Hiromitsu Hirabayashi

US Patent:

6339480, Jan 15, 2002

Filed:

Jul 28, 1997

Appl. No.:

08/901719

Inventors:

Akitoshi Yamada - Irvine CA
Hiromitsu Hirabayashi - Irvine CA
Takao Aichi - Irvine CA
Kazuyuki Masumoto - Irvine CA
Akihiko Sukigara - Irvine CA
Tetsuya Kawanabe - Irvine CA
Masashi Kamada - Irvine CA
Osamu Hirata - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Tokyo

International Classification:

G06K 1510

US Classification:

358 18, 358 116, 358 19, 358502, 358524

Abstract:

A color printer driver binarizes continuous tone color print data stored in raster form and stores the binarized data directly into column form, without the intermediary of storage in horizontal raster form, for printout by a print engine having vertically-arranged print elements.

US Patent:

6359701, Mar 19, 2002

Filed:

Nov 17, 1997

Appl. No.:

08/972113

Inventors:

Akitoshi Yamada - Irvine CA
Hiromitsu Hirabayashi - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Tokyo

International Classification:

B41B 1500

US Classification:

358 12, 358 112, 358 116, 358404, 358406, 358504, 347 9, 347 14, 347 19, 347 43, 347 49

Abstract:

A printer having at least first and second print heads, each with independently controllable print resolution, controllably prints text data with a first resolution and non-text data with a second resolution. Preferably, the printer is comprised by first and second ink jet print heads which eject ink droplets through plural nozzles based on digital data stored in a print buffer. Resolution is controlled by controlling ink droplet size, nozzle ejection sequence, and readout order from the print buffer, all with droplet size, ejection sequence and readout order being controlled independently for each print head. A user interface allows a user to control resolution of text and non-text data independently.

US Patent:

6364452, Apr 2, 2002

Filed:

Apr 14, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/291159

Inventors:

Steven Noyes - Fountain Valley CA
Akitoshi Yamada - Irvine CA
Hiromitsu Hirabayashi - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Tokyo

International Classification:

B41S 221

US Classification:

347 43, 347 15, 358521

Abstract:

A system to produce print data corresponding to a multi-level value of a pixel includes a first determining step to determine a first amount of low-penetration black ink corresponding to the multi-level value, a second determining step to determine a second amount of high-penetration black ink corresponding to the multi-level value and a printing step to print the pixel using the first amount of low-penetration black ink corresponding to the multi-level value and the second amount of high-penetration black ink corresponding to the multi-level value.

US Patent:

6373593, Apr 16, 2002

Filed:

May 4, 1998

Appl. No.:

09/071110

Inventors:

Akitoshi Yamada - Irvine CA
Hiromitsu Hirabayashi - Irvine CA
Akihiko Sukigara - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Tokyo

International Classification:

G06F 1500

US Classification:

358 15, 347 37, 347 41, 400 10

Abstract:

Printing which accommodates carriage speed non-uniformities by allowing both forward and reverse printing despite the presence of ringing and other overshoot anomalies in carriage printing speed. A determination is made as to whether print data for a current scan and a prior scan overlap in either of two critical zones at lateral extents of the recording medium, where carriage speed ringing and overshoot non-uniformities are most prevalent. If print data for a current scan and a prior scan overlap in either of the two critical zones, the current scan is printed in the same direction as that of the prior scan. On the other hand, if print data for the current scan and the prior scan do not overlap in either of the two critical zones, then printing of the current scan is effected in a direction opposite to that of the prior scan.

US Patent:

6388758, May 14, 2002

Filed:

Nov 17, 1997

Appl. No.:

08/971829

Inventors:

Tetsuya Kawanabe - Irvine CA
Akihiko Sukigara - Irvine CA
Hiromitsu Hirabayashi - Irvine CA
Akitoshi Yamada - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Tokyo

International Classification:

G06K 1500

US Classification:

358 113, 358 115

Abstract:

A system for scheduling cleaning of an ink jet print head loaded in an ink jet printer. The system includes receiving real time/date information from an external source, storing the real time/date information in a volatile memory, storing, in a non-volatile memory, a last cleaning time for at least one print head in the ink jet printer, calculating an elapsed time by subtracting the stored real time/date information from the stored last cleaning time, comparing the calculated elapsed time to a predetermined elapsed time, and controlling the at least one print head to perform a cleaning process in the case the calculated elapsed time is greater than the predetermined elapsed time and storing, in the non-volatile memory, a latest last time for cleaning the at least one print head.

US Patent:

6404507, Jun 11, 2002

Filed:

Apr 14, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/290864

Inventors:

Akihiko Hamamoto - Irvine CA
Steven Noyes - Fountain Valley CA
Kazuyuki Masumoto - Irvine CA
Akitoshi Yamada - Irvine CA
Shinji Kanemitsu - Irvine CA
Hiromitsu Hirabayashi - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Tokyo

International Classification:

G06F 1500

US Classification:

358 15, 358 118

Abstract:

Printing on a recording medium by lateral scans of a print head in accordance with print data. Content of print data is determined. Then, the print data is printed either with a first lateral scan process using a critical zone at edges in a lateral scan of the print head for printing, or with a second lateral scan process that does not use the critical zone for printing. The first or second lateral scan process is selected based on the print data. Preferably, the critical zone is sized in correspondence with ramp up non-uniformities of a print carriage on which the print head is mounted, so as to accommodate a distance between a point where print degradation due to speed non-uniformities are noticeable to a point where print degradation due to speed non-uniformities are no longer noticeable. The second lateral scan process preferably is a process in which a predetermined margin is inserted into the first lateral scan process. The second lateral scan process is used if print data for a current scan and print data for a previous scan, in at least the critical zone, are continuous print data, thereby alleviating ripple effects for the continuous data.

US Patent:

6563601, May 13, 2003

Filed:

Jul 28, 1997

Appl. No.:

08/901565

Inventors:

Akitoshi Yamada - Irvine CA
Hiromitsu Hirabayashi - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Canon Business Machines, Inc. - Costa Mesa CA

International Classification:

G06F 1500

US Classification:

358 19, 358 11

Abstract:

A printing system in which an image is printed within multiple printable areas of a recording medium, the multiple printable areas defining an overlapped printing area, includes detection of a break position in image data to be printed within the overlapped printing area using at least one of a plurality of break detection systems on the image data to be printed within the overlapped printing area, selective division of, at the detected break position and among the multiple printable areas, the image data to be printed within the overlapped printing area, and printing of the divided image data within the multiple printable areas.

US Patent:

6604806, Aug 12, 2003

Filed:

Oct 20, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/422111

Inventors:

Akitoshi Yamada - Irvine CA
Hiromitsu Hirabayashi - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Tokyo

International Classification:

B41J 2205

US Classification:

347 15, 347 43

Abstract:

A recording system for printing a high resolution image. Low resolution print data is transferred from the host computer to the printer and expanded into high resolution print data in the printer, such as by using a predetermined pixel pattern or a pattern key. The pixel pattern is changed in each of the plurality of printing scans, such as by changing the scanning frequency, to eject additional ink droplets per pixel. An image process, such as an output correction process, is performed by the host computer to determine the pixel pattern and pattern key information for printing a high resolution image. Also, power required to be supplied to the print head is reduced by changing the pixel pattern.