Patents Represented by Attorney Global IP Counselors, LLP
  • Patent number: 8349405
    Abstract: A liquid discharge method is a method for depositing liquid on a plurality of target discharge partitioned areas formed on a substrate as the liquid is selectively discharged from a plurality of discharge nozzles while the substrate and the discharge nozzles are moved relative to each other. The liquid discharge method includes setting an arrangement pattern according to shapes and positions of the target discharge partitioned areas so that a number of the discharge nozzles selected to be used among the discharge nozzles capable of depositing the liquid in the target discharge partitioned areas is the same in each discharge timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Ito, Kazumi Aruga, Satoru Katagami, Sadaharu Komori
  • Patent number: 8348417
    Abstract: A rolled medium accommodation device includes a rolled medium accommodation unit which swings around a first shaft, a lever member which swings around a second shaft in conjunction with swinging of the rolled medium accommodation unit, a shaft member capable of moving in a direction intersecting an axial direction of the second shaft, and urging unit configured to apply rotational torque around the second shaft to the lever member. Due to the rotational torque, the rolled medium accommodation unit is subjected to force whereby the rolled medium accommodation unit is swung in a direction opposite that of gravity around the first shaft from a low position to a high position higher than the low position, and the shaft member moves so that the distance between a center of the shaft member and a center of the second shaft is greater in the high position than in the low position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Keisuke Yamaya
  • Patent number: 8348495
    Abstract: A timepiece includes a striking member and a struck member that is driven when struck by the striking member, at least one of the striking member and the struck member being made from a metallic glass alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hideki Kamiya
  • Patent number: 8346141
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a transfer roller that has a gripping member that grips a transfer medium; and a transfer medium transport section that has a transfer medium transport surface that sucks the transfer medium upward in a vertical direction and a contact member that contact with the transfer medium, wherein a first position where the transfer medium starts to be sucked, a second position where the transfer medium is released from the gripping member, and a third position where the transfer medium is separated from the image carrier are disposed at positions having the relationship of L<L1+L2, wherein L is the distance between the third position and the first position, L1 is the distance between the third position and the second position, and L2 is the distance between the second position and the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hidehiro Takano
  • Patent number: 8344595
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer is configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic transducer includes a vibrating member and a piezoelectric member coupled to the vibrating member. The piezoelectric member includes a first piezoelectric part configured and arranged to be deformed by applied voltage to vibrate the vibrating member or configured and arranged to be deformed by vibration of the vibrating member to produce a potential difference, and a second piezoelectric part configured and arranged to be deformed by applied voltage to statically deflect the vibrating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tsukasa Funasaka, Tomoaki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8342632
    Abstract: A printer includes a print head in which nozzles that form an image by discharging ink are arranged in a plurality of lines. The printer prints out an image on the basis of print form data in which information of layout contents of printing elements that form the content of print is set according to the attribute of each printing element. The printer includes a print form data storage unit, a printing element data storage unit, a print form data selection unit, a printing element data selection unit, and a printing element data insertion unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Sakai
  • Patent number: 8343584
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a decorative article, including a first coating formation step of forming a first coating of primarily TiN on a substrate; a second coating formation step of forming a second coating on the first coating by means of a dry plating method using a target containing 70.0 wt %?85.0 wt % Au and 15.0 wt %?30.0 wt % Cu; a heat treatment step of promoting formation of a solid solution of the constituents of the second coating by applying a heating process that heats the substrate on which the first coating and the second coating are disposed to 300° C.?395° C. and then applying a cooling process; and an acid treatment step that, of the constituents of the second coating to which the heating process was applied, removes the constituents not forming a solid solution by applying an acid treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Kawakami, Yuzuru Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 8346015
    Abstract: The image processing method includes: (a) detecting a face area or face areas in each of the plurality of images; (b) setting an all-face-inclusion area that includes all of the face areas detected in the operation (a) for each of the plurality of images; (c) setting a plurality of unit areas where the images are to be arranged by dividing the layout area on the basis of the number of the images and the layout area itself; (d) selecting a maximum-face-number image, which is an image that includes the maximum number of the face areas detected in the operation (a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Eiji Tanaka, Satoru Nishio
  • Patent number: 8342438
    Abstract: A retainer member has a retainer portion, a through hole, and non-circular cross section. A bearing section is disposed on an outer periphery of the retainer portion. The through hole has a circular axial cross section and an inner periphery, which is axially penetrated by a non-circular portion of a spool shaft from back to front. The non-circular cross-sectional portion is formed by cutting out a front end of the retainer portion by machining. The non-circular cross-sectional portion has a non-circular axial cross section that engages the non-circular portion of the spool shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Shimano Inc.
    Inventor: Hirokazu Hiraoka
  • Patent number: 8340860
    Abstract: An acceleration detection device for detecting detected acceleration of a vehicle is provided with a stopped acceleration detector, an acceleration change detector, an acceleration estimating unit and a correcting unit. The stopped acceleration detector detects a detected stationary acceleration value when the vehicle is stopped on a sloping road based on an acceleration sensor signal from an acceleration sensor mounted on the vehicle. The acceleration change detector detects an acceleration change associated with the vehicle transitioning from a stationary state to a driving state on the sloping road based on the acceleration sensor signal. The acceleration estimating unit estimates an estimated stationary acceleration value based on the acceleration change that was detected by the acceleration change detector. The correcting unit corrects the detected stationary acceleration value based on a deviation between the estimated stationary acceleration value and the detected stationary acceleration value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsufumi Kobayashi, Tomoyuki Suzuki, Takashi Matsuda
  • Patent number: 8340583
    Abstract: In a portable phone, a signal received by a GPS antenna passes through a SAW filter and is amplified by an LNA. An addition section adds a cancellation signal generated by a cancellation signal generation section to the amplified signal to cancel noise superimposed on the received signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Murakami
  • Patent number: 8336529
    Abstract: A vapor-liquid separating structure for an engine includes an inlet section, a discharging section, a collecting section and a vapor-liquid separating section. The inlet section is configured and arranged to take in blow-by gas from inside a valve mechanism chamber. The discharging section is configured and arranged to discharge the blow-by gas taken in through the inlet section. The collecting section is configured and arranged to collect a majority of oil entered into the vapor-liquid separating structure through the inlet section. The vapor-liquid separating section is configured and arranged to execute a vapor-liquid separation treatment with respect to the blow-by gas while guiding the blow-by gas taken in through the inlet section to the discharging section without the blow-by gas passing through the collecting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Aichi Machine Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirofumi Nakajima
  • Patent number: 8339310
    Abstract: A positioning method includes: executing a first positioning mode or a second positioning mode, a first positioning process that is performed using a least-square method based on a positioning signal and a second positioning process that is performed using a Kalman filter based on the positioning signal utilizing a positioning result obtained by the first positioning process as a base value being performed in the first positioning mode, and the second positioning process being further performed in the second positioning mode utilizing a positioning result obtained by the second positioning process as a base value; determining accuracy of a positioning result obtained by the second positioning process performed in the executed positioning mode; and changing the positioning mode to be executed to the first positioning mode or the second positioning mode corresponding to the accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shunichi Mizuochi, Yoshiyuki Muraguchi, Koichiro Yano
  • Patent number: 8337975
    Abstract: A vehicle panel basically includes a skin layer, a substrate layer and a foam material. The skin layer includes an inbound facing side and an outbound facing side. The substrate layer includes an inbound facing side and an outbound facing side, with the inbound facing side of the substrate layer overlying and spaced from the outbound facing side of the skin layer to form a space therebetween. The foam material includes a first foam layer disposed in the space between the skin layer and the substrate layer and a second foam layer overlying the outbound facing side of the substrate layer, with the first and second foam layers being interconnected as a unitary member through at least one opening in the substrate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Mally
  • Patent number: 8333660
    Abstract: In this program, a regulation command for controlling the movement of a first character is recognized by a control unit. After the regulation command for the first character is recognized by the control unit, a movement command for operating a second character is recognized by the control unit. Then, the state that the second character is moving based on the movement command is displayed on an image displaying unit using image data. The first character with movement controlled based on the regulation command is displayed on the image displaying unit using image data. And, if the receiving of commands related to movements for the first character and the second character is terminated by the control unit, a process for changing the ability data of the first character is executed by the control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoshi Uno
  • Patent number: 8331837
    Abstract: An image-forming device comprising: an image-carrier belt that carries an image; a belt-driving roller that causes the image-carrier belt to move, the image-carrier belt being engaged around the belt-driving roller; a tension roller that applies a tension to the image-carrier belt, the image-carrier belt being engaged around the tension roller; a transfer roller having a concaved portion and a gripper, the transfer roller coming into contact with the tension roller interposed by the image-carrier belt, and transferring the image that is carried by the image-carrier belt onto the transfer material; a contacting/diverging part that causes the tension roller to move and that causes the transfer roller and the image-carrier belt to come into contact with or diverge from one another; a delivery part that delivers the transfer material that is gripped by the gripper; and a support member that pivotally supports the transfer roller and supports the delivery part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Tanaka, Satoshi Chiba
  • Patent number: 8329279
    Abstract: An electrooptic apparatus includes an electrooptic material interposed between a pair of substrates, and a film formed above each of surfaces of the substrates facing the electrooptic material. The film is formed by a method including (a) forming a frame-shaped partition in an application area on the substrate, the partition having a side surface facing a center of the application area, (b) applying the material liquid to the application area, and (c) drying the material liquid. In step (a), the partition is formed so that a distance between the side surface of the partition and the center is smaller than a distance between an outer edge of the application area and the center, and so that a height of the partition is smaller than a film thickness of the material liquid at a time when the material liquid is applied and is larger than a thickness of the dried film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Katsumi Suzuki
  • Patent number: D672627
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Makita Corporation
    Inventors: Tomonori Kawase, Tokuo Hirabayashi
  • Patent number: D672706
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuuki Okumura, Ken Okabe
  • Patent number: D673496
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Kikuta, Sadao Ooki