# US 2014/0153041 A1 · Recording system, recording apparatus, information processing apparatus, and recording control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0153041 A1 - Document ID: US20140153041A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/066,849 - Filed: 2013-10-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-04 - Assignees: Canon Finetech Inc. - Applicants: Canon Finetech Inc. - Inventors: Kenji Ueda; Yasukazu Ono - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153041A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/1282: {High volume printer device} - G06F 3/1208: {resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview} - G06F 3/121: {Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted} - G06F 3/1247: {by conversion to printer ready format} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A recording system, including: a recording apparatus configured to perform recording using a recording head having a plurality of recording elements; and an information processing apparatus configured to send a print job to the recording apparatus to shift a range of use of the recording elements in an array direction of the recording elements, the information processing apparatus including: a head shading correction unit configured to execute, based on information indicating that the range of use of the recording elements is one of ranges of use, head shading correction corresponding to the one range on image data; and a sending unit configured to send the image data subjected to the head shading correction to the recording apparatus, the recording apparatus including a recording control unit configured to control the recording head to perform recording at the one range by using the image data subjected to the head shading correction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A recording system, comprising: a recording apparatus configured to perform recording according to image data using a recording head having a plurality of recording elements; and an information processing apparatus which is connected to the recording apparatus and configured to generate a print job and send the print job to the recording apparatus, the recording apparatus configured to shift a range of use of the plurality of recording elements in an array direction of the plurality of recording elements and set a plurality of ranges of use by a shifting, the information processing apparatus comprising: a head shading correction unit configured to execute, based on information indicating that the range of use by the plurality of recording elements is one of the plurality of ranges of use, head shading correction corresponding to the one of the plurality of ranges of use on image data; and a sending unit configured to send the image data subjected to the head shading correction to the recording apparatus, the recording apparatus having a recording control unit configured to perform control in such a way that the recording head performs recording at the one of the plurality of ranges of use by using the image data subjected to the head shading correction. ### Claim 2 An information processing apparatus configured to generate image data and send the image data to a recording apparatus which performs recording using a recording head having a plurality of recording elements and is configured to shift a range of use of the plurality of recording elements in an array direction of the plurality of recording elements and set a plurality of ranges of use by a shifting, the information processing apparatus comprising: a head shading correction unit configured to execute, based on information indicating that the range of use of the plurality of recording elements is one of the plurality of ranges of use, head shading correction corresponding to the one of the plurality of ranges of use on the image data; and a sending unit configured to send the image data subjected to the head shading correction to the recording apparatus. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether the head shading correction is to be executed based on information of uneven density reflecting a characteristic of the recording head sent from the recording apparatus before the image data is generated, wherein the head shading correction unit executes the head shading correction according to a result of a determination made by the determination unit. ### Claim 4 A recording apparatus configured to perform recording using a recording head having a plurality of recording elements based on image data generated by an information processing apparatus, the recording apparatus comprising: a recording unit configured to shift a range of use of the plurality of recording elements in an array direction of the plurality of recording elements and set a plurality of ranges of use by a shifting; a reception unit configured to receive, from the information processing apparatus, image data on which head shading correction corresponding to one of the plurality of ranges of use is executed; and a recording control unit configured to perform control in such a way that the recording unit performs recording at the one of the plurality of ranges of use based on the image data received by the reception unit and subjected to the head shading correction corresponding to the one of the plurality of ranges of use. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A recording apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a count unit configured to count a number of pages of a recording medium recorded by the recording head; a comparison unit configured to compare the number of pages counted by the count unit with a predetermined threshold value; and a setting unit configured to set the range of use of the plurality of recording elements to another range of use of the plurality of ranges of use which is different from the one of the plurality of ranges of use when it is determined from a result of comparison performed by the comparison unit that the number of pages counted exceeds the predetermined threshold value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reception unit is configured to receive information corresponding to one of the plurality of ranges of use of the plurality of recording elements; and the recording control unit performs control in such a way as that recording at the one of the plurality of ranges of use based on the information corresponding to the one of the plurality of ranges of use received by the reception unit has a priority over recording at the range of use set by the setting unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) A recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reception unit further receives a number of pages of a recording medium to be recorded based on image data; and the number of pages counted by the count unit is updated, before recording by the recording head, using the received number of pages of the recording medium to be recorded based on the image data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) A recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the recording head includes a plurality of inkjet recording heads which eject inks of a plurality of colors; and each of the plurality of inkjet recording heads is provided with a nonvolatile memory configured to store head shading correction data reflecting a characteristic of the recording head. ### Claim 9 A recording control method used in a recording system, the recording system including: a recording apparatus configured to perform recording on a recording medium using a recording head having a plurality of recording elements, shift a range of use of the plurality of recording elements in an array direction of the plurality of recording elements and set a plurality of ranges of use by a shifting; and an information processing apparatus which is connected to the recording apparatus and configured to generate a print job and send the print job to the recording apparatus and configured to perform recording control on the recording apparatus, the recording control method comprising: executing, based on information indicating that the range of use by the plurality of recording elements is one of the plurality of ranges of use, head shading correction corresponding to the one of the plurality of ranges of use on image data; sending the image data subjected to the head shading correction from the information processing apparatus to the recording apparatus; and allowing the recording apparatus to perform recording by the one of the plurality of ranges of use by the recording head based on the image data subjected to the head shading correction. ### Claim 10 A printing system configured to execute form overlay print to combine original data with form data using an inkjet recording head, and print an image shifted in a direction of an array of nozzles of the inkjet recording head, the printing system comprising: a correction unit configured to execute head shading correction corresponding to a plurality of image shift patterns in the direction of the array of nozzles on the form data based on density characteristic information corresponding to each of the nozzles in the array of nozzles; a selection unit configured to select form data corresponding to one of the plurality of image shift patterns from a plurality of pieces of form data corrected by the correction unit; and a print unit configured to execute, based on the form data selected by the selection unit and the original data, the form overlay print based on the one of the plurality of image shift patterns corresponding to the selected form data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A printing system according to claim 10, wherein an amount of shift in each of the plurality of image shift patterns is represented by a number of nozzles. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) A printing system according to claim 10, wherein the print unit executes the form overlay print while changing one of the plurality of image shift patterns to another one of the plurality of image shift patterns every predetermined number of pages. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A printing system according to claim 12, wherein the selection unit selects form data corresponding to the changed one of the plurality of image shift patterns from the plurality of pieces of form data. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) A printing system according to claim 10, further comprising a sending unit configured to send flag data indicating whether the head shading correction has been executed on the form data, and a file containing the plurality of pieces of form data to the print unit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A printing system according to claim 14, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether the head shading correction has been executed on the form data by referring to the flag data, wherein when the determination unit determines that the head shading correction has been executed, the selection unit selects one piece of form data from the plurality of pieces of form data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) A printing system according to claim 10, wherein the print unit further comprises a storage unit configured to store the density characteristic information corresponding to the each of the nozzles in the array of nozzles, the printing system further comprises an obtaining unit configured to obtain the density characteristic information corresponding to the each of the nozzles in the array of nozzles from the print unit, and the correction unit executes the head shading correction on the form data based on the density characteristic information corresponding to the each of the nozzles in the array of nozzles obtained by the obtaining unit. ### Claim 17 A printing method, which is to be executed in a printing system configured to execute form overlay print to combine original data with form data using an inkjet recording head, and print an image shifted in a direction of an array of nozzles of the inkjet recording head, the printing method comprising: executing head shading correction corresponding to a plurality of image shift patterns in the direction of the array of nozzles on the form data based on density characteristic information corresponding to each of the nozzles in the array of nozzles; selecting form data corresponding to one of the plurality of image shift patterns from a plurality of pieces of form data corrected in the executing of the head shading correction; and executing, based on the form data selected in the selecting and the original data, the form overlay print based on the one of the plurality of image shift patterns corresponding to the selected form data. ### Claim 18 A printing controlling apparatus configured to communicate with an inkjet recording apparatus in a printing system configured to execute form overlay print to combine original data with form data using the inkjet recording apparatus including an inkjet recording head, and print an image shifted in a direction of an array of nozzles of the inkjet recording head, the printing controlling apparatus comprising: a correction unit configured to execute head shading correction corresponding to a plurality of image shift patterns in the direction of the array of nozzles on the form data based on density characteristic information corresponding to each of the nozzles in the array of nozzles; a selection unit configured to select form data corresponding to one of the plurality of image shift patterns from a plurality of pieces of form data corrected by the correction unit; and a sending unit configured to send the form data selected by the selection unit and the original data to the inkjet recording apparatus. ### Claim 19 A printing control method, which is to be executed in a printing controlling apparatus configured to communicate with an inkjet recording apparatus in a printing system configured to execute form overlay print to combine original data with form data using the inkjet recording apparatus including an inkjet recording head, and print an image shifted in a direction of an array of nozzles of the inkjet recording head, the printing control method comprising: executing head shading correction corresponding to a plurality of image shift patterns in the direction of the array of nozzles on the form data based on density characteristic information corresponding to each of the nozzles in the array of nozzles; selecting form data corresponding to one of the plurality of image shift patterns from a plurality of pieces of form data corrected in the executing of the head shading correction; and sending the form data selected in the selecting and the original data to the inkjet recording apparatus. ### Claim 20 An inkjet recording apparatus configured to execute form overlay print to combine original data with form data, and printing an image shifted in a direction of an array of nozzles of an inkjet recording head, the inkjet recording apparatus comprising: an obtaining unit configured to obtain form data corresponding to one of a plurality of image shift patterns and the original data; and a print unit configured to combine the original data with the form data obtained by the obtaining unit to execute the form overlay print.