Patents Examined by Carlos A. Martinez
  • Patent number: 9389279
    Abstract: A battery cell assembly having a battery cell and a thin profile sensor is provided. The battery cell has a housing and first and second electrical terminals. The thin profile sensor has a flexible plastic sheet, and a microprocessor, a sensing circuit, and a heat generating circuit coupled to the flexible plastic sheet. The flexible plastic sheet is coupled to the battery cell. The microprocessor determines a first voltage value representing an open circuit voltage, and a second voltage value of the battery cell when the battery cell is supplying electrical current through the heat generating circuit. The microprocessor determines a current value when the battery cell is supplying the electrical current through the heat generating circuit, and determines an internal resistance value based on the first voltage value, the second voltage value, and the current value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventor: Greg Bober
  • Patent number: 9360791
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus outputs a clock signal used for outputting image data, outputs first image data in accordance with the outputted clock signal, outputs second image data in accordance with a clock signal for which the output clock signal is caused to change by a spread spectrum clock oscillator circuit, calculates a logical OR of the two outputs, and outputs image data, which is the calculation result, to an image forming unit. A laser device provided in the image forming unit is controlled in accordance with the outputted image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Naoki Oyama
  • Patent number: 9310711
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus determines a time length of a non-image-forming period in which image formation is not performed, the non-image-forming period being from when image formation on one recording sheet ends to when image formation on the next recording sheet starts, and based on the determined time length, decides the number of times of executing measurement (BD interval measurement) of a generation timing difference between detection signals corresponding to light beams emitted from two light emitting elements. The image forming apparatus executes the decided number of times of BD interval measurement and calculates an average value of the resultant measurement values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuya Ohta, Kuniyasu Kimura, Takuya Hayakawa, Kiyoharu Kakomura, Seita Inoue, Naoka Omura
  • Patent number: 9304449
    Abstract: A printer for printing to electrically printable media is described. During printing, a drum surface having first and second portions is charged to a first voltage, and the second portions of the surface are selectively discharged. A transfer electrode has a uniform voltage applied thereon. A first erase electrode and a second erase electrode have a fixed voltage differential between them. The printer receives the electrically printable medium between the first erase electrode and the second erase electrode to expose the electrically printable medium to the fixed voltage differential, and to move the electrically printable medium proximal to the drum and the transfer electrode to expose the electrically printable medium to a first voltage differential that results from the first voltage of the first portions and the uniform voltage, and a second voltage differential that results from the second voltage of the second portions and the uniform voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Jerry Yee-Ming Chung
  • Patent number: 9307594
    Abstract: An apparatus for driving LEDs. The apparatus that drives a first LED unit having at least one LED and second LED unit connected to the first LED unit and having at least one LED comprises a rectifying unit for rectifying an AC power source connected to the first LED unit, a first current detector connected between the rectifying unit and the first LED unit and having its operation state changed depending on a level of current flowing through the first LED unit, a second current detector connected between the rectifying unit and the second LED unit and having its operation state changed depending on a level of current flowing through the second LED unit, and a reverse current protector connected between the first and second current detectors for providing a path to connect the first and second LED units in series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: GTC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Deogyong Kim, Jungsoo Lee, Sangdo Kim
  • Patent number: 9283771
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a print head includes a first step of finding first light quantity related data showing a light quantity in a light spot formed by lighting up each of light-emitting units by a driving unit by using a first threshold, a second step of finding first magnitude related data showing a magnitude in the light spot formed by lighting up the light-emitting unit by the driving unit by using a second threshold, a third step of finding first ratio data showing a ratio between the first light quantity related data and the first magnitude related data, a fourth step of finding light quantity correction data to the light-emitting unit forming the light spot as a target by using the first ratio data, and a fifth step of retaining the found light quantity correction data to the print head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Shigeaki Imai
  • Patent number: 9278553
    Abstract: A printer includes a configuration, in which a paper is delivered between a recording head which is positioned upwards from a tray and a support member, and the recording is performed, and then the paper is discharged towards a discharged-paper receiving tray. The discharged-paper receiving tray is configured such that a relief section is formed to avoid an arrangement region of an oscillation member configuring a feeding unit upstream thereof, and the oscillation member is able to oscillate inside the relief section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yosuke Nakano, Yoshiyuki Okazawa, Tomoko Shirai, Katsumi Yamada
  • Patent number: 9259935
    Abstract: A cleaning liquid used for cleaning an ink flow channel in an inkjet recorder includes water; a hydrosoluble organic solvent; a compound having the following formula (1): wherein n represents an integer of from 1 to 40; and a compound having the following formula (2): wherein R1 and R2 independently represent an alkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms; R3 and R4 independently represent a methyl group or an ethyl group; and n represents an integer of from 1 to 6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Tamai, Michihiko Namba, Akihiko Gotoh
  • Patent number: 9254678
    Abstract: Optical print head includes: light-emitting elements connected one-to-one to current supply lines branching from first power line at different positions in longitudinal direction; holding elements; signal writing unit writing luminance signal into each holding element, the luminance signal being represented by voltage indicating light emission amount of corresponding light-emitting element; second power line supplying reference voltage to each holding element, the reference voltage being reference when signal writing unit writes luminance signal into holding element; and driving drivers corresponding one-to-one with current supply lines and controlling current supplied to corresponding current supply line from first power line, in accordance with voltage held in corresponding holding element when signal writing unit has written luminance signal into corresponding holding element, wherein power source supplying the reference voltage to second power line is common with power source supplying voltage to signal o
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Watanabe, Satoshi Masuda, Makoto Obayashi, Masayuki Iijima, So Yano, Takaki Uemura
  • Patent number: 9254695
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises: an acquiring unit configured to acquire data generated at a predetermined period in accordance with driving of a conveyance unit configured to convey a printing medium; a first specify unit configured to specify an average value of the data based on a plurality of data acquired by the acquiring unit; a second specify unit configured to specify a conveyance velocity of the printing medium based on the average value of the data specified by the specify unit; a deciding unit configured to decide a number of data, used by the second specify unit, for specifying the average value of the data in accordance with the conveyance velocity specified by the second specify unit; and a control unit configured to control the conveyance unit using the average value of the data specified by the second specify unit as position data of the printing medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yukinori Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 9250558
    Abstract: In a light deflector including a polygon mirror having a plurality of reflecting surfaces; and a motor configured to rotate the polygon mirror, each of the reflecting surfaces, which has leading and trailing edges with respect to a direction of rotation of the polygon mirror and a center between the two edges, is configured to curve with the center displaced with respect to a reference straight line passing through the two edges in a plane perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the polygon mirror, radially, to a first side under a non-operating state in which the motor is not in operation, and to a second side (opposite to the first side) under a first rotating state in which progress of deformation of each of the reflecting surfaces has converged after a lapse of a first period of time from a start of rotation of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hidetaka Hoshino, Hitoshi Fujino, Yoshifumi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9229397
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive member; an exposing unit which is opposed to the photosensitive member, and which includes a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in an arrangement direction to expose the photosensitive member; and a body frame which is provided at both sides of the exposing unit in the arrangement direction. The body frame is made of a conductive member. The exposing unit includes an exposing unit body having an exterior made of a resin; and an electrically conductive holding member which is longer than the exposing unit body in the arrangement direction, and which holds the exposing unit body, wherein the holding member is electrically connected to the body frame to be grounded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Junichi Yokoi
  • Patent number: 9217863
    Abstract: A scanning optical system includes a light source including light emission points, a deflector for deflecting a beam in main scanning direction, an optical element for guiding the beam from the light source to the deflector, and a stop for limiting the beam from the optical element, sets the followings appropriately: distance from the light source to the stop; focal length of the optical element; distance in main scanning direction from an intersection of optical axis and the light source at a farthest light emission point from the optical axis in main scanning direction; stop aperture diameter in main scanning direction; total angle at half maximum of a far-field pattern of emitted light; and angle between a marginal ray within main scanning section at the farthest light emission point from the optical axis in main scanning direction and a ray of a maximum intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masayasu Teramura
  • Patent number: 9207561
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms a color image by layering toner images of different colors includes: a photoreceptor on which an electrostatic latent image is formed through charging and exposure; an exposure unit performing exposure-scanning on the photoreceptor in accordance with image signal; an intensity determination unit determining exposure intensity according to image forming condition; and a timing determination unit determining a timing of inputting image signal for each scanning line, wherein the exposure unit has a delay duration differing depending on the exposure intensity and being from input of image signal of each pixel to be exposed to exposure of the pixel at the exposure intensity, and the timing determination unit obtains the delay duration corresponding to the exposure intensity, and determines the timing such that image signal of an initial pixel to be initially exposed is input the delay duration before the initial pixel is exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Yohei Yamada, Tatsuya Eguchi, Akimasa Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 9205660
    Abstract: The liquid consuming apparatus includes a detection portion 90 having a light-emitting portion 92 and a light-receiving portion 94, a holder 20 in which a liquid container provided with a prism 170 is attachably and detachably installed, the holder 20 having an opening portion 22 provided at a position facing the prism 170 when the liquid container is installed, and a reflection portion 24, and a moving portion that relatively moves the holder in a first direction with respect to the detection portion 90. A first portion of the holder 20 that is peripheral to the reflection portion 24 in a plan view of the holder 20 as seen from the side of the detection portion 90 has an inclined face that inclines in a second direction intersecting the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Junpei Yoshida, Masaki Tsukida
  • Patent number: 9188902
    Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus that reduces an operation speed of a unit configured to generate pieces of correction data with which the light intensity of laser light is corrected. Pieces of first correction data in a scanning direction of a photoconductor drum are associated with light sources and stored in memories. For a plurality of regions of the surface of the photoconductor drum, a CPU outputs, for each of the regions, pieces of correction data including pieces of second correction data for correction of electric potential characteristics of the region. The positions of pieces of first correction data match some of the positions of pieces of second correction data. A laser driver IC controls light intensity of laser light at the timing of the pieces of second correction data in accordance with a piece of first correction data and a piece of second correction data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9174447
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting device includes a casing, a carriage, and a cartridge. The carriage is configured to move in a first direction and a second direction. The cartridge is configured to be removably mounted on the carriage and includes a first cartridge and a second cartridge. The first cartridge has a first grip part. The second cartridge has a second grip part. The carriage is configured to move between a first position where the first grip part is exposed and positioned outside the casing through a first opening and a second position where the second grip part is exposed and positioned outside the casing through a second opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroto Sugahara
  • Patent number: 9170521
    Abstract: In order to detect a passage timing of a light beam and to suppress cost, a light beam detection circuit (2) includes a detection signal generation section (34) configured to receive a light beam for scanning of a scanning target (101A) with one optical sensor (10), and generate a detection signal corresponding to an amount of received light; a reference signal output section (44) configured to output a reference signal that is in proportion to a light-amount control signal of a light-emission element (LD1) that emits the light beam; and a synchronizing signal generation section (35) configured to compare a detection signal generated by the detection signal generation section (34) with a reference signal output from the reference signal output section (44) to generate a synchronizing signal to determine a position to start scanning of the scanning target (101A) with the light beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazutaka Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9164279
    Abstract: A scanning optical device includes a deflector deflecting a light beam emitted from a light source, and a pair of optical component groups arranged on both sides of the deflector in a sub-scanning direction and focusing the light beams deflected by the deflector to form images on a surface of an image carrier. Each of the optical component groups has a lens focusing the light beam deflected by the deflector in the sub-scanning direction, and a mirror reflecting the light beam passed through the lens toward the surface of the image carrier. One lens of one optical component group and the other lens of the other optical component group are supported so as to deform in the opposite directions each other in the sub-scanning direction when they are thermally deformed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Akihiro Masaki
  • Patent number: 9132659
    Abstract: Unevenness correcting information is generated based on property information indicating a recording property of each of a plurality of recording elements which are included in a recording head, the recording elements being subjected to output correction in a first output correction unit based on unevenness correcting information obtained after a flattening processing and output correction in a second output correction unit, and the unevenness correcting information close to an appropriate value with which an image in an appropriately-corrected state can be obtained can be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Ukishima, Masashi Ueshima