected to a thinness process, the LCD is automatically turned ON, and the image is displayed. When using electronic zoom, an image of the photographic object corresponding to the effective image sensing magnification is displayed on the LCD 10, thereby avoiding impairing the compactness of the digital camera allowing easy confirmation of the photographic object, and allowing easy framing without providing a large optical finder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2000
    Publication date: June 14, 2001
    Applicant: MINOLTA CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masahito Niikawa
  • Patent number: 5333057
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a photocopier with an electronic sorting function which can change over to an appropriate control at an occurrence of a memory-full by using a control device to avoid the interference of copying operation as well as minimizing the time required. More precisely, the control unit forcibly changes the number of copies to 1 when the memory-full occurs, thence reads out the data per page for printing out them once and clears them. Thus, the memory restores a free area and the data of the following page are successively written thereinto. By repeating the above readout-clear-writing procedure, the data of all the documents are safely stored in the memory and read out for the printing successively. As a result, a complete set of the documents is copied, albeit one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1994
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Morikawa, Masahito Niikawa
  • Patent number: 5212501
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus wherein a laser diode which is disposed on a focal point of a micro Fresnel lens emits a laser beam and the laser beam is collimated by the Fresnel lens and scanned on a photosensitive drum by a polygonal mirror and an f.theta. optical system. A change in temperature of the laser diode does not result in such serious defocus as to cause practical problems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1993
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiromu Nakamura, Akiyoshi Hamada, Satoru Ono, Masanori Murakami, Toshio Naiki, Kunihiko Omura, Masahito Niikawa