Shane Matthew Cain

US Patent:

8279487, Oct 2, 2012

Filed:

Jun 24, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/490820

Inventors:

Shane Matthew Cain - Carlsbad CA, US

Assignee:

Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. - San Mateo CA

International Classification:

G06F 15/00
H04N 1/40

US Classification:

358 19, 358 113

Abstract:

In a print shop system including a plurality of printers and a print shop management server which manages print jobs, an improved method is described for detecting color components in a document page for purposes of assigning the document to appropriate printers for printing. First, each page element is analyzed without rasterizing the page. If a raster image is colored, its location and size are added to an image information list. If a non-raster graphical element overlaps a raster image previously stored in the image information list, the overlapped raster image is removed from the list. After analyzing all page elements of the page, if any raster image remains in the image information list, the page is marked as colored. Otherwise, the page is rasterized to detect colored using a conventional method. The resolution used for page rasterization may be controlled by a user.

US Patent:

8390869, Mar 5, 2013

Filed:

Mar 29, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/748994

Inventors:

Shane Matthew Cain - Carlsbad CA, US

Assignee:

Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. - San Mateo CA

International Classification:

G06K 15/00
G06F 12/00
G06F 17/30
G06F 3/12

US Classification:

358 116, 358 115, 707821, 707822, 707828, 711115

Abstract:

A method for pre-configuring a portable storage device for use in transporting print jobs in a print shop, and a method for using the pre-configured portable storage device to export and import print jobs between different devices in the print shop. The portable storage device is pre-configured to contain multiple root directories uniquely corresponding to multiple print job management programs. A configuration file containing exporting and importing instructions and administrative information is stored in each root directory. When exporting print jobs, the exporting program automatically locates its own unique root directory and exports jobs into that root directory. When importing print jobs, once the operator indicates an exporting program, the importing program searches the root directory for the exporting program for all stored jobs and displays them to the operator for selection. The exporting and importing programs also automatically checks the configuration file in the appropriate root directory for instructions.

US Patent:

8649043, Feb 11, 2014

Filed:

Sep 29, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/569321

Inventors:

Shane Matthew Cain - Carlsbad CA, US

Assignee:

Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. - San Mateo CA

International Classification:

G06F 15/00

US Classification:

358 115, 358 116, 358 113, 715255, 715209

Abstract:

A method implemented in a print shop management system for exporting print jobs from the print shop management program. The exporting method allows selection of an export job ticket format at the time of export. The export job ticket format may be a press device format suitable for consumption by a digital printing device, or an original input format that preserves the format of the original job ticket imported from an external program. For the press device format, an output job ticket in the requested format is generated from scratch based on job parameters stored in a job ticket database. For the original input format, a copy of the original job ticket is read from an input job ticket and exported; optionally, job parameters generated by the print shop management program may be incorporated into the copy of the input job ticket before exporting.

US Patent:

20100037285, Feb 11, 2010

Filed:

Aug 6, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/186679

Inventors:

Shane Matthew Cain - Carlsbad CA, US

Assignee:

KONICA MINOLTA SYSTEMS LABORATORY, INC. - Huntington Beach CA

International Classification:

G06F 17/00
G06F 3/12

US Classification:

726 1, 358 115

Abstract:

In a print shop management system, a print job submission approval policy is provided to determine whether a print job submission made by a particular user is approved or prohibited. The policy includes multiple policy settings of job restriction criteria enforced at job submission time. The restrictions may be based on job price, certain restricted functions, resource usage, etc. If the job submission is prohibited, a message is displayed to the user but the print job is not submitted to the printer. Each policy setting may be applied to a user based on his user role or user name. Each policy setting is created by an administrator. A user interface for inputting policy setting values is disclosed.

US Patent:

20100037286, Feb 11, 2010

Filed:

Aug 6, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/186692

Inventors:

Shane Matthew Cain - Carlsbad CA, US

Assignee:

KONICA MINOLTA SYSTEMS LABORATORY, INC. - Huntington Beach CA

International Classification:

G06F 17/00
G06F 3/12

US Classification:

726 1, 358 115

Abstract:

In a print shop management system, a print job submission approval policy is provided to determine whether a print job submission to a target printer is approved or prohibited. The policy includes multiple policy settings of job restriction criteria enforced at job submission time. The restrictions are based on conditions of the target printer, such as PM count, jam count, error count, printer status, levels of available resources, etc. The policy may also restrict certain user's ability to submit print jobs to certain printers. If the job submission is prohibited, a message is displayed to the user but the print job is not submitted to the printer. Each policy setting may be applied to a printer based on printer type or identity. Each policy setting is created by an administrator. A user interface for inputting policy setting values is disclosed.

US Patent:

20100073705, Mar 25, 2010

Filed:

Sep 19, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/234571

Inventors:

Shane Matthew Cain - Carlsbad CA, US

Assignee:

KONICA MINOLTA SYSTEMS LABORATORY, INC. - Huntington Beach CA

International Classification:

G06F 3/12
G06F 15/00

US Classification:

358 115, 358 113

Abstract:

An automatic job assignment method implemented in a print job management apparatus for processing print jobs in a multiple-printer print shop environment described. Each print job is processed by comparing the printing requirements of the job with capabilities of the printers to find one or more candidate printers that can satisfy all job requirements. Then, from all such candidate printers, one printer is selected by evaluating real-time conditions of the printers, such as wait time, device status, periodic maintenance (PM) count, operation history, etc., and the print job is submitted to the selected printer. The real-time conditions and the order in which they are evaluated are set by the operator. The process can also be run in an alternative mode where one of the candidate printers is selected based on a pre-defined fixed priority preference.

US Patent:

20100073712, Mar 25, 2010

Filed:

Jun 4, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/478144

Inventors:

Shane Matthew Cain - Carlsbad CA, US

Assignee:

KONICA MINOLTA SYSTEMS LABORATORY, INC. - Huntington Beach CA

International Classification:

G06F 3/12

US Classification:

358 115

Abstract:

An automatic job assignment method implemented in a print job management apparatus for processing print jobs in a multiple-printer print shop environment described. Each print job is processed by comparing the printing requirements of the job with capabilities of the printers to find one or more candidate printers that can satisfy all job requirements. Then, from all such candidate printers, one printer is selected by evaluating real-time conditions of the printers, such as wait time, device status, periodic maintenance (PM) count, operation history, job ticket history, etc., and the print job is submitted to the selected printer. The real-time conditions and the order in which they are evaluated are set by the operator. The process can also be run in an alternative mode where one of the candidate printers is selected based on a pre-defined fixed priority preference.

US Patent:

20100328703, Dec 30, 2010

Filed:

Jun 29, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/494047

Inventors:

Shane Matthew Cain - Carlsbad CA, US

Assignee:

KONICA MINOLTA SYSTEMS LABORATORY, INC. - Huntington Beach CA

International Classification:

G06F 15/00

US Classification:

358 115

Abstract:

In a print shop system including a plurality of printers and a print shop management server which manages print jobs, an improved method is described for controlling a document color detection method for purposes of assigning documents to appropriate printers for printing. A user interface is provided for the user to specify a set of criteria for selectively forwarding the color detection task to another server or for rejecting the print job. In a first embodiment, if one or more specified criteria are met, the print shop management server forwards the print job to another server to perform color detection. In a second embodiment, if one or more specified criteria are met, the print shop management server rejects the print job and notifies the user.