Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Takashi Honda

Masazumi Ito

Shinichi Yabuki

Yoko Fujiwara

Masao Kondo

Kunio Furukawa

Toshiya Furubayashi

Shigeki Nozawa

Yoshinori Maruyama

Akihito Takada

Junichi Masuda

Takahiro Tsujimoto

Yasuhiro Ishihara

Shiro Umeda

Tetsuhiro Shibata

Takeshi Nomura

Yoshiki Nakazawa

Masaaki Kuriyama

In order to properly count the number of sheets printed which serves as the basis on which a charge is calculated, an MFP that acts as a designated printer includes a job accepting portion to accept a print job, a job executing portion to carry out printing based on the print job, a requesting portion to, when the job executing portion is not available for executing the print job, transmit an alternative instruction including the print job to an alternative printer, and an adding portion to add the number of alternative sheets printed by the alternative printer based on the print job included in the alternative instruction to the number of sheets printed by the job executing portion.

Image forming apparatus provided with function to calculate charge based on the number of sheets printed, print system including image forming apparatus, method for counting the number of sheets printed executed by image forming apparatus, and program for counting the number of sheets printed executed by image forming apparatus

A digital multi function peripheral includes a scanner for reading an image in a document read position; a document retaining cover for being able to change an opening and closing state between a state in which the scanner is closed and a state in which the scanner is opened, and conveying a document to the scanner when the scanner is closed; a registration sensor for detecting a leading end portion and a rear end portion of the document conveyed by the document retaining cover; and a controller for determining the opening and closing state of the document retaining cover based on a state of the leading end portion and the rear end portion of the document in the image read by an IR module at a time when a predetermined time frame elapses since a detection state of the registration sensor changes. Therefore, the opening and closing state of the conveyance unit for conveying the document can accurately be detected.

Document reading device which includes automatic document conveying mechanism and reads plural documents one by one

An image forming apparatus comprises a image reader unit and a controller. The controller is configured to i) execute a detection operation of calculating a correction coefficient based on reference image data obtained by applying the light from a light source to a reference unit and receiving, by a photoelectric conversion unit, the reflected light from the reference unit to perform photoelectric conversion of the received light to the reference image data, ii) correct image density variations of the image data caused by orientation variations of the light source and pixel sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion unit based on the correction coefficient, iii) form an output image to be printed on output paper in accordance with an arrangement manner, based on the corrected image data, and iv) determine an interval at which the detection operation is executed, in accordance with a characteristic of the light source and the arrangement manner.

Apparatus and method for forming image for printing

If image stabilization becomes necessary while an MFP is executing a print job received from a user, the MFP performs the image stabilization while emitting an operation sound if the user has not moved away from the MFP. Also, if the user has moved away from the MFP, the MFP stops the print job and logs the user out.

Image forming apparatus and image forming system

An image reading apparatus includes a carriage having mounted thereon a linear light source and an image sensor and a reference pattern member disposed at a reference position located toward the first direction from a home position. The current location of the carriage is judged relatively to first and second areas that are divided by a boundary defined in advance at a location toward the first direction from the reference position. The first area is located toward the first direction and the second area is located toward the second direction. Immediately after the power is turned ON, current location information indicating whether the carriage is currently located in the first area or the second area is read from the nonvolatile memory. The carriage is first moved to the reference position and then moved a predetermined distance in the second direction, so that the carriage is duly positioned at the home position.

Image reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, and carriage positioning method

A facsimile apparatus includes one or a plurality of connecting portions configured to connect an external storage, a communication portion having a plurality of different facsimile lines, a line specifying portion configured to specify a facsimile line which received data, a detecting portion configured to detect that an external storage is connected to the connecting portion, and a control portion configured to store the data received by a predetermined facsimile line in an external storage connected to the connecting portion in cases where a facsimile line specified by the line specifying portion is a predetermined line and a connection of the external storage is detected by the detecting portion.

Facsimile apparatus, and received-data processing method for use in said facsimile apparatus

In a printer, three toner patches are primary-transferred successively to an intermediate transfer belt. Here, after the first toner patch passes through a belt cleaner and before the second toner patch reaches the belt cleaner, and after the second toner patch passes through the belt cleaner and before the third patch reaches the belt cleaner, the belt cleaner is operated to change the state of contact to the intermediate transfer belt to a different state. A density sensor detects density of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt, and presence/absence of the toner patch is detected. When presence/absence of the first to third patches is detected alternately, it is determined that the belt cleaner is performing the operation described above.

Image forming apparatus with contact/separation mechanism to/from intermediate transfer body

A facsimile machine comprises a connection for connecting an external storage device, a detection unit for detecting whether or not the external storage device is connected to said connection, a switching unit that switches confidential fax transmitting function to enable if the external storage device is connected to the connection and switching the confidential fax transmitting function to disable if it is not connected, a display unit that displays names of files of image data that can be transmitted by facsimile from the image data stored in the external storage device connected to the connection, a file selection unit that selects based on a user's instruction a file to be transmitted, from the displayed files, and a transmission unit that transmits the image data of the selected file by the confidential fax transmitting function.

Facsimile machine, method of transmitting a facsimile and method of receiving the same

Upon completing a preparation operation including different processes, an image formation apparatus shifts to ready state in which image formation is executable, the processes including at least one process executed using a corresponding motor. The image formation apparatus comprises: an obtainer for obtaining, for each process, an estimated time period between start and completion thereof; and a controller for starting execution of, out of the processes, (i) one process whose estimated time period is the longest, then (ii) any other process so that any other process is executed in parallel with said one process. When said one process is included in the at least one process, the controller initiates the motor by high-speed initiation by applying thereto first voltage that is higher than second voltage. When any other process is included in the at least one process, the controller initiates the motor by normal initiation by applying thereto first voltage.

Image formation apparatus and preparation operation execution method

This invention causes an image which has been read out by a CCD sensor during a first scan to be converted into an electric signal corresponding to the density of the image. A CPU forms by calculation a graph of the magnitude of density and the frequency thereof, namely a density histogram based on the electric signal obtained by the conversion. The contrast of the image is calculated, based on the density of the blank base part and that of the image formed part of the image which are calculated from the density histogram. The CPU sets the adjustment width based on this contrast and calculates the luminous energy of a lamp being used during a main scan in accordance with the adjustment width so set and the value of density set by a setting key. Thus, the present invention infallibly allows perfect density adjustment in an image of any degree of contrast.

Image processing apparatus and method for adjustment of density of copied image

An image reading apparatus is disclosed which reads from above a book document mounted as opened upwardly. This image reading apparatus decides the positions of face terminal parts of the document by detecting longitudinal edges in accordance with differences in luminance contrasts which occur in the face part of document and the lateral face part of document in the lateral direction of an image and further detecting the pattern of longitudinal edges due to the overlap of pages in the lateral face part of document and the amount of change of the position of the upper side edge of the document. The apparatus, therefore, is capable of accurately detecting the face of the document and the lateral face of the document and producing exclusively the image of the face of the document in spite of the presence of an index, a pattern of black frame, or a black background in the terminal parts of the face of the document.

Apparatus and method for detecting book document along the longitudinal

This invention concerns an image processing device for adjusting the density of an image and an image reading device incorporating the image processing device and aims to enhance the repeatability of pseudo-gradient without reference to density distribution of the image. The image processing device which fulfills the purpose of compensating the gradient of image data consisting of multivalue digital signals comprises means ME1 to ME3 for storing a plurality of gradient compensation data T1 to T3 having mutually different contents of compensation, means for detecting a contrast of an image on the basis of a group of image data conforming to one image, and means for switching the contents of compensation for the image data by selecting one of the three gradient compensation data T1 to T3 in conformity with the contrast.

Image processing device and image reading device

A book scanner which reads an image of a book or a bound document placed as turned upward, computes the document inclination from the outer shape of the document, detects the top end of the bound part of the document from the document height, thereby determines the accurate position of the center line existing in a slanted posture, detecting the brightness in the neighborhood of the bound part, thereby computes the erasing width to be erased as unnecessary for an image with precision, and erases only the center line zone without failing to effect thorough erasure of the slanted center line.

Image reading apparatus

An image reading apparatus that reads a first image and a second image which were photographed on a microfilm side by side in the width direction of the microfilm. The image reading apparatus has a reading device which reads the images on the microfilm, a parameter setting device which sets separately a first image processing parameter for the first image and a second image processing parameter for the second image, and a control device which controls the reading device to read the first image in accordance with the first image processing parameter and to read the second image in accordance with the second image processing parameter.

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Toyokawa, Japan

Takashi Honda