Creating Plural Tones Patents (Class 347/15)
  • Patent number: 11571885
    Abstract: A printing apparatus configured to perform printing while varying an amount of adjustment of a target of adjustment, executing: printing a first adjustment pattern on a printing medium; reading the printed first adjustment pattern to acquire a first adjustment amount; printing a part of a second adjustment pattern on the printing medium, the printed part of the second adjustment pattern corresponding to only a part of the amount of adjustment according to the first adjustment pattern; reading the printed part of the second adjustment pattern to acquire a second adjustment amount; setting a first parameter that is a result of adjusting the target of adjustment by using the first adjustment amount; and setting a second parameter that is a result of adjusting the target of adjustment by using the second adjustment amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Saori Kobayashi, So Yokota
  • Patent number: 11570311
    Abstract: A printing system is disclosed. The printing system includes at least one physical memory device to store nozzle correction logic and one or more processors coupled with at least one physical memory device to execute the nozzle correction logic to receive a uniformity compensated halftone design for each of a plurality of pel forming elements, receive an average missing neighbor threshold lowering function, receive a defective nozzles list including one or more of the plurality of pel forming elements indicated as defective during print production and perform missing neighbor processing by applying the average missing neighbor threshold lowering function associated with a pel forming element determined to be a neighbor of a defective pel forming element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Walter F. Kailey, Nikita Gurudath, Mikel Stanich, William Manchester, Ziling Zhang
  • Patent number: 11559788
    Abstract: The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an oxygen storage and release material comprising a ceria-zirconia-based complex oxide improved in ability to remove HC and NOx and a three-way catalyst able to reduce an amount of NOx emission. Further, to solve this problem, an oxygen storage and release material comprising a ceria-zirconia-based complex oxide containing Gd2O3 in 0.1 mol % or more and less than 20 mol % and having an ion conductivity of 2×10?5 S/cm or more at 400° C. is provided. Further, in addition to the above, an oxygen storage and release material having a molar ratio of cerium and zirconium of 0.2 or more and 0.6 or less by cerium/(cerium+zirconium) and an speed of oxygen storage and release “?t50” of 20.0 seconds or more or amount of oxygen storage and release of 300 ?mol-O2/g or more etc. was obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignees: NIPPON DENKO CO., LTD., JOHNSON MATTHEY PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
    Inventors: Keigo Aihara, Tomoharu Itoh, Hirofumi Konno, Shuhei Nagaoka, Takashi Yamada
  • Patent number: 11539857
    Abstract: A printing system is disclosed. The printing system includes at least one physical memory device to store calibration logic and one or more processors coupled with the at least one physical memory device to execute the calibration logic to generate a uniformity compensated halftone design for each of a plurality of pel forming elements, generate a missing neighbor corrected halftone design for each of the pel forming elements, generate a missing neighbor threshold lowering function for each of the pel forming elements based on the uniformity compensated halftone designs and the missing neighbor corrected halftone design and compute an average of the missing neighbor threshold lowering functions to generate an average missing neighbor threshold lowering function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Walter F Kailey, Nikita Gurudath, Mikel Stanich, William Manchester, Ziling Zhang
  • Patent number: 11529532
    Abstract: A radiation therapy system includes an accelerator and beam transport system that generates a beam of particles. The accelerator and beam transport system guides the beam on a path and into a nozzle that is operable for aiming the beam toward an object. The nozzle includes a scanning magnet operable for steering the beam toward different locations within the object, and also includes a beam energy adjuster configured to adjust the beam by, for example, placing different thicknesses of material in the path of the beam to affect the energies of the particles in the beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Varian Medical Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Stanley Mansfield
  • Patent number: 11531854
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus that generates image data to be output to an image forming apparatus printing an image, and includes: a generation unit configured to generate, based on an input image, first generation amount data indicating a generation amount of each of one or more kinds of ink dot for each pixel and second generation amount data indicating a generation amount of a blank dot for which the ink dot is not formed for each pixel; and a processing unit configured to determine a dot arrangement pattern indicating an arrangement of each of the one or more kinds of ink dot by performing quantization processing using the first generation amount data and the second generation amount data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryosuke Otani, Hisashi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11529645
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a perforated plate for an application apparatus for the application of a fluid onto a component, preferably a motor vehicle bodywork and/or an add-on part therefor. The perforated plate comprises at least three through-holes for the passage of the fluid, wherein the through-holes are assigned to a row of nozzles with a central region and two edge regions, wherein the at least one outermost through-hole in at least one edge region has at least one reference opening diameter that is smaller than at least one reference opening diameter of at least one through-hole in the central region. The disclosure also relates to an application apparatus and an application method with such a perforated plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: DÜRR SYSTEMS AG
    Inventors: Hans-Georg Fritz, Benjamin Wöhr, Marcus Kleiner, Moritz Bubek, Timo Beyl
  • Patent number: 11518162
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to: acquire physical property information on physical properties of a recording medium and on physical properties of ink to be ejected onto the recording medium and setting information on a setting of a device configured to eject the ink onto the recording medium, the ink including a first ink and a second ink; derive a feature quantity relating to characteristics of the ink based on behavior of the first ink to be ejected onto the recording medium and of the second ink to be ejected to a position adjacent to the first ink ejected, using the physical property information and the setting information; and output information on graininess of an image to be formed on the recording medium based on the feature quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Ryosuke Takahashi, Yasuhiro Otsuka
  • Patent number: 11518085
    Abstract: A direct-to-object printer is configured to adjust a pixel density of a portion of contone image data for an image to be printed on a surface of a tapered object. The controller of the printer also filters the contone image data with a stochastic halftone filer to produce binary image data for the image to be printed on the tapered object. The adjustment in the pixel density for the portion of the image to be printed on the portion of the object having a circumference that is different than another portion of the surface at the uppermost portion of the image produces a more uniform appearance in the resulting printed image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Martin L. Frachioni
  • Patent number: 11504965
    Abstract: In the present liquid discharge method, in the driving step, the drive pulse in which a potential change rate during a change from the third potential to the first potential varies depending on the recording condition acquired in the acquisition step is applied to the drive element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiro Murayama, Takahiro Katakura, Nobuaki Ito
  • Patent number: 11494600
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: a head which discharges liquid to a medium; and a controller. The controller obtains print data for forming an image on the medium with a dot formed by making the liquid to land on the medium, the image including a code having information; selects, in the obtained print data, dot data corresponding to the dot forming the image as selected data, determines whether a first dot pattern including the selected dot data matches a predetermined delete pattern, and determines whether a second dot pattern including the selected dot data matches a predetermined exclusion pattern; performs a correction of the print data based on results of the determinations; and discharges the liquid from the head to the medium, based on the print data after the correction, to form the image on the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazunari Matsuura, Akidi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11425280
    Abstract: A color printing system uses color printing management tiers to control color printing resources at a printing device. The color printing management tiers include a media type color management tier, an ink limited calibration tier, and a calibration and ICC profile creation tier. A print job includes a parameter that is used to select the management tier for color conversion operations for the print job. The parameter can include an attribute or a media type for the print job. The applicable tone reproduction curve (TRC) or ICC profile is retrieved according to the selected management tier. The TRC or ICC profile is adjusted according to an input applicable to the respective management tier. The TRC or ICC profile also is selected from a plurality of TRCs or ICC profiles, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Javier A. Morales, Michael M. Chang
  • Patent number: 11400707
    Abstract: Provided is a recording device including a recording head, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to cause the recording head to record each of a raster lines of an overlapping region of an image by an overlap mode of recording one raster line using a plurality of a first nozzles, record a penetrant liquid in at least a portion of an overlapping region by a second nozzles, and record the penetrant liquid in a region of the image other than the overlapping region in an amount less than that of the penetrant liquid recorded in the at least a portion of the overlapping region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takamitsu Kondo
  • Patent number: 11383527
    Abstract: A head unit includes: X (X?2) of first type nozzles configured to discharge a first type liquid droplet, and W (1?W<X) of a second type nozzle configured to discharge a second type liquid droplet. The head unit generates first data forming a first dot pattern and indicating a preceding first type dot area as an area in which the first type liquid droplet is to be discharged, and a preceding second type dot area as an area in which the second type liquid droplet is to be discharged; and second data for forming a second dot pattern and indicating a succeeding first type dot area as an area in which the first type liquid droplet is to be discharged, and a succeeding second type dot area as an area in which the second type liquid droplet is to be discharged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoru Arakane
  • Patent number: 11360720
    Abstract: A color printing system uses color printing management tiers to control color printing resources at a printing device. The color printing management tiers include a media type color management tier, an ink limited calibration tier, and a calibration and ICC profile creation tier. A print job includes a parameter that is used to select the management tier for color conversion operations for the print job. The parameter can include an attribute or a media type for the print job. The applicable tone reproduction curve (TRC) or ICC profile is retrieved according to the selected management tier. The TRC or ICC profile is adjusted according to an input applicable to the respective management tier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Javier A. Morales, Michael M. Chang
  • Patent number: 11345162
    Abstract: A fluid recirculation channel for dispensing a plurality of fluid drop weights includes a number of sub-channels. The sub-channels include at least one pump channel, and a plurality of drop generator channels fluidically coupled to the at least one pump channel. The fluid recirculation channel further includes a number of pump generators incorporated into the at least one pump channel, a number of drop generators incorporated into drop generator channels, and a plurality of nozzles defined within the drop generator channels, the nozzles being at least as numerous as the number of drop generators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Alexander Govyadinov, Ron Burns, Erik D. Torniainen, Galen P. Cook, David P. Markel, Garrard Hume, Chris Bakker
  • Patent number: 11310371
    Abstract: An information processing device includes a storage configured to store a machine-learned model, a reception section configured to receive error information and operation information transmitted from an electronic apparatus, and a processor configured to determine whether a notification indicating error information is to be made for a user. The machine-learned model mechanically learns a condition of the notification indicating error information to be made to the user based on a data set in which the error information, the operation information, and action information indicating user action performed in response to the notification of the error information are associated with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiko Mizuta
  • Patent number: 11214058
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a first ejector; a common driving signal generator configured to generate a common driving signal having a pressure generation pulse including a first element maintained at a first potential, a second element succeeding the first element and maintained at a second potential different from the first potential, and a third element succeeding the second element and maintained at a third potential different from the second potential; a selection control signal generator configured to generate a selection control signal including a first pulse and a second pulse succeeding the first pulse in a time period corresponding to the second element; and a driving waveform selector configured to supply the second potential of the second element to the pressure generating element of the first ejector at the time of the generation of a pulse selected from the first and second pulses of the selection control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yuki Watanabe, Hirofumi Teramae
  • Patent number: 11214055
    Abstract: A drive circuit (100) for driving actuators of a printhead (97) from a common drive waveform has a switching circuit (32) for coupling the common drive waveform to an actuator (1,2), and a timing circuit (10) to control the switching circuit to form a drive pulse from the common drive waveform. The drive pulse is trimmed by controlling a duration (TTRIM) of a step at an intermediate level (VHOLD) in the drive pulse. This can improve the trade-off between available range of trimming and thermal efficiency because the voltage drop across the switching circuit can be reduced, compared to trimming only the height. Decoupling during a flat portion of the common drive waveform can enable the timing of the decoupling to be more relaxed compared to decoupling during a slope. Such relaxing can enable costs, complexity and thermal loading to be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Xaar Technology Limited
    Inventors: Anirban Lahiri, Mujahid-ul Islam, Mario Massucci, Ian Anthony Hurst, Stephen Mark Jeapes, Neil Christopher Bird, Anthony Saugey
  • Patent number: 11201987
    Abstract: An image processing method includes a first conversion step, a second conversion step that, using a second conversion table for converting input image data represented by a second color space to output image data represented by the second color space, converts image data of a second region for which recording conditions are different from a first region in a second image data, and a recording data generating step that generates recording data based on third image data including image data of a first region in the second image data and image data of the second region after conversion using the second conversion table. When adjusting an ink amount, the ink amount is not adjusted in the second conversion step and is adjusted in the first conversion step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichi Ohara
  • Patent number: 11179929
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to: acquire physical property information on physical properties of a recording medium and on physical properties of ink to be ejected onto the recording medium and setting information on a setting of a device configured to eject the ink onto the recording medium, the ink including a first ink and a second ink; derive a feature quantity relating to characteristics of the ink by estimating behavior of a first ink to be ejected onto the recording medium and of a second ink to be ejected to a position adjacent to the first ink ejected, using the physical property information and the information on a setting to derive a feature quantity relating to characteristics of the recording medium; and output the feature quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP.
    Inventors: Ryosuke Takahashi, Yasuhiro Otsuka
  • Patent number: 11161339
    Abstract: In order to determine the nip between a print head and a printing substrate in an ink printing apparatus, ink droplets of a first and second size are simultaneously fired toward the printing substrate by different nozzles of a nozzle row of the print head given a predetermined feed velocity of the printing substrate, whereby print dots of a first size are generated on the printing substrate in a first two print dot row and print dots of a second size are generated on the printing substrate in a second two print dot row. The clearance of the first two print dot row from the second two print dot row is subsequently measured, and the size of the nip is determined from the measured clearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Production Printing Holding B.V.
    Inventors: Ulrich Stoeckle, Christoph Rummelsberger, Florian Hitzlsperger
  • Patent number: 11146022
    Abstract: A combination loadbreak and deadbreak temporary grounding device that includes a conductive body configured to accept a grounded bushing well; a grounded bushing well disposed through the body and having an inner end configured to slip onto a loadbreak mounting clip on a loadbreak mounting bracket and an outer end configured to accept either a loadbreak bushing or a deadbreak bushing for coupling, respectively, to either a loadbreak or deadbreak elbow connector; and a grounding cable electrically connected to the conductive body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Inventors: James W. Coleman, Aaron Boone, Bradley T. Sykes, Philip Hawtin
  • Patent number: 11130188
    Abstract: A jet solder bath for performing soldering by jetting molten solder to bring the molten solder into contact with a substrate is provided with a primary jet nozzle that jets the molten solder by a first jet pump, as a first jet nozzle, and a secondary jet nozzle, as a second jet nozzle, which is arranged at a downstream side of the primary jet nozzle along a carrying direction of the substrate and jets the molten solder by a second jet pump. The primary jet nozzle includes a first nozzle body, and a first solder-flow-forming plate that is provided at an upper end of the first nozzle body and has a plurality of jet holes, and the secondary jet nozzle includes a second nozzle body and a second solder-flow-forming plate that is provided at an upper end of the second nozzle body and has a plurality of jet holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Senju Metal Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Sugihara, Kaname Nagata
  • Patent number: 11123981
    Abstract: Fluid ejection devices with multiple activation modes are disclosed. An example printhead assembly includes a fluid ejection nozzle, a first resistor fluidically coupled to the fluid ejection nozzle, and a second resistor fluidically coupled to the fluid ejection nozzle. The example printhead also includes an addressing circuit to receive a nozzle address and an activation mode to activate the fluid ejection nozzle. The activation mode determines which of the first resistor and the second resistor are to be energized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Eric T. Martin, Chris Bakker
  • Patent number: 11117371
    Abstract: A recording system records a multi-tone image with liquid droplets of different amount discharged from nozzles. This recording system has a first nozzle and a second nozzle. The minimum amount of a liquid droplet discharged from the first nozzle is larger than the minimum amount of a liquid droplet discharged from the second nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masakazu Tsuzuki, Shinichi Tsubota
  • Patent number: 11104152
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus is provided with a head including a plurality of nozzle groups, a main scanning portion that scans the head in a main scanning direction, a sub-scanning portion that relatively moves the head and the medium in a sub-scanning direction, which intersects the main scanning direction, and a control portion, in which the control portion acquires a possible printing Duty of a predetermined nozzle group on the basis of a number of occurrences of non-discharging nozzles in the predetermined nozzle group, compares a set printing Duty that the predetermined nozzle group is to print among an overall printing Duty, and the possible printing Duty. and supplements a printing Duty with another nozzle group in a case in which the possible printing Duty is smaller than the set printing Duty.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Eishin Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 11104151
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus generates dot data for printing an image on a printing medium by using dots of different sizes formed by a plurality of nozzles ejecting ink. The image processing apparatus includes a first acquisition unit that acquires dot data specifying printing or non-printing of each of the dots of a plurality of sizes for each pixel, a specification unit that specifies a dot having a strong possibility of being pulled by a dot having landed earlier on the printing medium of dots in the dot data, and a correction unit that corrects a dot specified by the specification unit in the dot data. The image processing apparatus can output an image whose banding is unlikely to be recognized by suppressing image defect due to a change of dots accompanying liquid droplet interference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Ochiai, Hisashi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11102377
    Abstract: A recording system for recording a recording image based on image data by repeating a pass operation in which a nozzle column discharges ink while reciprocating relatively to a recording medium in a main scanning direction to form dots on the recording medium, and a conveying operation of relatively moving the nozzle column and the recording medium in a sub-scanning direction crossing the main scanning direction, the recording system including an assigning section for obtaining a plurality of halftone data which is generated with respect to the same area of the image data based on the image data, and which corresponds to the ink of a predetermined color, and then assigning each of the halftone data obtained to the pass operations in the same direction in reciprocation in the main scanning direction in a predetermined recording area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Jun Hoshii
  • Patent number: 11077672
    Abstract: A control device is configured to: obtain target image data; generate dot data using the target image data; and control a print execution device to print a print image using the dot data by executing: a first partial printing of forming the dots in an overlapping area and a first non-overlapping area; and a second partial printing of forming the dots in the overlapping area and a second non-overlapping area. The control device generates data of the dot data corresponding to the overlapping area by executing an overlapping area processing including first processing for values of pixels within a first range and second processing for values of pixels within a second range, the first processing including lowering a density of an image to be printed in the overlapping area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Maehira, Masao Mimoto
  • Patent number: 11072166
    Abstract: Systems, methods, software for monitoring usage of a recording medium in an image forming apparatus. In one embodiment, a usage monitor receives a raster image, and identifies thresholds that distinguish different intensity levels reproduced by different drop sizes of the recording material. The usage monitor identifies a set of pixel values for a block of pixels from the raster image, performs a vectorized comparison of the set of pixel values to each of the thresholds to generate sets of comparison bits, determines a number of set bits in each of the sets of comparison bits, and updates a threshold counter for each of the thresholds based on the number of set bits. The usage monitor may then compute drop counts for different drop sizes based on the threshold counter for each of the thresholds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Walter F. Kailey, David Ward
  • Patent number: 11052656
    Abstract: In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a fluidic die is described. The fluidic die includes an array of fluid actuators grouped into primitives. The fluidic die also includes a fluid actuator controller to selectively activate fluid actuators via activation data. The fluidic die also includes an array of actuator evaluators, wherein each actuator evaluator of the fluidic die is coupled to a subset of the array of fluid actuators. The actuator evaluators selectively evaluate an actuator characteristic of a selected fluid actuator based on: an output of an actuator sensor paired with the selected fluid actuator, the activation data, and an evaluation control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Daryl E Anderson, Eric Martin, James Michael Gardner
  • Patent number: 11044383
    Abstract: A method of printing using a print head comprising first and second print arrays, each comprising a plurality of nozzles. Each of the first print array nozzles emits a droplet of a first volume and each of the second print array nozzles emits a droplet of a second volume, wherein the first volume is less than the second volume. The method comprises: a. receiving image data comprising a received tone value for a pixel; b. selecting one of the print arrays corresponding to the pixel location; c. mapping the received tone value to a mapped tone value using a tone mapping for the selected print array; d. comparing the mapped tone value with a threshold value for the location of the pixel; and e. generating a control signal for the selected print array if the mapped tone value corresponds to the threshold value in a predetermined manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: FFEI Limited
    Inventors: Martin Philip Gouch, Jacqueline Margaret Deane
  • Patent number: 11027545
    Abstract: A fluid ejection device includes a fluid ejection chamber having a drop ejecting element therein, a first fluid channel to communicate a first fluid with the fluid ejection chamber, a second fluid channel to communicate a second fluid different than the first fluid with the fluid ejection chamber, and a fluid pump communicated with one of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel. As such, the fluid ejection chamber is to selectively eject drops of the first fluid, the second fluid, and a combination of the first fluid and the second fluid therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Tracy A Lang, Alexander Govyadinov
  • Patent number: 11019223
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of an embodiment comprises a printer unit to print a sheet with a plurality of single colors and generate a correction sheet including a plurality of single color regions at different positions between a first reference region and a second reference region. The first and second reference regions are a reference color. An image reading unit is configured to read the correction sheet. A processor is configured to calculate a shift amount in a main scanning direction of the printer unit for each single color region based on RGB luminance values obtained from the correction sheet by the image reading unit and to correct a printer scan position along the main scanning direction for each single color in the plurality of single colors corresponding to the single color regions using calculated shift amounts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masahiro Kodo
  • Patent number: 11007791
    Abstract: The disclosure is related to printing an image as a multi-layered textured image on a substrate. The printing system prints one or more layers of a texture of the image as a base layer on the substrate and the image above the base layer. The base layer includes one or more layers of the texture. The printing system prints the texture using the ink from the print heads of the printing system. The process of printing a multi-layered textured image can include printing one or more layers of texture as a base layer on the substrate, printing one or more layers of white ink above the base layer, and printing one or more layers of the image above the white layers. The printing system can also insert one or more blank layers between different types of layers, e.g., texture layers, white layers and image layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING, ING.
    Inventor: Peter Heath
  • Patent number: 11007789
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head including a plurality of nozzles, a row of individual flow paths that includes a plurality of individual flow paths arranged in parallel along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis when viewed in a direction of the first axis, and a common liquid chamber that is commonly in communication with the plurality of individual flow paths. In the liquid ejecting head, the plurality of individual flow paths include a first individual flow path and a second individual flow path that are adjacent to each other in the row of individual flow paths, and the level of a first opening that is a connection port between the common liquid chamber and the first individual flow path and the level of a second opening that is a connection port between the common liquid chamber and the second individual flow path are different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuaki Uchida, Yuma Fukuzawa
  • Patent number: 11012585
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a sensor and circuitry. The sensor is configured to read a visible spectrum and an invisible spectrum of an image. The circuitry is configured to separate the image read into a visible image and an invisible image and perform different image correction processes on the visible image and the invisible image, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ayumu Hashimoto, Masamoto Nakazawa, Masashi Watanabe, Masahiro Itoh
  • Patent number: 11006019
    Abstract: Provided are an image processing method, an image processing device, and an image recording apparatus capable of suppressing generation of beats, even in a case where streaky unevenness correction other than non-discharge correction of a recording element is performed, in any nozzle layout shapes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Shibata
  • Patent number: 10990329
    Abstract: Apparatus and method relating generally to controlling operation of one or more managed devices, such as printers, are disclosed. In such method, a radio frequency identification tag of a plurality of radio frequency identification tags within a first range is detected by a radio frequency identification reader of a printer. Tag information for the radio frequency identification tag is sent to a server. The tag information for a user is mapped to a user list on the server. A check for a policy for the user is made. The printer is waked from a sleep mode for operation by the user responsive to a determination the user is likely to use the printer responsive to the policy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Jacek Joseph Matysiak, Dilinur Wushour
  • Patent number: 10976974
    Abstract: A system is disclosed. The system includes a print controller including one or more processors to receive print data, rasterize the print data into bitmap data, analyze objects in each page of bitmap data to determine sizes of objects and generate mapping data for each page of bitmap data that maps locations of page bitmap data having same size objects, a print engine to print the bitmap data to a medium and a print verification system to capture one or more images of the medium as print verification data and to detect one or more defects in the print verification data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Carl Michael Dennison
  • Patent number: 10960657
    Abstract: A circuit includes a pulse generator to generate an output pulse in response to a signal representing rotation of a fan. A timing relationship between output pulses represents speed of the fan. A filter circuit converts the output pulse to a direct current (DC) voltage signal proportional to the speed of the fan. A monitor circuit monitors the DC voltage signal with respect to a predetermined threshold and generates a control signal that disables a printer dryer if the DC signal does not satisfy the predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Tyler Kapp
  • Patent number: 10965828
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a signal output unit configured to output a signal in response to a user operation; a reading unit configured to read a document and generate image data having a first resolution or a second resolution lower than the first resolution; a recording unit configured to form an image on a recording medium; and a controller configured to control the reading unit and the recording unit and execute: (a) primary preparation operation start processing of, when a signal is output, controlling the reading unit so as to start a first preparation operation or a second preparation operation; (b) determination processing of determining; (c) secondary preparation operation start processing and/or reading processing; (d) decision processing of deciding the continuous number of recording copies; and (e) recording processing of causing the recording unit to form the image on the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taisei Okuzono
  • Patent number: 10940697
    Abstract: A method of generating an image on a transparent or semitransparent substrate, the method comprising analyzing a first image to be printed on a first side of the substrate to identify a region associated with a predominant color, printing, on the first side of the substrate a color patch with the identified predominant color, printing, on a second side of the substrate, a test color pattern overlapping with the color patch on the first side of the substrate, determining, in a transmission geometry, a color distribution in the color patch, and generating from the determined color distribution, for the region associated with the predominant color identified in the first image, a transmission mode color profile for printing on the second side of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Li Qian, Mihail Zverev, Eduardo Amela Conesa
  • Patent number: 10939010
    Abstract: An information processing system adds density information to a first specific region of a document sheet represented by image data, the density information being indicated by a reference density lower than a density index value derived based on densities of pixels included in the image data. The system adds predetermined restriction information to the image data, the restriction information being indicated by a density equal to or higher than the reference density. The system acquires, as a determined density, a density of the first specific region. The system determines, based on the image data, whether a second specific region that is a part or all of a region of the document sheet, includes the restriction information indicated by a density that is equal to or higher than the determined density. If so, the system restricts a specific process concerning the image data from being executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Nozomu Inami
  • Patent number: 10899125
    Abstract: A first swath of first dots is printed, such that each column of first dots is disposed along a first direction and is spaced apart from other columns of first dots along a scan direction. Allowable locations of first dots have an irregular extent along at least a first stitch boundary of the first swath. A second swath of second dots is printed similarly. A first stitch boundary of the second swath is proximate to the first stitch boundary of the first swath to form a first stitched region. Allowable locations of second dots have an irregular extent along at least the first stitch boundary of the second swath that is complementary to the irregular extent along the first stitch boundary of the first swath, where the allowable locations of first dots and the second dots in the first stitched region are substantially not interspersed along the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: SHANGHAI REALFAST DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
    Inventors: Richard Mu, Yonglin Xie
  • Patent number: 10872278
    Abstract: A method for correcting tone-level non-uniformities in a digital printing system includes printing a test target having a set of uniform test patches. The printed test target is automatically analyzed to determine tone-level errors as a function of cross-track position for each of the test patches. A tone-level correction function is determined and represented using a set of one-dimensional feature vectors which specifies tone-level corrections as a function of cross-track position and pixel value. Corrected image data is determined by using the tone-level correction function to determine a tone-level correction value for each image pixel responsive to the input pixel value and cross-track position of the image pixel. The corrected image data is printed using the digital printing system to provide a printed image with reduced tone-level errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventor: Chung-Hui Kuo
  • Patent number: 10846575
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, devices, and systems are disclosed herein for upscaling an input image to a higher resolution while simultaneously converting the image data from a multi-drop state to a binary state. These systems and methods use a probabilistic combination of randomized and biased positioning of inkjet firings in order to yield perceptibly lower graininess in low-coverage areas of output prints without introducing new artefacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Stuart Schweid, Roger L. Triplett, John Newell
  • Patent number: 10836158
    Abstract: A method for compensating for position-dependent density fluctuations in an inkjet printing machine includes the steps of assigning, by using a look-up table, specific halftone patterns to specific gray values of a color separation to be screened of an image in the course of the calibration of a raster image processor of the inkjet printing machine, using the halftone patterns in the image screening process by using the computer and printing the halftone image on the inkjet printing machine. The look-up table contains the position of every printing nozzle of the print heads in the inkjet printing machine as an additional variable and the computer enters a complete set of gray values with associated adapted halftone patterns into the look-up table for every position of a printing nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Bernd Stritzel
  • Patent number: 10828921
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes a head unit arranged in a main scanning direction includes head arrays each having nozzles discharging liquid are arranged in a sub scanning direction, a moving unit that alternately performs a main scanning operation while discharging the liquid and a sub scanning operation causing the head unit or the recording medium to move in the sub scanning direction without discharging the liquid, and a gradation setting unit that sets a first pattern setting a gradation to increase a center printing ratio at a center and decrease an end printing ratio at both ends for a whole area of the head array in the sub scanning direction and a second pattern in which a gradation is set so as to increase the printing ratio setting a gradation to increase the center printing ratio and decrease the end printing ratio for an arbitrary number of the heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuki Tsuchiya