Patents Examined by Jannelle M. Lebron
  • Patent number: 10940703
    Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus includes: a conveyance roller; a head; a discharge roller; a tray; a memory; and a controller that receives printing data, drives the conveyance roller and the discharge roller to convey a sheet at a first velocity in a conveyance direction, and controls the head to jet liquid on the sheet. The controller obtains a first amount and a second amount based on the printing data. After the liquid is jetted from the head on the first area, the conveyance roller and the discharge roller are driven to convey the sheet at a second velocity slower than the first velocity and to discharge the sheet on the tray, or conveyance of the sheet is stopped for a predefined time and then the sheet is conveyed at the first velocity to be discharged on the tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shohei Ichikawa, Masao Mimoto, Yoshimitsu Taniguchi, Tsuyoshi Ito
  • Patent number: 10933656
    Abstract: A printing system includes: a movable printing device; a control unit; and a device moving unit that is configured to move the movable printing device, the movable printing device includes a thermal head and a ribbon transport unit, the control unit is configured to: execute print operation control including: device position control; ribbon transport control; and head print control; execute, when a print stop command is received, print stop control; execute, when a print resume command is received after a start of execution of the print stop control, the print resume control, and execute, when predetermined information is received after the start of execution of the print stop control, reset control of causing the device moving unit to move the movable printing device to a reference position, causing the ribbon transport unit to transport the ink ribbon by a predetermined amount and then restarting the print operation control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keisuke Fujita
  • Patent number: 10926546
    Abstract: Fluid supply apparatus 104 is disclosed. The fluid supply apparatus 104 comprises a first conduit 106 to supply fluid to a fluid dispense head and a second conduit 108 to receive fluid from the fluid dispense head. The first conduit 106 and second conduit 108 may both supply print fluid to a print head in a printing or servicing configuration. The first conduit 106 and the second conduit 108 are coupled together via a closable third conduit 116. The closable third conduit 116 permits fluid flow between the first conduit 106 and the second conduit 108. The third conduit 116 comprises deformable walls movable towards each other to close the third conduit 116 to the passage of fluid between the first 106 and second conduit 108.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: David Butinya, Pol Vinardell, Marta Coma Vives
  • Patent number: 10926533
    Abstract: An inkjet printer includes first and second inkjet heads arranged to partially overlap each other in a main scanning direction and configured to eject ink to a print medium conveyed in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and a controller. The controller is configured to perform a distribution processing of distributing a number of drops of ink for each of pixels in an image to be printed by an overlap portion of the first inkjet head and the second inkjet head based on a random number between first nozzles of the first inkjet head and second nozzles of the second inkjet head overlapping each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Mamoru Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 10926555
    Abstract: In one example, an apparatus includes a first switch array including a first plurality of switches. A first resistor array includes a first plurality of resistor pairs, where each resistor pair in the first plurality of resistors is coupled to one switch of the first plurality of switches. The apparatus also includes a second switch array including a second plurality of switches. A second resistor array includes a second plurality of resistor pairs, where each resistor pair in the second plurality of resistors is coupled to one switch of the second plurality of switches. The apparatus further includes a plurality of output nodes configured to transmit an analog voltage, where each output node of the plurality of output nodes is connected to one resistor pair of the first resistor array and one resistor pair of the second resistor array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Paul D Bliley, Tyler Phillip Kapp, Michael Walters
  • Patent number: 10913285
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices related to a printer system that includes a first primary ink tank holding a dark-colored ink, a second primary ink tank holding a light-colored ink, a first selector valve configured to change a state, a first secondary ink tank connected to the first primary ink tank via the first selector valve, a second secondary ink tank connected to the first and second primary ink tanks via the first selector valve, a second selector valve connected to the first primary ink tank configured to return the dark-colored ink from the print heads to the first primary ink tank, and a third selector valve connected to the second selector valve and the second primary ink tank configured to either return the light-colored ink from the print heads to the second primary ink tank or to direct the dark-colored ink to the second selector valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING, INC.
    Inventor: Christopher Andrew Porter
  • Patent number: 10906310
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head including: a substrate; an energy generating element, which is provided on the substrate and is utilized to eject liquid; a first film provided on the energy generating element; a flow path forming member, which has an ejection orifice from which the liquid is ejected and forms a flow path of the liquid between the substrate and the flow path forming member; and an electrode, which generates a flow of the liquid, wherein the electrode includes the first film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomoko Kudo, Ryo Kasai, Masafumi Morisue, Yoshiyuki Nakagawa, Takuro Yamazaki, Takashi Sugawara, Kazuhiro Yamada
  • Patent number: 10906318
    Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus includes: a head unit including nozzles; a cap which covers the nozzles in a state of being in contact with the head unit at a capping position; and a cap movement device including a cam having a slide surface and a cam follower which is slid on the slide surface. One of the cam and the cam follower is provided integrally with the cap, and the other of the cam and the cam follower is moved in a slide direction. The slide surface includes a first inclined surface inclined by a first angle relative to the slide direction and a second inclined surface inclined by a second angle greater than the first angle relative to the slide direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Mikio Ogawa
  • Patent number: 10899126
    Abstract: An ejection instructing device includes an instructing unit, a generator, and a data generating controller. The instructing unit provides an instruction to cause a nozzle of a printer to eject droplets in accordance with ejection data for preventing a situation where the nozzle does not eject droplets caused by clogging. The generator generates ejection data for preventing a situation where the nozzle does not eject droplets caused by clogging and supplies the ejection data to the instructing unit. The data generating controller controls the generating of ejection data by the generator so that ejection data to be received by the instructing unit will satisfy an ejecting condition for preventing clogging of the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Fumiaki Sugiyama, Hiroyuki Tsuruoka
  • Patent number: 10894434
    Abstract: When a replaceable unit is mounted to a main body, if a main body identifier reference value stored in a local memory of the replaceable unit is different from the main body identifier, the main body rewrites the main body identifier reference value, writes a life counter value stored in the main body memory into the local memory as a master counter reference value, and writes a life counter value stored in the local memory separately into the local memory as a life counter reference value. The main body increments the life counter values due to an action, and determines a life count value of the replaceable unit on the basis of a difference between the life counter value in the main body memory and the master counter reference value and a difference between the life counter value in the local memory and the life counter reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Takenori Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10894403
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a substrate, a transistor provided on the substrate and connected to a first terminal supplied with a first voltage, an anti-fuse element provided on the substrate and connected between the transistor and a second terminal supplied with a second voltage, a first resistive element provided on the substrate and connected in parallel to the anti-fuse element and between the transistor and the second terminal, and an adjusting unit provided on the substrate and configured to function so as to reduce an influence of variation in resistance of the first resistive element in reading out of information from the anti-fuse element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazunari Fujii, Naoki Isoda, Toshio Negishi, Wataru Endo
  • Patent number: 10893736
    Abstract: A drawing apparatus includes a drawing head and a control device. If a drawing target surface has a first region acclivitous and declivitous respectively in first and second directions different from one another, the drawing head draws first pixels to be drawn on the first region while performing first and second scans in which the drawing head moves respectively in the first and second directions. The control device controls a ratio of a drawing amount of a first scan drawing pixel to be drawn in a line of the first region during the first scan to a drawing amount required for pixels in the line among the first pixels to be higher than a ratio of a drawing amount of a second scan drawing pixel to be drawn in the line during the second scan to the drawing amount required for the pixels in the line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shuichi Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 10889111
    Abstract: An inkjet printer having at least one print head in which at least one edge region nozzle at the edge of the print head is not activated for the printing of a print image, but nevertheless is activated at least temporarily with non-ejection pulses without ink ejection. Intensity fluctuations of the dots of a print image that are printed by the remaining nozzles of the print head may be reduced via the activation of an edge region nozzle with non-ejection pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Production Printing Holding B.V.
    Inventors: Ulrich Stoeckle, Uwe Hofmann, Hans Gollatz, Lars Joergens
  • Patent number: 10882316
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a nozzle plate, a multilayer substrate, and a pressure chamber substrate. The multilayer substrate includes a liquid chamber wall portion. The liquid chamber wall portion has a first wall surface facing a common liquid chamber. The multilayer substrate has a supply flow path which has an inlet portion coupled to the first wall surface and via which the common liquid chamber communicates with the first pressure chamber. When a direction from the common liquid chamber toward the first pressure chamber is defined as a first direction, and a direction intersecting the first direction is defined as a second direction, the supply flow path includes a first portion having a first width in the inlet portion and a second portion having a second width, in a first cross section along the first direction and the second direction. The first width is narrower than the second width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Inventor: Yoichi Naganuma
  • Patent number: 10882310
    Abstract: In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a fluid ejection die is described. The die includes a number of actuators to manipulate fluid. The actuators are disposed on the fluid ejection die and are grouped as primitives on the fluid ejection die. The fluid ejection die also includes a number of actuators sensors disposed on the fluid ejection die. The nozzle sensors receive a sense voltage indicative of a state of corresponding actuators. Each actuator sensor is coupled to a respective actuator. The fluid ejection die also includes an actuator evaluation device per primitive, which actuator evaluation device is disposed on the fluid ejection die. The actuator evaluation device evaluates an actuator characteristic of any actuator within the primitive and generates an output indicative of a failing actuator of the fluid ejection die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Daryl E Anderson, Eric Martin, James Michael Gardner
  • Patent number: 10882338
    Abstract: A dryer for use in an aqueous ink printer adequately dries coated substrates printed with aqueous ink images before discharge of the substrates. The dryer has a housing, a plurality of laser diodes, a current source, a variable electrical resistance network having a plurality of resistors, and a controller. The controller is configured to identify a plurality of ink coverage densities for a plurality of areas in an ink image that passes through the dryer, select and vary an electrical resistance of one or more of the resistors in the variable electrical resistance network using the identified ink coverage densities, and operate the plurality of resistors in the variable electrical resistance network to connect the laser diodes in the dryer selectively to the current source through the plurality of resistors using the identified ink coverage densities and a speed of the substrate through the dryer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Seemit Praharaj, Douglas K. Herrmann, Jason M. LeFevre, Chu-Heng Liu, Paul J. McConville
  • Patent number: 10875300
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes: head units arranged in a first direction; first individual heat dissipators each corresponding to one of the head units and disposed on a first side of the head unit in a second direction; and a first common heat dissipator disposed on the first side of the head units in the second direction. The first common heat dissipator extends in the first direction and shared among the head units. Each head unit includes: a unit body including an actuator; and a first driver integrated circuit disposed on the first side of the unit body in the second direction. Each of the first individual heat dissipators is disposed between the first driver integrated circuit and the first common heat dissipator of the head unit so as to be in thermal contact with the first driver integrated circuit and the first common heat dissipator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keita Sugiura
  • Patent number: 10875296
    Abstract: A fluid ejection die that may include a drive bubble device, a sensor and a sensor control logic. The drive bubble device can include a fluid ejector. Furthermore, the sensor can be operatively connected to the drive bubble device and the sensor control logic can be operatively connected to the sensor. Moreover, the sensor control logic can include a protective circuitry that can be operatively connected between the sensor control logic and the drive bubble device. The protective circuitry can be configured to shunt excess portions of a signal transmitted from the sensor to protect a circuit path to a DBD control circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: James Michael Gardner, Daryl E Anderson, Eric Martin
  • Patent number: 10875312
    Abstract: A method of maintaining an elongate inkjet printhead includes the steps of: positioning a suction nozzle opposite inkjet nozzles of the printhead; positioning a wiper offset from the inkjet nozzles; and moving the suction nozzle and the wiper together along a length of the printhead. The wiper contacts only a non-printing part of the printhead while the suction nozzle is spaced apart from the inkjet nozzles of printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Inventor: Vesa Karppinen
  • Patent number: 10870289
    Abstract: A recording head in an inkjet recording apparatus forms an image on paper using ink. A first sheet of paper has first and second sides. A second sheet of paper has third and fourth sides. The recording head forms a first image and a first mark image on the first side based on first image data, and then a second image and a second mark image on the second side based on second image data. The first mark image represents a first reference location in a first rectangular region in which the first image is to be formed. The second mark image represents a second reference location in a second rectangular region in which the second image is to be formed. A controller determines an enlargement ratio of the second image to be formed on the fourth side based on a discrepancy between the first and second reference locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Kishi