Patents Examined by Alexander C Witkowski
  • Patent number: 8540361
    Abstract: A printing system that has a print zone, a drive roller positioned at an input side of the print zone, a vacuum platen assembly positioned under the print zone, a printhead assembly overlaying and spanning the print zone and a vacuum belt assembly configured to receive media from the print zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd
    Inventors: 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
  • Patent number: 8534828
    Abstract: Operation commands, each corresponding to an input operation through an input unit, are linked together. Thereby, a single operation command string is generated from a sequence of input operations and the thus generated operation command string is recorded on a command record buffer. The recorded operation command string is converted into two dimensional bar code data and printed. The operation command string is read out from a two dimensional bar code by a bar code scanner. The operation command string thus read out is executed by a CPU etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Chitoshi Ito
  • Patent number: 8534824
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for forming images on substrates in printing are provided and may include a first marking station for applying a first ink having a first color to a surface of a substrate, a first partial-curing station downstream from the first marking station, a second marking station downstream from the first partial-curing station for applying a second ink having a second color to the surface of the substrate, a second partial-curing station downstream from the second marking station, a leveling device for applying pressure to the substrate and the partially-cured first ink and second ink to level the first ink and second ink on the surface of the substrate, and a post-leveling curing device for irradiating the as-leveled first ink and second ink on the surface of the substrate to substantially-fully cure the first ink and the second ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Bryan J. Roof, Jacques K. Webster-Curley, David M. Thompson
  • Patent number: 8529054
    Abstract: An ink includes a volatile organic solvent and a UV curable ink. The ink has a viscosity greater than or equal to 3 mPa·sec and less than or equal to 18 mPa·sec (at 25° C.). The UV curable ink has a viscosity of greater than or equal to 20 mPa·sec (at 25° C.). The UV curable ink comprises a pigment, an ultraviolet curable resin curable by an ultraviolet light, and a photopolymerization initiator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 8523345
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a humidifying unit that generates humidified gas, a drying unit that dries ink applied to a sheet by a recording unit, a first duct that supplies gas discharged from the drying unit to at least one of the humidifying unit and the recording unit, and a second duct that supplies the humidified gas generated by the humidifying unit to the recording unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Suzuki, Yuji Kanome, Seiji Suzuki, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Takeaki Nakano, Masahiro Sugimoto, Susumu Hirosawa
  • Patent number: 8525857
    Abstract: Document processing systems and duplex printing methods are presented in which side 1 to side 2 image on paper (IOP) magnification errors are mitigated by use different speeds for raster output scanner (ROS) for scanning images for different final print sides, and by selective use of electronic registration adjustment by adding or removing sub-pixels from the image data to compensate for ROS speed change overshoot or undershoot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan B. Hunter, Andrew James Bonacci, David Mark Kerxhalli
  • Patent number: 8523346
    Abstract: A transport device may include a transport mechanism including a supporting member configured to support a placed medium and transport the medium. The transport device may also include a first charging device configured to alternately charge the supporting member with one polarity and an opposite polarity. The transport device may further include a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the medium to the supporting member. The transport device may yet further include a second charging device configured to alternately charge the medium with one polarity and an opposite polarity for transferring the medium with the transfer mechanism before the transfer mechanism places the medium on the supporting member. The transport device may yet further include a control unit configured to control at least one of the transport mechanism, the transfer mechanism, the first charging device, and the second charging device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koji Ito
  • Patent number: 8523349
    Abstract: A portable printer includes an outer housing, a circuit board, a battery, an inner housing, at least one inkjet head, and a motor, all of which are housed in the outer housing. The outer housing defines a longitudinal receiving space and an opening communicating with the receiving space. The battery is electrically connected to the circuit board to provide power to the portable printer. The inner housing can rotate around an axis of the outer housing. The inkjet head can rotate with the inner housing, and emits ink when it rotates. The motor is electrically connected to the circuit board, and is controlled by the circuit board to drive the inner housing to rotate. The rotation of the inner housing drives the inkjet head to rotate. Ink from the inkjet head goes out of the outer housing through the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chang-Lung Yu
  • Patent number: 8517377
    Abstract: A conveying apparatus includes a suction mechanism that suctions an interior of a bag, and a connecting mechanism that connects an opening of the bag and the suction mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Matsuhashi
  • Patent number: 8511816
    Abstract: An apparatus and method that operates a flattener in an ink-based printing apparatus. The printing apparatus can include a media path configured to transport media sheets. The printing apparatus can include a marking module configured to jet ink drops to generate images on the media sheets. The printing apparatus can include a flattener configured to flatten the ink jet drops of the images on the media sheets in a flattener nip. The printing apparatus can include a release agent distributer configured to distribute release agent on a first rotational flattener member. The printing apparatus can include a controller configured to control the printing apparatus to reduce an inter-copy gap distance between a first media sheet and a second media sheet to prevent a first rotational flattener member from contacting a second rotational flattener member between the first media sheet and the second media sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Steven Robert Moore
  • Patent number: 8506035
    Abstract: An apparatus and method apply release fluid to a leveler in a printing apparatus. The apparatus can include a substrate path, at least one release fluid spray nozzle, and a marking material leveling system having a marking material leveler. The method can include transporting a substrate with marking material along the substrate path. The method can include pulse spraying release fluid to the marking material leveling system using the at least one release fluid spray nozzle. The method can include leveling marking material on the substrate using the marking material leveler with release fluid. The method can include determining an adjusted amount of release fluid to spray to the marking material leveling system. The method can include pulse spraying the adjusted amount of release fluid to the marking material leveling system using the at least one release fluid spray nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Bryan J. Roof, Anthony S. Condello
  • Patent number: 8491071
    Abstract: A droplet discharge device includes a droplet discharge head, a feed reel, a drying chamber, a drying-gas-introducing device, a take-up reel, an imaging device, an analyzing unit and a control unit. The imaging device captures an image of functional liquid discharged from nozzles of the droplet discharge head onto a sheet member between the feed reel and the take-up reel with the sheet member having been dried in the drying chamber filled with a drying gas to achieve a predetermined humidity. The analyzing unit measures an area over which the functional liquid is deposited on the sheet member from each of the nozzles, and calculates a distribution of a discharge amount of the functional liquid. The control unit adjusts a voltage applied to the drive elements so that the discharge amount of the functional liquid from each of the nozzles approximates a predetermined optimum amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Sadaharu Komori, Tsuyoshi Kato, Tamotsu Goto
  • Patent number: 8485656
    Abstract: A wide format printer that has a media transport system configured to transport media along a media path that is more than 432 mm (17 inches) wide, 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: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd
    Inventors: 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
  • Patent number: 8469507
    Abstract: A medium holding apparatus includes: a medium holding conveyance device which has a plurality of suction grooves for suctioning a sheet-shaped medium, and conveys the medium in a prescribed direction while holding the medium on a medium holding surface; and a suction pressure generating device which is connected to the plurality of suction grooves, and generates suction pressure in each of the suction grooves, wherein: the plurality of suction grooves include a leading end suction groove provided at a position where a leading end region of the medium is held, and the leading end suction groove has a structure so as to be separated from other suction grooves of the plurality of suction grooves, and is connected to the suction pressure generating device via a flow channel which is not connected to the other suction grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Fukui
  • Patent number: 8465148
    Abstract: A printing machine for printing on a web includes a plurality of guide rollers for guiding the web through a simplex and a duplex path in the printing machine. The duplex path is adjacent and laterally shifted with respect to the simplex path. An apparatus for turning or laterally shifting the web and transfer the web from the simplex path to the duplex path includes four rollers. 90° twists are present between rollers 1 and 2 and between rollers 3 and 4. Rollers 1 and 4 are substantially parallel, and rollers 2 and 3 are substantially parallel. Rollers 1 and 4 are substantially at right angles to rollers 2 and 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Eckhard Bauer, Domingo Rohde, Thomas Koester, Randy Eugene Armbruster, Christopher M. Muir, Bradley Charles DeCook, Nathan J Turner, William F. Dassero
  • Patent number: 8449101
    Abstract: An active radiation curable ink composition is disclosed. The ink composition includes a compound having a persulfide bond, at least one end of the persulfide bond being bonded to a ring structure directly or via a carbonyl group or a thiocarbonyl group; one or more radical polymerizable compounds; and a photopolymerization initiator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Yokoi
  • Patent number: 8430472
    Abstract: In a 2M-pass printing operation that forms dots including overlapping dots, this invention makes an arrangement to ensure that the number of overlapping dots that are printed in a unit area in pairs of passes each straddling a print medium convey operation executed between an Mth pass and an (M+1)st pass is greater than the number of overlapping dots that are printed in pairs of passes straddling any other convey operation. This arrangement can cause two dots of the overlapping dots to be separated from each other in the event of a print position misalignment, preventing a possible density fall even in a unit area where the largest density reduction is feared to occur at time of the print position misalignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hitoshi Nishikori, Norihiro Kawatoko, Yutaka Kano, Yuji Konno, Tomokazu Ishikawa, Akitoshi Yamada, Mitsuhiro Ono, Rie Kajihara
  • Patent number: 8430469
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharging apparatus including: a liquid discharging head; a cartridge attaching section in which a liquid cartridge is loaded detachably; a liquid channel; a filter provided in the middle of the liquid channel to capture a foreign substance in the liquid; a parameter deciding mechanism which, based on a cumulative use number of the liquid cartridge, decides a value of a predetermined parameter whose value becomes larger as the cumulative use number becomes larger; and a controller controlling the liquid discharging head so as to decrease an amount of the liquid discharged from the liquid discharging head per unit time as the value of the parameter becomes larger. This structure prevents the occurrence of a failure of the discharge of the liquid from nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirotake Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8414117
    Abstract: According to the present invention, the size of a droplet ejected to a target area is minimized to obtain high printing resolution, and effects of attraction and adhesive forces acting between a nozzle and air resistance can be minimized so that the target area is finely controlled to obtain high printing precision. An inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention includes an ejecting device ejecting a droplet of a solution to a target area; and a light irradiating device irradiating light onto the droplet at an acute angle with respect to a line going through the ejecting device and the target area to heat and evaporate a part of the droplet before the ejected droplet reaches the target area, so that the droplet is accelerated along the line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Medikan Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hee-Young Lee
  • Patent number: 8408689
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for forming images on substrates in printing are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Bryan J. Roof, Jacques K. Webster-Curley, David M. Thompson