Patents Examined by Michael Konczal
  • Patent number: 10086605
    Abstract: A drive circuit which drives a capacitive load on the basis of a drive signal output from a node includes a first wire; a second wire; an amplification unit; a capacitor and a resistance element; a determination unit which determines whether or not a voltage of a differentiated drive signal is within a predetermined range in case where a magnitude of a voltage change of the signal is less than or equal to a threshold; and a voltage output unit which amplifies the a voltage of the signal by a predetermined multiple, for example, one time, and outputs the amplified signal toward the node in a case where it is determined that the voltage of the differentiated drive signal is within the predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Abe
  • Patent number: 10081186
    Abstract: In an example implementation, a printhead includes a die sliver molded into a molding. The die sliver includes a front surface exposed outside the molding and flush with the molding to dispense fluid, and a back surface exposed outside the molding and flush with the molding to receive fluid. Edges of the die sliver contact the molding to form a joint between the die sliver and the molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Chien-Hua Chen, Michael W. Cumbie
  • Patent number: 10059104
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid jet head capable of preventing a damage of an actuator plate without degrading the quality of characters and images to be recorded on a recording medium. The liquid jet head includes a nozzle plate, an actuator plate provided with an exposed area exposed from the nozzle plate, a nozzle guard provided with an opening section, and a bonding layer disposed at least between the actuator plate including the exposed area and the nozzle guard and bonding the actuator plate and the nozzle guard to each other. The nozzle guard includes a non-contact section continuing throughout an area from a place opposed to the exposed area to an inner circumferential edge of the opening section, and opposed to the actuator plate across the bonding layer, and an alignment section disposed on the opposite side to the non-contact section across the opening section, and carrying out the alignment between the nozzle plate and the nozzle guard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: SII PRINTEK INC.
    Inventors: Shunsuke Yamazaki, Naohiro Tomita
  • Patent number: 10053592
    Abstract: An ink set includes a water-based ink and a water-based cleaning liquid. The water-based ink and the water-based cleaning liquid each contain at least 1.0% by mass and no greater than 4.0% by mass of a deliquescent agent. The water-based cleaning liquid further contains a nonionic surfactant and a diol. The deliquescent agent that the water-based ink contains and the deliquescent agent that the water-based cleaning liquid contains each include at least one of sorbitol, trimethylolpropane, and 1,3-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-5,5-dimethylhydantoin. The nonionic surfactant has an HLB value determined by Griffin method of at least 14 and no greater than 16. The diol includes at least one of triethylene glycol and 1,3-propanediol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Noriaki Ozawa, Yasuko Takaori
  • Patent number: 10053591
    Abstract: According to the invention, there is provided an ink set which contains at least one ink selected from a group of a black pigment ink, a self-dispersing color pigment ink, and a resin-dispersion color pigment ink. The moisture quantity of the black pigment ink is from 68 mass % to 75 mass %. The moisture quantity of the self-dispersing color pigment ink is from 62 mass % to 72 mass %. The moisture quantity of the resin-dispersion color pigment ink is from 68 mass % to 75 mass %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 10048090
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining a discrete position of a first surface of an aircraft is disclosed. The first surface and a second surface movable relative to the first surface are provided. A sensor is disposed on one of the first surface and a second surface and a magnetic field source disposed on the other of the first surface and the second surface. The sensor detects a local magnetic field related to the magnetic field source and generates a voltage indicative of strength of the local magnetic field. The strength of the local magnetic field and therefore the generated voltage is related to a relative position between the sensor and the magnetic field source. The relative distance between the first surface and the second surface is determined from the generated voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventor: Victor Barger
  • Patent number: 10040289
    Abstract: There is provided an ink-jet printer, including: a conveyor; a carriage; a recording head; a sensor; a cap; a cap shifter; a reference wall; a memory; a power supply; a command receiver; and a controller. The controller is configured to execute judging a state of the power supply section; changing a relative position of the recording head and the cap from the covering position to the separated position to take the cap off the recording head; switching the power supply from the sleep state to the drive state, changing a relative position of the recording head and the cap from the covering position to the separated position by taking the cap off the recording head, storing in the memory the position information, and recording an image on the sheet conveyed to the sheet facing area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoru Arakane
  • Patent number: 10029467
    Abstract: In one example, a printhead includes: a printhead die having a front face along which fluid may be dispensed from the die, the die molded into a monolithic molding having a channel therein through which fluid may pass directly to a back part of the die, the front face of the die exposed outside the molding and the back part of the die covered by the molding except at the channel; an electrical contact exposed outside the molding to connect to circuitry external to the printhead; a printed circuit board molded into the molding, the printed circuit board having an exposed front face co-planar with and surrounding the exposed front face of the die and a conductor electrically connected to the contact; and an electrical connection between the die and the printed circuit board conductor fully encapsulated in the molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Silam J. Choy, Michael W. Cumbie, Devin Alexander Mourey, Chien-Hua Chen
  • Patent number: 10001458
    Abstract: There is provided an eddy current flaw detection technique capable of, even when inspecting an object having a narrow portion with a small curvature radius, recognizing detection sensitivity change due to change of attitude of a probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Noriyasu Kobayashi, Souichi Ueno, Hiroya Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 9994055
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an image decoloring apparatus comprises a conveyance path configured to convey a sheet on which an image is formed with a coloring agent that is decolored by heat; a first heat roller configured to be arranged at the upstream side of the conveyance path; and a second heat roller configured to be arranged at the downstream side of the conveyance path. Each of the first heat roller and the second heat roller includes a cylindrical portion and a heat source. The thickness of the cylindrical portion constituting the first heat roller is larger than the thickness of the cylindrical portion constituting the second heat roller. In this way, the heat capacity of the first heat roller is also larger than the heat capacity of the second heat roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroshi Katakura
  • Patent number: 9989577
    Abstract: In this continuity inspection device, a reference electrode plate held at ground potential is disposed along an intermediate portion of electric wires to be inspected for continuity, and a discharge path (positive charge leaking path) for static electricity charged on the electric wires after the continuity inspection is secured by the reference electrode plate. Thus, accumulation of static electricity after the continuity inspection on electric wires is avoided. Moreover, the electric potential of the static electricity charged on the electric wires by application of voltage to power supplying probes is measured by measuring equipment as the absolute potential with respect to the ground potential of the reference electrode plate through the surface potential of the terminals of the electric wires. Thus, the electric potential of the static electricity of the electric wires is accurately measured without being affected by cross talk due to stray capacitance between the electric wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Miyoshi Mabuchi
  • Patent number: 9983500
    Abstract: An optical writing device performing optical writing with a light-emitting element, performing light amount switching, and including: a unit estimating a first value corresponding to a current amount for causing the element to emit a first light amount immediately after the switching; a unit supplying to the element, from immediately after the switching, a current amount corresponding to a first digital value acquired by quantizing the first value; a unit estimating a time amount through which a current amount for keeping the element emitting the first light amount increases from the current amount for causing the element to emit the first light amount immediately after the switching to a current amount corresponding to a second digital value greater than the first digital value by one step; and a unit supplying to the element, when the time amount elapses after the switching, the current amount corresponding to the second digital value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: So Yano, Yasushi Nagasaka, Masayuki Iijima, Takahiro Matsuo, Takaki Uemura, Akira Taniyama
  • Patent number: 9983158
    Abstract: Apparatus (2) for sensing at least one parameter in water, which apparatus comprises: (i) a conductivity sensor (6) for sensing conductivity in the water; (ii) a dissolved oxygen sensor (4) for sensing dissolved oxygen in the water; (iii) a glass substrate (14); and (iv) the conductivity sensor (6) and the dissolved oxygen sensor (4) are fabricated on the glass substrate (14) using photolithography and etching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: University of Southampton
    Inventors: Hywel Morgan, Matthew Charles Mowlem, Xi Huang
  • Patent number: 9975357
    Abstract: A printing cylinder includes a plurality of suction chambers and a masking sheet configured to cover the suction chambers. The masking sheet includes a non-sucking portion which protrudes from the boundary of the suction chambers toward the inside of the suction chambers. A number of through holes are formed in a portion except for the non-sucking portion in the masking sheet. The non-sucking portion exists between the sheet to be printed and the boundary of the suction chamber to be used and the suction chamber not to be used. This can prevent an ink mist from adhering to the printing cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: KOMORI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Suda, Hayato Kondo, Toshinori Kubo
  • Patent number: 9975342
    Abstract: A controller executes a regular maintenance process each time when a time elapsed from completion of a previous regular maintenance process reaches a first time. the regular maintenance process included a purge operation for discharging liquid from an ejection port to the inner space of a cap member and a first discharge operation for discharging liquid in a recess portion of the cap member to a waste liquid tank without discharging liquid after the purge operation. The controller executes a second liquid discharge operation for discharging liquid in a first connection channel to the waste liquid tank without discharging liquid from the ejection port when the time elapsed from the completion of the previous regular maintenance process reaches a second time being shorter than the first time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shuichi Tamaki
  • Patent number: 9970996
    Abstract: A magnetic field sensor for detecting motion of an object includes threshold generation circuitry and processing. Magnetic field sensing elements are configured to generate a magnetic field signal in response to a magnetic field associated with the object. A motion detector responsive to the magnetic field signal and to a threshold signal is configured to generate a detector output signal having edges occurring in response to a comparison of the magnetic field signal and the threshold signal. A speed detector responsive to the detector output signal generates a speed signal indicative of a speed of motion of the object. A threshold generator responsive to the speed signal generates the threshold signal having a level that varies in response to the speed signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: ALLEGRO MICROSYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: Devon Fernandez, Mathew Drouin
  • Patent number: 9969198
    Abstract: A thermal transfer ink ribbon includes a backcoat layer, a ribbon base layer formed on the backcoat layer, a release layer formed on the ribbon base layer and containing resin and wax, an ink layer formed on the release layer and containing a first resin and a second resin, an aluminum layer formed on the ink layer, and an adhesive layer formed on the aluminum layer and containing resin and wax. The first resin is transparent or translucent and contains at least one of polyester resin, styrene-acrylic resin, and polyethylene resin. The second resin is transparent or translucent and contains at least one of polyurethane resin, polypropylene resin, acrylic resin, and methacrylic resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriaki Satoh, Haruki Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9962944
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a second flow-path-member comprising a second flow-path in communication with first and third flow-paths provided in first and second flow-path-members, the second flow-path-member stacked with the third flow-path-members in a stacking direction. A boundary between the first and second flow-path is tightly sealed by a first sealing-member. A boundary between the second and third flow-path is tightly sealed by a second sealing-member. The second flow-path-member includes a first substrate for positioning itself to the third flow-path-member in first and second directions intersecting with the stacking direction, and a second substrate for positioning itself to the third flow-path-member in the stacking direction. The first substrate is pressed against in the first and second directions by one of the first and second sealing-member. The second substrate is pressed against in the stacking direction by another one of the first and second sealing-member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Kanegae
  • Patent number: 9962952
    Abstract: In a method of detecting a location of a print section of a transfer ribbon, the transfer ribbon is fed in a feed direction relative to a print section sensor. The print section sensor includes a reflective sensor and a transmissive sensor. The reflective sensor is positioned upstream of the transmissive sensor relative to the feed direction. A registration mark on the transfer ribbon, which indicates the location of the print section on the transfer ribbon, is detected using the reflective sensor. The registration mark is detected using the transmissive sensor. The location of the print section is determined based on the detection of the registration mark using the transmissive sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
    Inventors: Jeffrey Lee Stangler, Tanya Jegeris Snyder, James Andrew Rieck, Andrew William Slotto
  • Patent number: 9952065
    Abstract: A position sensor device to determine a position of a moving device comprises a detection unit to detect a signal generated by the moving device and an evaluation unit to determine a first position (?0(t1)) specifying the position of the moving device at a first time (t1). An error distance determination unit determines a velocity of the movement of the moving device and at least one error distance (?err1, ?err2, ?err3) specifying a distance by which the moving device moves on between the first time (t1) and a second time (t2) in dependence on the velocity and a propagation delay time (Tpd). A position correction unit is configured to determine a corrected position (?corr) in dependence on the at least one error distance (?err1, ?err2, ?err3) and the first position (?0(t1)).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: AMS AG
    Inventors: Ruggero Leoncavallo, Kurt Riedmueller