Posts Tagged: "printer technologies"

We share a trio of patent applications discussing improvements to memory devices, especially flash memory devices. A number of intriguing technologies which we share below are also related to brick and mortar retail environments, including one patent application discussing a method of providing entertainment content to retail workers to keep them more productive. Toshiba holds a very robust patent portfolio, and we also explored some patents which have been issued to the company within the past few weeks. Two patents related to three-dimensional memory cell stacks for better semiconductor memory devices are explored. Two other patents we share protect water treatment technologies, including one for capturing more copper precipitate from wastewater while creating less sludge. We also discuss a couple of patents focused on printing technologies, including an apparatus and system for recycling printed sheets by removing images.

Inkjet printing technologies are the focus of a couple of recently published patent applications which are assigned to Epson, including a few technologies developed to prevent heat damage from interfering with printer functionality. Other printing innovations created by Epson include a new ink set for black inks that reduces yellow discolorations in printed images. We also discuss some inventions in head-mounted displays and robotics, including one invention involving a redesigned suction-type robot which is more capable of holding a load when an external force acts on the load. Printers are again in major focus during our exploration of the patents recently issued to Epson by the USPTO. A reduction in electrical contact errors in ink cartridges is supported by one invention we discuss, as well as another technology for improved processing of printer errors that require the printer motor to be powered off, such as paper jams. We include another couple of patents which represent Epson’s further developments in the robotics and head-mounted display technologies mentioned above. We also explore one patent protecting an event scheduling method for organizations that enables easier registration and sharing of events among multiple people.

A worldwide leader in the development of camcorders, cameras, photocopiers and other imaging and printing devices, Canon Inc. of Tokyo, Japan, is one of the most active developers of new intellectual properties in the world. Although this article published by Tom’s Guide erroneously reports it as patented, Canon has developed and filed a patent application recently for camera imaging technologies which can better recreate human skin tones in captured images…. Issued patents are the true measure of any company’s intellectual property strength, and Canon’s patenting activities are among the strongest of any corporation operating in today’s world. Digital camera innovations are protected in a couple of patents we explore, including a flash device camera accessory which offers a much longer service life than previous models. We noticed an interesting foray into the world of business documentation services, including one method for allowing multiple clients to interact with a document without being required to install a reader application.

Today we take our first in-depth look at the inventions which have lately sprung from the minds of researchers and developers working at Xerox. We start with an extensive look at one patent application filed by Xerox that would protect a method for less intrusive monitoring of a patient’s respiratory functions. This system uses 2D video in conjunction with a distortion pattern worn on the subject’s chest to determine lung volume and activity. Other patent applications we feature today discuss a variety of environmentally-friendly and sustainable inks as well as one innovation that would allow copy machines to detect that a human operator is nearby and enter normal operating mode. Our look at Xerox’s recently issued patents show a much wider scope of innovation, including a couple of patents protecting technologies to improve public transportation and intelligent transport systems (ITS). Another intriguing patent protects a method for embedding infrared marks on a document to prevent against forgery. Sentiment analysis of informal language found on social media networks is the focus of another patent which we discuss below.

We begin today’s column with a detailed look at our featured patent application, an improved assembly for a horizontal multi-joint robot. This robotic technology, developed for various repetitive job applications, has an electric cable duct of a smaller size that reduces vibrations. We also discuss a couple of other patent applications describing robotics, as well as a couple of other patent applications seeking to protect printing inventions. We’ve also collected what we found to be Epson’s most intriguing patents, which truly determine the value of Epson’s intellectual property development. This company has also recently received a number of U.S. patents protecting printing technologies; today, we look at patents protecting a white ink solution and a thermal printer. Other issued patents of note feature a couple of color correction technologies in imaging devices as well as one patent protecting an improved magnetocardiogram (MCG) monitor for medical applications.

The featured patent application focuses on mapping technology, an area of innovation that we’ve seen from many of the electronic device and software manufacturers we cover. This system enables more effective road map generation from a plurality of sources of GPS data, including taxis and other vehicles on the road which are already equipped with location data sensors and devices. We also discuss a couple of patent applications which would protect printing technologies, as well as a novel system of electronic circuitry to prevent unauthorized access of cash drawers. Hewlett-Packard has a fairly strong portfolio of intellectual properties, and the USPTO has recently added dozens of patents to this company’s holdings in recent weeks. We take an in-depth look at a trio of patents related to printing technologies, including one patent for electronic storage of warranty data for printer components which HP had been trying to patent for more than a decade. We also explore a couple of patents protecting novel imaging systems, including one method for more effective capturing of lightning strike images.

Canon has been involved with developing X-ray technologies in the recent past, as we’ve profiled in our past coverage of this company’s intellectual property portfolio. Previous improvements to X-ray imaging devices that we profiled included improvements to durability, like better resilience to shocks from physical impacts as well as devices with a better capacity for withstanding heat from electrical energy generation. This patent application was filed by Canon with the USPTO in October 2013 to protect a mobile apparatus capable of performing X-ray imaging techniques on a patient. The apparatus is comprised of an X-ray tube contained within an arm that is supported over a cart through the use of a vertical pillar. The bottom portion of the mobile cart includes a wheel and caster system for moving the imaging device from room to room. To provide power for the X-ray device, the cart also includes a battery device on the cart that energizes the X-ray tube through the use of an alternating high-voltage cable.

The featured patent application for this column describes a novel improvement for providing latent-image patterns for protecting secure documents. This system creates more effective watermarks for preventing unauthorized copies that are camouflaged but can transmit important data. We also discuss a series of patent applications for medical devices, including a few upgrades to X-ray imaging devices and a design for a less cumbersome ophthalmologic device for creating an X-ray image of a patient’s eye. Our profile of Canon’s recently issued patents shows a wide range of small improvements to various imaging and printing devices developed by the corporation. One patent protects a new design for copy machines that provides better access for clearing paper jams. Another issued patent protects an inkjet head capable of recycling unused ink droplets escaping the inkjet head. We also discuss a few upgrades to printing software systems, including better methods of storing print job histories while in sleep mode.

Our feature patent application today almost sounds impossible, or at least exceptionally futuristic. The application discloses a novel way of using image processing to aid in speech recognition services. The system described in this application could use a camera to analyze a user’s lip activity so that sounds picked up by a microphone can be differentiated as ambient background noise or genuine speech. We also discuss a few other patent applications, including one describing more efficient blade computer system architectures and another that discusses automated methods of delegating resources to individuals using an organization’s computer network. Patent holdings are of great interest to us in this series, as is HP’s clear focus on printing technologies in their recently issued patents. A couple of issued patents that we explore today discuss improved methods of inkjet printing for pigment opacity or reducing abnormalities in print media. We also were intrigued by a novel system devised to ensure that networked printers handle print jobs with better respect to user printing preferences.