Patents by Inventor Norihiro Kawatoko

Norihiro Kawatoko 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: 11926146
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit, a conveyance unit, an application amount information acquisition unit, a determination unit, a direction information acquisition unit, and a setting unit. The recording unit performs recording by applying ink to paper. The application amount information acquisition unit acquires information related to an amount of ink that the recording unit applies to a predetermined region of the paper. The determination unit determines execution of prevention or reduction processing for preventing or reducing curling occurring after recording is performed. The determination is made according to the acquired amount of ink. The direction information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a paper grain direction of the paper relative to a conveyance direction in which the conveyance unit conveys the paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Asako Tomida, Norihiro Kawatoko, Masashi Hayashi, Kentaro Muro, Toshiaki Somano, Shuichi Tokuda
  • Publication number: 20220314645
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit, a conveyance unit, an application amount information acquisition unit, a determination unit, a direction information acquisition unit, and a setting unit. The recording unit performs recording by applying ink to paper. The application amount information acquisition unit acquires information related to an amount of ink that the recording unit applies to a predetermined region of the paper. The determination unit determines execution of prevention or reduction processing for preventing or reducing curling occurring after recording is performed. The determination is made according to the acquired amount of ink. The direction information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a paper grain direction of the paper relative to a conveyance direction in which the conveyance unit conveys the paper.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Asako Tomida, Norihiro Kawatoko, Masashi Hayashi, Kentaro Muro, Toshiaki Somano, Shuichi Tokuda
  • Patent number: 11254123
    Abstract: A print medium is conveyed in a first direction and a print head is provided with a reference side nozzle array and a plurality of nonreference side nozzle arrays. A relative position displacement amount between a reference printing position of a reference pattern printed by the reference side nozzle array and a nonreference printing position of each of nonreference patterns printed by each of the nonreference side nozzle arrays is detected. Based on a maximum value of a displacement amount of the reference printing position with respect to each of the nonreference printing positions in a direction opposite to the first direction, a first correction value for correcting displacement of the reference printing position is calculated. With reference to the reference printing position after corrected based on the first correction value, a second correction value for correcting displacement is calculated for each of the nonreference printing positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norihiro Kawatoko, Kentaro Muro, Masashi Hayashi, Eiji Komamiya
  • Publication number: 20210122167
    Abstract: A print medium is conveyed in a first direction and a printing head prints an image on the print medium by using a printable region of the print head that extends in a second direction crossing the first direction. Storing units can feed multiple sorts of print media. Among the multiple sorts of the print media, the print medium to print a check pattern for checking a printing state of the printing head is selected as the print medium to be fed from the corresponding storing unit. The check pattern is printed on the print medium by using a portion of the printable region of the printing head corresponding to a size of the print medium fed from the storing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventors: Norihiro Kawatoko, Masashi Hayashi, Junichi Nakagawa, Seiji Abe, Kentaro Muro, Eiji Komamiya
  • Patent number: 10919314
    Abstract: A print medium is conveyed in a first direction and a printing head prints an image on the print medium by using a printable region of the print head that extends in a second direction crossing the first direction. Storing units can feed multiple sorts of print media. Among the multiple sorts of the print media, the print medium to print a check pattern for checking a printing state of the printing head is selected as the print medium to be fed from the corresponding storing unit. The check pattern is printed on the print medium by using a portion of the printable region of the printing head corresponding to a size of the print medium fed from the storing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norihiro Kawatoko, Masashi Hayashi, Junichi Nakagawa, Seiji Abe, Kentaro Muro, Eiji Komamiya
  • Publication number: 20200070504
    Abstract: A print medium is conveyed in a first direction and a print head is provided with a reference side nozzle array and a plurality of nonreference side nozzle arrays. A relative position displacement amount between a reference printing position of a reference pattern printed by the reference side nozzle array and a nonreference printing position of each of nonreference patterns printed by each of the nonreference side nozzle arrays is detected. Based on a maximum value of a displacement amount of the reference printing position with respect to each of the nonreference printing positions in a direction opposite to the first direction, a first correction value for correcting displacement of the reference printing position is calculated. With reference to the reference printing position after corrected based on the first correction value, a second correction value for correcting displacement is calculated for each of the nonreference printing positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Inventors: Norihiro Kawatoko, Kentaro Muro, Masashi Hayashi, Eiji Komamiya
  • Publication number: 20200070541
    Abstract: A print medium is conveyed in a first direction and a printing head prints an image on the print medium by using a printable region of the print head that extends in a second direction crossing the first direction. Storing units can feed multiple sorts of print media. Among the multiple sorts of the print media, the print medium to print a check pattern for checking a printing state of the printing head is selected as the print medium to be fed from the corresponding storing unit. The check pattern is printed on the print medium by using a portion of the printable region of the printing head corresponding to a size of the print medium fed from the storing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Inventors: Norihiro Kawatoko, Masashi Hayashi, Junichi Nakagawa, Seiji Abe, Kentaro Muro, Eiji Komamiya
  • Patent number: 10434771
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a recording head including a first discharge port array and a second discharge port array, the first and second discharge port arrays being shifted and arranged in a first direction so that part of the discharge ports arranged at an end portion of the first discharge port array in the first direction and part of the discharge ports arranged at an end potion of the second discharge port array in the first direction are located at the same positions in the first direction. The plurality of discharge ports in each of the first and second discharge port arrays is obliquely arranged at a predetermined tilt with respect to the first direction. Discharge timing is adjusted based on the tilt of the discharge port arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norihiro Kawatoko, Kentaro Muro, Masashi Hayashi, Eiji Komamiya, Tetsuya Edamura
  • Publication number: 20190001669
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a recording head including a first discharge port array and a second discharge port array, the first and second discharge port arrays being shifted and arranged in a first direction so that part of the discharge ports arranged at an end portion of the first discharge port array in the first direction and part of the discharge ports arranged at an end potion of the second discharge port array in the first direction are located at the same positions in the first direction. The plurality of discharge ports in each of the first and second discharge port arrays is obliquely arranged at a predetermined tilt with respect to the first direction. Discharge timing is adjusted based on the tilt of the discharge port arrays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Inventors: Norihiro Kawatoko, Kentaro Muro, Masashi Hayashi, Eiji Komamiya, Tetsuya Edamura
  • Patent number: 9764562
    Abstract: In a printing apparatus including a printhead and a print control unit, wherein the printhead includes two nozzle arrays, each arranged in a first direction and including nozzles arranged along a second direction, the print control unit performs a first operation of expanding print data onto a memory, a second operation of selecting, for each nozzle array, some of the nozzles as non-driving nozzles and the remaining nozzles as driving nozzles, and a third operation of distributing the expanded print data to the two nozzle arrays such that dots corresponding to the non-driving nozzles of one nozzle array are printed by the driving nozzles of the other nozzle array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Fumiko Suzuki, Atsuhiko Masuyama, Norihiro Kawatoko, Yoshiyuki Honda, Yutaka Kano, Hitoshi Nishikori
  • Patent number: 9636906
    Abstract: A printing apparatus comprising a printhead including two nozzle arrays neighboring in a first direction, each array including nozzles arrayed in a second direction, a determining unit for determining discharge nozzles and non-discharge nozzles for each array, a conveying unit for conveying a sheet to the first direction, a unit configured to perform (a) determining printing data such that dots corresponding to the non-discharge nozzles in one array are printed by the discharge nozzles in another array, (b) inserting null data into the printing data based on a shift amount of between printing positions of the two nozzle array, and (c) newly determining discharge nozzles and non-discharge nozzles by the determining unit based on the printing data including the null data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norihiro Kawatoko, Fumiko Suzuki, Yutaka Kano, Yoshiyuki Honda
  • Patent number: 9498961
    Abstract: A printing apparatus comprising a printhead including two nozzle arrays neighboring in a first direction, each including nozzles arrayed along a second direction, a conveying unit for conveying a sheet in the first direction, a driving unit for driving the printhead so that each nozzle performs preliminary discharge on the sheet, and a unit configured to perform selecting some nozzles as non-driving nozzles and the remaining nozzles as driving nozzles for every column data in image data, determining image data to be assigned to each array as a first data so that a dot corresponding the non-driving nozzle in one of the two arrays is printed by the driving nozzle in the other, determining data for preliminary discharge as a second data so that each driving nozzle performs preliminary discharge, and ORing the first and second data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yutaka Kano, Norihiro Kawatoko, Fumiko Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9457586
    Abstract: With an ink jet head having for each color two parallel columns of nozzles arranged shifted by one-half the pitch, odd-numbered rasters and even-numbered rasters are printed by the two nozzle columns. The registration between the odd- and even-numbered rasters is secured during the printing to produce a high quality image. The ink ejection timing between the two raster groups is shifted by a predetermined interval to form adjustment patterns; the adjustment patterns are checked and, according to the check result, an adjustment value for the ink ejection timing between the two ink nozzle columns is entered, and the entered adjustment value is stored to be reflected on the actual printing operation. To facilitate the adjustment pattern check, the adjustment patterns have a dot distribution with a blue noise characteristic at a resolution at which the printing apparatus can print.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Miyuki Fujita, Hiroshi Tajika, Yuji Konno, Shuichi Murakami, Norihiro Kawatoko, Takayuki Ogasahara, Tetsuya Edamura, Tetsuhiro Maeda
  • Patent number: 9421798
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording device is capable of correcting a recording position due to a leaning of a printing head and correcting of driving timing between multiple printing heads. Each nozzle row of a printing head is classified into multiple nozzle groups, and the driving timing of the nozzle groups other than the nozzle group serving as a reference of correction of the multiple nozzle groups is adjustable to correct for any leaning of the printing head. Moreover, in the event of performing the driving timing between printing heads, the driving timing of a non-reference printing head is adjustable relative to a reference printing head employed for leaning correction of multiple printing heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Aya Hayashi, Jiro Moriyama, Hidehiko Kanda, Yuji Hamasaki, Norihiro Kawatoko, Toshiyuki Chikuma, Atsushi Sakamoto, Hirokazu Tanaka, Masashi Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9421761
    Abstract: If a plurality of ejection openings at identical positions in an array direction in which ejection openings are arrayed have experienced an ejection failure, complementary nozzles are selected so that the distance between ejection openings at both ends of the plurality of ejection openings in a cross direction crossing the array direction is the shortest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kitabatake, Norihiro Kawatoko, Fumiko Suzuki, Kiichiro Takahashi, Yoshiyuki Honda
  • Publication number: 20160159085
    Abstract: If a plurality of ejection openings at identical positions in an array direction in which ejection openings are arrayed have experienced an ejection failure, complementary nozzles are selected so that the distance between ejection openings at both ends of the plurality of ejection openings in a cross direction crossing the array direction is the shortest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kitabatake, Norihiro Kawatoko, Fumiko Suzuki, Kiichiro Takahashi, Yoshiyuki Honda
  • Publication number: 20160096362
    Abstract: A printing apparatus comprising a printhead including two nozzle arrays neighboring in a first direction, each including nozzles arrayed along a second direction, a conveying unit for conveying a sheet in the first direction, a driving unit for driving the printhead so that each nozzle performs preliminary discharge on the sheet, and a unit configured to perform selecting some nozzles as non-driving nozzles and the remaining nozzles as driving nozzles for every column data in image data, determining image data to be assigned to each array as a first data so that a dot corresponding the non-driving nozzle in one of the two arrays is printed by the driving nozzle in the other, determining data for preliminary discharge as a second data so that each driving nozzle performs preliminary discharge, and ORing the first and second data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Yutaka Kano, Norihiro Kawatoko, Fumiko Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20160096363
    Abstract: A printing apparatus comprising a printhead including two nozzle arrays neighboring in a first direction, each array including nozzles arrayed in a second direction, a determining unit for determining discharge nozzles and non-discharge nozzles for each array, a conveying unit for conveying a sheet to the first direction, a unit configured to perform (a) determining printing data such that dots corresponding to the non-discharge nozzles in one array are printed by the discharge nozzles in another array, (b) inserting null data into the printing data based on a shift amount of between printing positions of the two nozzle array, and (c) newly determining discharge nozzles and non-discharge nozzles by the determining unit based on the printing data including the null data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Norihiro Kawatoko, Fumiko Suzuki, Yutaka Kano, Yoshiyuki Honda
  • Publication number: 20160096364
    Abstract: A printing apparatus including a printhead and a print control unit, wherein the printhead includes two nozzle arrays, each arranged in a first direction and including nozzles arranged along a second direction, the print control unit performs a first operation of expanding print data onto a memory, a second operation of selecting, for each nozzle array, some of the nozzles as non-driving nozzles and the remaining nozzles as driving nozzles, and a third operation of distributing the expanded print data to the two nozzle arrays such that dots corresponding to the non-driving nozzles of one nozzle array are printed by the driving nozzles of the other nozzle array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Fumiko SUZUKI, Atsuhiko Masuyama, Norihiro Kawatoko, Yoshiyuki Honda, Yutaka Kano, Hitoshi Nishikori
  • Patent number: 9138989
    Abstract: In a printing apparatus capable of printing the same pixel by a plurality of print elements, a print speed is increased, and further, a partial frequency of use of each of the print elements is reduced, so as to prolong the lifetime of the print head. In view of this, dithering is used as a pseudo-halftone representing method, and further, a distribution pattern for use in creating image data to be distributed to each of the plurality of print elements is switched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norihiro Kawatoko, Yutaka Kano