Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp.

Ricoh Compny, Ltd.

Yoshiaki Hanyu

Masaki Sano

Hitomi Kumazaki

Takashi Sato

Mutsuo Shimomae

Kan Tomita

Hitomi Hanyu

Naofumi Ueda

Tetsuro Hirota

Tatsuhiko Oikawa

Shogo Oneda

Hiroki Kubozono

Kenichi Uchida

Naomi Inoue

Akira Ohori

Yoshikazu Ikeda

Kota Miyamoto

Kazue Sugiyama

Takaaki Saruki

Nobuharu Takahashi

A post-processing apparatus includes memory and a processor configured to control a curving device that curves a sheet, which is transported to the curving device, by pressing the sheet, control folding processing that is performed on a sheet curved by the curving device, and control, when folding processing is performed such that two ends of a sheet in a transport direction of the sheet face outward in opposite directions after the folding processing has been performed on the sheet, the curving device so as to curve the sheet in plural directions with respect to a transport surface.

Post-processing apparatus and image forming system

Programs for executing downloading of a program are stored in an area, i.e a non-rewritable boot area, of a rewritable flash EEPROM. Control programs for the apparatus are stored in the remaining area of the EEPROM. The programs for executing the downloading of the program, which are in the boot area, will not be lost, even if a power disconnection occurs during rewriting of the control program(s) and thus redownloading can be carried out. Information, regarding whether the downloading has failed or how far the program has been downloaded before it failed, is stored. Redownloading can be executed automatically when the power is turned on based on the stored information.

System and apparatus for and method of downloading a program, image formation apparatus, and computer product

A page printer printing document data includes a first rasterizing part for rasterizing the document data with a first resolution and a data compression part for compressing each of blocks which form first rasterized data from the first rasterizing part to produce a compression code, and for storing the compression code in a compression memory. The page printer further includes a data decompression part for decompressing the compression code stored in the compression memory, and for transmitting decompressed data to a printer engine having the first resolution. A second rasterizing part rasterizes the document data again with a second resolution less than the first resolution when the compression code exceeds a given size. A resolution converting part in the page printer converts second rasterized data from the second rasterizing part to conversion data with the first resolution, and transmits the conversion data to the printer engine having the first resolution.

Variable-length reversible image data compression process

In a printing apparatus, a printer control unit transmits image data to an engine control unit for a respective one of a plurality of bands sent by a host computer. The image data of the respective one of the plurality of bands defines a pattern of 'M' dots by 'N' lines related to an image of a corresponding band where both 'M' and 'N' denote an integer. The printer control unit transmits a band information command to the engine control unit prior to the transmission of the image data. The band information command includes a band height, a print start dot position and a print end dot position, the band height indicative of a quantity of the image data transmitted, the print start dot position indicative of a position of a print start dot with respect to all the 'N' lines in the image, and the print end dot position indicative of a position of a print end dot with respect to all the 'N' lines in the image.

Printing apparatus for increasing efficiency in transmitting image data

An image processing device converting a binary image into multi-valued output image includes an image-area-separation processing unit detecting shadow areas in the binary image, wherein the shadow areas are graphic or photographic image areas having a number of lines greater than a predetermined number, an outline-correction processing unit correcting jagged edges in the binary image to generate a corrected image, an multi-value processing unit converting the binary image into a multi-valued image through a filtering process, and a selection unit selecting the multi-valued image for the shadow areas and the corrected image for areas other than the shadow areas so as to generate the multi-valued output image.

Image processing device and image output device converting binary image

Page printer, resolution converting method, and variable-length

An apparatus processes two-tone image data so as to magnify a relevant image and smooth a boundary line between a zone consisting of first-tone pixels of two-tone pixels constituting the relevant image and a zone consisting of second-tone pixels of the two-tone pixels. The apparatus is characterized in that the apparatus comprises a unit which, for each two-tone pixel of the two-tone pixels, determines a template pattern, from among a plurality of template patterns, as matching a pixel arrangement comprising pixels located around the each two-tone pixel; and a unit for converting the each two-tone pixel into either single multiple-tone pixel of plurality of multiple-tone pixels, the unit using a result of the determination performed by the unit for the converting.

Apparatus and method for processing two-tone image data so as to smooth

Page printer resolution converting method, and variable-length

A method and apparatus proecsses a dot image formed of a plurality dots, each dot having a density level. In the method and appratus, a dot pattern is extracted from the dot image, which dot pattern being formed of an observation dot and dots surrounding the observation dot, it is tdetermining, based on comparison between the extracted dot pattern and predetermined reference patterns, whether or not the observation dot in the dot pattern is either a dropout dot or a projection dot, a density level of the observation dot is changed to a first density level corresponding to the dropout dot when it is determined that the observation dot is the dropout dot, and a density level of the observation dot is changed to a second density level corresponding to the projection dot when it is determined that the observation dot is the projection dot.

Image processing method and apparatus

A graphics accelerator decides pixel densities using an anti-aliasing process for left and right edges of a figure in an image, and for sending resulting pixel density data to a frame memory. The apparatus includes a memory read/write controller inputs a contribution ratio, a density value, a 'y' coordinate for a raster line, a start coordinate x.sub.1, and an end coordinate x.sub.2, and sends an address to the frame memory. A LUT provides pixel densities based on the contribution ratio and the density value. Three contiguous pixels' densities are latched, including densities for a middle pixel and two outer pixels. A comparing processor, decides a resulting pixel density corresponding to the middle pixel by comparing the densities of the three contiguous pixels, and deciding the resulting pixel density as being an intermediate value between the densities of the two outer pixels if the middle pixel's density is not between the densities of the two outer pixels, but deciding the resulting pixel density as being the density of the middle pixel if the middle pixel's density is between the densities of the two outer pixels. Identification densities for identifying edges of the figure are generated in the second position before the left edge of the figure and in the second position after the right edge of the figure.

Image processing apparatus involving comparison of densities of three

A graphics processing apparatus carries out an antialiasing for obtaining an output image having smooth edges, enabling a speedy computation of approximate shading area rates of pixels by making use of neither a subpixel dividing process nor a shading pixel counting process. The apparatus comprises a discriminating part for discriminating the presence of an end point pixel at an edge portion of an image defined by a vector data, a computing part for computing the number of edge pixels by extracting two integer parts a, b from x coordinate values Xa, Xb of two points where a scanline intersects the vector data, a setting part for setting a x coordinate value of the end point pixel to the Xb only when an end point pixel is found at the edge portion, an approximate point part for determining an approximate point value C' from a prescribed factor c.times.(n-1) computed by a decimal fraction c extracted from the x coordinate value Xa, a memory part for storing a lookup table containing a set of predetermined data, and an approximate area factor part for determining an approximate shading area factor k by making reference to the lookup table stored in the memory part.

Graphics processing apparatus for producing output data at edges of an

A cross point detection part detects respective positions of cross points of an image's edge crossing sides of respective pixels. An approximated area ratio determination part determines respective approximated area ratios obtained as a result of approximating respective area ratios of areas occupied by the image in the respective pixels by using the positions of the cross points. A darkness determination part determines respective darknesses of the respective pixels in accordance with the approximated area ratios.

Image drawing with improved area ratio approximation process

A graphics processing apparatus includes a first detection part for detecting, with respect to each pixel of an image, whether or not an edge of the image starts on a scanline, and for setting a control data depending on whether or not the edge starts on the scanline, a second detection part for detecting a duration of beam power modulation corresponding to one or plural edge pixels being intersected by a line defined in the image, and for setting a duration data, a third detection part for detecting an outermost edge pixel in the edge pixels, a part for generating a beam power data indicating an intensity level of light beam power corresponding to the outermost edge pixel, an output part for outputting the image by means of a printer having a light source for emitting a light beam, and a control means for continuously modulating light beam power of the light source from the intensity level to a predetermined level with respect to the edge pixels, so that an image with smooth edges is generated by modulating the light beam power of the light source in accordance with the control data and the duration data.

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Tokyo, Japan

Yoshiaki Hanyu