Patents Issued in July 19, 2007
  • Publication number: 20070165025
    Abstract: A method, system and program product for re-meshing of a three-dimensional (3D) input model using progressive implicit approximating levels are provided. Specifically, an initial quadrilateral mesh for a 3D input model is provided. Then, an implicit approximating field is built for a first approximating level (L) of the 3D input model using an implicit surface modeling technique. An iso-contour of the implicit approximating field is then extracted, and the quadrilateral mesh is fit to the first approximating level (L). The fit between the quadrilateral mesh and the first approximating level (L) is then estimated, and it is determined whether the fit meets a predetermined quality criterion. If not, the quadrilateral mesh is refined using one or more of a sequence of topological operations are performed to improve the fit. The process is then iteratively repeated for subsequent approximation levels until one of the subsequent approximation levels is fit to the 3D input model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Chen Shen, Ioana Boier-Martin
  • Publication number: 20070165026
    Abstract: A method for volume rendering a digitized image includes providing a pair of adjacent 2-dimensional images of texture data, identifying a plurality of polygons extending in slabs between said adjacent two dimensional textures, and finding the first and last visible voxel for the data rows and data columns of each said polygon. The minimum and maximum bounds of each data row and for each data column are determined, those data rows and data columns that do not contain any visible voxels are marked as invisible, and the polygons are rendered along a direction orthogonal to a dominant viewing direction, wherein rendering of texture data is restricted by the outer bounds of polygons that are trimmed to the minimum and maximum bounds of two neighboring data rows or data columns, and wherein those data rows and data columns marked as invisible are skipped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventor: Klaus Engel
  • Publication number: 20070165027
    Abstract: In a technology for displaying two-dimensional images on a plurality of display planes placed at different depth positions as seen from an observer to display a three-dimensional stereoscopic image, when a display object having brightness darker than that of a background is displayed, the disclosed method including: generating first two-dimensional images that are obtained by projecting the background plane onto the plurality of display planes along a line of sight of the observer, and displaying the first two-dimensional images on the display planes respectively wherein brightness of each of the first two-dimensional images is changed independently for each display plane; and generating second two-dimensional images that are obtained by projecting the display object onto the plurality of display planes along the line of sight of the observer, and displaying the second two-dimensional images on the display planes respectively in which brightness of each of the two-dimensional images is set to be the same amon
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2005
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORP.
    Inventors: Atsushi Nakadaira, Naobumi Suzuki, Daisuke Ochi
  • Publication number: 20070165028
    Abstract: An instruction folding mechanism, a method for performing the instruction folding mechanism and a pixel processing system employing the instruction folding mechanism are described. The pixel processing system comprises an instruction folding mechanism and a pixel shader. The instruction folding mechanism folds a plurality of first instructions in a first program to generate a second program having at least one second instruction which is a combination of the first instructions. The pixel shader connected to the instruction folding mechanism fetches the second program to decode at least the second instruction having the combination of the first instructions to execute the second program. The instruction folding mechanism comprises an instruction scheduler, a folding rule checker, and an instruction combiner. The instruction scheduler connected to the folding rule checker is used to scan the first instructions according to static positions in order to schedule the first instrictions in the first program.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventor: R-ming Hsu
  • Publication number: 20070165029
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating shadow by using an adaptive shadow volume algorithm are disclosed. By accumulating the number of Z pass and Z fail during shadow volume rendering, the performance can be improved by adaptively selecting the z pass algorithm or the z fail algorithm. Accordingly, one of the algorithms (z-pass or z-fail) with better performance is used as the shadow volume algorithm for next frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Ruen-Rone Lee, Shao-Chen Peng
  • Publication number: 20070165030
    Abstract: The content display apparatus related to mobile terminals, mobile phones, computer apparatuses and others performs the following process to accurately display the content. The content to be reproduced is stored in a storage unit. Data of the content to be reproduced is evaluated, and complexity of the content is calculated. When the obtained complexity is smaller than the upper limit of processing capability of the terminal (the upper limit of complexity), the content can be reproduced as it is. If the obtained complexity exceeds the upper limit of the processing capability of the terminal, part of the functions of the terminal are invalidated to suppress display of part of the content, and complexity is calculated again. The process is repeated such that the content is reproduced within the processing capability of the terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2003
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventor: Masahiro Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20070165031
    Abstract: Graphic elements and graphic displays are provided for use in a process environment to display information to one or more users about the process environment, such as the current state of devices within a process plant. The graphic elements and displays include one or more objects, each of which includes a visualization, which depicts an entity within the process environment, a property associated with the depicted process entity and a routine that operates in conjunction with the visualization and the property to cause a change in the-visualization based on a change in the property, or to cause a change in the process environment based on user input through the visualization. In this manner, the graphic objects can be used to create displays that graphically illustrate, through animations and other visual operations, the changing state of the process or detected events within the process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2005
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Gilbert, Tennyson Hao, Francis Guzman, Ken Beoughter, Bruce Compney, Mark Nixon
  • Publication number: 20070165032
    Abstract: This invention is an application of 4D human form modeling technology enabled by high-speed data processes and a temporal adjustment scheme for teaching and understanding external and/or cosmetic changes on the human form. The potential applications of this technology are limitless within the confines of external human modeling and are only confined by the system's ability to process human form data. A source is defined by content to be replicated and displayed, and all associated components. The source may be either data captured in real-time or in some mannequin form or component already available. The source is processed and displayed on a medium that is appropriate for the distribution of the source. Since there are varying systems for displaying information and display technology is a dynamic medium, this invention is applicable to all existing and planned display apparatus for the foreseeable future.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventor: Teri Dougherty
  • Publication number: 20070165033
    Abstract: This invention provides an image generating method that simplifies moving body operation. This method includes the following steps. (1) a step of receiving environment information (for example, environment images) using one or a plurality of space measurement sensors (for example, a camera) attached to a moving body; (2) a step of receiving time when the environment information is received, and parameter of the space measurement sensor itself (for example, position and attitude of a camera) at the time; (3) a step of saving history information representing the environment information, the time, and the parameters; (4) a step of receiving designation for virtual observation point; and (5) a step of generating virtual environment image seen from the virtual observation point based on the saved history information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2005
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Campus Create Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fumitoshi Matsuno, Masahiko Inami, Naoji Shiroma
  • Publication number: 20070165034
    Abstract: An analytical tool for measuring spacing between elements in a web page is provided. In one implementation, the analytical tool identifies locations indicated on a web page and automatically determines one or more elements in proximity to those indicated locations. The analytical tool automatically identifies points on the determined elements associated with the indicated locations and calculates the distance between those points. The calculated distance is displayed on the web page. The automatically identified points and a graphical representation of a measuring ruler between the points may also be displayed to enhance usability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Markus Mielke
  • Publication number: 20070165035
    Abstract: A deferred shading graphics pipeline processor and method are provided encompassing numerous substructures. Embodiments of the processor and method may include one or more of deferred shading, a tiled frame buffer, and multiple?stage hidden surface removal processing. In the deferred shading graphics pipeline, hidden surface removal is completed before pixel coloring is done. The pipeline processor comprises a command fetch and decode unit, a geometry unit, a mode extraction unit, a sort unit, a setup unit, a cull unit, a mode injection unit, a fragment unit, a texture unit, a Phong lighting unit, a pixel unit, and a backend unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Jerome Duluk, Richard Hessel, Vaughn Arnold, Jack Benkual, Joseph Bratt, George Cuan, Stephen Dodgen, Emerson Fang, Zhaoyu Gong, Thomas Ho, Hengwei Hsu, Sidong Li, Sam Ng, Matthew Papakipos, Jason Redgrave, Sushma Trivedi, Nathan Tuck, Shun Go, Lindy Fung, Tuan Nguyen, Joseph Grass, Bo Hung, Abraham Mammen, Abbas Rashid, Albert Tsay
  • Publication number: 20070165036
    Abstract: A system for programming at least a controller chip is disclosed. The system includes a programming apparatus and at least a programmable device mounted on the programming apparatus. The programming apparatus has at least a first connection interface and a micro-controller. The programmable device has the monitor controller chip mounted thereon and a second connection interface coupled between the first connection interface and the controller chip. The micro-controller controls the programming of the controller chip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2005
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Yi-Shu Chang, Wen-Che Wu, Wen-Jui Lin
  • Publication number: 20070165037
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for displaying a three-dimensional image according to the position of a user, in which the distance between a display panel displaying a two-dimensional image and a three-dimensional optical panel converting a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional image is controlled in accordance with the position of the user to provide an optimized three-dimensional image. The apparatus includes a three-dimensional optical device converting a displayed two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional image, a position measurement module measuring the position of the user who converges on the three-dimensional image, a crosstalk calculator calculating the level of crosstalk that can occur in the position of the user, and a driver adjusting a position of the three-dimensional optical device if the level of crosstalk exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hee-seob Ryu, Tae-hee Kim, Soo-hyun Bae, Jun-il Sohn, Yong-beom Lee
  • Publication number: 20070165038
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes an external display connection terminal, a display controller which receives video data from software and generates a digital video signal from the received video data, an interface control circuit which outputs the digital video signal, which is generated by the display controller, to an outside via the external display connection terminal, and a control unit which sets the interface control circuit in an operative state after an operating system, which has a content protection function for protecting the video data against unlawful use, is booted up.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Hiroaki Chiba, Shigeru Kizaki
  • Publication number: 20070165039
    Abstract: A video decoder organizes and stores pixel lines of a reference picture into first and second memory devices. The video decoder then reads portions of a pixel block from the first and second memory devices and processes such a pixel block for generating a subsequent picture. By reading from the first and second memory device with time overlap, latency is minimized for faster video decoding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Nak-Hee Seong, Jae-Hong Park, Young-Jun Kwon, Tae-Sun Kim, Seon-Young Yeo, Sang-Hoon Lee
  • Publication number: 20070165040
    Abstract: The invention relates to a display apparatus and related method thereof capable of preventing firmware updating failure. The display apparatus includes a first memory block for storing a first firmware; a second memory block for storing a second firmware; and a micro controller unit coupled to the first memory block and the second memory block for accessing and executing the first firmware or the second firmware to control the operation of the display apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Ching-Tzong Wang, Szu-Ping Chen
  • Publication number: 20070165041
    Abstract: Briefly, a method, main processing unit and a computer system to report a failure in a bit of a memory line by updating first and second counters for a first time and a second time correction of bit failures in a line, respectively. The updating of first and second counters after a third time correction of bit failure in the line is disabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2005
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Tsvika Kurts, Moty Mehalel, Julius Mandelblat, Alexander Gendler
  • Publication number: 20070165042
    Abstract: A rendering apparatus includes a memory device, a cache memory, a cache control unit and a rendering process. The memory device stores image data. The cache memory executes transmission/reception of the image data to/from the memory device. The cache memory includes a plurality of entries, each of which is capable of storing the image data. The cache control unit manages data transfer between the memory device and the cache memory and stores information relating to a state of the cache memory. The cache control unit stores, in association with each of the entries, identification information of the image data transferred from the memory device to the entry of the cache memory and transfer information which is indicative of whether the image data is already transferred to the entry or not. The rendering process unit executes image rendering by using the image data in the cache memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventor: Seitaro Yagi
  • Publication number: 20070165043
    Abstract: A graphics system including a custom graphics and audio processor produces exciting 2D and 3D graphics and surround sound. The system includes a graphics and audio processor including a 3D graphics pipeline and an audio digital signal processor. Techniques for efficiently buffering graphics data between a producer and a consumer within a low-cost graphics systems such as a 3D home video game overcome the problem that a small-sized FIFO buffer in the graphics hardware may not adequately load balance a producer and consumer—causing the producer to stall when the consumer renders bit primitives. One aspect of the invention solves this invention by allocating part of main memory to provide a variable number of variable sized graphics commands buffers. Applications can specify the number of buffers and the size of each. All writes to the graphics FIFO can be routed a buffer in main memory. The producer and consumer independently maintain their own read and write pointers, decoupling the producer from the consumer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Farhad Fouladi, Robert Moore
  • Publication number: 20070165044
    Abstract: Architectural structure design methods, architectural structure design apparatuses, and articles of manufacture are described according to some aspects of the disclosure. In one aspect, an architectural structure design method includes responsive to user input, modifying a visual representation of an architectural structure, wherein the visual representation comprises an object of the architectural structure, first displaying the visual representation comprising the object at a first moment in time, wherein the object is positioned at a first location of a display screen, responsive to user input, selecting an attribute for the object from a second location of the display screen which is different than the first location of the display screen, responsive to user input, associating the attribute with the object after the selecting, and displaying the visual representation comprising the object having the attribute at a second moment in time after the associating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Gregory Wells, Jason Troye, Dermot Dempsey
  • Publication number: 20070165045
    Abstract: Method for modifying a procedural map for use with a tree driven procedural map comprising a plurality of levels (at least two levels) each having at least one node associated to at least one parameter, comprising the steps of: ? providing a node selection tool allowing the selection of at least one node of one level among the plurality of nodes of a map to be modified; ? select a given node according to a given input; ? provide a parameter modification tool allowing the modification of at least one parameter of the selected node; ? modify said parameter of said node based on a given input; ? calculate a modified map based on the modified parameters. The invention also provides the map generation and modification tools for the implementation of this method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2004
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: ALLEGORITHMIC
    Inventor: Sebastien Deguy
  • Publication number: 20070165046
    Abstract: A computer graphics system generates a pixel value for a pixel in an image, the pixel value being representative of a point in a scene as recorded on an image plane of a simulated camera, the computer graphics system comprising a sample point generator and a function evaluator. The sample point generator is configured to generate a set of sample points, at least one sample point being generated using at least one depenent sample comprising at least one element of a low-discrepancy sequence offset by at least one element of another low-discrepancy sequence. The function evaluator is configured to generate at least one value representing an evaluation of a selection function at one of the sample points, the value generated by the function evaluator corresponding to the pixel value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventor: ALEXANDER KELLER
  • Publication number: 20070165047
    Abstract: A graphic rendering system capable of performing real-time compression and decompression, which includes a storage device, a decompressor, a rendering engine, a first real-time compressor, a frame buffer and a first real-time decompressor. The storage device stores a compressed sprite image and a compressed background image. The decompressor performs a decompression operation to thereby obtain a sprite image and a background image. The rendering engine performs an image processing on the sprite image and the background image to thereby produce a partial display image. The first real-time compressor performs a real-time compression processing on the partial display image to thereby produce a compressed partial display image. The frame buffer temporarily stores the compressed partial display image. The first real-time decompressor performs a real-time decompression processing on the compressed partial display image to thereby output an image signal for display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Sunplus Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shin-Chien Wang, Chih-Chung Shih
  • Publication number: 20070165048
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image processing device with which the storage capacity for storing lookup tables can be reduced while allowing the degree to which various color processing operations are performed to be freely adjusted. The image processing device 10 performs color processing of an image signal d2, and is provided with a profile creation portion 15 and a color processing execution portion 16. The profile creation portion 15 creates a new color transformation profile that achieves a predetermined color processing to a predetermined degree of processing based on a plurality of base color transformation profiles that achieve the predetermined color processing to different degrees of processing. The color processing execution portion 16 executes color processing of the image signal d2 based on the new color transformation profile that has been created.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2004
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Haruo Yamashita, Akio Kojima, Takeshi Ito, Yasuhiro Kuwahara, Tatsumi Watanabe, Yusuke Monobe, Toshiharu Kurosawa
  • Publication number: 20070165049
    Abstract: The system includes a remote computer-readable storage medium including a set of medical results for a plurality of patients and a computing device including a computer-readable storage medium, where the computer-readable storage medium includes a set of instructions for the computing device. The set of instructions includes a selection routine configured to select at least one of a plurality of views based on input from a user, where each of the plurality of views includes a template for presentation of a subset of the set of medical results to the user and a modification routine configured to dynamically modify the template of one or more of the views based on input from the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: David Murawski, Steve Fors, Mohan Naidu, Nirav Shah, Jay Nayanaveettil, Brandon Savage, Afshar Sanam, Krishna Prasad, Nitin Mallya, Vijay Bhatt, Anees Syed, Aravind Hiremath, Brian Johnson
  • Publication number: 20070165050
    Abstract: A method for generating a presentation of an advertisement image for display on a display screen, comprising: subdividing a map image into a plurality of geographic regions; associating the advertisement image with a region-of-interest, the region-of-interest being one of the plurality of geographic regions; receiving a signal selecting the region-of-interest; and, applying a lens to the map image to produce the presentation, the lens having a focal region with a magnification for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region where the magnification diminishes to that of the map image, the presentation including a view of the advertisement image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Idelix Software Inc.
    Inventor: David Baar
  • Publication number: 20070165051
    Abstract: An image display method and an image display device in which one field is constructed by plural subfields weighted in brightness, and coding for controlling light emission and light non-emission of a pixel every each subfield is performed to display gradation, and coding with respect to a pixel of a dynamic image area and coding with respect to a pixel of a static image area are different; wherein a transition area is arranged between the dynamic image area and the static image area; and pixel A coded with respect to the pixel of the dynamic image area and pixel B coded with respect to the pixel of the static image area mixedly exist in the transition area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Yamada
  • Publication number: 20070165052
    Abstract: On a transferring surface of a transferring body, lyophilic areas arranged in a scanning direction and in a circumferential direction of the transferring body, and a liquid repellent area which surrounds the lyophilic areas are formed. In a circumferential area between one of the lyophilic areas and the liquid repellent area, a proportion of the liquid repellent area increases progressively at positions away from a center of the lyophilic area. An ink droplet which is jetted from a nozzle, and is adhered to the circumferential area moves toward the center of the lyophilic area till a center of the liquid droplet coincides with the center of the lyophilic area. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a position shift in a final adhering position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventor: Hiroto Sugahara
  • Publication number: 20070165053
    Abstract: A transmission/reception element transmits an ultrasound wave to an ink liquid contained in an ink tank. At this time, a near sound field of the ultrasound wave is formed within a propagating member when it propagates the ultrasound wave transmitted from the transmission/reception element to the ink liquid. The transmission/reception element receives the ultrasound wave that is transmitted, reflected on the surface of the ink liquid, and comes back. An ink remaining amount calculating unit calculates the remaining amount of the ink liquid based on an elapsed time required from the transmission until the reception.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi Oguri
  • Publication number: 20070165054
    Abstract: The invention obtains superior printing quality even when printing at high speed, thinning the number of multi-pass inkjet printing scans. The inkjet printing apparatus comprises a printhead composed of multiple printing element arrays that are arranged corresponding to ink colors in the main scanning direction, and a unit that makes the printing duty of at least one printing element array vary with regard to the printing duty of other printing element arrays, according to the printing element arrays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Jun SHIMOJI
  • Publication number: 20070165055
    Abstract: In a printhead element board including a plurality of printing elements which align in a predetermined direction, driving circuits which drive the printing elements, and an element selection circuit which selects printing elements within each group for each group having a predetermined number of adjacent printing elements, a plurality of element selection circuits are laid out adjacent to the driving circuits of the respective groups. With this layout, even if the number of printing elements increases, only the length in the printing element array direction increases without increasing the length in a direction perpendicular to the printing element array direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Hirayama, Ryo Kasai, Masataka Sakurai
  • Publication number: 20070165056
    Abstract: Printed pages of a stably high image quality can be produced when performing printing using a recording apparatus having an elongate joint head. The recording apparatus determines whether an end of an image to be printed is included in a joint of overlapping chips. If the end of the image is included in the joint, the recording apparatus sets groups of nozzles to be used so as to use, of nozzles corresponding to the chip joint (overlapping nozzles), continuously all nozzles included in the group of nozzles of a chip, of which nozzles other than the overlapping nozzles are used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: HIROMITSU YAMAGUCHI, Satoshi Wada, Makoto Akahira
  • Publication number: 20070165057
    Abstract: A substrate structure includes a substrate and a plurality of unitary layer partition walls with ink repellent characteristic provided on and connected with the substrate, the partition walls cooperatively defining a plurality of separated first accommodating rooms configured for containing ink therein, at least one of the partition walls includes at least a second accommodating room configured for receiving excessive amount of ink overflowing from the first accommodating rooms. A method for manufacturing a patterned layer includes the steps of: preparing a substrate structure; applying ink into first accommodating rooms; solidifying the ink in the first accommodating rooms to form a patterned layer on the substrate structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: ICF Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: CHING-YU CHOU
  • Publication number: 20070165058
    Abstract: Each of a plurality of driver ICs, which drives an associated print head, includes an analog voltage provider, which provides an analog voltage which is inversely proportional to a temperature of the driver IC, a reference temperature provider, which provides a digital value corresponding to a reference temperature, a D/A converter, which converts the digital value into a corresponding analog value, and a comparator, which compares the analog voltage with the analog value and outputs a comparison signal indicating whether the analog voltage is higher than the analog value. A temperature detector determines whether the temperature of at least one of print heads is higher than the reference temperature in accordance with the comparison signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noboru Tamura, Yuichi Nishihara
  • Publication number: 20070165059
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a carriage having a recording head including a nozzle array with a plurality of nozzles thereon and being capable of reciprocably moving over a recording medium to a main-scanning direction a recording medium conveying unit that conveys the recording medium to a sub-scanning direction intersecting the main-scanning direction; a first detecting unit disposed upstream than the recording head in the sub-scanning direction that detects at least a rear edge of the recording medium of sub-scanning direction; a second detecting unit placed on the carriage that detects at least the rear edge of the recording medium downstream than the first detecting unit in the sub-scanning direction; and a recording control unit that causes the nozzles of the recording head to eject ink onto a recording surface on the recording medium based on recording data as the carriage is reciprocated to the main-scanning direction and that causes the recording medium conveying unit to convey the recording mediu
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Katsuhiko Nishizaka
  • Publication number: 20070165060
    Abstract: A nozzle head, having a feed line for a high-pressurized fluid, a channel for delivering an abrasive substance, with which the fluid can be loaded, as well as a discharge line, from which the fluid, loaded with abrasive substance, can issue, is designed such that the feed line and the channel run parallel or almost parallel to each other, and that the discharge line issues sideways from the nozzle head so as to run at an angle to the feed line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Hammelmann Maschinenfabrik GmbH
    Inventors: Egbert Helmig, Alwin Goering
  • Publication number: 20070165061
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus has a recording head for recording an image on a recording medium, an ink supply source for supplying an ink to the recording head through an ink tube, a carriage for mounting the recording head thereon reciprocating in a primary scanning direction, and first and second guide members for supporting the carriage thereacross and guiding reciprocating movement of the carriage. The apparatus includes a scale provided on the second guide member along the primary scanning direction, a detector provided on the carriage for detecting a reciprocating position of the carriage in corporation with the scale, and a partition disposed in the vicinity of the scale for separating at least a part of the ink tube from the scale.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenji Samoto
  • Publication number: 20070165062
    Abstract: An inkjet printer has a printing head having a nozzle surface on which a plurality of nozzles are located that spray a plurality of kinds of ink and a cap that covers the nozzle surface of the printing head. This cap includes a ring-shaped seal lip that is constructed so that the tip end thereof comes in contact with the nozzle surface to perform capping and a partitioning lip that partitions the area inside the seal lip into areas for nozzle groups that correspond to the kinds of ink. The tip end of either seal lip or partitioning lip is shaped so that it is compressed more easily than that of the other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Takamasa Usui, Katsunori Nishida
  • Publication number: 20070165063
    Abstract: In a cleaning unit that cleans nozzles are provided a support base, a wiping portion that moves together with the support base to clean an ink on the nozzles, and a suction nozzle that is provided on the support base through a spring behind the wiping portion with respect to a traveling direction along which a cleaning operation is performed and sucks the ink subjected to cleaning. The wiping portion is moved by a set pin to adjust a gap between the wiping portion and a recording head, and contact cleaning or non-contact cleaning is selected at the time of cleaning. As a result, there can be provided an inkjet recording apparatus that can prevent an ink-repellant coating from being abraded, stably eject the ink, and record a high-quality image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Kaoru Horie
  • Publication number: 20070165064
    Abstract: In a structure in which a printing medium is subjected to a maintenance ejection in order to maintain a favorable ink ejection performance of a printing head, dots formed on the printing medium by the maintenance ejection have a reduced visibility. Specifically, an area of dots formed by landing ink droplets ejected from the printing head for the maintenance ejection onto the printing medium is smaller than an area of similar dots formed by a normal printing. Specifically, by flowing currents having different waveforms into an ejection heater of the printing head depending on the ejection for printing an image and the maintenance ejection, an area of dots formed by the maintenance ejection can be smaller than an area of dots formed by the normal ejection for printing an image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinori MISUMI, Nobuyuki Matsumoto, Hiroyuki Murayama
  • Publication number: 20070165065
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium by ejecting drops of recording fluid from a recording head includes a waste tank having a space for containing waste fluid, a part for obtaining a correlation value that has a correlation to a deposited state of the waste fluid in the space within the waste tank, and a part for judging whether or not the correlation value exceeds a reference value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2005
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Tomohiro Tamai, Tetsuya Kaneko
  • Publication number: 20070165066
    Abstract: A downward component force of a tensile force exerted on a timing belt at a belt coupling part and the weight of a carriage act upon a first sliding surface of a first guide member and a second sliding surface of a second guide member via a first sliding protrusion and second sliding protrusions. Since the center of gravity of the carriage is located between the first sliding protrusion and the second sliding protrusions, the carriage can be stably supported by the first and second guide members while the carriage remains stationary or moves at a constant speed in a main scanning direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Kenji Samoto, Noriyuki Kawamata
  • Publication number: 20070165067
    Abstract: A recording head including outlets disposed in a staggered pattern so that the distances from an ink inlet to the outlets differ alternately for adjacent outlets. A recording head includes an outlet group including a plurality of outlets on at least one side of an ink inlet. The outlet group includes first outlets and second outlets, wherein the distance from the ink inlet to the first outlets differs from the distance from the ink inlet to the second outlets. First recording elements and second recording elements including heat resistors are provided. The first recording elements and second recording elements correspond to the first outlets and the second outlets, respectively, and are disposed in first ink channels and second ink channels, respectively. The first recording elements are rectangular, whereas the second recording elements are substantially square.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2005
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Imanaka, Takuya Hatsui, Souta Takeuchi, Takaaki Yamaguchi, Takahiro Matsui, Kousuke Kubo
  • Publication number: 20070165068
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for ink jet printing which can reduce density unevenness caused by an end deviation condition associated with ink droplets ejected from a print head, regardless of gray scale of a printed image. The present invention thus sets the print duty for a nozzle located at an end of a nozzle array formed in a print head on the basis of the end deviation amount of a position impacted by an ink droplet ejected from the end of the nozzle array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoshi TSUBOI
  • Publication number: 20070165069
    Abstract: A droplet ejection head includes a nozzle plate that has nozzles and includes a polymer material. The polymer material forming the nozzle plate includes a lubricant having an average particle size of not smaller than 0.01 ?m and not larger than 8% of a hole diameter of each of the nozzles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Notsu, Masaki Kataoka, Hideki Fukunaga, Hiroshi Inoue, Shigeru Umehara, Takaharu Kondo
  • Publication number: 20070165070
    Abstract: A liquid-jet head includes: a plurality of head bodies, each having: a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles bored therein; a passage-forming substrate having a pressure generating chamber formed therein, which communicates with the nozzle and receives a pressure for use in ejecting a liquid droplet from a pressure generating element; and a head case disposed on the passage-forming substrate at a surface opposite to the nozzle plate and having paths for supplying liquid to the pressure generating chamber therethrough; and a fixing member bonded onto a side of the nozzle plate of each of the plurality of head bodies, to positionally fix the head bodies thereto at predetermined intervals, wherein a reinforcing portion made of a predetermined adhesive agent, which is charged in a clearance between the head bodies fixed to the fixing member, followed by setting, is disposed at the clearance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki Honma, Kazutoshi Goto, Isao Yanagisawa, Hiroshige Owaki
  • Publication number: 20070165071
    Abstract: An ink-jet head includes two shield plates extending on the surface of the passage unit in a longitudinal direction of the passage unit. Two shield plates confront each other. The surface of the passage unit is provided with two grooves extending up to the middle of the passage unit in a thickness direction of the passage unit. The shield plate is provided at its circumference with a contact line linearly extending and coming into contact with a plane formed on the surface of the passage unit. The shield plate is provided with a projection adjacent to the contact line and protruding from the contact line. The projection is fitted into the groove. The reservoir unit, the actuator unit, and the wiring member are included in a range maintained between the two shield plates with respect to the lateral direction of the passage unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Atsushi Hirota
  • Publication number: 20070165072
    Abstract: Disclosed is an ink jet recording method by ejecting microscopic ink droplets, and curing the ink via actinic radiation. The ink contains pigment dispersion including photopolymerizable compounds and pigments, hydrophilicity ?m of the surface of pigments incorporated therein being at most 22 cal1/2·cm?1/2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventor: Shinya Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20070165073
    Abstract: A printing apparatus can improve the image quality by improving uneven print density or graininess. A printing apparatus is provided with (A) a carry mechanism that carries a medium along a predetermined direction, (B) a nozzle that performs a moving and ejecting operation for ejecting ink toward the medium while moving relatively with respect to the medium during an interval of a carry operation by the carry mechanism, and (C) a signal output section that outputs a first timing defining signal defining a periodical timing for ejecting ink from the nozzle toward a position corresponding to a pixel configuring an image to be printed, and a second timing defining signal defining a periodical timing for ejecting ink from the nozzle toward a position displaced from the position corresponding to a pixel configuring an image to be printed, wherein the signal output section outputs either the first timing defining signal or the second timing defining signal for each moving and ejecting operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2005
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventor: Hirokazu Nunokawa
  • Publication number: 20070165074
    Abstract: A driving circuit of a droplet ejection head which, by supplying analog driving signals to driving elements, ejects droplets from nozzles which are provided in correspondence with the driving elements. The driving circuit includes a driving signal generation unit, a pulse modulation unit, a switching signal generation unit, an amplification unit and a frequency-setting unit. The driving signal generation unit selectively outputs a first and a second analog driving signal. The pulse modulation unit pulse-modulates the analog driving signal and outputs a digital signal. The switching signal generation unit generates a switching signal. The amplification unit amplifies the digital signal by switching in accordance with the switching signal, and supplies the amplified digital signal to the driving elements. The frequency-setting unit sets a switching frequency of the switching signal in accordance with a frequency selection signal, which corresponds to the analog driving signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventor: Sunao Ishizaki