Patents Assigned to Seiko Instruments Inc.
  • Patent number: 11042122
    Abstract: A timepiece which provides a tactile feel in a simple structure and which can suppress inadvertent rotation of a driving crown is to be provided. A wristwatch includes an elastic material winding stem pipe protruding on the outer side of a case and a distal end portion of which is capable of elastic deformation in a radial direction; a shaft member of a driving crown rotatably inserted into the elastic material winding stem pipe; protrusions formed on the peripheral surface of the driving crown; and trough portions formed in the peripheral surface of the elastic material winding stem pipe and configured to be engaged with the protrusions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Katsunobu Iguchi
  • Patent number: 11040549
    Abstract: A portable printer includes a casing configured to receive a recording medium; a head configured to perform printing on the recording medium; a platen roller, which is arranged so as to be opposed to the head, and is configured to convey the recording medium while sandwiching the recording medium together with the head; a button, which is provided on the casing, and is configured to perform operation of separating the head and the platen roller from each other; and a stepped portion, which is formed on the casing along a peripheral edge of the button, and protrudes so that an inner side of the casing is higher than an outer side of the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Norihisa Ando
  • Patent number: 11036187
    Abstract: A timepiece according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a case band which has an opening on the upper surface side thereof, and which has a recess in an inner peripheral portion thereof; a bezel (windshield bezel) to which a glass (windshield) is fixed and which is mounted to the upper surface side of the case band; a protrusion which is provided at the portion of the bezel inserted into the inner side of the case band and which protrudes toward the inner peripheral portion so as not to enter the recess; and a stop member which is rotatably mounted to the bezel, which is made swingable between the upper side and the lower side of the protrusion by getting over the protrusion while undergoing elastic deformation, and the upper portion of which abuts a ceiling portion of the recess and the lower portion of which abuts the protrusion in a state in which the bezel is mounted to the case band to be respectively engaged with the case band and the bezel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Katsunobu Iguchi
  • Patent number: 11016446
    Abstract: A timepiece includes a stepping motor having a rotor and a coil, and a drive circuit that applies a first drive pulse having a stable stationary position at a rotor rotation angle of 90 degrees or less from a reference position and a second drive pulse having the stable stationary position at a rotor rotation angle of 90 degrees or more from the reference position, as a pulse for driving the rotor, to the coil. When a period during which the pulse is not applied to the coil is assumed as a waiting period, the drive circuit generates the waiting period after a first application of the second drive pulse after an application of the pulse to the coil is started and rotates the rotor by one or more turns without passing through the waiting period at at least one predetermined timing after the waiting period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Satoshi Sakai, Tetsuya Nobe
  • Patent number: 10994554
    Abstract: A thermal printer includes a thermal head configured to perform printing on recording paper; a platen roller, which is arranged at a position opposed to the thermal head, and is configured to convey the recording paper by nipping the recording paper between the thermal head and the platen roller; a head support plate having conductivity, which has the thermal head to be fixed thereto; a frame, which is configured to support the head support plate, and includes a shaft support portion configured to rotatably support the platen roller about an axis; and a conductive member having conductivity, which is provided between a side surface of the shaft support portion and the head support plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Kouhei Miyawaki
  • Patent number: 10982690
    Abstract: A pneumatic chamber 20 is configured to include a first pneumatic chamber 21 pressurizing a first piston 11 and a second pneumatic chamber 22 pressurizing a second piston 12. The first pneumatic chamber 21 communicates with the second pneumatic chamber 22. The hydraulic pressure generating unit 55 is internally provided with a hydraulic chamber 30, and the hydraulic chamber 30 is configured to have a first hydraulic chamber 31 pressurized by the first pneumatic chamber 21 via the first piston 11 and a second hydraulic chamber 32 pressurized by the second pneumatic chamber 22 via the second piston 12. The hydraulic pressure generating unit 55 is movable in a thrust direction in a cylinder 2, and the second hydraulic chamber 32 has a function of fixing the moving hydraulic pressure generating unit 55 in the cylinder 2 by causing a thin portion 15 to be elastically deformed in a radial direction due to hydraulic pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Shigehiro Arai
  • Patent number: 10967651
    Abstract: A printer includes a printer housing, which includes a plurality of outer surfaces including a bottom surface opposed to an installation surface, and has a recording paper receiving portion configured to receive recording paper through an opening portion; a printer cover, which is coupled to the printer housing, and is configured to openably cover the opening portion; a printer display device, which is removably mounted to the outer surface, of the plurality of outer surfaces, other than the bottom surface, and is configured to display predetermined information; and a connection cable, which is connected between the printer housing and the printer display device, and is configured to communicate at least data related to the predetermined information. The printer display device has a cable groove in which the connection cable is fitted and received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Aizawa
  • Patent number: 10949721
    Abstract: A printer system includes an information processing device; a printer; and a display apparatus, the information processing device being configured to control the printer and the display apparatus. A topology of the information processing device and the display apparatus includes a first topology in which the display apparatus is directly connected to the information processing device and a second topology in which the display apparatus is connected to the information processing device via the printer. The information processing device includes a processor configured to transmit to the display apparatus instruction data for the display apparatus without adding header information to the instruction data in the first topology; and transmit to the printer instruction data for the display apparatus by adding header information to the instruction data in the second topology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Daisuke Yoshida, Yoshio Kitamura, Tomoki Ogura, Yuichi Yoshigi
  • Patent number: 10941790
    Abstract: A pneumatic chamber 20 is configured to include a first pneumatic chamber 21 pressurizing a first piston 11 and a second pneumatic chamber 22 pressurizing a second piston 12. The first pneumatic chamber 21 and the second pneumatic chamber 22 communicate with each other through a communication hole 87 formed via the inside of a retaining bolt 17. The second pneumatic chamber 22 is formed in a hydraulic pressure generating unit 55 moving in a thrust direction in a cylinder 2 and is separable from the first pneumatic chamber 21. In addition, the communication hole 87 is also separated into a communication hole 87a and a communication hole 87b with the corresponding separation, a rod portion 50 of the first piston 11 is also separated into a rod portion 50a and a rod portion 50b, and the communication hole 87b and the rod portion 50b are formed to be movable along with the hydraulic pressure generating unit 55 in the thrust direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Shigehiro Arai
  • Patent number: 10936269
    Abstract: A printing system includes a host apparatus configured to transmit a command to a printer, and a printer configured to perform processing based on the command received from the host apparatus. The host apparatus is configured to convert the command based on a conversion condition when the command satisfies a predetermined condition, and transmit a conversion code obtained through the conversion to the printer as the command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Koichi Hatakeyama
  • Patent number: 10916798
    Abstract: A battery includes: an electrode body; and an external body which is formed by overlapping a first sheet and a second sheet, and in which the electrode body is accommodated. The external body includes an accommodation portion which is formed in the first sheet, and which accommodates the electrode body therein, and a circumferential edge portion in which the first sheet and the second sheet overlap each other around the accommodation portion. The inside of the accommodation portion is sealed in a state where the first sheet and the second sheet are welded to each other in the circumferential edge portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Tsuneaki Tamachi, Shunji Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10899148
    Abstract: A printer includes a printer housing, which includes a plurality of outer surfaces including a bottom surface opposed to an installation surface, and has a recording paper receiving portion configured to receive recording paper through an opening portion; a printer cover, which is coupled to the printer housing, and is configured to openably cover the opening portion; a printer display device, which is removably mounted to the outer surface, of the plurality of outer surfaces, other than the bottom surface, and is configured to display predetermined information; and a connection cable, which is connected between the printer housing and the printer display device, and is configured to communicate at least data related to the predetermined information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Aizawa
  • Patent number: 10904609
    Abstract: A display control device includes a storage configured to store invariant image data serving as a source of displaying an invariant portion of a display image to be displayed on a display; a data receiver configured to receive format designation data for designating a format of the display image and original data for generating variable image data serving as a source of displaying a variable portion of the display image; a variable image data generator configured to generate the variable image data from the original data; a buffer configured to store the invariant image data and the variable image data; an image data storage configured to select the invariant image data from the storage based on the format designation data to store the invariant image data in the buffer, and store, in the buffer, the variable image data generated by the variable image data generator; and a display controller configured to execute display processing for causing the display to display the display image based on the invariant im
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Yoshio Kitamura, Tomoki Ogura, Daisuke Yoshida, Yuichi Yoshigi
  • Patent number: 10890242
    Abstract: A gear box includes a casing, a gear that is accommodated in the casing and transmits the power of a motor, an output gear that is connected to the gear in the casing, and a collar that is externally inserted to the output shaft of the output gear and is rotatable relative to both the output shaft and the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Koichi Masuzawa, Kenichi Kudo
  • Patent number: 10866770
    Abstract: A printing system includes a host apparatus configured to transmit a command to a printer apparatus. The host apparatus includes a communicator configured to receive status information containing information indicating a status of the printer apparatus, which is transmitted by the printer apparatus; a monitor configured to monitor the status of the printer apparatus based on the information indicating the status of the printer apparatus, which is contained in the status information received by the communicator; a determiner configured to determine, based on a result of monitoring the printer apparatus by the monitor, whether a reset command to be transmitted to the printer apparatus is to be generated; and a generator configured to generate the reset command when the determiner determines that the reset command is to be generated. The communicator is configured to transmit the reset command generated by the generator to the printer apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Dong Yang
  • Patent number: 10838368
    Abstract: There is provided a timepiece which includes a movable pointer, an acquisition unit which acquires information on a movable range corresponding to at least a portion of a movable range of the movable pointer and acquires information indicating a target position to which the pointer is to be moved, a control unit which compares the target position with the movable range and determines a movement direction of the pointer based on the comparison result, and a drive unit which drives the pointer in the determined movement direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Takayuki Nomura
  • Patent number: 10833367
    Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is provided, including: a positive electrode (10) that includes a lithium-manganese oxide as a positive electrode active material; a negative electrode (20) that includes SiOX (0?X<2) in which at least a part of a surface is covered with carbon, or a Li—Al alloy as the negative electrode active material; and an electrolytic solution (50) that contains propylene carbonate (PC), ethylene carbonate (EC), and dimethoxy ethane (DME) as an organic solvent in a range of {PC:EC:DME}={0.5 to 1.5:0.5 to 1.5:1 to 3} in terms of a volume ratio, and at least one of lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) and lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl) imide (LiTFSI) as a supporting salt in a total amount of 0.6 to 1.4 (mol/L).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Ken Miura
  • Patent number: 10831158
    Abstract: A timepiece includes a motor control unit driving a motor for driving an indicating hand, based on an instruction signal, and a control unit receiving an instruction confirmation signal corresponding to a drive state of the motor in response to the instruction signal from the motor control unit, and determining whether or not the motor is driven in accordance with the instruction signal, based on the instruction confirmation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Kazumi Sakumoto
  • Patent number: 10824115
    Abstract: A timepiece allowing accurate positioning of a display plate and a plate member is to be provided. A timepiece 10 includes: a main plate 2 having one or more positioning portions 21 and 22; a plate member 3 having one or more first positioning receiving portions 33 to be locked to the positioning portions 21 and arranged so as to overlap the main plate 2; and a display plate 5 having one or more second positioning receiving portions 55 to be locked to the positioning portions 22 and arranged so as to overlap the plate member 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Masayuki Kawata
  • Patent number: 10823560
    Abstract: A tilt sensor includes: a pressure sensor disposed to be relatively movable with respect to a detection target object and configured to detect pressure of a fluid; and a tilt information detection unit configured to detect tilt information (for example, a tilt angle) of the detection target object according to an output of the pressure sensor and movement information of the pressure sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Takeshi Uchiyama, Manabu Oumi, Yoko Shinohara, Masayuki Suda, Ayako Nobe, Yoshiyuki Kaiho