Creating Plural Tones Patents (Class 347/15)
  • Patent number: 11977793
    Abstract: The present disclosure aims to provide a high quality image without conspicuous graininess and density unevenness. An embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for printing a plurality of dot patterns on a printing medium, the dot patterns being formed by substantially same color and substantially same dot diameter, the apparatus including: a first creation unit configured to create, based on a first tone value, a first dot pattern and a second dot pattern printed and superimposed on the first dot pattern; and a second creation unit configured to create, based on a second tone value larger than the first tone value, a third dot pattern having an equal or larger number of dots compared to the first dot pattern and a fourth dot pattern printed and superimposed on the third dot pattern and having an equal or larger number of dots compared to the second dot pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirokazu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11932012
    Abstract: A method of inkjet printer operation produces a sneeze pattern having a uniform sneeze pattern portion and a tapered area portion within the uniform sneeze pattern to operate inkjets in the printer to eject ink drops within an image area of media sheets passing through the printer to maintain the operational status of the inkjets. A dynamic threshold is applied to a portion of an uniform sneeze pattern to produce the tapered area within the uniform sneeze pattern. The dynamic threshold is changed as a function of distance between a pixel in the portion of the uniform sneeze pattern and the closest edge of an image area of the media sheet on which the tapered area of the sneeze pattern is to be printed. A second threshold can also be changed to alter a volume of ink associated with a pixel in the tapered area within the uniform sneeze pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony S. Condello, Stuart A. Schweid, Seemit Praharaj, John T. Newell
  • Patent number: 11900571
    Abstract: For example, in order to enable an RCCB sensor or a specific optical system to perform an appropriate image correction process (distortion correction and the like), an imaging device includes an imaging element, an optical system configured to form an image on an imaging surface of the imaging element and has a characteristic in which an image formation magnification differs depending on a position in the imaging surface, a demosaic unit configured to generate color image data of at least two colors from the data output from the imaging element, and a distortion correction unit configured to correct distortion of the color image data of at least two colors generated by the demosaic unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasunari Nagamatsu, Yusuke Yamamoto, Tohru Oyama
  • Patent number: 11902480
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods obtain sensor data that were generated by a plurality of sensors; obtain event data that include occurrences of an event; calculate first characteristics of the sensor data that were generated by the plurality of sensors within a temporal range of an occurrence of the event; identify, in the sensor data, sensor data that were generated by the plurality of sensors within the temporal range of at least one other occurrence of the event based on the first characteristics; calculate second characteristics of the sensor data that were generated by the plurality of sensors within the temporal range of the at least one other occurrence of the event, normalize at least some of the sensor data based on the first characteristics and on the second characteristics, thereby generating normalized sensor data, and train a machine-learning model based on the normalized sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Solutions America, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey David Kane
  • Patent number: 11868088
    Abstract: An escape wheel (an example of a timepiece component) has a silicon-made substrate having an insertion portion into which an axle is inserted, and a coating film formed in a contact portion which comes into contact with at least the axle, at a surface of the substrate. The coating film contains metal alkoxide having a fluorine atom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Inventors: Munehiro Shibuya, Takeo Funakawa
  • Patent number: 11853639
    Abstract: A computing device and method are provided for transmitting a relevant subset of map data, called a neighborhood, to enable mutual spatial understanding by multiple display devices around a target virtual location to display a shared hologram in the same exact location in the physical environment at the same moment in time. The computing device may comprise a processor, a memory operatively coupled to the processor, and an anchor transfer program stored in the memory and executed by the processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Ethan Eade, Jeroen Vanturennout, Jonathan Lyons, David Fields, Gavin Dean Lazarow, Tushar Cyril Bhatnagar
  • Patent number: 11842234
    Abstract: An object is to print a high quality image with resistance to print misalignment. To this end, the image processing apparatus generates quantized data for printing a first dot pattern and a second dot pattern in an overlapping manner. The first dot pattern and the second dot pattern are lattice patterns varying in a combination of two basis vectors. In a combined dot pattern obtained by combining the first and second dot patterns, there is a neighboring dot in which a dot in the first dot pattern and a dot in the second dot pattern are arranged at an interval smaller than a lattice spacing. The neighboring dot includes multiple neighboring dots varying in an approach direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsukasa Doi, Hirokazu Tanaka, Satoshi Seki, Junichi Nakagawa, Mayuko Yamagata
  • Patent number: 11836554
    Abstract: A first set correction target value set for a correction target value generation region including a unit region corresponding to one or more nozzles is updated based on a difference between the first set correction target value and a print density in the unit region corresponding to the correction target value generation region. Also, a second set correction target value set for a correction target value generation region being adjacent to an updated region which is a correction target value generation region updated in the correction target value and having yet to be updated in the correction target value is updated based on a difference between the second set correction target value and the correction target value of the updated region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Minako Kato
  • Patent number: 11825056
    Abstract: A printing plate having a printing surface for receiving ink, including a defined area of an image intended to print with ink and a surface pattern applied to the defined area. The surface pattern includes a plurality of rows each having a plurality of diagonally oriented line segments, each line segment corresponding to an ink-carrying relief structure in a raised area of the plate, the plurality of diagonally oriented line segments having orientations alternating between a positive angle in one row and a negative angle in an adjacent row, wherein each line segment has a first end aligned with a middle portion of and spaced apart from a first line of a first adjacent row and a second end aligned with a middle portion of and spaced apart from a second line of a second adjacent row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: ESKO Software BV
    Inventors: Peter Morisse, Wolfgang Sievers, Thomas Klein
  • Patent number: 11820140
    Abstract: A system and method for ejecting one or more fluids from a digital dispense device. The method includes selecting a) fixed target areas and total fluid volumes for the target areas of the substrate; b) a predetermined droplet volume for the target areas; c) calculating a required number of droplets for the target areas; d) determining a maximum number of droplets per pixel based on the target areas; e) calculating a number of droplets per pass of an ejection head over the target areas; f) modifying one or more dimension of the target areas to create modified target areas; g) selecting and centering the modified spot size target areas in the target areas; and h) depositing fluids in the modified target areas while scanning the ejection head over the modified target areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Inventors: Bruce A Deboard, Michael A. Marra, III
  • Patent number: 11813859
    Abstract: Printheads and methods of operation. In one embodiment, a printhead includes a plurality of jetting channels comprising first jetting channels configured to jet a first print fluid and second jetting channels configured to jet a second print fluid, and a driver circuit communicatively coupled to actuators of the jetting channels. The driver circuit receives a drive waveform comprising non-jetting pulses and jetting pulses, and gating signals comprising a first active gating signal designated for jetting the first print fluid, and a second active gating signal designated for jetting the second print fluid. The driver circuit selectively applies the non-jetting pulses and the jetting pulses to actuators of the first jetting channels based on the first active gating signal to jet the first print fluid, and selectively applies the jetting pulses to actuators of the second jetting channels based on the second active gating signal to jet the second print fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Nishimura
  • Patent number: 11778129
    Abstract: Before capture of images, capture aspects of image capture devices (e.g., movement of image capture devices, sounds around image capture devices, GPS times of image capture devices) may be used to identify matching clock times of the image capture devices. Start of image capture by the image capture devices may be restricted using the matching clock times to time-synchronize images captured by different image capture devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventor: Guillaume Abbe
  • Patent number: 11762295
    Abstract: A method can be used to generate a fluid droplet pattern for an imprint lithography process using a fluid dispense system having fluid dispense ports. The method can include determining a fluid droplet pattern for dispensing a formable material onto a substrate, during a first pass, dispensing the formable material along a stitch line to form a first part of the fluid droplet pattern for an imprint field, where the stitch line runs from a first corner to a second corner of the imprint field. The method can also include offsetting the substrate and the fluid dispense ports relative to each other after dispensing the formable material during the first pass, and during a second pass, dispensing the formable material along the stitch line onto the substrate to form a second part of the fluid droplet pattern for the imprint field. An apparatus can be configured to carry out the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Amir Tavakkoli Kermani Ghariehali, Edward Brian Fletcher, Logan L. Simpson, James W. Irving
  • Patent number: 11755862
    Abstract: There is provided a method for rendering an image according to selected image quality attributes. Two or more image quality attributes are selected from a plurality of attributes of the image. A set of pigments for an area of the image and a density for each pixel of the area are determined. A quantity of pretreatment for deposition onto a print target is determined, where the pretreatment quantity is dependent on the pigments, the density, and the selected image quality attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Marta Blanch Pinol, Cristina Crespi Argemi, Sara Echevarria Benito
  • Patent number: 11752774
    Abstract: Techniques for reducing or eliminating image banding in an ink-jet image are provided. In an example, a method of operating a printer to reduce or eliminate image banding can include generating command profile for printing a given image, applying a filter to the command profile to provide a filtered profile, and dispensing ink from a printhead of the printer based on the filtered profile. In certain examples, the filter can randomize droplet sizes of ink dispensed while executing the printing to reduce or eliminate image banding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: ASSA ABLOY AB
    Inventors: Tanya Jegeris Snyder, Dale James Ziebarth, Bradley O'Hara
  • Patent number: 11660858
    Abstract: In an example, there is provided a method and apparatus for controlling spit on page operation, the method comprising receiving at least one image to be printed, for each row of a plurality of rows of the image: identifying two or more pixels of the row of the image to be printed by a nozzle of a printhead, determining if a spacing between two consecutive pixels of the two or more pixels is greater than a threshold distance, and in response to a determination that the spacing between the two consecutive pixels is greater than the threshold distance, providing an indication that spit on page dots should be provided when printing the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Li Qian, Secundino Vicente Vicente, Marc Bautista Palacios
  • Patent number: 11652926
    Abstract: A method of digital printing is disclosed in which a digital image to be printed has at least one region having pixels comprising superpositioned layers of a first ink and a second ink. The method includes producing at least one sample print and calibrating misalignment of the superpositioned layers at a plurality of calibration locations on the sample print. The resultant misalignment data is provided to a morphing program to pre-deform the digital image to provide a modified digital image which compensates for misalignment during printing. The image is then printed using the modified digital image. An apparatus and a machinereadable storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processor are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Eduardo Amela Conesa, Diana Canto Estany, Marta Blanch Pinol
  • Patent number: 11625563
    Abstract: An object is to print a high quality image with resistance to print misalignment. To this end, the image processing apparatus generates quantized data for printing a first dot pattern and a second dot pattern in an overlapping manner. The first dot pattern and the second dot pattern are lattice patterns varying in a combination of two basis vectors. In a combined dot pattern obtained by combining the first and second dot patterns, there is a neighboring dot in which a dot in the first dot pattern and a dot in the second dot pattern are arranged at an interval smaller than a lattice spacing. The neighboring dot includes multiple neighboring dots varying in an approach direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsukasa Doi, Hirokazu Tanaka, Satoshi Seki, Junichi Nakagawa, Mayuko Yamagata
  • Patent number: 11625564
    Abstract: An example method comprises setting a mixture of a plurality of print supplies of a print device to use for a process black print based on a plurality of supply levels corresponding to the plurality of print supplies. The example method further comprises initiating execution of the process black print of a print job by the print device using the set mixture of the plurality of print supply as overlapping colorant with the black print supply of the print device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Mark Q. Shaw, Gabriel Scott McDaniel, Scott K. Hymas, Jeffrey H. Luke
  • 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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