Patents Examined by A. Dudding
  • Patent number: 6752495
    Abstract: A first lever 70 is linked to coupling unit 60 to couple and decouple a pair of rollers 26, 30 which pinch and deliver a recording sheet 20 in a delivery direction toward an image-forming zone for image formation. This first lever 70 is placed near an inlet port 16.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Inc.
    Inventor: Kensuke Izuma
  • Patent number: 6752482
    Abstract: There is disclosed a head driving device which drives a plurality of pressure generating elements for generating pressure fluctuation in a jetted object contained in each of associated pressure chambers formed in a jetting head of a jetting apparatus to eject the jetted object from each of nozzles communicated with the associated pressure chambers. In the device, a head driver generates a drive signal which is selectively applied to at least one of the pressure generating elements to be driven. A bias potential provider selectively applies a bias potential to at least one of the pressure generating elements not to be driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takakazu Fukano, Noboru Tamura
  • Patent number: 6746101
    Abstract: Images are printed up to the edges of printing paper while preventing ink droplets from depositing on the platen. According to the present invention, an area R for ejecting image-forming ink droplets is specified for a region lying beyond the edges of a printing paper P. The pixels of an external upper edge portion Rfp, extending beyond the upper edge Pf, and the pixels of an internal upper edge portion Rfq, disposed downstream of the external upper edge portion Rfp are recorded solely by the nozzles disposed opposite the downstream slot of the platen. When dots are recorded, blank spaces are prevented from forming in the edge portions of the printing paper, and ink droplets are prevented from depositing on the platen when the printing paper P deviates from its intended position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Koichi Otsuki
  • Patent number: 6747274
    Abstract: A high-throughput laser desorption/ionization (LDI) mass spectrometer has been developed and is described herein. The mass spectrometer employs an ion source that has a plurality of lasers firing in tandem at one or more samples to increase the rate at which ion packets are generated by the ion source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Ganggiang Li
  • Patent number: 6742858
    Abstract: A label printer-cutter includes a frame and a print head assembly connected to the frame. The print head assembly includes a print head for printing to a label media. The label printer-cutter includes a cutting assembly connected to the frame, and the cutting assembly is for catting the label media. The printer-cutter also includes a controller in operative association with the print head assembly and cutting assembly. The controller can be programmed to control the print head assembly and the cutting assembly such that printing to and cutting of the label media does not occur simultaneously in the label printer-cutter. Printing by the print head is controlled to correspond to cutting assembly rollers being positioned in a non-cutting position. Advantageously, printing to and cutting of a label media in a single label printer-cutter unit is accomplished in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Brady Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Wade E. Lehmkuhl, Scott C. Milton
  • Patent number: 6739700
    Abstract: An on-demand inkjet printhead includes an ink chamber provided with a plurality of nozzles and a single piezoelectric actuator for increasing pressure of ink within the chamber. Each nozzle is equipped with a heater element. Ink is ejected from selected nozzles of the printhead by energizing the heater elements of the selected nozzles to reduce surface tension and viscosity of ink at the selected nozzles, and applying an actuation voltage to the piezoelectric actuator to generate a pressure pulse in the ink within the ink chamber that ejects ink droplets from the selected nozzles but not from the non-selected nozzles. The ink chamber can also be provided with a plurality of piezoelectric actuators, each of which can be actuated independently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: Philip Morris Incorporated
    Inventors: Henry M. Dante, A. Clifton Lilly, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6739690
    Abstract: A drop emitting device that includes a drop generator and a drive signal waveform that includes in sequence a first negative pulse, a positive pulse and a second negative pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Douglas D. Darling
  • Patent number: 6737661
    Abstract: An irradiation device for treating molds comprising a UV irradiation source, and a means for holding the molds. The invention is also a method of treating molds, comprising the steps of exposing a mold to a high intensity UV radiation for a predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Novartis AG
    Inventors: William Michael Kelly, Rudiger Reinhard Penno, Michael Jean Dormeyer
  • Patent number: 6736483
    Abstract: A two-dimensional auto compensated multi-axis tolerance adaptive system used in the cartridge carrier of an inject office machine is constructed to include a carrier unit, a reciprocation mechanism, and a driving mechanism, the carrier unit having a clearance sensor and a bias sensor, the driving mechanism including a rotating unit fastened pivotally with the carrier unit and a lifting unit coupled to the reciprocation mechanism for a linear movement for enabling the plane of rotation of the rotating unit to form with the straight lifting line of the lifting unit a X-Y plane and Z-axis space coordinates system. By means of the detection and scanning of the clearance sensor and the bias sensor, the ink cartridge carrier actively controls the optimum printing clearance between the ink jet nozzle and the media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Wen Hu Hu
  • Patent number: 6733104
    Abstract: A method of detecting a fault within a micro electro-mechanical device in the form of an ink ejection nozzle having an actuating arm that moves an ink displacing paddle when heat inducing electric current is passed through the actuating arm and having a movement sensor associated with the actuating arm. The method comprises the steps of passing at least one current pulse having a predetermined duration through the actuating arm and detecting for a predetermined level of movement of the actuating arm. If a fault is detected to exist, as indicated by an insufficient level of movement of the actuating arm, at least one further current pulse having an energy level greater than the fault detecting pulse may be passed through the actuating arm in an attempt to clear the fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd.
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 6733102
    Abstract: A platen gap from a nozzle orifice is detected by a platen gap detecting sensor (16). A control section (46) limits usable recording modes to a high-speed recording mode and a first high-resolution recording mode in case that the detected platen gap is a large gap. At this time, in case that a control command from a host computer is a command for specifying a second high-resolution recording mode, the recording mode to be used is switched to the first high-resolution recording mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Satoru Hosono
  • Patent number: 6733103
    Abstract: An inkjet printer is provided which includes a carriage that has a plurality of print heads and that reciprocates with respect to a recording sheet, a printer main body having a main power supply, and a cable that establishes electric conduction between the main power supply and the plurality of print heads. In addition, a voltage generating unit that generates head drive voltages according to the plurality of print heads from a voltage supplied from the main power supply is provided on the carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akikazu Murata
  • Patent number: 6729706
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for printing an image on a large surface area or walkway provides for imagewise marking of the surface with a color marking solution, to form a visible image on the surface during an image recording mode of a marking engine. A vehicle supports the marking engine and includes a drive that engages the surface at plural locations and moves the marking engine relative to the surface. The marking engine is located outboard of an area defined by lines connecting the plural locations so that during operation of the marking engine during the image recording mode the drive does not engage areas of the surface that have been previously imagewise marked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: David L. Patton, Loretta E. Allen, Steven S. Chapman, Dale F. McIntyre, Jacob L. Pietruszewski
  • Patent number: 6729710
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus for effecting recording on a recording material by ejecting ink through a plurality of ejection outlets in units of band with relative scanning movement between a recording head and the recording material, the ink jet recording apparatus, includes obtaining means for obtaining scanning interval information relating to time period required for recording a connecting portion between a band of a certain scan of the recording head and a band of the next scan of the recording head; and reducing means for reducing an amount of the ink shot to a neighborhood of the connecting portion on the basis of the scanning interval information obtained by the obtaining means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Chikuma, Naoji Otsuka, Tsutomu Takahashi, Kiichiro Takahashi, Hitoshi Nishikori
  • Patent number: 6723998
    Abstract: A Faraday system for measuring ion beam current in an ion implanter or other ion beam treatment system includes a Faraday cup body defining a chamber which has an entrance aperture for receiving an ion beam, a suppression electrode positioned in proximity to the entrance aperture to produce electric fields for inhibiting escape of electrons from the chamber, and a magnet assembly positioned to produce magnetic fields for inhibiting escape of electrons from the chamber. The chamber may have a relatively small ratio of chamber depth to entrance aperture width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Jack Bisson, Zhiyong Zhao, George Gammel, Daniel Alvarado, Craig Walker
  • Patent number: 6719407
    Abstract: In a thermal head capable of performing printing of high quality while preventing foreign matters such as dirt or the like from accumulating in a portion, on which a heat reserving layer is formed, at the time of printing, the heat reserving layer comprising a projection formed by partially projecting a surface of the layer and having a top, the projection being provided on a surface thereof with heating elements, the projection being shaped in cross section in a direction perpendicular to a direction of arrangement of the heating elements to form an inclined surface on one surface side, which is formed to be lower than the other surface side. The projection is formed so that a height thereof from the one surface side is 5 to 50 &mgr;m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6719389
    Abstract: During a print cycle, fire pulses of different profiles are delivered to ink-jets of a print head. Selected ones of the ink-jets are enabled in coordination with the occurrence of selected ones of the fire pulses to control a characteristic of drops that are jetted by the respective ink-jets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Spectra, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul A. Hoisington, Marc A. Torrey
  • Patent number: 6715852
    Abstract: The liquid jetting apparatus includes a head member having a nozzle, and a micro-vibrating unit that can cause liquid in the nozzle to minutely vibrate. A serial-signal generating unit can generate a serial periodical signal. A mode-signal generating unit can generate a mode signal depending on the liquid supplied to the nozzle. A micro-vibrating controlling unit can cause the micro-vibrating unit to operate, based on the serial periodical signal and the mode signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shuji Yonekubo
  • Patent number: 6715419
    Abstract: A method for producing a print carrier within a printing machine includes providing on a cylinder of the printing machine a prefabricated carrier material having a contact surface, and, within the printing machine, applying an impressionable polymer to the contact surface of the prefabricated carrier material; and a device for performing the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Gotthard Schmid
  • Patent number: 6717159
    Abstract: A chuck assembly for use in semiconductor processing equipment includes elements that permit reticle expansion and assembly misalignment without additional reticle deformation. Reticle expansion is allowed by flexible support elements that are positioned to move in the direction of expansion, but that also combine to provide the control necessary for processing. Misalignment is allowed by connections that attach the reticle securely and uniquely to the support elements despite some amount of imperfection in the reticle, or the connections themselves. Accounting in this way for expansion and misalignment prevents additional reticle distortion and thus improves the accuracy of the product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: W. Thomas Novak