Patents by Inventor Taichiro KIMOTO
Taichiro KIMOTO 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: 20240126488Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a consumer receptacle and a controller to determine whether the processing apparatus is in a contracted status where a delivery contract for consumables is concluded or in an uncontracted status before the delivery contract is concluded. The consumable receptacle is configured to hold any of an exclusive consumable that is unusable when the processing apparatus is in the uncontracted status and a non-exclusive consumable different from the exclusive consumable. When the processing apparatus is in the contracted status, and the non-exclusive consumable is held in the consumable receptacle, the controller determines whether a specific condition for execution of a first particular process in which the non-exclusive consumable is consumed is satisfied. The controller allows the execution of the first particular process when the specific condition is satisfied, whereas restricting the execution of the first particular process when the specific condition is not satisfied.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2023Publication date: April 18, 2024Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Taichiro KIMOTO, Shunsuke MINAMIKAWA, Koichi TSUGIMURA, Yushi DEURA, Yuki KITAHASHI
-
Publication number: 20240112519Abstract: A consumable consuming device includes a consumable holder and a controller. The controller is switchable between a first state in which no agreement for delivery of a consumable is in effect and a second state in which an agreement for delivery of the consumable is in effect. The controller is configured to perform: a first determination process to determine a first remaining life that is a remaining life of the consumable provided to the consumable holder during a time when no agreement for delivery of the consumable is in effect; a consumption process to perform a prescribed operation while consuming the consumable in the second state; and a billing control process to perform a billing-related process after the first remaining life decreases to a predetermined quantity through execution of the consumption process but does not perform the billing-related process until the first remaining life decreases to the predetermined quantity.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2023Publication date: April 4, 2024Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Taichiro KIMOTO
-
Publication number: 20240059068Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: a head including a nozzle configured to discharge a liquid, an instruction-input section configured to accept an instruction from the user, and a controller. The controller is configured to execute: determining whether an instruction input from the instruction-input section is an instruction to execute a first recovery process in which a liquid consumption is greater than a first threshold amount; determining whether an execution condition for the first recovery process is met, in response that the instruction input from the instruction-input section is the instruction to execute the first recovery process; executing the first recovery process, in response that the execution condition for the first recovery process is met; and skipping the first recovery process, in response that the execution condition for the first recovery process is not met.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2023Publication date: February 22, 2024Inventor: Taichiro KIMOTO
-
Publication number: 20240064258Abstract: In a consuming device, a controller is configured to perform, when an operating mode is set to a non-billing mode: executing. The executing executes, in response to receiving an execution instruction, a prescribed operation consuming a consumable. The prescribed operation is executed while consuming the consumable irrespective of a permitted consumption quantity without decreasing the permitted consumption quantity. The controller is configured to perform: when the operating mode is set to a billing mode: acquiring; and executing. The acquiring acquires the permitted consumption quantity including a newly purchased consumption quantity paid for by a user. The executing executes, in response to receiving the execution instruction, the prescribed operation. The prescribed operation is executed while consuming the consumable and decreasing the permitted consumption quantity acquired in the acquiring until the decreased permitted consumption quantity reaches a predetermined quantity.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2023Publication date: February 22, 2024Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shunsuke MINAMIKAWA, Koichi TSUGIMURA, Taichiro KIMOTO, Yushi DEURA, Yuki KITAHASHI
-
Patent number: 11878515Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: a head, a conveyer having a roller arranged at the downstream of the head according to a conveyance direction, and a controller. The controller is configured to carry out: a recording process, a first determining process to determine whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the recording process, a conveying process to convey a medium in if the first determining process determines that the predetermined time has elapsed, and a setting process to set a predetermined time based on a discharge amount of a liquid from a plurality of nozzles onto a recording area and a conveyance time for the conveyer to convey the medium from the recording area to the roller, before the first determining process.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 2021Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Satoru Arakane, Shohei Ichikawa, Taichiro Kimoto, Yusuke Arai
-
Publication number: 20230415484Abstract: A liquid discharge device includes a tank configured to store a liquid, a head having a plurality of nozzles forming a plurality of nozzle rows, a first sensor configured to output a first signal when a liquid level of the liquid is at or above a first position and to output a second signal when the liquid level is below the first position, and a controller configured to: based on receiving the first signal after receiving the second signal, perform a first maintenance on a part of the nozzle rows of the head; in a case a predetermined condition is satisfied after performing the first maintenance, perform a second maintenance on remaining nozzle rows of the head; and after performing the first and the maintenances, control the head to discharge the liquid from the plurality of nozzles.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 23, 2023Publication date: December 28, 2023Inventor: Taichiro KIMOTO
-
Publication number: 20230388434Abstract: An information management system includes: an information handling apparatus; and an information management apparatus which communicates with the information handling apparatus via a network. The information handling apparatus executes: an identification information obtaining process; and an identification information sending process. The information management apparatus executes: an identification information receiving process; a recipient associating process; a collection information obtaining process; a privilege information generating process; a recipient determining process; and a privilege information granting process.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2023Publication date: November 30, 2023Inventors: Naoya OKAZAKI, Masahiro HAYASHI, Satoru OKI, Tetsunori MORI, Taichiro KIMOTO, Sadakki MIYAZAKI
-
Publication number: 20230289117Abstract: In a server system, the computer stores in the printer a usable print quantity in association with a printer in response to an increase request from an external device. The increase request is a request to store an increased quantity as the usable print quantity. The usable print quantity indicates one of the number of sheets and an amount of colorant which are usable for printing in the printer. The computer determines, after a communication interface is disconnected from the printer, whether a reconnection is established between the communication interface and the printer. The computer determines, when the reconnection is determined to be established, whether the usable print quantity has been reflected in data in the printer. The computer sends to the printer, when the usable print quantity is determined not to have been reflected in any data in the printer, a reflecting instruction to reflect the usable print quantity.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 8, 2023Publication date: September 14, 2023Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yuki KITAHASHI, Shunsuke MINAMIKAWA, Taichiro KIMOTO, Yushi DEURA, Ayaka HOTTA
-
IMAGE RECORDING APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD TO PERFORM PROPER CHARGING AFTER CARTRIDGE REPLACEMENT
Publication number: 20230166514Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes a controller configured to make a transition of an operational mode of the controller between a first mode and a second mode. The first mode represents an operational state where a contract for a service using a first cartridge has been made. The second mode represents an operational state where the contract for the contract for the service has not been made. In the first mode, the controller stores a first tank liquid volume and a second tank liquid volume in a memory. The first tank liquid volume represents, when the first cartridge is attached to an attachment case, an amount of liquid supplied from the first cartridge and stored in a tank. The second tank liquid volume represents, when a second cartridge is attached to the attachment case, an amount of liquid supplied from the second cartridge and stored in the tank.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 3, 2022Publication date: June 1, 2023Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Taichiro KIMOTO -
Publication number: 20230114658Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a main body of the recording apparatus, and a consumable which is detachably attached to the main body of the recording apparatus. The consumable has a consumable memory which stores use amount information of a consumable material included in the consumable and recycling history information of the consumable. The main body of the recording apparatus has a communication unit which communicates with the consumable memory, and a processor. The processor acquires the recycling history information from the consumable memory of the consumable mounted on the main body of the recording apparatus by communication via the communication unit, and determines whether or not to perform initialization processing of initializing a value of the use amount information stored in the consumable memory, according to the acquired recycling history information.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2022Publication date: April 13, 2023Inventors: Tetsunori MORI, Taichiro KIMOTO, Zenichiro SASAKI
-
Publication number: 20220063307Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: a head, a conveyer having a roller arranged at the downstream of the head according to a conveyance direction, and a controller. The controller is configured to carry out: a recording process, a first determining process to determine whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the recording process, a conveying process to convey a medium in if the first determining process determines that the predetermined time has elapsed, and a setting process to set a predetermined time based on a discharge amount of a liquid from a plurality of nozzles onto a recording area and a conveyance time for the conveyer to convey the medium from the recording area to the roller, before the first determining process.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 3, 2021Publication date: March 3, 2022Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Shohei Ichikawa, Taichiro Kimoto, Yusuke Arai
-
Patent number: 8786895Abstract: An image processing device that transmits print image data to an image forming portion to form a target image on at least one recording medium, includes a processor and a non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the image processing device to perform steps including: generating display image data at a display scale for displaying the target image including an element of the target image on a display portion prior to formation of the target image on the at least one recording medium; and generating print image data at a print scale for forming the target image on the recording medium, such that the element of the target image to be formed on the at least one recording medium has substantially the same size as the element of the target image displayed on the display portion.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2011Date of Patent: July 22, 2014Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hironori Takasaki, Taichiro Kimoto
-
Patent number: 8564843Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a scanning unit, an image data synthesizing unit, and a printing unit is described. The scanning unit reads a first image, generates first image data representing the first image, reads a second image and generates second image data representing the second image. The image data synthesizing unit generates, on the basis of the first and second image data, synthesized image data representing a synthesized image of the first and second images arranged in a contact state where a first side which is one of four sides constituting an outer edge of the first image and a second side which is one of four sides constituting an outer edge of the second image are disposed immediately adjacent to each other or in a close state in which these sides are disposed parallel to and close to each other. The printing unit prints the synthesized image.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2010Date of Patent: October 22, 2013Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Taichiro Kimoto
-
Patent number: 8553273Abstract: In the printing device, the image in the print data indicates a part of the original image. The printing unit prints a print image in the printing region on the recording sheets. Each printing region is assigned with at least one of a gluing region and a projecting region. The projecting region is a part of the printing region. The gluing region is on the recording sheet. One of two printing regions corresponding to two image regions partially overlaps with each other is assigned with the gluing region. The remaining printing region is assigned with the projecting region. An image corresponding to the projecting region corresponds to a part of image corresponding to the one of the two printing regions. The printing unit performs borderless printing with the image corresponding to the projecting region running off the recording sheet.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2010Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Taichiro Kimoto
-
Publication number: 20120140279Abstract: An image processing device that transmits print image data to an image forming portion to form a target image on at least one recording medium, includes a processor and a non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the image processing device to perform steps including: generating display image data at a display scale for displaying the target image including an element of the target image on a display portion prior to formation of the target image on the at least one recording medium; and generating print image data at a print scale for forming the target image on the recording medium, such that the element of the target image to be formed on the at least one recording medium has substantially the same size as the element of the target image displayed on the display portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 5, 2011Publication date: June 7, 2012Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hironori TAKASAKI, Taichiro KIMOTO
-
Publication number: 20110063686Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a scanning unit, an image data synthesizing unit, and a printing unit is described. The scanning unit reads a first image, generates first image data representing the first image, reads a second image and generates second image data representing the second image. The image data synthesizing unit generates, on the basis of the first and second image data, synthesized image data representing a synthesized image of the first and second images arranged in a contact state where a first side which is one of four sides constituting an outer edge of the first image and a second side which is one of four sides constituting an outer edge of the second image are disposed immediately adjacent to each other or in a close state in which these sides are disposed parallel to and close to each other. The printing unit prints the synthesized image.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 8, 2010Publication date: March 17, 2011Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Taichiro KIMOTO
-
Publication number: 20110051195Abstract: In the printing device, the image in the print data indicates a part of the original image. The printing unit prints a print image in the printing region on the recording sheets. Each printing region is assigned with at least one of a gluing region and a projecting region. The projecting region is a part of the printing region. The gluing region is on the recording sheet. One of two printing regions corresponding to two image regions partially overlaps with each other is assigned with the gluing region. The remaining printing region is assigned with the projecting region. An image corresponding to the projecting region corresponds to a part of image corresponding to the one of the two printing regions. The printing unit performs borderless printing with the image corresponding to the projecting region running off the recording sheet.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 30, 2010Publication date: March 3, 2011Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Taichiro KIMOTO