Patents by Inventor Yukihiko Ichikawa

Yukihiko Ichikawa 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: 8406639
    Abstract: A printing system, comprises a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to a network and including sheet trays and a detecting section provided to each sheet tray and to detect a capacity of empty space of each sheet tray; and a sheet managing section to obtain a capacity of empty space of each sheet tray of each image forming apparatus and to compare the capacity of empty space of each sheet tray with a capacity of one bundle of sheets as a unit of supply. In the case that the capacity of empty space of a sheet tray among the plural sheet trays of the plurality of image forming apparatuses is equal to or larger than the capacity of one plural bundle of sheets, the sheet managing section notifies that sheet supply can be conducted by one bundle of sheets as a unit of supply to the sheet tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Toshihisa Yamanaka, Kazuhisa Kishimoto, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 8218191
    Abstract: The invention provides the user a first insertion page position setting part that allows a user to designate insertion page positions that respectively indicate pages at which first tab sheets are to be inserted, and a second insertion page position setting part that allows the user to designate insertion page positions that respectively indicate pages at which second tab sheets are to be inserted, when a request for initiating the setting concerning the tab sheets is received. Further, the tab positions in the second tab sheets, which correspond to the insertion page positions designated in said second insertion page position setting part, are set up in accordance with the tab positions in the first tab sheets, which correspond to the insertion page positions designated in said first insertion page position setting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolota Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Sakuraba, Toshimi Shinchi, Michihiro Nakagawa, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 8152154
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a tab sheet supply unit and a control unit. The tab sheet supply unit supplies tab sheets of an identical type from an identical sheet supply tray as a chapter tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a first level of classification of a document to be printed, as well as a section tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a second level that is a finer level of classification than the first level of classification. The control unit causes the tab sheet contained in the sheet supply tray to be discharged as an unnecessary tab sheet, if the tab position of the tab sheet to be supplied next from the sheet supply tray does not match with the tab position of the tab sheet to be inserted next during the printing of the document, until both of the tab positions match.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michihiro Nakagawa, Tamotsu Sakuraba, Toshimi Shinchi, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20110266740
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a tab sheet supply unit and a control unit. The tab sheet supply unit supplies tab sheets of an identical type from an identical sheet supply tray as a chapter tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a first level of classification of a document to be printed, as well as a section tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a second level that is a finer level of classification than the first level of classification. The control unit causes the tab sheet contained in the sheet supply tray to be discharged as an unnecessary tab sheet, if the tab position of the tab sheet to be supplied next from the sheet supply tray does not match with the tab position of the tab sheet to be inserted next during the printing of the document, until both of the tab positions match.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Michihiro Nakagawa, Tamotsu Sakuraba, Toshimi Shinchi, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 8002259
    Abstract: Described is an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible to create a vacant tray. The apparatus includes a paper sheet managing section to conduct consecutive operations including: acquiring the residual amount of the paper sheets accommodated in each of plurality paper sheet trays; calculating a total sum of residual amounts of paper sheets having the same attributes; comparing the above-calculated total sum with the maximum accommodating capacity of each of the paper sheet trays currently accommodating the paper sheets concerned; and notifying the operator of the fact that a vacant tray can be made by collecting the paper sheets concerned into a specific paper sheet tray, if there exists such paper sheets and a combination of paper sheet trays that make the total sum of the residual amounts of the paper sheets equal to or smaller than the maximum accommodating capacity of the specific paper sheet tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Kishimoto, Toshihisa Yamanaka, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 8002258
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a tab sheet supply unit and a control unit. The tab sheet supply unit supplies tab sheets of an identical type from an identical sheet supply tray as a chapter tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a first level of classification of a document to be printed, as well as a section tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a second level that is a finer level of classification than the first level of classification. The control unit causes the tab sheet contained in the sheet supply tray to be discharged as an unnecessary tab sheet, if the tab position of the tab sheet to be supplied next from the sheet supply tray does not match with the tab position of the tab sheet to be inserted next during the printing of the document, until both of the tab positions match.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michihiro Nakagawa, Tamotsu Sakuraba, Toshimi Shinchi, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20110199625
    Abstract: A print data generation apparatus for generating a print data which causes an image indicated to be printed and a first mark, being printed by using a color erasable print material whose color is erasable by exposing to specific wavelength light, to be printed on a same recording sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2011
    Publication date: August 18, 2011
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Yasuaki SUGIMOTO, Masaki Kakutani, Yukihiko Ichikawa, Masao Akimoto
  • Patent number: 7848673
    Abstract: A warning is issued to the user when the tab sheet type selected at the first tab sheet type setup section for setting up the insertion of the first tab sheet is identical to the tab sheet type selected at the second tab sheet type setup section for setting up the insertion of the second tab sheet. As described above, a warning will be issued to the user if setup is intended to be made concerning multiple types of tab sheets and the setup is unlikely to be specified by the user. Also, assistance will be provided to the user concerning the setup for tab sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Sakuraba, Toshimi Shinchi, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20100052243
    Abstract: Described is an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible to create a vacant tray. The apparatus includes a paper sheet managing section to conduct consecutive operations including: acquiring the residual amount of the paper sheets accommodated in each of plurality paper sheet trays; calculating a total sum of residual amounts of paper sheets having the same attributes; comparing the above-calculated total sum with the maximum accommodating capacity of each of the paper sheet trays currently accommodating the paper sheets concerned; and notifying the operator of the fact that a vacant tray can be made by collecting the paper sheets concerned into a specific paper sheet tray, if there exists such paper sheets and a combination of paper sheet trays that make the total sum of the residual amounts of the paper sheets equal to or smaller than the maximum accommodating capacity of the specific paper sheet tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Inventors: Kazuhisa KISHIMOTO, Toshihisa Yamanaka, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20100019436
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a tab sheet supply unit and a control unit. The tab sheet supply unit supplies tab sheets of an identical type from an identical sheet supply tray as a chapter tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a first level of classification of a document to be printed, as well as a section tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a second level that is a finer level of classification than the first level of classification. The control unit causes the tab sheet contained in the sheet supply tray to be discharged as an unnecessary tab sheet, if the tab position of the tab sheet to be supplied next from the sheet supply tray does not match with the tab position of the tab sheet to be inserted next during the printing of the document, until both of the tab positions match.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2009
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Michihiro Nakagawa, Tamotsu Sakuraba, Toshimi Shinchi, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20090315249
    Abstract: A printing system, comprises a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to a network and including sheet trays and a detecting section provided to each sheet tray and to detect a capacity of empty space of each sheet tray; and a sheet managing section to obtain a capacity of empty space of each sheet tray of each image forming apparatus and to compare the capacity of empty space of each sheet tray with a capacity of one bundle of sheets as a unit of supply. In the case that the capacity of empty space of a sheet tray among the plural sheet trays of the plurality of image forming apparatuses is equal to or larger than the capacity of one plural bundle of sheets, the sheet managing section notifies that sheet supply can be conducted by one bundle of sheets as a unit of supply to the sheet tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Toshihisa Yamanaka, Kazuhisa Kishimoto, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 7609881
    Abstract: The image processing device is equipped with an image area extracting part for extracting a plurality of image areas from image data, an image positional information recognizing part for recognizing positional information of each extracted image area, an attribute recognizing part for recognizing at least attributes concerning whether each extracted image area is a filled closed area or unfilled closed area, a file producing part for producing a file synthesizing a plurality of image areas based on the positional information recognized by the image positional information recognizing part, and a sequence setting part for setting overlying sequence for each image area in accordance with the recognition result of the attribute recognizing part. The file producing part produces the file by overlaying a multiple of image areas in accordance with the overlaying sequence set up by the sequence setting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yukihiko Ichikawa, Yoshinori Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20080197556
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a tab sheet supply unit and a control unit. The tab sheet supply unit supplies tab sheets of an identical type from an identical sheet supply tray as a chapter tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a first level of classification of a document to be printed, as well as a section tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a second level that is a finer level of classification than the first level of classification. The control unit causes the tab sheet contained in the sheet supply tray to be discharged as an unnecessary tab sheet, if the tab position of the tab sheet to be supplied next from the sheet supply tray does not match with the tab position of the tab sheet to be inserted next during the printing of the document, until both of the tab positions match.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Michihiro Nakagawa, Tamotsu Sakuraba, Toshimi Shinchi, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20080175636
    Abstract: The invention provides the user a first insertion page position setting part that allows a user to designate insertion page positions that respectively indicate pages at which first tab sheets are to be inserted, and a second insertion page position setting part that allows the user to designate insertion page positions that respectively indicate pages at which second tab sheets are to be inserted, when a request for initiating the setting concerning the tab sheets is received. Further, the tab positions in the second tab sheets, which correspond to the insertion page positions designated in said second insertion page position setting part, are set up in accordance with the tab positions in the first tab sheets, which correspond to the insertion page positions designated in said first insertion page position setting part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Sakuraba, Toshimi Shinchi, Michihiro Nakagawa, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 7336378
    Abstract: In an image processor for a character image included in an image data to be processed, character codes are recognized, and character sizes of the characters in the character image are recognized. A font data is selected in a plurality of font data of different sizes stored in a storage device, so as to match with the recognized character codes, the recognized font sizes and a magnification of the image data. The selected font data are outputted. Thus, the character image is reproduced by using the recognized character codes. Alternatively, in a saving mode where image data of N pages are outputted in M sheets of recording medium, wherein N is not equal to M, character codes are recognized in a character image included in N pages of image data to be processed. Then, a font data is selected in a plurality of font data, so as to match with the recognized character codes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukihiko Ichikawa, Naoya Misawa, Yoshinori Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20080030784
    Abstract: When a request for initiating setup for tab sheets is received, a system provides a user a tab sheet setup screen having a first tab sheet insertion setup section for setting up the insertion of a first tab sheet and a second tab sheet insertion setup section for setting up the insertion of a second tab sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Publication date: February 7, 2008
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Sakuraba, Toshimi Shinchi, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20080019726
    Abstract: A warning is issued to the user when the tab sheet type selected at the first tab sheet type setup section for setting up the insertion of the first tab sheet is identical to the tab sheet type selected at the second tab sheet type setup section for setting up the insertion of the second tab sheet. As described above, a warning will be issued to the user if setup is intended to be made concerning multiple types of tab sheets and the setup is unlikely to be specified by the user. Also, assistance will be provided to the user concerning the setup for tab sheets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Sakuraba, Toshimi Shinchi, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20040136609
    Abstract: The image processing device is equipped with an image area extracting part for extracting a plurality of image areas from image data, an image positional information recognizing part for recognizing positional information of each extracted image area, an attribute recognizing part for recognizing at least attributes concerning whether each extracted image area is a filled closed area or unfilled closed area, a file producing part for producing a file synthesizing a plurality of image areas based on the positional information recognized by the image positional information recognizing part, and a sequence setting part for setting overlying sequence for each image area in accordance with the recognition result of the attribute recognizing part. The file producing part produces the file by overlaying a multiple of image areas in accordance with the overlaying sequence set up by the sequence setting part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2003
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Yukihiko Ichikawa, Yoshinori Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20020048032
    Abstract: In an image processor for a character image included in an image data to be processed, character codes are recognized, and character sizes of the characters in the character image are recognized. A font data is selected in a plurality of font data of different sizes stored in a storage device, so as to match with the recognized character codes, the recognized font sizes and a magnification of the image data. The selected font data are outputted. Thus, the character image is reproduced by using the recognized character codes. Alternatively, in a saving mode where image data of N pages are outputted in M sheets of recording medium, wherein N is not equal to M, character codes are recognized in a character image included in N pages of image data to be processed. Then, a font data is selected in a plurality of font data, so as to match with the recognized character codes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2001
    Publication date: April 25, 2002
    Inventors: Yukihiko Ichikawa, Naoya Misawa, Yoshinori Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20010043740
    Abstract: The digital copying machine 14 includes the character recognizing unit 31 that recognizes character strings included in table areas extracted from the image, the table operational unit 34 that calculates based on the numerical data obtained by converting character strings consisting of numbers and the operational expressions defined according to the specific character strings, and the verification unit 35 that compares the calculated values calculated by the table operational unit 34 with the numerical data to be verified. If a calculated value and a corresponding numerical data do not match, the control unit 26 notifies the user about the mismatch. The user can easily check recognition errors of numbers or errors in preparing the original document.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2001
    Publication date: November 22, 2001
    Inventors: Yukihiko Ichikawa, Yoshinori Tanaka