Patents Assigned to Citizen Systems Japan Co., Ltd.
  • Patent number: 11820617
    Abstract: A printer includes a reverse bending member that bends a paper toward an opposite side to a curl of the paper, and a bifurcated member to correct the curl of the paper with the reverse bending member. The reverse bending member is disposed between a paper drawing position and a paper feeding roller. The bifurcated member is swingably arranged about a shaft extending in a width direction of the paper. The bifurcated member includes an upstream arm and a downstream arm. The upstream arm has a tip positioned between the rolled paper and the reverse bending member, and moves toward or from the reverse bending member. The downstream arm has a tip positioned between the reverse bending member and the feeding roller to be in contact with the paper, and rotates in accordance with a tension level of the paper to press the upstream arm toward the reverse bending member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yukihisa Kato, Takeo Komiyama, Kohei Daimon
  • Patent number: 11815840
    Abstract: A printer includes a case including an input port for rolled paper, a cover provided to be rotatable between a closed position of the input port and an open position of the input port, a holding portion that holds the rolled paper, a biasing member that biases the holding portion in a first direction, a stopper mechanism that stops rotation of the holding portion in the first direction, and a linkage mechanism that rotates the holding portion in conjunction with the rotation of the cover. When the cover is in the closed position, the holding portion rotates in the first direction in accordance with an outer diameter of the rolled paper by a biasing force of the biasing member. When the cover rotates from the closed position to the open position, the holding portion rotates together with the cover against the biasing force of the biasing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignees: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd., Citizen Systems Japan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohei Daimon, Takeo Komiyama, Hiroyuki Yasuda, Katsunori Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11059688
    Abstract: A printer includes a first route to which a sheet from a roll paper is to be fed, a drive roller arranged on the first route and capable of sending the sheet, an image forming part (thermal printer head), a second route branched from the first route, a route changer for switching a route of the sheet, a curl corrector provided on the second route, and a cutter (cutting unit) provided on the first route. The curl corrector is configured to form the route with a curl correction roller and a guide member, and an advancing direction of the route is changeable 100 degrees or more when the sheet passes through the curl corrector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD, CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akira Takahashi, Naohisa Sawai
  • Patent number: 10875331
    Abstract: An inner ribbon mounting opening is provided at a lower side of a cover member (202) that is rotatably connected with a housing (201), the cover member (202) housing a ribbon unit that holds an ink ribbon (302) held so as to be freely fed and freely taken up. An outer ribbon mounting opening (301) is further provided at an upper side. Thus, work can be performed from both directions above and below the cover member (202). As a result, work can be performed selectively using the outer ribbon mounting opening (301) or the inner ribbon mounting opening, and the workability for mounting and removing the ink ribbon can be enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Mori, Takehiro Kikui
  • Patent number: 10870295
    Abstract: A printer includes support members having a convex portion and a support hole as two support portions, and a shaft that includes, in both end portions thereof, a concave portion and a projection portion as supported portions engaging with the support members, respectively, and supports an ink ribbon, the convex portion is rotatable, the convex portion is fitted into the concave portion, the convex portion includes a portion having a pentagonal truncated pyramid liked shape extending in an axis direction, the concave portion includes an inner circumference surface having a polygonal liked shape corresponding to the number of corners of the portion having the truncated pyramid liked shape, and includes a coil spring that elastically displaces the shaft in which the concave portion is formed in a withdrawing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Mori, Katsutoshi Mukaijima
  • Publication number: 20200393996
    Abstract: For improving the convenience of technology for processing data from a reading device with improved convenience, an information processing device having a communication function includes a controller unit configured to store reading data in a storage unit each time the reading data read by a reading device is received, and to transmit a plurality of the reading data stored in the storage unit to a terminal device when a first command is received from the terminal device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Applicants: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akihiro KOSEKI
  • Patent number: 10850541
    Abstract: A printer includes a first cam that is configured to change a distance between a pair of rollers, i.e. a drive roller and a pinch roller, wherein the pair of rollers are disposed opposite to each other with a paper therebetween and at least one of the rollers is configured to feed the paper along a transfer path by its rotation, a second cam that is configured to change a distance between a head for printing on the paper and a platen roller, wherein the head and the platen roller are disposed opposite to each other with the paper therebetween, and a third cam that is configured to switch the transfer path for the paper to a discharging transfer path or a decurl transfer path that are formed as different transfer paths. The first cam, the second cam, and the third cam are connected to a same rotation axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akira Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10780708
    Abstract: In a printer that drives by a ribbon motor (302), a winding axle that holds an ink ribbon positioned between a thermal head that performs a photographic printing operation with respect to a photographic medium conveyed along a sub-scanning direction and a platen that opposes the photographic print head with the photographic medium between the photographic print head and the platen, a flywheel (303) is coupled to a shaft of the ribbon motor (302), and a rotational force of the ribbon motor (302) is transmitted to the winding axle, via a worm gear (501) and a helical gear (502).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masao Yoshizawa, Takeshi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 10773533
    Abstract: A printer includes a transport roller (driving roller, driven roller, counter roller) that is disposed in a casing, and configured to transport a sheet to be fed from roll paper, an image forming portion (thermal head) that is disposed in a cover (upper cover) of the casing, and configured to form an image on the sheet; and a platen roller that is disposed in the casing to face the image forming portion (thermal head). The image forming portion (thermal head) is movable in transport directions (feeding direction, drawing back direction) of the sheet, and the platen roller is movable in directions substantially vertical to the transport directions (feeding direction, drawing back direction).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yutaka Inokuchi
  • Patent number: 10632769
    Abstract: A printer includes a recording medium holding unit that holds a long, wound strip-like recording medium to enable the recording medium to be pulled out from a front end thereof, a recording unit that pulls out the recording medium held by the recording medium holding unit to a side higher in a vertical direction than a position for pulling out from the recording medium holding unit and that executes a recording operation for the pulled-out recording medium, and a second cutter mechanism disposed under the recording medium holding unit and that cuts the recording medium for which the recording operation is executed by the recording unit at the back end thereof separated from the front end by a predetermined length. A drawing position of the recording medium into an inversion path is arranged to be lower than the recording medium holding unit and the recording unit in the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akira Takahashi, Takeshi Yamazaki, Yuichi Taguchi
  • Patent number: 10632768
    Abstract: A printer is configured that, when double-side recording is executed, a back end side of a long strip-like recording medium on which single-side recording is executed by a recording unit is cut by a cutter mechanism, the cut-off recording medium is thereafter conveyed to an inversion mechanism starting with a front end thereof by a switching flap disposed on a side closer to a discharge outlet than the cutter mechanism, a front side and a back side are inverted to each other at the inversion mechanism, thereafter the recording medium is again conveyed to the recording unit starting with an end thereof that is the back end when the recording medium is conveyed to the inversion mechanism, recording is executed for the back side by the recording unit, thereafter the recording medium is again conveyed to the cutter mechanism, and a margin is cut off by the cutter mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akira Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10457077
    Abstract: Provided is a printer including a conveying unit conveying a continuous sheet in accordance with an input print instruction, a plurality of sensors detecting a mark serving as a reference for positioning a print area on the continuous sheet, wherein the plurality of sensors adopt marks different from each other as detection targets, a printing unit printing on a print area of the continuous sheet, a storage unit storing priority information about a sensor to be used preferentially among the plurality of sensors, and a control unit controlling the conveying unit so that the print area is positioned at a print position of the printing unit on the basis of the priority information and a detection result indicating whether each of the plurality of sensors has detected the mark or not during conveying of the continuous sheet while the priority information is stored in advance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Sakurai
  • Patent number: 10421302
    Abstract: A cover is coupled to a main body casing in manner enabling rotation of the cover. A pop-up mechanism is provided that when locking by a locking mechanism that fixes the cover at a closed position in a releasable manner is released, rotates the cover from the closed position to an open position by a biasing of first contact members in a direction so that the first contact members push second contact members that are respectively disposed at both ends of the cover, the first contact members being connected to each other and respectively disposed at both ends of the main body casing. Thus, the second contact members are pushed while a positional relationship of the first contact members is maintained to be constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Tsugaru
  • Patent number: 10369810
    Abstract: A first feeding unit is configured that is provided in a first printing unit that includes a first recording unit that executes a recording operation for a long strip-like recording medium pulled out from a first holding unit that holds the recording medium in a wound state. The first feeding unit further includes a pair of feeding rollers that sort the recording medium discharged from the first printing unit, to the side of a second printing unit stacked on the first printing unit or to the side opposite to that of the second printing unit. The first feeding unit temporarily accommodates the sorted recording medium and thereafter, feeds the recording medium to a guide path, and sorts the recording medium fed by the pair of feeding rollers, to the side of the second printing unit using a sorting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Yamazaki, Akira Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20180201030
    Abstract: A first feeding unit is configured that is provided in a first printing unit that includes a first recording unit that executes a recording operation for a long strip-like recording medium pulled out from a first holding unit that holds the recording medium in a wound state. The first feeding unit further includes a pair of feeding rollers that sort the recording medium discharged from the first printing unit, to the side of a second printing unit stacked on the first printing unit or to the side opposite to that of the second printing unit. The first feeding unit temporarily accommodates the sorted recording medium and thereafter, feeds the recording medium to a guide path, and sorts the recording medium fed by the pair of feeding rollers, to the side of the second printing unit using a sorting part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Applicants: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd., Citizen Systems Japan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi YAMAZAKI, Akira TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 10005291
    Abstract: When sub-images are sequentially transferred and connected together to form a larger image than would be possible with a single transfer operation, the occurrence of a color change in the overlapping region of the sub-images is suppressed and the width of the overlapping region is reduced as much as possible. Color image data are divided into image data of two sub-images containing an overlapping region and having edges that coincide for each color ink transferred to paper. Color values of the color image data in the overlapping region are converted by using a color conversion factor group created in advance for each position on the overlapping region so as to cancel out a color change that occurs in the overlapping region when the sub-images are transferred with one overlapping the other. The image data of the sub-images are corrected by adjusting converted color values in the overlapping region by using a correction factor for print density at each position on the overlapping region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takeshi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9981481
    Abstract: Irregularities in the density that can occur in printed images of a thermal transfer printer due to mechanical variations or variations in thermal characteristics in the thermal head are more easily and accurately corrected as compared to cases not having the features of the disclosed invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yutaka Inokuchi, Takeshi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: D879195
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignees: Citizen Watch Co., LTD., Citizen Systems Japan Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Shinichi Miyashita
  • Patent number: D892919
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takeshi Nakatani
  • Patent number: D892920
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takeshi Nakatani