Patents Examined by Renee I Wilson
  • Patent number: 9546293
    Abstract: The present disclosure sets forth a fluid set and a method of wet-on-wet printing. The fluid set can comprise an analog pretreatment fluid including water, latex, and a salt; and a first and second inkjet ink each comprising water, pigment, a solvent system, and a surfactant system. The analog pretreatment fluid can be prepared to have a surface tension from 32 dynes/cm to 40 dynes/cm. The first inkjet ink can have a surface tension ranging from 2 dynes/cm greater than the surface tension of the analog fixer fluid to 6 dynes/cm less than the surface tension of the analog fixer fluid. Likewise, the second inkjet ink can have a surface tension ranging from 2 dynes/cm greater than the surface tension of the analog fixer fluid to 6 dynes/cm less than the surface tension of the analog fixer fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: George Sarkisian, Ali Emamjomeh, Elizabeth Ann Visnyak
  • Patent number: 9534125
    Abstract: A white ink composition for ink jet recording, substantially not containing a metal oxide or hollow resin particles, contains resin particles having a refractive index of 1.6 or more, and a material (B) including at least one material selected from the group consisting of a first material having a refractive index in the range of 1.5 to less than 1.6, a second material having a refractive index in the range of 1.4 to less than 1.5, and a third material having a refractive index of less than 1.4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takayoshi Kagata, Tsuyoshi Sano
  • Patent number: 9533509
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting system includes a liquid ejecting device, a liquid storing container, a tube, and a rotation section. The liquid ejecting device is configured and arranged to eject liquid. The liquid storing container is configured and arranged to store the liquid that is supplied to the liquid ejecting device. The tube has flexibility, is provided between the liquid storing container and the liquid ejecting device, and is configured and arranged to supply the liquid, which is in the liquid storing container, to a side of the liquid ejecting device. The rotation section rotatably supports the liquid storing container with respect to the liquid ejecting device. The tube extends toward the side of the liquid ejecting device from a side of the liquid storing container through a passage provided in the rotation section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tokujiro Okuno, Munehide Kanaya
  • Patent number: 9527300
    Abstract: A print head mounting assembly for mounting and positioning an inkjet print head on a print head support structure includes a first clamping mechanism for clamping the inkjet print head in a first direction and a second clamping mechanism for clamping the inkjet print head in a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction. In order to ease adjustment of the position of the print head, the second clamping mechanism includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the print head in the second direction and a release mechanism for releasing the first clamping mechanism, the release mechanism being arranged that the release mechanism is to be operated for operating the adjustment mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: OCE-TECHNOLOGIES B.V.
    Inventor: Maarten J. H. Elferink
  • Patent number: 9527288
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid discharging apparatus for discharging a liquid. The liquid discharging apparatus includes droplet dischargers each discharging droplets onto a substrate, a cap unit provided with recesses covering outlets of the droplet dischargers, and movable between a retracting position away from the outlets of the droplet dischargers and a capping position in which the outlets of the droplet dischargers are closed, and a cleaner provided with absorbers contacting edges of the recesses of the cap unit, and closing the recesses in synchronization with movement of the cap unit to the retracting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignees: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd., RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Ryoichi Naoe
  • Patent number: 9527310
    Abstract: An inkjet printing method comprises: an inkjet printing device having an inkjet print head with a built-in heater, an ink tank with a built-in heater the tank interior of which communicates with the atmosphere, and an ink supply path that connects the inkjet print head with the ink tank; a process of heating a radiation-curable inkjet ink in the ink tank with a viscosity at 25° C. of 1.0×103-1.0×106 mPa·s to A° C.; a process of supplying the inkjet ink to the inkjet print head; a process of making the inkjet ink in the inkjet print head to be a temperature B° C. in the range of 70° C. to 120° C. and ejecting to the printing medium; and a processing of irradiating radiation on the printing medium. A° C. is a temperature 5-30° C. higher than B° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Hirotaka Iijima
  • Patent number: 9517619
    Abstract: A method and printing controller for industrial printing with the use of a plurality of print-heads for a single printing assignment are described. Printing instructions for a single printing assignment are obtained. Different portions of the single printing assignment, and associated portions of the printing instructions, are assigned among respective print-heads of a plurality of print-heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Markem-Imaje Holding
    Inventors: Mikael Palmen, Isak Styf
  • Patent number: 9507332
    Abstract: A tool assembly incorporating active tool, whereby the assembly can be operated with a variety of machining apparatus but just as well can be manually operated by a user. The tool assembly in some uses can be used for printing, whereby one or more of a power source and an ink source can be configured as insertable/removable cartridges that can be used with the assembly. Additionally, in such case, an ink management module can be used with the tool assembly to regulate the flow of ink from the ink source to a functional head of the assembly. The tool assembly can also include a user interface, which, along with a communication module, can enable the assembly to be actuated directly or via wireless communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Wilson Tool International Inc.
    Inventors: Jon M. Shimota, John H. Morehead, Brian J. Lee
  • Patent number: 9499703
    Abstract: In the present invention, provided are an ink-jet image forming method employing actinic energy radiation curable ink-jet ink exhibiting no offset resistance during storage by superposing printed portions after printing in addition to excellent properties of printing durability, gloss evenness of coated paper and paper-feeding suitability, and an ink-jet ink set thereof. It is a feature that the ink-jet image forming method possessing the steps of providing colorless ink on a substrate, followed by heating the colorless ink provided on the substrate, and subsequently exposing the colorless ink provided on the substrate, to actinic energy radiation, wherein the colorless ink contains no colorant but an actinic energy radiation curable composition and a gelling agent with which a thermoreversible gel is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Makoto Kaga, Akio Maeda
  • Patent number: 9498994
    Abstract: A tape cartridge is detachably installed on a cartridge installation portion of a tape printing apparatus having a platen supporting shaft and a printing head, a base end of the platen supporting shaft being fixed to the cartridge installation portion at one end of the platen supporting shaft and extending in an attaching/detaching direction of the tape cartridge. The tape cartridge has a platen roller through which the platen supporting shaft passes when the tape cartridge is installed on the cartridge installation portion and which receives a pressing force from the printing head when a printing operation is performed in a state in which the tape cartridge is installed on the cartridge installation portion, and a fitting portion in which a tip end of the platen supporting shaft passing through the platen roller fits when the tape cartridge is installed on the cartridge installation portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hideki Sakano
  • Patent number: 9493006
    Abstract: The printing fluid supply apparatus comprises the printing fluid cartridge and a cartridge accommodating portion. The cartridge accommodating portion comprises a casing, and an engage member. The printing fluid cartridge comprises a main body including a chamber, an ink outlet portion, an engage portion, a contact portion, and a biasing member. The contact portion allows the engage member to rotate toward the first position by contacting with the engage member and allows the biasing member to make elastic deformation while the printing fluid cartridge installing to the casing. The engage member in the first position engages the engage portion, and the printing fluid cartridge is held in an accommodated position against the biasing portion when the printing fluid cartridge is achieved to the accommodated position in the casing. The biasing portion allows the printing fluid cartridge being held in the casing to move opposite to the insertion direction when the engage member rotates to the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohiro Kanbe
  • Patent number: 9493665
    Abstract: An ink set for inkjet contains a white ink and one or more color inks other than the white ink, wherein the ink set satisfies the following I to III: I. each ink comprises water, a pigment, resin particulates, a water soluble organic solvent, and a silicone-based surfactant accounting for 1% by weight to 3% by weight of the ink, II. the pigment contained in each of the one or more color inks is a reformed pigment reformed by at least one of a geminal bisphosphonic acid group or a geminal bisphosphonic acid salt group, and III. the water soluble organic solvent of the white ink comprises glycol ether having a boiling point of from 200 degrees C. to 250 degrees C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohiro Toda, Juichi Furukawa, Hidefumi Nagashima, Tomohiro Nakagawa, Hikaru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9481183
    Abstract: Provided is a printer in which the rotating shaft of a ribbon roller can be connected to its driving unit with high accuracy by using a mechanism simple in structure, while preventing breakage that may occur when connecting the rotating shaft to the driving unit. The printer (1) includes a cabinet (7), a drawer unit (11) which can be drawn out of the cabinet, a ribbon roller (4A, 4B) on which a belt-like ink ribbon used for transferring to a recording sheet is wound, a driving unit (31A, 31B) which drives the ribbon roller for rotation by being connected to a rotating shaft (14A, 14B) of the ribbon roller when the drawer unit is loaded in the cabinet, and a disengaging member (40) which is provided on the cabinet and which disengages the driving unit from the rotating shaft when the drawer unit is drawn out of the cabinet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignees: CITIZEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akira Takahashi, Yuichi Taguchi
  • Patent number: 9469137
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for determining an operational range of colorant densities and heating powers that result in successful drying for a print media that is based on a drying quality of test images printed by a printing system. One embodiment comprises a printing system that applies colorant onto a continuous-form medium and applies heat to the medium based on a heating power. The printing system prints a plurality of test images onto the medium, where one or more of a colorant density and a heating power vary for each of the printed test images. The printing system determines a drying quality for the printed test images, and calculates an operational range of colorant densities and heating powers for the medium based on the drying quality of the printed test images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Casey E. Walker, Scott R. Johnson, Stuart J. Boland, William Edward Manchester, David M. Price
  • Patent number: 9469099
    Abstract: There is provided a recording apparatus equipped with an ejection head that ejects an ink to a surface of the undercoat layer of an impermeable recording medium that has, on at least one surface thereof, an undercoat layer containing a polymeric compound selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, and polyolefin, wherein the ink contains a coloring agent, a polymer particle, water, and a water-soluble organic solvent and has a static surface tension of less than 30 mN/m and, when examined for dynamic surface tension by a maximum bubble pressure method, has a width of variation in dynamic surface tension for the period from 1 msec after to 1 sec after of from 0.2 mN/m to 3.0 mN/m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirohito Yoneyama, Hiroyuki Ueki, Mami Hatanaka, Reika Yomogida
  • Patent number: 9469101
    Abstract: A control apparatus configured to control a forming apparatus which forms concavo-convex structure by ejecting ink obtains concavo-convex data indicating the concavo-convex to be formed and divide the concavo-convex data into a plurality of pieces of data. The control apparatus controls a formation order, performed by the forming apparatus, of the concavo-convex portions each corresponding to the plurality of pieces of data divided by the dividing unit based on a feature amount of the concavo-convex indicated by the concavo-convex data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideki Kubo, Hideki Kadoi
  • Patent number: 9469139
    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, includes the printing tape, a cartridge casing in which the printing tape is accommodated, and a reaction force application portion that is provided on a front surface of the cartridge casing, displaced by a pressing force of a pressing portion of the tape printing apparatus, and applies a reaction force against the pressing force to the pressing portion according to a displacement of the reaction force application portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Sakano, Hideo Sodeyama
  • Patent number: 9463640
    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: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Okiharu Matsuda
  • Patent number: 9464201
    Abstract: A non-aqueous ink jet ink composition according to an embodiment is stored in an ink storage body, in which a solvent contained in an ink composition is configured with an organic solvent, and a dissolved oxygen concentration in the ink composition is in a range of 30% to 80% of a saturated dissolved oxygen concentration in room temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshio Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 9464381
    Abstract: Disclosed is a pretreatment solution for treating a fabric before inkjet printing comprising an aqueous solution of (A) 1% to 60% by weight of at least one multivalent cationic salt; (B) 0.2% to 10% by weight of at least one acid; and (C) and 0.5% to 5% by weight at least one borate, all % are by weight of the aqueous pretreatment solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: EASTERN TECH LLC
    Inventors: Shawn Liu, Andrew Chastain