Patents by Inventor Sho Koshiba

Sho Koshiba has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11554598
    Abstract: An inkjet printer capable of improving uniformity of the quality of an image printed on a recording medium is provided and includes: a table formed with a support surface that supports a recording medium; an inkjet head formed with a nozzle that ejects ink; a Y-bar that supports the inkjet head to be movable in a main scanning direction; two lifting mechanisms capable of changing a Y-bar tilt serving as a tilt of the Y-bar with respect to the support surface; a head gap sensor that detects a head gap, which is a distance from the recording medium to the nozzle of the inkjet head; and a tilt adjustment portion that adjusts the Y-bar tilt by the two lifting mechanisms to a tilt that reduces variations of the head gaps detected by the head gap sensor at each of multiple positions in the main scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sho Koshiba
  • Patent number: 11040532
    Abstract: An inkjet printer is provided. Inclined surfaces of a first protrusion and a second protrusion of a first inkjet head and inclined surfaces of side walls of a head cap abut against each other, but other portions of the first inkjet head do not abut against the head cap. Specifically, the head cap 510 is not abutted against the lower surface 133 of the first inkjet head 130, and is also not abutted against the ejection surfaces 134A and 135A of the first protrusion 134 and the second protrusion 135. In particular, the side walls are formed to a shape so as not to overlap the ejection surfaces when viewed in the vertical direction, whereby the head cap does not abut against the ejection surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sho Koshiba
  • Patent number: 11034175
    Abstract: A sliding mechanism is provided and includes a linear encoder for detecting a movement distance of a slider in relation to a support member. The sliding mechanism includes a slider that can move in relation to a support member, a slider that can move in relation to the support member as well as the slider, a linear scale fixed to the slider and a sensor fixed to the slider; and a linear encoder for detecting a movement distance of the slider in relation to the support member. In the sliding mechanism, the slider is transferred in relation to the support member and the slider, and subsequently the slider is transferred in relation to the support member and the slider, while the slider is kept in a state of being stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sho Koshiba
  • Patent number: 11001086
    Abstract: An up-down moving mechanism includes a support member; an up-down moving member that is formed separately from the support member and can be moved up and down with respect to the support member; a screw shaft for moving up and down the up-down moving member; a nut member that is screwed onto the screw shaft; a guide rail that guides the up-down moving member in a vertical direction; a guide block that slidably engages with the guide rail; and a gas spring that includes a cylinder and a piston rod biased in a direction projecting out from the cylinder, and that biases the up-down moving member toward an upper side with respect to the support member. To the support member, the screw shaft is rotatably attached, the guide rail is fixed, and the piston rod is attached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sho Koshiba
  • Publication number: 20210078344
    Abstract: An inkjet printer capable of improving uniformity of the quality of an image printed on a recording medium is provided and includes: a table formed with a support surface that supports a recording medium; an inkjet head formed with a nozzle that ejects ink; a Y-bar that supports the inkjet head to be movable in a main scanning direction; two lifting mechanisms capable of changing a Y-bar tilt serving as a tilt of the Y-bar with respect to the support surface; a head gap sensor that detects a head gap, which is a distance from the recording medium to the nozzle of the inkjet head; and a tilt adjustment portion that adjusts the Y-bar tilt by the two lifting mechanisms to a tilt that reduces variations of the head gaps detected by the head gap sensor at each of multiple positions in the main scanning direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sho Koshiba
  • Publication number: 20200298597
    Abstract: An up-down moving mechanism includes a support member; an up-down moving member that is formed separately from the support member and can be moved up and down with respect to the support member; a screw shaft for moving up and down the up-down moving member; a nut member that is screwed onto the screw shaft; a guide rail that guides the up-down moving member in a vertical direction; a guide block that slidably engages with the guide rail; and a gas spring that includes a cylinder and a piston rod biased in a direction projecting out from the cylinder, and that biases the up-down moving member toward an upper side with respect to the support member. To the support member, the screw shaft is rotatably attached, the guide rail is fixed, and the piston rod is attached.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sho Koshiba
  • Publication number: 20200262222
    Abstract: A sliding mechanism is provided and includes a linear encoder for detecting a movement distance of a slider in relation to a support member. The sliding mechanism includes a slider that can move in relation to a support member, a slider that can move in relation to the support member as well as the slider, a linear scale fixed to the slider and a sensor fixed to the slider; and a linear encoder for detecting a movement distance of the slider in relation to the support member. In the sliding mechanism, the slider is transferred in relation to the support member and the slider, and subsequently the slider is transferred in relation to the support member and the slider, while the slider is kept in a state of being stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sho Koshiba
  • Publication number: 20190381792
    Abstract: An inkjet printer is provided. Inclined surfaces of a first protrusion and a second protrusion of a first inkjet head and inclined surfaces of side walls of a head cap abut against each other, but other portions of the first inkjet head do not abut against the head cap. Specifically, the head cap 510 is not abutted against the lower surface 133 of the first inkjet head 130, and is also not abutted against the ejection surfaces 134A and 135A of the first protrusion 134 and the second protrusion 135. In particular, the side walls are formed to a shape so as not to overlap the ejection surfaces when viewed in the vertical direction, whereby the head cap does not abut against the ejection surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sho Koshiba
  • Patent number: 10226931
    Abstract: A printer includes a medium transporter configured to feed out a medium in a rolled shape and transport the medium in a first direction; a head provided movably in a second direction and configured to eject droplets for image-forming downward along a vertical direction toward the medium which is transported; a receiver provided below a region of the medium facing the head along the vertical direction, and configured to receive the droplets ejected onto the medium from the head and having passed through the medium downward along the vertical direction; and a support member configured switchably arranged at a supporting position arranged between the medium and the receiver along the vertical direction and a retracted position that is retracted from the supporting position, and configured capable of supporting the medium in a state of being arranged at the supporting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sho Koshiba, Katsutoshi Yamabe
  • Publication number: 20180229507
    Abstract: A printer includes a medium transporter configured to feed out a medium in a rolled shape and transport the medium in a first direction; a head provided movably in a second direction and configured to eject droplets for image-forming downward along a vertical direction toward the medium which is transported; a receiver provided below a region of the medium facing the head along the vertical direction, and configured to receive the droplets ejected onto the medium from the head and having passed through the medium downward along the vertical direction; and a support member configured switchably arranged at a supporting position arranged between the medium and the receiver along the vertical direction and a retracted position that is retracted from the supporting position, and configured capable of supporting the medium in a state of being arranged at the supporting position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sho Koshiba, Katsutoshi Yamabe