Patents Examined by Renee I Wilson
  • Patent number: 9840102
    Abstract: A thermal printer comprises a sheet conveyance mechanism configured to convey a sheet formed by attaching labels on a mount; a ribbon conveyance mechanism configured to convey a ribbon; a thermal head configured to heat the ribbon to carry out printing of printing data on the sheet contacted with the ribbon; and a head moving mechanism configured to control the thermal head if a non-printing area is longer than a first distance based on the printing data to separate the ribbon from the sheet; wherein the ribbon conveyance mechanism stops the conveyance of the ribbon if the non-printing area is longer than the first distance; and the sheet conveyance mechanism controls, if the non-printing area is longer than the first distance, the sheet conveyance speed to a second speed slower than a first speed applied in a case of conveying a printing area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Okiharu Matsuda
  • Patent number: 9834000
    Abstract: A liquid storage container includes a liquid storage section configured to store a liquid, a liquid injection section connected to the liquid storage section and configured to inject the liquid into the liquid storage section, an air chamber communicated with air, an air introduction section communicated to the air chamber and configured to introduce the air to the air chamber, a communicating passage through which the liquid storage section and the air chamber are communicated to each other, a liquid injection port defined as an intersection at which the liquid injection section and the liquid storage section intersect each other, and a connecting port defined between the liquid storage section and the communicating passage and located above the liquid injection port in a posture where the liquid injection port is oriented upward in a direction intersecting with a horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yasunori Koike, Takashi Mano
  • Patent number: 9827790
    Abstract: A system for printing at least one stretchable ink on a thermoformable substrate including an unwinder arranged to feed the thermoformable substrate from a first roll into a web drive subsystem, a surface energy modification device arranged to alter a substrate surface energy to enhance wetting and adhesion of the at least one stretchable ink to the thermoformable substrate, at least one full width printhead array arranged to deposit the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate, at least one radiation curing device arranged to cure the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate, a full width array sensor arranged to monitor the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate, and a rewinder arranged to receive the thermoformable substrate and to form the thermoformable substrate into a second roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Steven R. Moore, Xin Yang, Alexander J. Fiorvanti, Paul J. McConville, Vincent M. Williams, David P. Lomenzo, Michael F. Leo, Jason O'Neil, Wayne A. Buchar
  • Patent number: 9821582
    Abstract: A tape cartridge includes a printing tape, an ink ribbon, a platen roller, a cartridge casing, an insertion opening, and a facing portion. The platen roller receives power from a tape feeding mechanism portion and faces a printing head portion so that the printing tape and the ink ribbon are provided between a platen roller and a printing head at a printing position. The cartridge casing accommodates the printing tape, the ink ribbon, and the platen roller. The insertion opening is provided on the cartridge casing and in which a head cover is inserted when the tape cartridge is installed on the cartridge installation portion. The facing portion is provided on an opening peripheral wall portion of the insertion opening and receives a convex portion to restrict a displacement of the tape cartridge in the cartridge installation portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Sakano, Hideo Sodeyama
  • Patent number: 9815310
    Abstract: A tape cartridge to be installed in a tape printing apparatus by which a printing tape is fed out to perform printing on the printing tape. The tape cartridge includes the printing tape, a cartridge casing in which the printing tape is accommodated, and an elastic portion by which a reaction force is generated when the elastic portion is deformed by a pressing force of a pressing portion of the tape printing apparatus. The elastic portion is provided on a front surface of the cartridge casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Sakano, Hideo Sodeyama
  • Patent number: 9809037
    Abstract: Provided is an ink jet recording method including: applying a reaction liquid to a recording medium by sending the reaction liquid from a reaction liquid container to a nozzle orifice in an ink jet head through a reaction liquid passage and discharging the reaction liquid from the nozzle orifice, the reaction liquid passage connecting the reaction liquid container to the nozzle orifice; and applying an ink composition to the recording medium by discharging the ink composition from a nozzle orifice in the ink jet head, the ink composition at least containing a color material. The reaction liquid contains a (meth)acrylic resin and a polyvalent metal salt, the polyvalent metal salt serving as a coagulating agent that is reactive with a component of the ink composition. At least one of materials that constitute the reaction liquid container and the reaction liquid passage and that make contact with the reaction liquid contains a C6 or higher aliphatic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takeshi Yano
  • Patent number: 9809721
    Abstract: An aqueous ink for ink jet including a pigment; a water-soluble resin for dispersing the pigment; a water-soluble organic solvent; an acetyleneglycol type surfactant; and a fluorinated surfactant. The acetyleneglycol type surfactant includes an acetyleneglycol ethylene oxide adduct having an HLB value determined by Griffin's method of 10 or more. The fluorinated surfactant includes a perfluoroalkyl ethylene oxide adduct having a perfluoroalkyl group with six or less carbon atoms. The water-soluble organic solvent has a dielectric constant at 25° C. of 20.0-30.0. The content of the water-soluble organic solvent relative to the content of the fluorinated surfactant based on the total mass of the ink is 100-200 times in terms of mass ratio. The aqueous ink has a dynamic surface tension ?10 at a lifetime of 10 ms of 40 mN/m or less and a static surface tension ? of 25 mN/m or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masashi Yamamoto, Hiroshi Kakikawa
  • Patent number: 9802413
    Abstract: To provide a photopolymerizable inkjet ink, which contains photopolymerizable monomers containing at least one selected from the following compound group (A) compounds of which are negative for skin sensitization, and at least one selected from the following compound group (B) compounds of which are negative for skin sensitization, wherein the compound group (A) is a compound group consisting of caprolactone-modified dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate, polyethoxylated tetramethylol methane tetraacrylate, ethylene oxide-modified bisphenol A diacrylate, caprolactone-modified hydroxy pivalic acid neopentyl glycol diacrylate, polypropylene glycol diacrylate [CH2?CH—CO—(OC3H6)n-OCOCH?CH2 (n?12)], hydroxyethyl acryl amide, trimethylol propane trimethacrylate, and tricyclodecane dimethanol dimethacrylate, and the compound group (B) is a compound group consisting of ethylene oxide-modified phenolacrylate, isostearyl acrylate, ethylene oxide-modified trimethylol propane trimethacrylate, stearyl methacrylate, and glycerin
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takao Hiraoka
  • Patent number: 9797976
    Abstract: A device includes a first biosensor of a biosensor array; a second biosensor of a biosensor array; a readout circuit electrically connected to the biosensor array; a decoder electrically connected to the biosensor array; a voltage generator electrically connected to the biosensor array; and a decision system electrically connected to the voltage generator and the readout circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY
    Inventors: Chin-Hua Wen, Jui-Cheng Huang, Yi-Shao Liu, Chun-Wen Cheng, Tung-Tsun Chen
  • Patent number: 9798640
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for testing customer premise equipment in an offline fashion. According to certain embodiments, a testing system including one or more computing devices can identify a test scenario that includes information associated with one or more commands and expected results associated with the commands. Such commands can be executed by customer premise equipment. One or more respective images associated with the execution of a command can be captured, and information associated with the command, the associated expected result, and one or more respective images can be displayed for evaluation by a user to determine whether the command is operating properly in the customer premise equipment that executed the command. Certain embodiments describe a confidence level which can correspond to a number of images to be captured in order to decrease the possibility that content was not captured for evaluation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Cox Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael David Rucker
  • Patent number: 9782966
    Abstract: Systems and methods for pre-aligning print head(s) to alignment adapter(s) to increase print resolution of printed matter, and to reduce offline time of a printing system due to print head alignment, include the use of an alignment adapter to which a print head is pre-aligned and which includes precision alignment features which precisely engage cooperating precision alignment features on the print head carriage mounting plate of the print head carriage. Print head(s) can be pre-aligned and fine-tuned to alignment adapter(s) even while the printing system is still in print production. Pre-aligned print head/alignment adapter assemblies can then be quickly mounted on the print head carriage using the cooperating precision alignment features of the adapter and print head carriage mounting plate. Duplicate sets of print head mounting sockets can include print heads aligned at different relative offsets (e.g., half a pixel) to increase the print resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: CIMPRESS SCHWEIZ GMBH
    Inventors: Jean-Michel Moreau, Harald Feistenauer, Hung Viet Ngo, Patrick Stepanek
  • Patent number: 9778394
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a visual interface for identifying layers within a subterranean formation. One example method includes identifying one or more sets of data associated with a subterranean formation; computing, by operation of one or more processors, a working line based on the one or more sets of data, the working line representing a numerical average of the one or more sets of data; presenting the working line and the one or more sets of data in a common plot in a visual interface; identifying one or more layer boundaries for one or more of the layers of the subterranean formation; and generating layer data based on the one or more identified layer boundaries and the working line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Joseph Vanek
  • Patent number: 9777179
    Abstract: An ink set includes a pre-treatment fixing fluid including at least two metal salts and a fixable, ultraviolet (UV) curable ink. The UV curable ink includes an aqueous ink vehicle, a pigment dispersed in the aqueous ink vehicle, and a dispersant. A polyurethane polymer dispersion is suspended as droplets within the aqueous ink vehicle. The polyurethane polymer dispersion includes a polyurethane polymer selected from the group consisting of a polyether-based polyurethane, a polyester-based polyurethane, a polycarbonate-based polyurethane, and mixtures thereof. The polyurethane polymer has i) an acid number ranging from 0 mg/g to less than 20 mg/g and ii) a glass transition temperature of less than 0 C. A water soluble or water dispersible photoinitiator is present in the pre-treatment fixing fluid or in the fixable, UV curable ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Yi Feng, Yubai Bi, Daniel Vincent Keane, Ali Emamjomeh
  • Patent number: 9770912
    Abstract: The invention relates to an ink cartridge comprising a liquid ink, an extraction system for the liquid ink and a container for the liquid ink, the container having a non zero water vapor transmission rate, the liquid ink occupying a first region 411 of the container, the ink cartridge further comprising a second liquid, the second liquid occupying a second region 421 of the container, whereby the first and the second region are separated, and whereby the extraction system is in communication with the first region but is not in communication with the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jon Rittgers, Eduardo Macias
  • Patent number: 9766162
    Abstract: A method for determining a mechanical performance parameter of a structure in which damage has caused a wall of the structure to change from an initial shape to a damaged shape. The method comprising for geometrically characterizing an external surface of the damaged shape; modeling a test body comprising a surface substantially identical to the external surface of the damaged shape; modeling a test wall having a portion of a shape substantially identical to the initial shape; calculating a deformed test wall and a stress state related to the deformation, the deformation of the test wall being caused by a relative displacement of the test body and the test wall, the relative displacement being configured to give the deformed test wall an external surface substantially identical to the external surface of the damaged shape; and evaluating mechanical performance of the deformed test wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: TOTAL SA
    Inventors: Dominique Popineau, Paul Wiet, Julien Fontanabona, Michel Bernard
  • Patent number: 9758683
    Abstract: To provide a non-aqueous photopolymerizable composition, which contains: a polymerizable monomer; a polymerization initiator; and a polyether-modified polysiloxane compound represented by the following general formula (1): <General Formula (1)> (CH3)3Si—O—[Si(CH3)2—O]a—[Si(CH3)(X)—O]b—Si(CH3)3 where X represents R(C2H4O)c(C3H6O)d—R?, R is a single bond or an alkylene group, R? is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, and a to d each denote an average polymerization degree including a case where either c or d is 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takao Hiraoka
  • Patent number: 9753014
    Abstract: A system may include a data analysis device that is configured to receive from an ultrasonic waveform detector ultrasonic waveform data representative of an ultrasonic waveform that propagated through a sample and resonated within a defect within the sample. The data analysis device may be further configured to select a portion of the ultrasonic waveform data, apply a Fast Fourier Transform to the portion of the ultrasonic waveform data to transform the portion from a time domain to a frequency domain, identify a characteristic frequency of the portion in the frequency domain, and determine a characteristic of the defect based on the characteristic frequency of the portion. In some examples, the characteristic of the defect may be at least one of an approximate size or an approximate shape of the defect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: Michael G. Glavicic, Jason A. Gilbert
  • Patent number: 9738803
    Abstract: An aqueous ink for ink jet including a resin particle. The resin particle includes a first layer and a second layer in this order from the inside to the outside thereof. The first layer is composed of a first resin, wherein the proportion of a unit derived from an aromatic-group-containing ethylenically unsaturated monomer in the first resin is 10% by mass or less. The second layer has a tetrahydrofuran-insoluble fraction of 10% by mass or more and is composed of a second resin having a unit derived from an aromatic-group-containing ethylenically unsaturated monomer and a unit derived from an ionic-group-containing ethylenically unsaturated monomer, wherein the proportion of the unit derived from the ionic-group-containing ethylenically unsaturated monomer in the second resin is 3% by mass or more to 70% by mass or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takayuki Horiuchi, Satoru Kobayashi, Masanori Yoshida, Shuichiro Tanimoto, Naofumi Shimomura
  • Patent number: 9732239
    Abstract: Various embodiments disclosed related to UV-curable silicone composition, cured products thereof, and methods of using the same. Various embodiments provide a shear-thinning UV-curable silicone composition. The composition can include (A) a mercapto-functional polyorganosiloxane having the unit formula [(CH3)3SiO1/2]x[(CH3)2SiO]y[R(CH3)SiO]z wherein x is about 0.01 to about 0.1, y is about 0 to about 0.94, z is about 0.05 to about 0.99, and at each occurrence R is independently a mercapto(C1-30)hydrocarbyl group. The composition can include (B) at least one of (B1) a polyorganosiloxane comprising at least two aliphatic unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds, and (B2) an organic molecule comprising at least two aliphatic unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds; the composition can include (C) a filler. The composition can also include (D) a photoinitiator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: DOW CORNING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Terry Clapp, Jonathan Hannington, Bianxiao Zhong
  • Patent number: 9733298
    Abstract: A method and a device for testing an electronic appliance for determining at least one variable of a system. The electronic appliance is designed in the form of a sensor. The method includes defining an expected minimum and/or maximum value of the variable and producing an electric signal by means of the electronic appliance depending on the variable. The method also includes detecting at least one value of a parameter of the produced electric signal and defining an expected minimum and/or maximum value of the parameter depending on the defined minimum and/or maximum value of the variable of the system. A determination is made, based on whether the detected value of the parameter is greater than the minimum value defined for the parameter and/or smaller than the maximum value, whether there is a malfunction of the electronic appliance provoked by an external electromagnetic interference field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: TAKATA AG
    Inventors: Marcus Kandler, Jan Michael Salziger