Patents Examined by Lisa Solomon
  • Patent number: 11801678
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a substrate, a diaphragm; and a piezoelectric actuator, in which the substrate, the diaphragm, and the piezoelectric actuator are laminated in this order in a first direction, the diaphragm includes a first layer containing silicon as a constituent element, a third layer disposed between the first layer and the piezoelectric actuator and containing zirconium as a constituent element, and a second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer and containing at least one impurity element selected from the group consisting of a metal, a metalloid, and a semiconductor other than silicon and zirconium, as a constituent element, and the impurity element diffuses into the third layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Harunobu Koike, Tatsuo Sawasaki
  • Patent number: 11794503
    Abstract: A described example includes a ribbon cartridge having a first spool housing to receive a first spool. The ribbon cartridge further having a second spool housing to receive a second spool. The ribbon cartridge further having at least one frame member extending between the first spool housing and the second spool housing and a spool lock, wherein the spool lock is configured to engage at least one of the first spool or the second spool in response to the ribbon cartridge not being received within a ribbon positioning assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Petrica Dorinel Balcan, Randal Wong Mun Hon, Kuan-Ying Lu
  • Patent number: 11794486
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a conveyor configured to convey a sheet along a conveyance path, a print head on the conveyance path, a main scan direction of the print head crossing the conveyance path, and a controller configured to control the print head to, in a first printing mode, set a print reference position to a first end of the print head in the main scan direction and print an image on the sheet from a leading end side of the image, and in a second printing mode, set the print reference position to a second end of the print head in the main scan direction and print the image on the sheet from a trailing end side of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Chikahiro Saegusa
  • Patent number: 11795337
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a printing ink composition comprising a polymer selected from a poly(styrene-maleic acid) co-polymer having an acid number of ?225 mg KOH/g, a poly(styrene-maleamic acid) co-polymer having an acid number of ?225 mg KOH/g or a combination thereof, wherein the co-polymer is a lithium, sodium, potassium, ammonium or quaternary ammonium salt or combinations thereof. The printing ink composition is suitable for directly printing onto non-porous substrates particularly without the need for a chemical primer layer or chemical pre-treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: SUN CHEMICAL COPORATION
    Inventors: Paul Wallace, James Matthews
  • Patent number: 11794473
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes multiple nozzles arrayed in two-dimensional matrix, the multiple nozzles configured to discharge a liquid, multiple pressure chambers respectively communicating with the multiple nozzles, multiple common-supply branch channels, each communicating with the multiple pressure chambers, multiple common-collection branch channels, each communicating with the multiple pressure chambers, the multiple common-collection branch channels respectively communicating with the multiple common-supply branch channels through the multiple pressure chambers, a common-supply main channel communicating with each of the multiple common-supply branch channels, a common-collection main channel communicating with each of the multiple common-collection branch channels, and two or more bypass channels communicating with the multiple common-supply branch channels and the multiple common-collection branch channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshinori Bandoh
  • Patent number: 11787177
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a plasma generator which includes a first electrode and a second electrode and in which an alternating voltage is applied to at least the first electrode to generate an atmospheric-pressure plasma around the first electrode. The atmospheric-pressure plasma accelerates the liquid ejected through the nozzle. The first electrode is disposed on a surface of the nozzle substrate in the ejection direction. The second electrode is disposed opposite the first electrode in the ejection direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takanori Aimono
  • Patent number: 11780227
    Abstract: At times, devices, such as semiconductor devices, may be attached to molded structures. The molded structure may have through holes or channels through which fluids and gasses (among other things) may travel, A number of processes exist for creating molded structures with through holes or channels. For instance, build up processes, such as lithography on dry film, may be used to create molded structures with through holes or channels. Substrate bonding and/or welding may also be used to yield molded structures with through holes or channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Chien-Hua Chen, Michael W Cumbie, Michael G Groh
  • Patent number: 11779942
    Abstract: The disclosure concerns an applicator, in particular a printhead, for applying a coating agent, in particular a paint, to a component, in particular to a motor vehicle body component or an attachment for a motor vehicle body component, having a plurality of nozzles for applying the coating agent in the form of a coating agent jet, and a plurality of coating agent valves for controlling the release of the coating agent through the individual nozzles, and having a plurality of electrically controllable actuators for controlling the coating agent valves. The disclosure provides that a control circuit for electrically controlling the actuators is integrated in the applicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Dürr Systems AG
    Inventors: Hans-Georg Fritz, Benjamin Wöhr, Marcus Kleiner, Mortiz Bubek, Timo Beyl, Frank Herre, Steffen Sotzny, Daniel Tandler, Tobias Berndt, Andreas Geiger
  • Patent number: 11780225
    Abstract: When a pressure of the liquid inside the common supply flow path is higher than a pressure of the liquid inside the pressure chamber, the adjustment portion changes the cross-sectional area to be a first cross-sectional area when a pressure difference, which is a difference between the pressure of the liquid inside the common supply flow path and the pressure of the liquid inside the pressure chamber, is a first pressure difference, and changes the cross-sectional area to be a second cross-sectional area larger than the first cross-sectional area when the pressure difference is a second pressure difference larger than the first pressure difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Katakura, Takanori Aimono, Shotaro Tamai
  • Patent number: 11772379
    Abstract: There are provided an inkjet head, an inkjet image forming apparatus, a nozzle plate manufacturing method, and an inkjet head manufacturing method capable of improving durability against wiping on an ink discharge surface. The inkjet head includes a nozzle substrate including nozzle holes from which ink is discharged. The nozzle substrate has an irregularity structure formed on an ink discharge surface such that neither ink particles contained in the ink nor a wiping member that wipes the ink discharge surface get caught by the irregularity structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kozai, Yohei Sato, Yusuke Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11766865
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes: a nozzle array including nozzles via which liquid is to be discharged and which are arrayed in a first direction; a nozzle passage that leads to a nozzle and extends in a second direction intersecting the first direction; a first pressure chamber; a second pressure chamber disposed adjacent to the first pressure chamber in the first direction; a first communicating passage via which the first pressure chamber communicates with an interior of the nozzle passage and which extends in a third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions; and a second communicating passage via which the second pressure chamber communicates with the interior of the nozzle passage and which extends in the third direction. As viewed from the second direction, an inner wall surface of the first communicating passage positioned on a side of the second communicating passage includes a first inclined surface that extends in a fourth direction intersecting the first and third directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shotaro Tamai, Takanori Aimono, Takahiro Katakura, Yuma Fukuzawa
  • Patent number: 11760091
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a flow channel member including a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a pressing unit on the first surface. The flow channel member includes a first discharge hole and a second discharge hole in the second surface, a first individual flow channel connected to the first discharge hole, a first pressurizing chamber on an upstream side of the first discharge hole in the first individual flow channel, a second individual flow channel connected to the second discharge hole, a second pressurizing chamber on an upstream side of the second discharge hole in the second individual flow channel, and a manifold commonly connected to an upstream side of first individual flow channel and an upstream side of the second individual flow channel. The first individual flow channel and the second individual flow channel have an overlapping portion in plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: KYOCERA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazuki Dogome
  • Patent number: 11760106
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head configured to eject a liquid in a first direction includes: head units arranged side by side in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and a flow channel member having a first supply flow channel through which the liquid is supplied to the head units, a first collection flow channel through which the liquid is collected from the head units, a first inlet portion through which the liquid is let into the first supply flow channel from the outside, and a first outlet portion through which the liquid is let out to the outside from the first collection flow channel. The first inlet portion and the first outlet portion are disposed near the center of the flow channel member in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kei Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11752770
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes a first substrate including a structure and a second substrate bonded to the first substrate with an adhesive, wherein the first substrate includes a bonding surface bonded to the second substrate with the adhesive and a non-bonding surface that is not bonded to the second substrate, and wherein a recessed portion is disposed in the non-bonding surface between the structure and a bonding end of the bonding surface adjacent to the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroshi Higuchi
  • Patent number: 11752767
    Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus includes: individual channels; and a manifold commonly provided for the individual channels. Each of the individual channels has: a nozzle; a pressure chamber arranged away from the nozzle in a predetermined direction to extend along a plane orthogonal to the predetermined direction and connected to the manifold, a connecting channel connected to the pressure chamber to form at least a part of a channel communicating the pressure chamber and the nozzle, and a circulation channel connected to the connecting channel to form a part of a channel communicating the connecting channel and the pressure chamber. The connecting channel has a throttle, and the throttle has a smaller diameter along the plane orthogonal to the predetermined direction than a diameter, of a part of the connecting channel except the throttle, along the plane orthogonal to the predetermined direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keita Sugiura
  • Patent number: 11752760
    Abstract: A method of printing improved printed products using defect-free printing machine nozzles and compensated defective nozzles includes printing products and a test chart with test fields onto a transported substrate, the test fields having tonal values, every test field including an unprinted line from a nonactivated, nonprinting nozzle compensated by a neighboring nozzle having a compensation value, pairs of tonal value and compensation value being specified and used for the chart, recording an image of the chart, computer-analyzing the image and determining the compensation value. Every pair of tonal value and compensation value is used multiple times in the chart and a corresponding number of spaced apart test fields is created. A characteristic value representing test field homogeneity and determining compensation value quality is assigned to every measuring field. The best characteristic value regarding a specified criterion and the compensation value is determined for every tonal value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Ralf Tita, Hans Köhler
  • Patent number: 11752768
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head that has substrates stacked, includes individual flow paths respectively communicating with nozzles, a supply common liquid chamber and a discharge common liquid chamber that communicate with the individual flow paths, and a bypass flow path coupling the supply common liquid chamber to the discharge common liquid chamber, in which the supply common liquid chamber and the discharge common liquid chamber are formed in the same layer among the substrates, and the bypass flow path has a portion formed in a layer different from the supply common liquid chamber and the discharge common liquid chamber, among the substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichiro Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11746005
    Abstract: An ejection head chip and method for a fluid ejection device and a method for reducing a silicon shelf width between a fluid supply via and a fluid ejector stack. The ejection head chip includes a silicon substrate and a fluid ejector stack deposited on the silicon substrate, wherein at least one metal layer of the fluid ejector stack is isolated from a fluid supply via etched in the ejection head chip by an encapsulating material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Inventor: David L. Bernard
  • Patent number: 11738571
    Abstract: a?b?0, p?1, q?1, where a is a number of pairs each consisting of two adjacent first head units, b is a number of pairs each consisting of two adjacent second head units, p is a number of first head units, and q is a number of second head units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Inventors: Takahiro Kanegae, Nobuaki Ito, Hiroyuki Hagiwara
  • Patent number: 11731421
    Abstract: In a method of controlling a liquid ejecting apparatus, where the liquid ejecting apparatus includes a pressure chamber that communicates with a nozzle that ejects a liquid, a drive element that changes a pressure of the liquid in the pressure chamber, and a drive circuit that supplies the drive element with an ejection pulse that generates a change in the pressure that ejects the liquid from the nozzle, the method includes specifying a viscosity of the liquid in the nozzle and a surface tension of the liquid in the nozzle from a residual vibration when the pressure of the liquid in the pressure chamber is changed, and controlling a waveform of the ejection pulse according to the viscosity and the surface tension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromu Miyazawa, Kinya Ozawa, Jiro Kato