Patents Examined by Alexander C Witkowski
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Patent number: 8628187Abstract: Methods of forming images on substrates in printing and apparatuses for forming images on substrates in printing are provided. An exemplary embodiment of the methods of forming images on substrates in printing includes applying ink onto a surface of a substrate; irradiating the ink on the surface of the substrate with first radiation to partially-cure the ink; applying pressure to the substrate and partially-cured ink at a nip with a first surface of a first member and a second surface of a second member to level the ink on the surface of the substrate; and irradiating the as-leveled ink on the surface of the substrate with second radiation to substantially fully cure the ink.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2010Date of Patent: January 14, 2014Assignee: Xerox CorporationInventors: Bryan J. Roof, Jacques K. Webster-Curley, Michelle N. Chrétien, David M. Thompson, Peter G. Odell
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Patent number: 8628189Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a conveying unit configured to convey a recording medium, a recording head configured to eject ink onto the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit to perform recording, a platen configured to support the recording medium at a position facing the recording head, a heating unit configured to heat the recording medium on the downstream side of the platen in the conveying direction, and a plurality of protrusions that are disposed on the downstream side of the platen, wherein the plurality of protrusions are configured to contact the non-recording surface of the recording medium, and wherein the plurality of protrusions are arranged in the width direction of the recording medium. On the downstream side of the platen, the plurality of protrusions are configured to give a corrugated shape in the width direction to the recording medium expanded by being heated by the heating unit.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2011Date of Patent: January 14, 2014Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Yutaka Hokazono
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Patent number: 8614724Abstract: The disclosure provides in one embodiment a method of fabricating a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanoparticle ink based piezoelectric sensor. The method has a step of formulating a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanoparticle ink. The method further has a step of depositing the PZT nanoparticle ink onto a substrate via an ink deposition process to form a PZT nanoparticle ink based piezoelectric sensor.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2011Date of Patent: December 24, 2013Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Jeffrey Lynn Duce, Scott Robert Johnston, I-Yeu Shen, Guozhong Cao, Hsien-Lin Huang
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Patent number: 8608307Abstract: A transfix roller is adapted for use with a thin walled image receiving member in an indirect printer. The transfix roller is centrally supported to present a more uniform pressure profile in the nip formed with the image receiving member. An interference fit between the central shaft and the roller sleeve enables the transfix roller to be made without an additional process to secure the shaft to the sleeve.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2011Date of Patent: December 17, 2013Assignee: Xerox CorporationInventors: Bruce Earl Thayer, Bin Zhang, Palghat S. Ramesh, Anthony S. Condello, Paul J. McConville, Trevor James Snyder
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Patent number: 8596778Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus may include a conveying device configured to move a conveying belt including a conveying surface to convey a recording medium. The ink jet recording apparatus may include a recording head configured to discharge ink onto the recording medium. The ink jet recording apparatus may include an attraction device including first and second electrodes facing a surface opposite the conveying surface and configured to apply a voltage between the first and second electrodes. The ink jet recording apparatus may include a contact member which comes into contact with the conveying surface. The first and second electrodes may be disposed at a distance from each other in the width direction of the conveying belt. A contacting area of the conveying surface with which the contact member comes into contact may not extend over the first and second electrodes in the width direction.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2010Date of Patent: December 3, 2013Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Shigeki Kato
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Patent number: 8585198Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: a first nozzle which ejects a first ink used to print an image on a medium and cured by irradiation of light; a pre-curing light source which emits a pre-curing light to dots formed as the first ink ejected from the first nozzle is landed onto the medium; a second nozzle which ejects a second ink used to coat a surface of the medium and cured by irradiation of light onto the medium after being irradiated by the light from the pre-curing light source; and a main-curing light source which emits a main-curing light to the medium, wherein the irradiation energy of the light emitted to a unit area of the medium from the pre-curing light source is changed according to whether the second ink is ejected from the second nozzle.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2010Date of Patent: November 19, 2013Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Hiroyuki Onishi, Toyohiko Mitsuzawa
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Patent number: 8585169Abstract: A method and apparatus for subdividing and printing regions of a substrate with multiple print heads or multiple print head assemblies which substantially decreases printing time is described. The method includes a feathering method which reduces overlap artifacts which is useful in any printing situation where adjacent regions are printed that could be misaligned, offset, or have slightly different colors.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2012Date of Patent: November 19, 2013Inventor: S Dana Seccombe
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Patent number: 8581944Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor drum, a first printer head that forms a first pattern on the photoconductor drum and has a first end part, a second printer head that forms second and third patterns on the photoconductor drum and has a second end part that overlaps the first end part in a main scanning direction, a detection sensor that detects the densities of first and second test patterns formed at an area of the photoconductor drum at which the first and second end parts overlap, the first test pattern being formed by combining the first and second patterns, the second test pattern being formed by combining the first and third patterns, and a determination part that determines a deviation direction between the first and second printer heads by comparing the densities detected by the detection sensor.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2011Date of Patent: November 12, 2013Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Tatsuhiko Okada, Nobuyuki Satoh, Masato Kobayashi, Norikazu Taki, Daisuke Sawada, Daisaku Horikawa
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Patent number: 8576264Abstract: A registration device for a mail processing system having wide print nozzle arrays that reduces problems associated with printing on variable thickness media. A thin wire, held by guides, is strung across the print nozzle openings in the registration plate to support and guide the top (print) surface of a mail piece and to prevent the mail piece from protruding into the openings. The guides are positioned such that the wire passes between zones where there are no print nozzles located. A tensioning device is provided to adjust the tension of the wire to ensure the wire maintains its position within the openings. The wire acts as a guide to maintain the optimal gap between the mail piece top surface and the print nozzles.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2011Date of Patent: November 5, 2013Assignees: Pitney Bowes Inc., Hewlett-Packard CompanyInventors: Thomas M Lyga, John R. Masotta, John W. Sussmeier, John F. Pezzuti
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Patent number: 8573766Abstract: A light source for a photo-reactive curing apparatus is provided, which includes a plurality of light source elements or modules, such as, UV or visible LEDs or LED arrays, arranged to provide a beam profile comprising irradiation zones separated by a dark zone. Photo-polymerization occurs during periods of irradiation and dark polymerization occurs during dark intervals between irradiation. The relative positioning or spacing of light source elements or modules is set to provide an exposure profile with a dark interval which matches the required dark reaction interval for optimal curing efficiency. In modular or adjustable light sources, the spacing is adjustable dependent on process parameters. For processes such as inkjet printing, the beam profile may be better matched to the ink chemistry, so as to control the polymerization reaction to meet a required process speed for single pass or multiple pass applications.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2011Date of Patent: November 5, 2013Assignee: Lumen Dynamics Group Inc.Inventors: Guomao Yang, Sheng Peng
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Patent number: 8567938Abstract: A print is produced on a semiporous recording medium. The semiporous recording medium is dried to an equilibrated 20% RH. Hydrophilic liquid is deposited on the medium in a selected fluid pattern within 15 seconds after the completion of drying. The recording medium is charged so that a charge pattern of charged and discharged areas is formed on the recording medium and the discharged areas correspond to the fluid pattern. Charged dry ink having charge of the same sign as the charge in the charged areas on the recording medium is deposited on the medium in a pattern corresponding to the selected fluid pattern. The dry ink is at least in part hydrophilic, so the dry ink adheres to the hydrophilic liquid, and at least some of the liquid is drawn into or around the deposited dry ink particles.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2011Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai
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Patent number: 8567899Abstract: A printing system that has a printhead assembly for printing media fed along a media path and a plurality of service modules for the printhead assembly. Each of the service modules is configured to operate in a plurality of different modes and each of the service modules are independently operable.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2010Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Zamtec LtdInventors: Robert Rosati, David Petch, David Burney, Jim Sykora, Kenneth A Regas, Andy Bound, Neil Doherty, Scott Dennis, Ben Jones, Oksana Buyda, Locson Tonthat, Andrew Buyda, Patrick Kirk, Loren Hunt, Jason Dewey, Jim Trinchera, Bill Cressman, Ron Zech
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Patent number: 8567939Abstract: A printing system that has a media transport system configured to transport media along a media path, a printhead assembly fixed relative to the media path and a plurality of service modules for the printhead assembly. Each of the service modules is independently movable relative to the media path.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2010Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Zamtec LtdInventors: Robert Rosati, David Petch, David Burney, Jim Sykora, Kenneth A Regas, Andy Bound, Neil Doherty, Scott Dennis, Ben Jones, Oksana Buyda, Locson Tonthat, Andrew Buyda, Patrick Kirk, Loren Hunt, Jason Dewey, Jim Trinchera, Bill Cressman, Ron Zech
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Patent number: 8556408Abstract: A medium holding apparatus holds a medium to be transferred in a printer. A pair of holding members are mounted to undergo movement and are configured to continuously hold respective end sections of the medium in a width direction of the medium during transfer of the medium in the printer. A support structure supports the pair of holding members so that the pair of holding members are permitted to advance and retract in the width direction of the medium in accordance with positions of the end sections of the medium in the width direction.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2009Date of Patent: October 15, 2013Assignee: Seiko I Infotech Inc.Inventor: Naoki Matsuya
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Patent number: 8556366Abstract: Each of controllers includes an error management section that generates an error command including an error code indicating the content of an error when the controller detects the error. A host apparatus includes a host controller. If the error command from the master controller and the error command from the slave controller are identical to each other, the host controller displays a single piece of error information on a monitor. Specifically, the single piece of error information includes the error code included in the error command and an error message corresponding to the error code.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2011Date of Patent: October 15, 2013Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Hirotsuna Miura
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Patent number: 8556409Abstract: Printers and duplexers are described herein. An example duplexer for a printer includes a print substrate path to guide a print substrate and a chamber to collect a fluid.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2010Date of Patent: October 15, 2013Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Russell P Yearout, Daniel Fredrickson
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Patent number: 8550617Abstract: A printing system that has a printhead assembly, a vacuum platen assembly opposite the printhead assembly, a media path between the printhead assembly and the vacuum platen, a drive roller for moving media along the media path, a vacuum belt assembly to move the media away from the vacuum platen assembly and a scanner adjacent the vacuum belt to capture information from the media for feedback control of the printhead assembly.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2010Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: Zamtec LtdInventors: Robert Rosati, David Petch, David Burney, Jim Sykora, Kenneth A Regas, Andy Bound, Neil Doherty, Scott Dennis, Ben Jones, Oksana Buyda, Locson Tonthat, Andrew Buyda, Patrick Kirk, Loren Hunt, Jason Dewey, Jim Trinchera, Bill Cressman, Ron Zech
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Patent number: 8550614Abstract: A recording method includes a first drying step of evaporating 50 to 85 wt % of ink adhering on a recording medium, the ink being ejected from a recording head onto a surface of the recording medium back side of which is supported on a medium-supporting unit which faces the recording head, and a second drying step of drying the recording medium, which has been subjected to the first drying step, at the downstream side of the medium-supporting unit in a feeding direction of the recording medium.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2010Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Kiyohiko Takemoto
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Patent number: 8545008Abstract: The invention provides a recording medium capable of inhibiting conspicuousness of scratches attached to the recording medium and preventing the occurrence of density unevenness in an image. The recording medium has a substrate and an ink receiving layer provided on the substrate, wherein substrate is a resin-coated substrate obtained by coating a base material with a resin, and wherein Ra2 is 0.3 ?m or more and 2.5 ?m or less and Ra1?Ra2 is 2.0 ?m or more, where Ra1 is an arithmetic average roughness of a surface of the substrate son the side of the ink receiving layer as prescribed by JIS B 0601:2001 and Ra2 is an arithmetic average roughness of the outermost surface of the recording medium as prescribed by JIS B 0601:2001.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2011Date of Patent: October 1, 2013Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masaya Asao, Hiroshi Asakawa, Hitoshi Nagashima, Takatoshi Tanaka
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Patent number: 8542259Abstract: The present invention provides a printing medium, a printing method, and a printing apparatus using a photonic crystal characteristic. According to the present invention, the printing medium using the photonic crystal characteristic comprises a medium in which a plurality of particles having electric charges are dispersed, wherein the inter-particle distances of the particles are controlled as a result of at least one of electric fields and magnetic fields are applied to the medium, and the inter-particle distances of the particles are fixed as the energy is applied to the medium.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2010Date of Patent: September 24, 2013Assignee: Nanobrick Co., Ltd.Inventors: Jae Hyun Joo, Sung Wan Hong, Da Hyeon Go, Kwang Su Kim