Ink Jet Patents (Class 347/1)
  • Patent number: 8727463
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes: a transport unit that transports a medium, which includes a recording material one side of which is a recording layer for an image and the other side of which is an adhesive layer and also includes a separating material covering the adhesive layer, along a transport path using a plurality of transport rollers; a recording unit that records an image on the medium; and a heating unit that fixes the image recorded on the medium. In the image recording apparatus, there are sequentially provided two units of the transport rollers in the transport path, the two transport rollers respectively make contact with different surfaces of the medium, and the outer diameter of one of the transport rollers is different in size from the outer diameter of the other of the transport rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takahito Sanekata
  • Patent number: 8729154
    Abstract: An object to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a binder for an ink-jet printing ink, the binder being capable of forming a printed image having excellent durability such as rubfastness and alkali resistance without impairing good ejection stability, storage stability, etc. of an ink, and an ink-jet printing ink containing the binder. The present invention relates to a binder for an ink-jet printing ink, the binder containing an aqueous medium (D); and a polyurethane (C) obtained by reacting a polyol (A) containing a vinyl polymer (a1) having two hydroxyl groups at one end and at least one polyol (a2) selected from the group consisting of polyether polyols, polyester polyols, polyester ether polyols, and polycarbonate polyols with a polyisocyanate (B), the polyurethane (C) having a structure derived from the vinyl polymer (a1) in a side chain thereof and being dispersed in the aqueous medium (D), and printed matter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: DIC Corporation
    Inventors: Ryuichi Matsuoka, Sadamu Nagahama, Mitsuru Kitada
  • Publication number: 20140132652
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit; a housing configured to store the image forming unit, the housing including an outer peripheral wall; a power supply unit disposed inside the housing; and a near field communication board including an antenna for near field communication, the near field communication board being disposed at a position of the outer peripheral wall apart from the power supply unit by a communicable distance or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Mitsuru Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8720366
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for preventing oxidation or contamination during a circuit printing operation. The circuit printing operation can be directed to OLED-type printing. In an exemplary embodiment, the printing process is conducted at a load-locked printer housing having one or more of chambers. Each chamber is partitioned from the other chambers by physical gates or fluidic curtains. A controller coordinates transportation of a substrate through the system and purges the system by timely opening appropriate gates. The controller may also control the printing operation by energizing the print-head at a time when the substrate is positioned substantially thereunder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Kateeva, Inc.
    Inventors: Sass Somekh, Eliyahu Vronsky
  • Patent number: 8724157
    Abstract: An object of this invention is to increase the transfer rate of image data from a host computer to a printing apparatus. To achieve this object, a printing apparatus which divides the printing area in the printhead scanning direction into a plurality of regions and prints in each divided region in order to print by scanning the printhead on the printing medium includes a conversion circuit which rearranges image data that is transmitted from the host computer and arranged in a direction perpendicular to the data arrangement of the printhead, into image data in the same horizontal direction as the data arrangement direction of the printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Ishizaka, Masahiko Watanabe, Toru Nakayama, Takashi Kasahara, Takuji Katsu, Souhei Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8710116
    Abstract: This invention pertains to an ink for inkjet printing, in particular to an aqueous ink comprising a self-dispersing pigment colorant and certain soluble polymers which enhance print quality without compromising jetting performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Jose Esteban Valentini, Dean M. Fake, Christian Jackson
  • Patent number: 8706017
    Abstract: A system and method for achieving registering of side 1 and side 2 images includes sensing marks on both sides of a web with a single IOWA sensor and relying on light transmission through paper to sense side 1 marks. Side 1, the side not facing the IOWA sensor utilizes increased contrast (black toner), mark width, and repeats in order to make effective image “show through.” The image of the marks on both sides of the sheet is compared with respect to each other and adjustments to some combination of position, timing, and image magnification are made as required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Howard A Mizes
  • Patent number: 8703841
    Abstract: The invention provides an ink composition comprising a colorant, water and wax particles, the wax particles comprising at least two kinds of wax; an ink set including the ink composition; and a method of forming an image using the ink composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Terukazu Yanagi
  • Patent number: 8697773
    Abstract: A white ink composition contains a white coloring material and a fixing resin component. The fixing resin component includes a styrene acrylic resin and a urethane resin at a mass ratio of the styrene acrylic resin to the urethane resin (styrene acrylic resin/urethane resin) of at least 1/10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ippei Okuda, Takayoshi Kagata, Tsuyoshi Sano
  • Patent number: 8691274
    Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus for printing cells which includes an electrospinning device and an inkjet printing device operatively associated therewith. Methods of making a biodegradable scaffold having cells seeded therein are also provided. Methods of forming microparticles containing one or more cells encapsulated by a substrate are also provided, as are methods of forming an array of said microparticles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Wake Forest University Health Sciences
    Inventors: Tao Xu, James J. Yoo, Anthony Atala, Dennis Dice
  • Patent number: 8691930
    Abstract: A polymer represented by Formula 1 below: wherein functional groups and n are defined as in the specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae-Yong Lee, Hee-Yeon Kim, Seung-Gak Yang, Yoon-Hyun Kwak, Jeoung-In Yi
  • Publication number: 20140092152
    Abstract: A recording unit configured to record an image on a recording medium, medium storages storing same-sized recording media, a conveyance mechanism configured to selectively convey the recording media stored in the medium storages to the recording unit, and a maintenance mechanism are provided. When, at the start of a maintenance period in which the maintenance of the recording unit is performed by the maintenance mechanism, the number of recording media stored in the sender medium storage is smaller than the number of recording media required to record all remaining images onto recording media in accordance with image data and, among the medium storages, there is at least one predetermined remaining number medium storage which is a medium storage storing more recording media than the sender medium storage, one of the at least one of predetermined remaining number medium storage is selected as the sender medium storage, during the maintenance period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shinta SUGIURA
  • Patent number: 8662621
    Abstract: A droplet jetting applicator includes a droplet jet head being movably provided, having a nozzle surface provided with multiple nozzles, and being configured to jet a liquid from the multiple nozzles as droplets, a cleaner configured to clean the nozzle surface, an image shooting unit configured to shoot shapes of the droplets jetted from the droplet jet head, and a controller configured to control the droplet jet head, the cleaner, and the image shooting unit and to detect the shapes of the droplets shot by the image shooting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Yasuhiko Sawada
  • Patent number: 8662615
    Abstract: A barcode printing method can easily and quickly find the location of a group of consecutive printing elements that can print a barcode correctly when the line print head has faulty printing elements. The printing device determines the shift range for the barcode printing position, aligns the center of the barcode print data with the center of the shift range, from this position alternately shifts the print data one printing element at a time left and right in the line direction, and finds a group of consecutive printing elements that can print the barcode correctly. A normal printing range can thus be found in a short time with the smallest shift compared with searching from the end of the shift range, and the overall efficiency of a barcode printing operation that executes repeatedly can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Zama, Yuya Iwasa, Shunichi Shimada, Shigeru Omi
  • Patent number: 8664331
    Abstract: A polyurethane polymer comprising from 35% to 90% (w/w) of a poly (C2-4-alkylene oxide) based on the total weight of the polymer wherein not less than 60% by weight of the poly (C2-4-alkylene oxide) is polyethylene oxide and wherein at least 5% of the poly (C2-4-alkylene oxide) based on the total weight of the polymer is incorporated in lateral chains and which contains 10 to 180 milliequivalents of add groups for each 100 gm polymer when the polyurethane contains from 35 to 45% by weight poly (C2-4-alkylene oxide), e.g. a polymer made by reacting dimethylolpropionic acid, cyclohexane dimethanol, polypropylene glycol (1000), N-methyl pyrrolidone and an ?,?-diydroxy polyethylene glycol obtainable from 2,4-toluene diisocyanate, methoxy polyethylene glycol (750) and diethanolamine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: The Lubrizol Corporation
    Inventor: Stuart Nicholas Richards
  • Patent number: 8658715
    Abstract: A white ink composition contains a white coloring material and a fixing resin component. The fixing resin component includes a styrene acrylic resin and a urethane resin at a mass ratio of the styrene acrylic resin to the urethane resin (styrene acrylic resin/urethane resin) of at least 1/10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ippei Okuda, Takayoshi Kagata, Tsuyoshi Sano
  • Patent number: 8651045
    Abstract: A device (1) is provided for orientating a plurality of laboratory sample cassettes (2) each having a marking surface (3) disposed on a main body (4) of the cassette (2). A cassette (2) is held by a clamp so that a printer can print on the marking surface (3) of the cassette (2). When the cassette (2) is released from the clamp, it is moved via a belt (13) to an opening (20) of a rotatable structure (15) in a cassette receiving position. When the cassette (2) has been received in the opening (20), the rotatable structure (15) is rotated so that the opening (20) is moved to a cassette releasing position. A rack (23) is positioned beneath the rotatable structure (15) in order to receive the cassette (2) from the rotatable structure opening (20) when the opening (20) is in its cassette releasing position. The cassette (2) is received into a rack slot (24) so that the marking surface (3) of the cassette (2) is at the top of the cassette (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Raymond A. Lamb Limited
    Inventor: Thomas Fergus Hughes
  • Patent number: 8623938
    Abstract: An inkjet ink includes carbon nanotubes, flake graphites, an organic carrier, a binder, a surfactant, a film enhancer and a solvent. A method for making an inkjet ink includes dispersing the plurality of carbon nanotubes in the surfactant solvent to form a first mixture, dispersing the plurality of flake graphites in the organic carrier solvent to form a second mixture, adding the film enhancer into the second mixture to form a third mixture, and mixing the first mixture and the third mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignees: Tsinghua University, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hai-Yan Hao, Bing-Chu Du, Chun-Hai Zhang, Shou-Shan Fan
  • Patent number: 8590756
    Abstract: A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of pigmented ink. Its housing defines an interior and a fluid exit port. Users orient the housing to deplete the ink in a downward direction. A float on a surface of the ink suspends an inlet opening of a fluid conduit tube underneath the surface. A height of the opening falls downward as the fluid depletes and the float drops. The tube draws a desired concentration of ink and supplies it to the exit port. The concentration is predetermined relative to an overall height of the fluid. The tube height remains proportional to the height of the fluid, increases/decreases proportionally, or other. The design overcomes settling. The design also avoids mechanical stirring and other complex sediment mixing techniques. Embodiments include float/tube arrangements and testing observations, to name a few.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Marc Frazier Baker, Neal David Erickson, Mark Doerre, Alan Anthony Bidwell
  • Patent number: 8569398
    Abstract: A fully curable jettable composition having a viscosity less than 30 cps at a temperature within the range of 15° C.-180° C. comprising (i) at least one low viscosity reactive resin; (ii) at least one higher viscosity resin having a viscosity greater than twice that of the low viscosity resin and a functionality of greater than or equal to 2; (iii) at least one curable toughener, (iv) at least one initiator for the polymerization of the resins, and (v) at least one stabilizer for delaying the curing of the resins of the composition. The composition can be jetted from piezo electric printing heads under the control of a computer program to form a multi-layered article, for example, a three dimensional article, in which the adjacent droplets merge and are cured homogeneously together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: 3D Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Ranjana C. Patel, Yong Zhao, Richard John Peace
  • Patent number: 8570604
    Abstract: A method for controlling the printing of overlapping swathes, the swathes extending perpendicular to a succession of print lines; for each print line a transition is defined between one swathe and the next, with the location of the transition in the print line varying between print lines, for example varying pseudo-randomly or as a curve extending in the swathe direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Xaar Technology Limited
    Inventors: Julian Bane, Steve Temple, Paul Raymond Drury
  • Patent number: 8570559
    Abstract: A printing system and method include analyzing a plurality of properties of a document, and for each of a plurality of ink sets, calculating a metric for each of the properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Kok-Wei Koh, Ehud Chatow, Gary J. Dispoto
  • Patent number: 8564840
    Abstract: An aspect of the present disclosure provides a halftoning method for annular rasters comprising: using annular rasters with uniformly spaced raster lines and uniformly spaced pixels within the raster lines; angularly tiling wedge shaped halftone cells around at least a partial circumferential print medium wherein an integer number of wedge tiles fills a disc space; wherein the annular rasters are considered in arcs and wherein pixel thresholds in the wedge shaped halftone cells are considered in arcs so as to conform to the annular rasters upon tiling the wedge shaped halftone cells; and, setting the number of pixel thresholds in each arc raster of the cell to an integer value near a desired writing resolution to enable seamless tiling wherein the number of thresholds increase as a function of a wedge cell radius.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Paul Loce, Edgar A. Bernal
  • Patent number: 8556405
    Abstract: There is provided an ink for recording, which contains: a coloring agent; a water-dispersible resin; a wetting agent; a surfactant; and water, wherein a total solid content of the coloring agent and the water-dispersible resin is 10% by mass to 30% with respect to a total mass of the ink, a ratio B/C is 0.1 to 1.6 where B is a solid content of the coloring agent in the ink, and C is a solid content of the water-dispersible resin in the ink, a viscosity of the ink is 5 mPa·s to 20 mPa·s at 25° C., and a surface tension of the ink is 35 mN/m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Habashi, Michihiko Namba, Mariko Kojima, Akihiko Gotoh, Tamotsu Aruga, Kiyofumi Nagai
  • Patent number: 8550579
    Abstract: An image forming device includes a pump which supplies a recording fluid contained in a first container to a second container via a tube, and a control unit configured to perform rotation of a roller disposed in the pump to press the tube and feed the recording fluid in the tube. When a negative pressure in the second container is not formed by performing a first backward rotation of the roller by a predetermined amount, the control unit performs a forward rotation of the roller and performs a second backward rotation of the roller after an end of the forward rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomokazu Tsuchiya
  • Publication number: 20130257929
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus may includes a central processing device, a first switching regulator and a second switching regulator. The central processing device may perform information processing associated with image formation. The first switching regulator may receive an input of a first voltage and output a second voltage which is lower than the first voltage. The second switching regulator may receive an input of the second voltage and output a third voltage which is lower than the second voltage. The third voltage may be input to the central processing device. A first switching frequency which is a switching frequency of the first switching regulator may be lower than a second switching firequency which is a switching frequency of the second switching regulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hidenobu Kondo, Isao Kubo, Hideki Arimoto, Kyoichi Morita, Takahiro Ikeno
  • Patent number: 8536246
    Abstract: The present invention provides an inkjet ink composition including color material particles, a water soluble polymerizable compound, a water soluble silicate salt and water, which is excellent in ejection stability even in a case in which the ink composition is stopped from ejecting in the inkjet recording device and left alone for a certain period of time, and ejection of the ink composition is resumed thereafter, which has a good maintenance property, and in which abrasion resistance of images formed with the ink composition is excellent; an ink set including the inkjet ink composition; and an image forming method using the ink set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Matsumoto, Masao Ikoshi
  • Patent number: 8530412
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid composition, as an ejection liquid used for stably ejecting liquid droplets, including at least one kind of a protein and a peptide, and a compound having a betaine skeleton by application of thermal energy to the liquid; a method of making droplets form the liquid; and an ejection method and an ejection device suitable for utilizing protein liquid droplets. By adding a compound having a betaine skeleton to an aqueous solution of at least one kind of a protein and a peptide, the liquid composition is improved in stability for ejection by application of thermal energy. Further, a surfactant may be further added to the liquid composition containing the compound having a betaine skeleton, and in this case the effect of stable ejection can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaru Sugita, Yohei Masada, Hideki Kaneko
  • Patent number: 8520248
    Abstract: An object of this invention is to increase the transfer rate of image data from a host computer to a printing apparatus. To achieve this object, a printing apparatus which divides the printing area in the printhead scanning direction into a plurality of regions and prints in each divided region in order to print by scanning the printhead on the printing medium includes a conversion circuit which rearranges image data that is transmitted from the host computer and arranged in a direction perpendicular to the data arrangement of the printhead, into image data in the same horizontal direction as the data arrangement direction of the printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Ishizaka, Masahiko Watanabe, Toru Nakayama, Takashi Kasahara, Takuji Katsu, Souhei Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20130215163
    Abstract: When a partial pressure exceeding a Zener voltage of a Zener diode is applied to a first limiting circuit by a positive voltage applied to input terminals by an AC power supply, the first limiting circuit allows a current such that a photo transistor of the first detection circuit is turned on. When a partial pressure exceeding a total value of Zener voltages of Zener diodes is applied to a second limiting circuit by a negative voltage applied to the input terminals, the second limiting circuit allows a current such that a photo transistor of a second detection circuit is turned on. Therefore, it is possible to detect a voltage input from the AC power supply by turning on and off the photo transistors and to detect a voltage input from the AC power supply using a simpler circuit configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Seiko Epson Corporation
  • Patent number: 8513332
    Abstract: Disclosed is a color filter ink composition that includes an acrylic-based copolymer resin including repeating units represented by a particular chemical formula, a polymerizable monomer, a pigment, and a solvent. According to the present invention, the color filter ink composition can have excellent ejection properties and ejection stability by using a new acrylic-based copolymer resin as a binder resin, and also can have excellent storage stability, so that it can be used for a long period. In addition, a pattern formed using the color filter ink composition can have improved heat resistance, chemical resistance, and film strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Cheil Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Jong-Seung Park, In-Jae Lee, Jin-Ki Hong, Seung-Joo Shin, Sung-Woong Kim, Tae-Woon Cha
  • Patent number: 8507583
    Abstract: An actinic energy radiation curable ink-jet ink comprising an actinic energy radiation polymerizable compound, wherein the actinic energy radiation polymerizable compound comprises a vinyl ether compound, a total content of the vinyl ether compound is 30% or more by mass, the vinyl ether compound comprises a bis-vinyl ether compound and a multifunctional vinyl compound having three or more vinyl ether groups, 10 to 70% by mass of the ink is the bis-vinyl ether compound, and 5 to 70% by mass of the ink is the multifunctional vinyl compound having three or more vinyl ether groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta IJ Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Atsushi Nakajima, Masaki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8507584
    Abstract: Disclosed is a phase change ink comprising a colorant, an initiator, and a phase change ink carrier, said carrier comprising at least one radically curable monomer compound and a compound of the formula wherein R1 and R1? are the same, and wherein R1 and R1? are each an aromatic group; and wherein R2 and R2? and R3 each, independently of the others, are alkylene groups, arylene groups, arylalkylene groups, or alkylarylene groups; or wherein, in embodiments, R1 and R1? can be the same or different, and wherein R1 and R1? each, independently of the other is an alkyl group having a least one ethylenic unsaturation, an arylalkyl group having at least one ethylenic unsaturation, an alkylaryl group having at least one ethylenic unsaturation, or an aromatic group, provided that at least one of R1 and R1? is an aromatic group; and provided that neither of R1 or R1? is a photoinitiator group. Also disclosed herein is a method of printing with the phase change ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Naveen Chopra, Michelle N. Chretien, Barkev Keoshkerian, Jennifer L. Belelie, Peter G. Odell
  • Patent number: 8492456
    Abstract: The present invention provides ink compositions for ink-jet printing. The ink compositions comprise by weight from about 0.1 to 5% by weight of a water-soluble polyurethane; from about 0.1 to 15% by weight of a 1,2-alkyldiol having 5-9 carbon atoms; and from about 0.5 to 6% by weight of a pigment. The present invention also provides a process for printing an image on a print medium that comprises applying an inventive ink composition thereto by means of an ink-jet printer. The present invention further provides ink-jet cartridges containing inventive ink compositions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Xiaohe Chen, George M. Sarkisian
  • Patent number: 8489521
    Abstract: An ink billing system is used between a client company X 200 that prints information and a printer manufacturer that supplies ink cartridges (or toner) to the company X 200. The company X 200 has a main server 210, a plurality of in-store servers 220, 230 in communication with the main server, and a plurality of inkjet (or laser) printers 240 each having an ink cartridge 20 (or toner) for printing according to commands from the in-store server 220, 230. When billing the company X 200 based on the number of ink shots (or drum charging time) used by the printers 240 and stored on the main server 210, the terminal device 100 of the printer manufacturer changes the billing rate per unit of ink according to the ink shot count (or drum charging time).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Motofumi Shiraiwa, Yoshihiro Ueno, Mitsuhiko Maejima, Shinji Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8481609
    Abstract: Disclosed is a phase change ink comprising (a) a crystalline oxazoline compound; and (b) an amorphous polyterpene resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Rina Carlini, Adela Goredema, Guerino G. Sacripante, Caroline M. Turek, Edward G. Zwartz
  • Patent number: 8476397
    Abstract: A polymer compound comprising a residue of a compound represented by the following formula (0): wherein Ar0 represents a substituent such as a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an aryl group and the like, or a group represented by the following formula (A), at least two Ar0s are groups represented by the following formula (A), R0 represents a substituent such as an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an aryl group and the like, l and m represent an integer of 0 to 3, wherein A0 represents —N? or —C(R2)?. R2 represents a substituent such as a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an aryl group and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited
    Inventor: Satoshi Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20130162702
    Abstract: Printing methods are provided. In one method, printing an inkjet image using a liquid hydrophilic inkjet ink onto a surface of a semi-absorbent recording medium generating a toner image having toner particles arranged conforming to the inkjet image and transferring the toner image onto the recording medium where an unabsorbed volume of the inkjet ink is present on the recording medium. The toner particles manage unabsorbed volumes of the inkjet ink to protect the recording medium from image artifacts that can be created by an unabsorbed volume of the inkjet ink on the surface without a liquid management toner image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel TOMBS, Donald Saul RIMAI
  • Patent number: 8472072
    Abstract: A method for improving printing quality is disclosed. The method includes an application device transmitting an original image including a plurality of printing pixels to a driving device, the driving device setting the plurality of printing pixels as a plurality of first printing dots, the driving device detecting an edge of the original image, the driving device setting a plurality of second printing dots according to a plurality of neighboring pixels corresponding to the edge, and the driving device generating an image to be printed according to the plurality of first printing dots and the plurality of second printing dots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Aetas Technology Incorporated
    Inventor: Chun-Yu Chang
  • Patent number: 8464652
    Abstract: A temperature adjustment unit is provided to a chamber for accommodating a stage, a discharge head, and a maintenance device. The temperature adjustment unit adjusts the temperature of the maintenance area at least while the transport device has the discharge head positioned in the maintenance area to be equal to or greater than the temperature of the drawing area while the transport device has the discharge head positioned in the drawing area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Osamu Kasuga
  • Patent number: 8465111
    Abstract: A print head for use in a fused deposition modeling system, the print head includes a cartridge assembly and a liquefier pump assembly retained by the cartridge assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Stratasys, Inc.
    Inventors: William J. Swanson, J. Samuel Batchelder, Kevin C. Johnson, Timothy A. Hjelsand
  • Patent number: 8461228
    Abstract: The invention provides an ink composition including a polymerizable compound represented by following Formula (1), a polymerization initiator and water: XA)n??Formula (1) wherein, in Formula (1), X represents a divalent or trivalent nitrogen-containing linking group represented by any one of following Formulae (X1) to (X3), A represents a polymerizable functional group having an amide group, and n represents 2 or 3: wherein, in Formulae (X1) to (X3), Z represents an alkylene group having 2 or 3 carbon atoms, or a divalent linking group including an alkylene group having 2 or 3 carbon atoms and an oxygen atom; and R1 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Yasuda
  • Patent number: 8450394
    Abstract: An ink composition for ink-jet recording includes a pigment; resin particles having a glass transition temperature of 80° C. or higher; at least one water-soluble organic solvent; and water, and a total mass of solid content in the ink composition for ink-jet recording is 10% by mass or more relative to the ink composition for ink-jet recording, and the at least one water-soluble organic solvent includes at least one organic solvent having an SP value of 27.5 or lower, the amount of the at least one organic solvent having an SP value of 27.5 or lower being 70% by mass or more relative to a total amount of the at least one water-soluble organic solvent. An ink-jet recording method is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Kaoru Tojo, Yasufumi Ooishi, Kyohei Mochizuki, Kiyoshi Irita
  • Patent number: 8440742
    Abstract: The present invention is drawn toward an ink-jet ink, comprising an aqueous liquid vehicle having acid-functionalized polymer colloid particulates and polymer-attached pigment colorants dispersed in the liquid vehicle. The liquid vehicle can include at least one volatile co-solvent, each volatile co-solvent present having a boiling point at or below about 285° C. The total amount of volatile co-solvent present in the ink-jet ink can be from 5 wt % to 50 wt %. These ink-jet inks can be printed on traditional as well as non-porous substrates. Optionally, heat can be applied to an image printed with the ink-jet ink to drive off at least a portion of the volatile co-solvent(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Phillip C. Cagle
  • Patent number: 8440743
    Abstract: The present invention provides an oil-based ink composition for ink-jet recording comprising at least a coloring material, an organic solvent and a non-aqueous resin emulsion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Oyanagi, Keitaro Nakano, Kiyohiko Takemoto
  • Patent number: 8426495
    Abstract: The invention provides a radiation-curable ink composition for inkjet recording, the ink composition containing at least: a specific azo compound, a tautomer of the azo compound, a salt of the azo compound, a salt of the tautomer, a hydrate of the azo compound, a hydrate of the tautomer, or any combination thereof; a polymer dispersant; a cationic polymerizable compound; and a cationic polymerization initiator. The invention further provides an inkjet recording method including ejecting and curing the ink composition. The invention further provides a printed matter formed by the inkjet recording method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Morimoto
  • Patent number: 8415409
    Abstract: The invention provides a radiation-curable ink composition for inkjet recording, the ink composition containing at least: a specific azo compound, a tautomer of the azo compound, a salt of the azo compound, a salt of the tautomer, a hydrate of the azo compound, a hydrate of the tautomer, or any combination thereof; a polymer dispersant; a radical polymerizable compound; and a radical polymerization initiator. The invention further provides an inkjet recording method including ejecting and curing the ink composition. The invention further provides a printed matter formed by the inkjet recording method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Morimoto
  • Patent number: 8404761
    Abstract: A white ink for an inkjet, comprising a silica, a resin emulsion, and water, wherein an amount of the resin emulsion, reported as a mass ratio relative to a value of 1 for the silica, is within a range from 0.10 to 0.45.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventors: Masami Shinozaki, Hiroyuki Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8393728
    Abstract: Provided are an aqueous ink-jet ink and a method for forming an ink-jet image enabling to decrease bleed occurrence during high-speed printing and to realize highly detailed image quality. An aqueous ink-jet ink characterized by containing water, a pigment, an organic or inorganic amine salt, and a water-soluble resin having a higher pKa than an acid component formed by dissociation of the amine salt in an ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Masashi Ikeda, Hirotaka Iijima, Hisashi Mori
  • Patent number: 8394282
    Abstract: Adaptive imprint planarization provides a surface having desired shape characteristics. Generally, topography of a first surface is mapped to provide a density map. The density map is evaluated to provide a drop pattern for dispensing polymerizable material on the first surface. The polymerizable material is solidified and etched to provide a second surface having the desired shape characteristics. Additionally, adaptive imprint planarization compensates for parasitic effects of the imprinting process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
    Inventors: Avinash Panga, Sidlgata V. Sreenivasan