Document Handling Patents (Class 399/16)
  • Publication number: 20140029961
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; a width detector that detects positions of side edges of the recording medium in a width direction, which is orthogonal to a conveying direction in which the recording medium is conveyed, at multiple detection positions along the conveying direction; a shape calculator that calculates angles between the conveying direction and straight lines each connecting the positions of the same side edge detected at the multiple detection positions and calculates a shape of the recording medium based on the angles; and a correction unit that corrects image data of the image to be formed by the image forming unit based on the calculated shape of the recording medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2013
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto UEDA, Makoto Nakura, Shingo Takai, Satoshi Ueda, Koichi Kudo
  • Publication number: 20140016950
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit with a plurality of developing devices, a sheet transport unit, a sheet position measurement unit that measures a position of the sheet during the transport in a direction crossing a sheet passage, a displacement correction unit that moves the sheet during the transport in the sheet-passage crossing direction to correct a displacement of the sheet, and a control unit that carries out the displacement correction for the sheet by the displacement correction unit for the measured sheet depending on the measurement result by the sheet position measurement unit if the developing device located on a upstream side is used, and carries out position correction for an image and reduces an interval of the image formation for each sheet if the developing device located on the upstream side is not used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2013
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Inventor: Masatoshi HITAKA
  • Patent number: 8614812
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that may include a communication interface unit to receive an Extensible Markup Language (XML) Paper Specification (XPS) file, a determination unit to determine whether printing options set for the received XPS file are supported by the image forming apparatus, and a user interface unit to display a message that a printing option set for the received XPS file is an unsupported printing option if the printing option is not supported by the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: SAMSUNG Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-hee Huh, Sung-won Chae
  • Patent number: 8610964
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a lateral cover, which is an external covering to cover a lateral side of the image forming apparatus, and a connector member having at least one protrusion, by which the lateral cover is connected to the connector member. The lateral cover is formed to have an inwardly-dented handgrip, which has an open end and a closed end, and at least one opening on an upper section of the handgrip. The at least one protrusion protrudes downwardly from a surface of the connector member. The at least one protrusion is inserted in the at least one opening of the lateral cover to penetrate the connector member and to protrude downwardly from the upper section of the handgrip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasunori Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20130330093
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an feeding belt for electrostatically attracting and carrying a sheet having a toner image; an image heating member for heating the toner image while nipping and feeding the sheet; a separation roller for stretching tab sheet feeding belt and for separating the sheet from tab sheet feeding belt and directing the sheet toward to image heater; an electrical discharging member, provided at a position opposing tab separation roller through tab sheet feeding belt therebetween; and a controller for controlling tab discharging device to operate for discharging of the sheet after a leading end of the sheet is brought into abutment to the nip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2013
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Inventor: Yutaka Kakehi
  • Patent number: 8576421
    Abstract: Disclosed is a printer for performing a process on the basis of received print data, the process including feeding a print sheet for a page, printing on the fed sheet, and ejecting the printed sheet. The printer includes a controller that allows a sheet for a succeeding page to be ejected without being printed when allowing the sheet for the succeeding page to be fed before completion of the process on another sheet for a preceding page which is in progress and then recognizing the end of a print data block corresponding to the succeeding page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Reiko Nomura, Kiyoshi Mukaiyama
  • Patent number: 8573591
    Abstract: An optical reader is provided. A transport section is capable of transporting a medium which is a reading target in forward and backward directions along a transport path. An optical reading section is installed in the transporting path. The optical reading section optically reads the medium which is transported by the transport section. A control section sets a transport direction of the medium at the time of reading of the medium on the basis of a position of the medium before or when the reading of the medium is started and a reading position of the optical reading section such that a transport distance of the medium until the reading of the medium is completed is shortened, and controls the transport section and the optical reading section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Motoyama
  • Patent number: 8571425
    Abstract: A detection device includes: a detection member that includes an emission member emitting a beam toward a transportation direction of a transportation path and a beam receiving member receiving a reflected beam of the beam emitted from the emission member, and that detects an image on a medium; a transmissive member that allows the beam emitted from the emission member and the beam reflected from the medium to be transmitted therethrough; and a support member that has an open portion blocked by the transmissive member, and that supports an upstream end portion of the transmissive member in the transportation direction of the medium at an upstream portion of the open portion toward the medium, an edge portion of a downstream portion of the open portion in the transportation direction being located closer to the emission member than a bottom surface of the transmissive member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Nakaie, Masao Ito, Fumio Furusawa, Junichi Morooka, Shusaku Yokota, Kota Ninomiya
  • Patent number: 8564799
    Abstract: A method and apparatus capture bitmapped images of pages of a print job that have been raster image processed while being printed by a printing device and collect electronic image data from at least one predetermined area of the bitmapped images of the pages using a computerized device. In addition, the method and apparatus capture at least one scanned image from the predetermined area of sheets of media printed by the printing device according to the print job, using an optical imaging device operatively connected to the computerized device and compare the scanned image to the electronic image data to validate whether the print job printed correctly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Gilbert A. Grodsky, Richard T. Horn
  • Patent number: 8564798
    Abstract: A method and apparatus capture bitmapped images of pages of a print job that have been raster image processed by a digital front end of a printing device (while they are being printed by the printing device). The bitmapped images are captured from the printing device's buffer using a computerized device potentially positioned within the printing device. The computerized device collects image data from at least one predetermined area of the bitmapped images of the pages and performs optical character processing on the image data to identify characters and numbers within the bitmapped images. The computerized device processes the characters and numbers into accumulated data for the pages of the print job. Then the computerized device compares the accumulated data to expected data to validate whether the print job printed correctly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Richard T. Horn
  • Patent number: 8564817
    Abstract: In a case where a first identifier that is communicated between the printing apparatus and the information processing apparatus in order to specify a type of a printing medium that is used in the printing apparatus, and a second identifier unique to each of a plurality of types of printing media are set in both the printing apparatus and the information processing apparatus, the second identifier set in each of the information processing apparatus and the printing apparatus is obtained. Based on the second identifier set in each of the information processing apparatus and the printing apparatus, the first identifier set in each of the information processing apparatus and the printing apparatus is determined, such that the types of printing medium corresponding to the first identifier set in the information processing apparatus and the printing apparatus match, and a different first identifier is set regarding a printing medium of a different type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoshi Otaka
  • Patent number: 8559831
    Abstract: A method and system for printing image documents using a variety of toners where some toners using a multi-development station having two or more development stations. These toners are co-printed prior to fixing, on the receiver by the multi-development station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: James D. Shifley
  • Patent number: 8542414
    Abstract: A position of a leading edge of an original sheet should be accurately detected utilizing a shadow thereof, irrespective of thickness of the original sheet. In a scanner, an image sensor recognizes the shadow of the leading edge of the original sheet projected on a projection screen when a light source emits light to the original sheet being automatically transported on a glass plate. The original sheet is determined to have reached a reading position, when the original sheet is further transported by a predetermined distance after the shadow is recognized. The projection screen is located above the glass plate at a position spaced apart from the image sensor by a predetermined distance, and hence the timing that the shadow of the leading edge of the original sheet is projected on the projection screen is constant irrespective of the thickness of the original sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yoichiro Maki
  • Publication number: 20130243446
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms, on a surface of a moving member moving in a first direction, an image under an image forming condition in accordance with image information. The image forming apparatus includes: a reflection-type optical sensor including an emission system including a plurality of light-emitting units arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and a light-receiving system including a plurality of light-receiving units that receive reflected light resulting from reflection of emission light emitted from the emission system at the surface of the moving member; and a determination device that determines whether there is an abnormality on the surface of the moving member on the basis of output signals from at least two or more light-receiving units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Inventor: Koji MASUDA
  • Patent number: 8538280
    Abstract: An image erasing apparatus includes a scanning unit, a memory unit, an erasing unit, and a carrying unit. The scanning unit converts an image formed on a sheet into image data which is electronic data. The memory unit stores the image data converted by the scanning unit. The erasing unit erases the image formed on the sheet. The carrying unit carries the sheet to the scanning unit and the erasing unit in this order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Isao Yahata, Ken Iguchi, Takahiro Kawaguchi, Hiroyuki Taguchi, Hiroyuki Tsuchihashi, Hiroyuki Taki
  • Patent number: 8538317
    Abstract: An image elimination apparatus includes a first reader configured to read a status of a sheet, a first judgment portion configured to judge whether the read sheet is reusable or not, an image eliminator configured to eliminate an image formed on the sheet, a second reader configured to read the sheet passing through the image eliminator, a second judgment portion configured to judge whether the image formed on the sheet is eliminated or not, and a controller configured to control the first reader and the second reader so as to read with different reading precision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ken Iguchi
  • Patent number: 8514449
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit forming an image on a medium by using an image forming portion; a mode setting unit setting an image forming mode of plural image forming modes, the plural image forming modes setting, at a time of forming the image, different image forming conditions for the image forming portion included in the image forming unit; an adjusting unit performing adjustment of an image forming condition in the image forming mode; and a measuring unit individually measuring, for each of the image forming modes, a progress state after the adjustment of the image forming condition is performed by the adjusting unit in the image forming mode. The adjusting unit performs the adjustment of the image forming condition when the progress state in the image forming mode exceeds a certain value in the image forming mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Tanaka, Naoya Yamasaki, Gen Nakajima
  • Patent number: 8508817
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus enabling a user to place originals on any of sheet feed trays without confirming requested orientation of the originals, either front facing or back facing. Image data of an original fed from a first sheet feed tray and read by a first reading unit is processed handling as image data of a front surface of the original, and image data of an original fed from the first sheet feed tray and read by a second reading unit is processed handling as image data of a back surface thereof. Image data of an original fed from a second sheet feed tray and read by the first reading unit is processed handling as image data of the back surface of the original, and image data of an original fed from the second sheet feed tray and read by the second reading unit is processed handling as image data of the front surface thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Denshi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ayaka Sato
  • Patent number: 8502992
    Abstract: An image forming system, comprises: an image formation unit for forming an image on a paper; a first paper ejection unit for receiving the paper; a second paper ejection unit for receiving the paper as a sample paper in a state that the sample paper is visually checked when sample paper ejection is performed; a first control section for controlling a switching section to eject the sample paper by switching a paper sending destination from the first paper ejection unit to the second paper ejection unit at a time of the sample paper ejection; a second control section for controlling a display section to display thumbnail images; and wherein the first control section performs the sample paper ejection using the image for sample paper ejection selected by a selecting section for selecting the image for sample paper ejection from the thumbnail images displayed in the display section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Susumu Kurihara
  • Patent number: 8498025
    Abstract: An image reader reads an image on a document while transporting it along a transport path. The image reader includes an image-reading unit, a document guide member and a size detector. The image-reading unit reads the image in a predetermined line width and generates image data based on the image. The document guide member is disposed along the document path and has a first mark thereon. The first mark extends in a main scanning direction of the image-reading unit and has a width greater than or equal to the predetermined line width. The size detector detects the size of the document based on image data read by the image-reading unit at a size detection position where the document overlaps with the first mark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Ryuji Fukasawa
  • Patent number: 8489010
    Abstract: An image delete apparatus has a paper feed tray that feeds recording media, a group of sensors containing a double-feed detection sensor that senses double-feed of the recording media and a media sensor that senses thicknesses of the recording media, a folding unit, and an auxiliary carrying path, and includes a collecting unit that folds and collects the recording media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Taki, Isao Yahata, Takahiro Kawaguchi, Hiroyuki Taguchi, Hiroyuki Tsuchihashi, Ken Iguchi
  • Publication number: 20130164000
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming unit configured to output image data onto a recording medium; a first conveying unit configured to convey the medium; a reading unit configured to read an image from the medium; a defect determining unit configured to determine whether the read image has a defect; a device connection determining unit configured to determine whether a discharge device is directly connected to an image inspection device at the downstream side or is connected to the image inspection device via another device at the downstream side; a second conveying unit configured to convey the medium to the discharge device on a longer conveying path, when the discharge device is directly connected to the image inspection device; a defective discharge tray to which the medium having a defective image is discharged; and a normal discharge tray to which the medium having a non-defective image is discharged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Inventors: Masakazu NEMOTO, Kenichi KAMOSHIDA, Kazutoshi OBARA, Noritaka MASUDA
  • Publication number: 20130142525
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing section, a de-curling section, and a control section. The de-curling section has a de-curling nip portion that presses a sheet to correct a curl caused in the sheet, and a corrective force thereof to press the sheet changes at least in two steps. The control section increases the conveyance speed of the sheet after a rear end of the sheet has passed the fixing nip portion when the de-curling section supports by sandwiching the sheet with a weakly-pressing force. When the de-curling section supports by sandwiching the sheet with a strongly-pressing force, the controller increases the conveyance speed of the sheet after the rear end of the sheet has passed the fixing nip portion and the de-curling nip portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Inventors: Ken NONAKA, Yoshiteru KAWAKAMI, Takahiro OKUBO, Haruki MOTEGI, Masahiro MATSUO, Yusuke KAWANAGO, Osamu YOSHIMURA
  • Patent number: 8456665
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for detecting the status of printing devices and recovering from printing errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew R. Ferlitsch
  • Patent number: 8452196
    Abstract: A device for measuring a length of a recoding material, includes: a rotating body that rotates in contact with a recording material which is transported; a length measuring unit that measures a length of the recording material based on a rotation of the rotating unit; a detecting unit that detects at least one of a rotation and an oblique advance of the recording material; and a correcting unit that corrects a value measured by the length measuring unit based on an output of the detecting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kazama, Koji Morofuji, Takeshi Kato, Kozo Tagawa
  • Patent number: 8452224
    Abstract: A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a first roller and a second roller. The second roller is urged to the first roller by an elastic member. In the sheet conveyance apparatus, sheet guide rib is provided which can project into a sheet conveyance path formed by a sheet guide plate. The sheet conveyance apparatus further includes an interlock portion which is mechanically interlocking with a changing position of the second roller, and changes the projecting amount of the sheet guide rib into the sheet conveyance path such that the more the thickness of a sheet increases, the smaller the projecting amount becomes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoki Ishioka
  • Publication number: 20130129363
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes an integrated sensing unit, which includes an optical sensor including a light emitting part and a light receiving part to receive light emitted from the light emitting part, and an actuator which selectively blocks light to be received by the light receiving part. The actuator includes a shaft member that is elastically supported in one rotation direction, a light blocking member that is mounted on the shaft member and is selectively positioned between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, and a first contact member and a second contact member distanced from each other on the shaft member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
  • Patent number: 8447193
    Abstract: A printing apparatus connected to another printing apparatus to feed sheets to the another printing apparatus includes a reception unit configured to receive, from another printing apparatus, stop detection information regarding timing of a printing stop in another printing apparatus, and a control unit configured to feed sheets for performing printing up to a page indicated by the stop detection information received by the reception unit, perform printing on the sheets to prevent retention of the fed sheets, and cancel feeding preparation of the sheets for printing the page indicated by the stop information and succeeding pages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshitake Mizuno
  • Patent number: 8437646
    Abstract: A paper feed system for use in a printing apparatus that detects multi-feeds and separates all sheets while allowing a single sheet to continue into the machine includes a nip with a drive roller for feeding sheets. A reversible pressure roller downstream of the drive roller is connected to a motor, but idles in the direction of the paper feed in normal operation. When a multi-feed is detected, the motor is turned ON and the reversible pressure roll actuated by a controller. The reversible pressure roller has more friction with the sheet in its contact than the friction between sheets. This drives the sheet in contact backwards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Nicholas Baxter, Andrew Hill, Andrew Ashwood, Nicholas Gates, Robert Sanders, Andrew Williams
  • Publication number: 20130108283
    Abstract: Provided is a method for forming an image containing the steps of: supplying a clear toner on a surface of an image forming support; heating the supplied clear toner on the surface of the image forming support to melt; close contacting the surface of the image forming support supplied with the clear toner with a belt; and cooling the clear toner in a state of close contacting with the belt so as to form a clear toner layer on the image forming support, wherein the aforesaid clear toner contains at least a resin formed with a polymerizable monomer represented by Formula (1) and a vinyl monomer, Formula (1): H2C?CR1—COOR2, wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; and R2 represents a chain alkyl group having 12 to 22 carbon atoms, or a cyclic alkyl group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Inventors: Yusuke KAWANAGO, Takahiro OKUBO, Masahiro MATSUO, Yoshiteru KAWAKAMI, Haruki MOTEGI, Osamu YOSHIMURA, Kunihiro KAWACHI, Ken NONAKA
  • Patent number: 8422098
    Abstract: A document data capturing device includes a sheet supply tray for carrying documents, a sheet discharge tray located below the sheet supply tray, and a document conveying mechanism including a conveying path along which documents are guided from the sheet supply tray to the sheet discharge tray. The document data capturing device includes a first data-capturing unit and a second data-capturing unit which scan respective sides of a document conveyed by the document conveying mechanism. The first data-capturing unit and the second data-capturing unit are each configured with a reduction-optics scanning mechanism. The conveying path along which a document to be scanned by the first and second scanning mechanisms is conveyed is formed to surround the second reduction-optics data-capturing unit. Thus, the device can be made compact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Nisca Corporation
    Inventors: Masataka Hamada, Seiji Nishizawa, Yutaka Tanaka, Kazuhisa Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 8406643
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image formation unit, a conveying unit and controller. The image formation unit includes a rotating photoreceptor, a latent image formation unit, a developing unit, a first transfer unit, and a second transfer unit. Regardless of forming or not forming on the photoreceptor a belt-shaped image which is not being transferred onto a recording medium, the controller controls the image forming unit such that formation of an image quality adjusting image that is not transferred to the recording medium starts from a predetermined position in a rotational direction of the photoreceptor, and such that the recorded image is formed further downstream in the rotational direction of the photoreceptor than an image quality adjusting image region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Funayama, Naoki Hirako, Hideo Kimura, Keita Kumokiri, Mitsugu Kamio, Shun Kuwahara, Izumi Suda
  • Patent number: 8401413
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming device which can prevent occurrence of damage on the surface of a fixing roller or a fixing belt due to the contact of the end of a sheet with the fixing roller or fixing belt. The image forming device, for transferring a toner image to a sheet fed out from a sheet feed section and fixing the toner image to the sheet by pressing the sheet carrying the toner image at a fixing section, includes a moving section for moving the sheet and or the fixing section in the direction at right angles to the traveling direction of the sheet within a preset moving range, the moving section being controlled based on a preset operation pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Masami Maruko, Susumu Okui
  • Publication number: 20130058663
    Abstract: A user is notified that the setting of sheets with respect to a grouped plurality of sheet storage units is changed, so that a state becomes impossible to execute switching of the grouped sheet storage units. The control method includes, registering a plurality of sheet storage units each storing a sheet as one group, determining, at the time of sheet supply to any one of the sheet storage units, whether sheet information about the sheet storage unit set in the group has been changed by sheet information newly set with respect to the sheet storage unit to be supplied with the sheet, and a notifying, when it is determined that the sheet information has been changed, the user of the change in the sheet information about the sheet storage units set as one group by the supply of the sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takaaki Yano
  • Publication number: 20130051818
    Abstract: An ultrasonic wave detection apparatus includes a transmission unit which transmits ultrasonic waves at a first frequency and a second frequency, a reception unit which receives ultrasonic waves transmitted from the transmission unit, and a control unit which causes the transmission unit to transmit ultrasonic waves at the first frequency and causes the reception unit to receive the first frequency ultrasonic waves to obtain a detection timing of a peak value of a n-th wave of the received first frequency ultrasonic waves, causes the transmission unit to transmit ultrasonic waves at the second frequency and causes the reception unit to receive the second frequency ultrasonic waves to obtain a detection timing of a peak value of a n-th wave of the received second frequency ultrasonic waves, and specifies “n” of the n-th wave from which the peak value is detected based on a difference in the detection timings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Atsunobu Mori
  • Patent number: 8385765
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of selectively discharging a sheet having an image formed with toner on one surface thereof and a sheet having images formed with toner on both surfaces thereof includes a fixing unit configured to fix a toner image on a sheet, a sheet stacking portion configured to stack sheets each having the toner image fixed thereon, and a control portion configured to control a maximum sheet stacking amount of sheets stacked in the sheet stacking portion. The control portion controls the maximum sheet stacking amount set when sheets, at least one of which has the toner images formed on both surfaces thereof, are stacked to be smaller than the maximum sheet stacking amount set when sheets each having the toner image formed on one surface thereof are stacked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kozo Inoue
  • Patent number: 8368910
    Abstract: A printing system comprises a host computer, a laser printer of a paper ejecting type and another laser printer of a non-paper ejecting type, all connected to one another via a system bus. The host computer functions as the supply source of image information and as the data processor, and controls the laser printer of a paper ejecting type and the other laser printer of a non-paper ejecting type. A printing apparatus and method that can contribute to increasing the speed and convenience of secured print in this printing system are to be provided. To accomplish this, the laser printer of a paper ejecting type and the other laser printer of a non-paper ejecting type will execute interrupt print processing when the received job is a secured print job and there is any other job being processed if there are a plurality of paper discharging ports or execute promote print processing if there is only one paper discharging port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuyoshi Kakigi
  • Patent number: 8355640
    Abstract: Provided is a document feeding device including: a document feeding portion for feeding a document; a document set detecting portion for detecting presence/absence of a set document; a determination portion for determining whether power supply to the device is started by turning-on of main power or by cancellation of a power saving mode; an initial operation portion for performing an initial operation of initializing the document feeding portion when the power supply to the document feeding device is started by the turning-on of the main power, and restricting execution of the initial operation when the power supply to the document feeding device is started by the cancellation of the power saving mode; and a display portion for displaying, when there is a set document at the start of the power supply, a request to reset the document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Hidehiro Tabuchi
  • Patent number: 8351065
    Abstract: When a paper sheet is required during execution of a print job, a printing apparatus requests paper sheet information about the states of paper feed trays from the other printing apparatuses. When the other printing apparatuses transmit the paper sheet information, the printing apparatus of the request source displays a search result display screen 22 which represents the states, such as the size, type, and residual amount of paper sheet in the paper feed tray of each of the other printing apparatuses. By viewing the screen 22, the user is able to determine the position of the printing apparatus and the paper feed tray, in which the required paper sheet is stored. Therefore, when the paper sheet is required during execution of the print job, the paper sheet can be quickly replenished by notifying the presence position of the paper sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Nishii
  • Patent number: 8345296
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an apparatus main unit control software storage unit configured to store new apparatus main unit control software used to control a main unit of the image processing apparatus on a non-volatile storage device, a combination appropriateness determination unit configured to determine whether a combination of the new apparatus main unit control software and post-processing apparatus control software that currently operates on a post-processing apparatus is appropriate based on version information about the post-processing apparatus control software used to control the post-processing apparatus, which is operable in combination with the new apparatus main unit control software, and version information about the post-processing apparatus control software that currently operates on the post-processing apparatus, a determination result storage unit configured to store a result of the determination by the combination appropriateness determination unit, and an activation unit con
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Jun Miyajima
  • Publication number: 20120308244
    Abstract: A sheet identification device includes plural detecting units, an estimating unit, and an output unit. The plural detecting units are provided along a transport path along which a sheet is transported by a transport unit, and detect passing of the sheet. The estimating unit estimates a length in a transport direction of the sheet as a detection target on the basis of individual detection results generated by the plural detecting units. The output unit outputs, if the length estimated by the estimating unit on the basis of at least one of the detection results is not a predetermined length, a signal indicating that a sheet having a length in the transport direction different from the predetermined length is being transported.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi WATANABE, Kiminobu TSUTADA, Hiroyuki TAMAI, Hiroaki MAGARIBUCHI
  • Patent number: 8325386
    Abstract: The transfer of a duplicate electronic document between image forming devices is done with an electronic document that is formed of only resolution-independent vector data and the like, and a normal printing of the duplicate electronic document or printing of different resolution is performed by developing the vector data. In high-quality printing of the duplicate electronic document, a Fill Map included in the original document the information indicating the location of an electronic document of copy source that is embedded in a metadata specifies is obtained, and this printing is made using the Fill Map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hisashi Koike
  • Patent number: 8305654
    Abstract: An image scanning apparatus arranged to press an original document placed on a glass plate by a platen cover and to scan the original document by a line sensor includes a light source used when scanning image information, a first detection sensor arranged to detect as a first timing a state in which the cover is opened at, for example, an angle of 20 degrees, a second detection sensor arranged to detect as a second timing a state, for example, that is immediately before the cover closes the glass plate, and an original document size determining unit arranged to determine the size of the original document based on the differential data, which is calculated from first image information scanned at the first timing and second image information scanned at the second timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventor: Noriyoshi Takeshima
  • Patent number: 8294918
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a failure prediction unit, an image identification unit, a simulated-image generating unit, and an output unit. The failure prediction unit prepares an index value indicating a condition of the image forming apparatus based on multidimensional signal, obtained by monitoring the image forming apparatus, and compares the index value with a first threshold value to predict a failure mode of the image forming apparatus. The image identification unit identifies types of abnormal images based on the failure mode predicted by the failure prediction unit. An identified abnormal image is predicted to be appear a given time later. The simulated-image generating unit generates a simulated image of the identified abnormal image. The output unit outputs the identified abnormal image as the simulated image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Satoh, Yasushi Nakazato, Kohji Ue, Masahide Yamashita, Jun Yamane, Masaichi Sawada, Noriyuki Ochiai, Shintaroh Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8289566
    Abstract: A print or logo data generating system and method in which a width dimension of a printable medium is identified and original source data obtained. The processing further involves automatically resizing the source data to a predefined maximum width not greater than the width dimension of the printable medium prior to executing any user-requested changes, and displaying a first image representation of the original source data. Upon receipt of a user-requested change in the size of the original source data and a user-requested change in the number of colors of the original source data, the size change request is executed first.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Yokoyama, Yukiharu Horiuchi, Katsuhito Kitahara
  • Patent number: 8280263
    Abstract: A paper feed system for use in a printing apparatus that detects multi-feeds and separates all sheets while allowing a single sheet to continue into the machine includes a nip with a drive roller for feeding sheets. A reversible pressure roller downstream of the drive roller is connected to a motor, but idles in the direction of the paper feed in normal operation. When a multi-feed is detected, the motor is turned ON and the reversible pressure roll actuated by a controller. The reversible pressure roller has more friction with the sheet in its contact than the friction between sheets. This drives the sheet in contact backwards. This sheet can be diverted to a separate paper path using a gate mechanism and, if desired, fed back into the feed path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Nicholas Baxter, Andrew Hill, Andrew Ashwood, Nicholas Gates, Robert Sanders, Andrew Williams
  • Publication number: 20120237226
    Abstract: An edge detecting device for detecting an edge of a moving recording medium includes a reflecting unit that includes a reflecting surface having reflectance higher than that of the recording medium, light sources that irradiate the recording medium and the reflecting surface of the reflecting unit with light, a light receiving unit that includes pixels of a photoelectric conversion element provided in a width direction of the recording medium and receives reflected light that has been emitted from the light sources and has been reflected by the recording medium and the reflecting surface of the reflecting unit on the pixels of the photoelectric conversion element, and a control unit that determines a region of the pixels of the photoelectric conversion element that make output higher than a previously set determination threshold value to be the edge of the recording medium on the light receiving unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Inventor: Keisuke SAKA
  • Publication number: 20120207485
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which secondarily transfers a toner image primarily transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt, including: a registration roller pair; a registration motor; a secondary transfer unit located downstream of the registration roller pair and secondarily transferring the toner image onto a sheet; a detection sensor detecting the presence or absence of the sheet transported on a sheet transport path downstream of the secondary transfer unit; a suction transport belt transporting the sheet; and a control unit controlling to stop the registration motor in a case that the control unit determines absence of the sheet on the sheet transport path based on a signal from the detection sensor, when an interval of time, which is expected to be taken from when starting to transport the sheet by the registration roller pair to when a leading edge of the sheet reaches the suction transport belt, has elapsed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tadashi Iwakawa
  • Patent number: 8240658
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a cassette, a sensor and a controller. The cassette stacks a sheet. The sensor is provided at the rear end of the cassette. When the sensor detects the protrusion of the sheet from the cassette, the controller controls to notify that the sheet protrudes by using an alarm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yousuke Ushiyama
  • Publication number: 20120201549
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a specifying unit configured to, when a user operation for instructing checking of printing is performed during printing, specify, according to a type of carbonless copy paper of a page being printed, carbonless copy paper for checking corresponding to the carbonless copy paper being printed, and an output unit configured to output the carbonless copy paper being printed and the carbonless copy paper for checking specified by the specifying unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Munetaka Sakata