Patents Examined by Minh H. Chau
  • Patent number: 5983796
    Abstract: The apparatus includes a print switch, the remaining paper detection apparatus, and a controller and a remaining paper detection controller. The print switch sets a printing press to a printing operation mode. The remaining paper detection apparatus detects remaining paper sheets on a convey board. The controller and remaining paper detection controller inhibit the print switch from setting the printing operation mode when a remaining paper sheet is detected by the remaining paper detection apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Ishida, Yoshiro Hatakeyama
  • Patent number: 5984548
    Abstract: A data entry system (100, 100') has an ergonomic base (102, 102') including upper surface controls (104, 104') which generate a first set of electrical signals, and side surface controls (106, 106') which generate a second set of electrical signals when operated independently. A third set of electrical signals are generated when the side surface controls (106, 106') are operated in combination with the upper surface controls (104, 104'). Data entry system (100, 100') further includes mode selection controls (108) for establishing the first, second and third sets of electrical signals as device control signals responsive to a first mode being selected and respective sets of alphanumeric and keyboard control signals responsive to a second mode being selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Wilnel, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Willner, Scott M. Arnel
  • Patent number: 5979309
    Abstract: A device useable with a pellet-marking machine for inverting a multiplicity of pellets is disclosed. Pellets are transported in cavities on carrier bars mounted on a conveyor. The carrier bars move with relation to one or more rails disposed beneath the cavities and oriented transversely to the carrier bars. Each rail has a pellet supporting surface region arranged in tandem with a trough, followed by an inclined surface, followed in turn by a second pellet supporting surface region. Initially, each pellet is partially supported on a cavity bottom and partially on an associated pellet supporting surface region. As the carrier bars pass along the rails over the troughs, each pellet tips downwardly into a respective trough, flipping past the vertical. Each pellet next encounters the inclined surface following the trough, where each pellet is fully inverted while being moved upwardly out of the trough, to be supported on the second pellet supporting surface region following each inclined surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: R. W. Hartnett Company
    Inventor: Keith W. Boyce
  • Patent number: 5967679
    Abstract: A label printing apparatus having an input device for determining a predetermined label length and selecting one or more of plurality of characters for composing a label having one or more lines of characters in the length; a memory for storing font data defining the plurality of characters; a display for displaying the characters selected at the input device; a printer for printing the selected characters on an image receiving tape to produce a label; and a controller operable to determine an appropriate character size such that the number of characters selected by a user can be accommodated on the predetermined length of tape, wherein the controller is operable to apply a scaling factor to the font data according to the appropriate character size to optimize the size of the characters within the predetermined label length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Esselte N.V.
    Inventors: Michael A. Beadman, Paul Martin
  • Patent number: 5964151
    Abstract: In an apparatus for accurately imprinting print images onto sections of a edetermined length of a continuous unmarked foil, wherein a printer is disposed at a distance from a foil section delivery device which receives from the printer unprinted foil along a predetermined path, a foil sensor is arranged along the foil path which sensor has an output connected to the printer for supplying to the printer a printing signal when the length of the foil between the delivery device and a point on the foil corresponding to the beginning of a section to be imprinted is a predetermined multiple of the length of the foil sections to be imprinted so as to initiate printing of the printer accurately within a section of the foil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1999
    Assignee: CSAT Gesellschaft fur Computer Systeme und Automations-Technik mbH
    Inventor: Hans Mathea
  • Patent number: 5951174
    Abstract: When an enlarged character having a height exceeding the width of a tape (T) is printed on a corresponding-sized label, using tape sections (T1, T2, T3), print pattern data for enlarged printing is divided into a plurality of print pattern data portions through the height thereof. The height of the plurality of print pattern data portions are enlarged to that of the tape, combined with a corresponding plurality of predetermined marks (m1, m2, m3), and then printed. The predetermined marks (m1, m2, m3) are each composed of a pattern representing the order of arrangement of a respective one of the plurality of tape sections (T1, T2, T3) on which the corresponding print data portions are printed. The predetermined marks (m1, m2, m3) are printed at a predetermined position along the length of the respective plurality of tape sections (T1, T2, T3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuji Handa
  • Patent number: 5951175
    Abstract: A thermal printer has a thermal head in which a FET is connected in series to an individual heater element of each of heater element groups which are connected in parallel with each other, and to which one capacitor for smoothing a power and eliminating a noise is connected in parallel relative to the heater element group. The thermal head performs printing on a thermal paper. The thermal printer includes a printing power source circuit, a failure detection power source circuit, a failure detection circuit for detecting a presence and absence of the failure of the heater element by comparing a voltage generated at opposite ends of the detecting resistor with a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Masami Kawamori
  • Patent number: 5947614
    Abstract: A printing system having a mechanism for fixing a large scale recording medium in a vertical orientation on an electrostatically adsorption plate provided on a base. The fixing mechanism includes a main holding unit provided on the base, a supplementary holding unit detachably fixed on the main holding unit, and a fixing unit for fixing the supplementary holding unit to the main fixing unit. The supplementary holding unit is first detached from the main fixing unit, and is placed on a tabletop. With this posture, a recording medium is fixed to the supplementary holding unit. Then, the supplementary holding unit holding the recording unit is fixed to the main holding unit. In the fixing operation, the fixing unit automatically changes a held fashion of the recording medium from by the supplementary holding unit to by the main holding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Shoji, Shuichi Morio, Shigenori Suematsu, Hiroshi Takahagi, Masahito Katada
  • Patent number: 5943952
    Abstract: The calender for the sublimatic thermoprinting of fabrics which operates continuously or for individual items has a calendering group (1) which is provided in the front part with positioning plane (2) on which the printing paper (3) and the fabric (4) are placed. In front of the plane are located bobbins on which are wound respectively the printing paper (3), the fabric (4) and the protection paper (5). Downstream of the calendering group is located a transfer belt (6) and bobbins for the rewinding respectively of the exhausted printing paper (3'), the fabric (4') and the protection paper (5').
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: Monti Antonio S.p.A.
    Inventor: Antonio Monti
  • Patent number: 5937761
    Abstract: A method for controlling and regulating a dryer in a rotary printing press having a varnishing device for varnishing printing stock processed in the printing press, includes measuring the intensity of a microwave signal after the microwave signal has interacted with varnished and dried printing stock fed through the rotary printing press; from the measured radiation intensity of the microwave signal, forming a status variable representing a measure of the degree of drying of the printing stock; and varying drying power provided by the dryer as a function of the formed status variable; and a device for performing the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Martin Buschmann, Sharam Hauck
  • Patent number: 5927879
    Abstract: After the medium has been processed by the medium processing apparatus 100 (receipt journal printer), it lands on the top cover 120 of the medium processing apparatus 100 as a curled medium 160. The ejected medium drop prevention mechanism 110 is disposed at the point where the edge of the ejected medium lands. The ejected medium drop prevention mechanism 110 has a ladder like structure and holds the edge of the ejected medium by introducing the edge into the opening of the ladder like structure, thereby preventing the ejected medium from dropping down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Noboru Aoyama
  • Patent number: 5924804
    Abstract: An information recording head of an information recording apparatus for recording information on a record medium by a dot matrix method is provided with: a holding member movable in a scanning direction relative to the record medium in the information recording apparatus; and a plurality of recording elements arranged in two rows in parallel to each other for recording the information by the dot matrix method, and held by the holding member such that each of the two rows is inclined by an inclination angle .theta. with respect to the scanning direction. The recording elements are arranged such that the inclination angle .theta., a distance DL between the two rows and a distance DN between the adjacent recording elements in each of the two rows are expressed by predetermined expressions respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motohito Hino, Masaharu Ito
  • Patent number: 5921545
    Abstract: An apparatus for automatically feeding sheets to an image forming device such as a copying machine is provided with a sheet register means formed of one or more outside rollers movable into and out of contact with one or more feed rollers in rotation and one or more inside rollers located side by side with the feed rollers, so that the outside rollers rotate when being in touch with the feed rollers to forward the sheet. The outside and inside rollers are rockingly moved by shifting means, so that, when the sheet is given from a sheet supply unit, the outside rollers is separated from the feed rollers to rest the outside and inside rollers so as to bring the sheet into collision with the resting outside and inside rollers to slightly bend the leading portion of the sheet, consequently fulfilling a registering function of correcting the orientation of the sheet with relation to a feeding direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Nisca Corporation
    Inventors: Misao Kobayashi, Norihiro Ohno
  • Patent number: 5921179
    Abstract: A guard for contrarotatable cylinders of a printing press includes a finger protective element disposable adjacent cylindrical surfaces of the cylinder for guarding a nip between the cylinders in vicinity of a danger zone, the finger protective element being in fixed position and having at least one switch sensor disposed in the region of the cylinder nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Manfred Gang, Erich Michael Zahn
  • Patent number: 5915305
    Abstract: A printed product transfer assembly for supporting and carrying printed product from one station in a printer apparatus to another station includes a transfer structure including a product conveying surface, a blanket including fiberglass having several outwardly protruding fiberglass fibers and being secured snugly over the conveying surface; a flexible resilient material secured snugly over the blanket and engaged against circumferential movement relative to the blanket by the fiberglass fibers, and having several ridges for engaging and conveying the printed products and for cushioning the printed products to prevent marring of printing ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Inventors: Donald A. Ward, Stephan D. Ward
  • Patent number: 5911831
    Abstract: A device for contact-free application of a liquid material to a substrate includes an application head with a nozzle for applying the liquid to the substrate. A web edge sensor determines the position of a longitudinal edge of the printing web and transmits an output signal representing that position to the application head via a control device or an adjusting device on an operating console. The adjusting device and control device provide manual or automatic adjustment of the position of the nozzle relative to the current position of the longitudinal edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1999
    Assignee: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Roland Behringer
  • Patent number: 5907997
    Abstract: A multi-color single blanket printing press for printing single or dual webs includes a pair of blanket cylinders that are movable between a contacting position and a remote position. A plurality of plate cylinders associated with each blanket cylinder apply a multi-color image to each blanket cylinder. When the blanket cylinders are in the contacting position, a web passing through the nip will receive multi-color image on both sides. When the blanket cylinders are in the remote position, a pair of webs may be passed between secondary nips formed by the blanket cylinders and a pair of secondary impression cylinders. Each of the webs may therefore receive a multi-color image on one side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Dale Hiett Jackson, Mark Bernard Dumais, Michael Robert Lemelin
  • Patent number: 5906157
    Abstract: An impact hammer assembly for a high speed printer includes first and second permanent magnets having opposite poles disposed adjacent to each other and having a gap therebetween. The magnets create flux lines extending across the gap. A print hammer includes a hammer beam and a hammer head. The print hammer is movable between a rest position and a print position. The hammer beam is disposed in the gap between the first and second magnets. A coil is disposed on the hammer beam and perpendicular to the magnetic flux lines. Circuitry generates a current in the coil and controls the direction of current flow in the coil, such that when current flows in the coil in a first direction, the print hammer moves towards the print position and when current flows in the coil in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, the print hammer moves towards the rest position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: BancTec, Inc.
    Inventor: Ali T. Mazumder
  • Patent number: 5878659
    Abstract: A template for marking golf balls with identifying indicia includes an elongated, rectangular-shaped main body member which is foldable into a cylinder for encompassing the golf ball, a central body portion having a plurality of apertures in the form of letters, numbers, and other symbols arranged thereon, a first end having a flexible tongue formed from a U-shaped slot, and a second end having a transverse slot. When the main body member is rolled into a cylinder for receiving a golf ball for marking, the tongue is inserted through the slot for maintaining the cylindrical form, whereupon the point of a pen can be successively inserted through the appropriate apertures on the central body portion in order to mark the golf ball with an identifying name, symbol, expression, monogram or moniker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Inventor: Ronald E. Hatter
  • Patent number: 5868506
    Abstract: A printer cassette includes a housing containing a ribbon in a channel, and ink in a well. An ink wheel is rotatably mounted to the housing in operable engagement with the ribbon. A wick extends from the well and includes a stem elastically cantilevered from a base thereof at the well to a tip thereof between which is disposed the ink wheel in contact therewith. The wick stem converges to selectively transfer ink to the ink wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1999
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventor: James M. Seybold