Patents Examined by Alessandro Amari
  • Ink set and image printing method
    Patent number: 8888265
    Abstract: An ink set includes a first ink that contains a white material and a first resin; and a second ink that contains a color material other than the white material and a second resin, wherein the first resin includes a component (A) causing cracks when resin of 0.5 g is dropped onto a slide glass and is dried at a temperature of 50° C. and a humidity of 0% RH for 10 minutes, and wherein the second resin includes a component (B) of at least one of polyolefin wax and ethylene vinyl acetate resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ippei Okuda, Tsuyoshi Sano
  • Fluid cartridge
    Patent number: 8882252
    Abstract: An ink cartridge for an inkjet printer includes a bottom face and a front face; interfaces on the front face for connection to a cartridge receiving structure, the interfaces including an ink interface; a guide interface in the bottom face for guiding the cartridge along a straight line for connecting the interfaces; and a latch stop and a latch track, disposed in the bottom face, to guide and retain a latch of the cartridge receiving structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: David C. Harvey, Curt Gonzales, Ralph L. Stathem, David Olsen, David Welter
  • Liquid ejection apparatus and liquid cartridges
    Patent number: 8882212
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a liquid ejection head that ejects liquid, a hollow needle that communicates with the liquid ejection head, a moving mechanism that moves the hollow needle or a liquid cartridge such that the hollow needle penetrates a sealing member of the liquid cartridge, a reader that reads a data stored in a memory, and a controller that controls a speed of the hollow needle relative to the sealing member based on the data read by the reader.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mutsumi Otobe
  • Vacuum pulldown of a print media in a printing system
    Patent number: 8876277
    Abstract: A printing system includes one or more lineheads disposed opposite a first side of a print media and at least one vacuum assembly having a vacuum manifold disposed opposite a second side of the print media. The linehead or lineheads has one or more print zones where a liquid or ink is deposited onto the first side of the print media. The vacuum manifold is aligned with a non-print zone of each linehead and outputs a vacuum force proximate to the second side of the print media such that at least a portion of the second side of the print media is deflected away from the lineheads. The printing system can also include another component, such as a dryer, disposed over the print media and laterally adjacent to the linehead. Another vacuum manifold can be disposed adjacent to the second side print media between the linehead and the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Randy D. Vandagriff, Michael J. Piatt, Harsha S. Bulathsinghalage, W. Charles Kasiske, Jr.
  • Image recording apparatus, method for producing test pattern in the same, and nontransitory storage medium storing program
    Patent number: 8876238
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus, including: a first head for ejecting first liquid for recording; a second head for ejecting second liquid; and a controller. The controller selects, based on the image data, one of waveforms for ejecting the first liquid for each pixel and supplies, to the first-liquid ejection head, a drive signal based on the selected waveform. The controller selects, based on the image data, one of the of waveforms for ejecting the second liquid for each pixel and supplies, to the second-liquid ejection head, a drive signal based on the selected waveform. The controller determines whether recording of a test pattern using the second liquid is required, and when the recording of the test pattern using the second liquid is required, selects the waveform such that the first liquid is not ejected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuaki Suzuki
  • Vacuum pulldown of a print media in a printing system
    Patent number: 8870365
    Abstract: A printing system includes one or more lineheads disposed opposite a first side of a print media and at least one vacuum assembly having a vacuum manifold disposed opposite a second side of the print media. The linehead or lineheads has one or more print zones where a liquid or ink is deposited onto the first side of the print media. The vacuum manifold is aligned with a non-print zone of each linehead and outputs a vacuum force proximate to the second side of the print media such that at least a portion of the second side of the print media is deflected away from the lineheads. The printing system can also include another component, such as a dryer, disposed over the print media and laterally adjacent to the linehead. Another vacuum manifold can be disposed adjacent to the second side print media between the linehead and the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Randy D. Vandagriff, Michael J. Piatt, Harsha S. Bulathsinghalage, W. Charles Kasiske, Jr.
  • Nozzle plate maintenance for fluid ejection devices
    Patent number: 8870341
    Abstract: An ink jet printhead includes: a nozzle plate having an underside and including one or more nozzles in the underside configured to dispense drops of fluid in a dispensing direction; and a multi-level maintenance structure coupled to the nozzle plate such that a gap exists between a portion of the maintenance structure and the underside of the nozzle plate. The maintenance structure includes: a first portion having a first upper surface suspended at a first distance from the underside of the nozzle plate; and a second portion that is coupled to the first portion, the second portion having a second upper surface suspended at a second distance from the underside of the nozzle plate, which is greater than the first distance, the second upper surface laterally displaced relative to the first upper surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Paul A. Hoisington, Andreas Bibl, Jeffrey Birkmeyer, Mats G. Ottosson, Arman Hajati
  • Label producing apparatus and tape cartridge
    Patent number: 8864300
    Abstract: This disclosure discloses a label producing apparatus comprising: an apparatus housing; a roll holder arranged on said apparatus housing that detachably mounts thereon a tape roll winding a label producing tape; an optical detecting device that optically detects a plurality of detection mark formed at a predetermined interval along a peripheral direction of a detected body provided so as to rotate at an angular velocity in coordination with an angular velocity of said tape roll on a side of said tape roll mounted to said roll holder or on a side of said apparatus housing; a residual amount identifying portion that identifies a residual tape amount of said tape roll based on a detection result of said optical detecting device; and a residual amount related information output portion that outputs residual amount related information related to said residual tape amount identified to a display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidekazu Ishii, Takahiro Miwa, Naoki Tanjima, Tsutomu Kato
  • Liquid ejection apparatus, controlling method thereof, and computer-readable medium for liquid ejection
    Patent number: 8857939
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus comprises a plurality of piezoelectric element units, which can be driven to eject liquid by changing a drive voltage, and a control device. The control device may calculate an accumulated time for each of the piezoelectric element units. The accumulated times may be a time that a respective piezoelectric element unit is in a driven state. The control device may also identify a first piezoelectric element unit having a maximum accumulated time and a second piezoelectric element unit having a minimum accumulated time from among the piezoelectric element units. The control device may reduce the drive voltage applied to one or more of the piezoelectric element units that are not in the driven state to a lower voltage, when the control device determines that the difference between the maximum accumulated time and the minimum accumulated time is less than a predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shunji Uchino
  • Paper conveyance device and printer
    Patent number: 8857978
    Abstract: A paper conveyance device for a printing device that prints information using a printhead on conveyed continuous paper R, including a paper conveyance mechanism that holds and conveys the continuous paper to the print area of the printhead, and a guide unit that has two guide surfaces facing the conveyed continuous paper. The guide unit has a plurality of ribs that are disposed to at least one of the two guide surfaces with a specific gap therebetween in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, protrude to the continuous paper side, and extend in the conveyance direction. The rib located in the middle of the width of the conveyed continuous paper being the longest of the plural ribs in the conveyance direction, and the length in the conveyance direction of the other ribs becoming gradually shorter with proximity to the sides of the continuous paper width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Mitsuya
  • Liquid ejection device and maintenance method thereof
    Patent number: 8851623
    Abstract: Provided are a liquid ejection device and a maintenance method thereof which are capable of effectively removing, for example, a liquid in a gap between heads. The liquid ejection device includes: a line head which includes a plurality of heads connected to each other in a longitudinal direction and in which a liquid-repellent treatment is performed for a side surface of each head facing an adjacent head; a tube supporting member that is provided between adjacent heads on a side opposite to a liquid ejection surface of the head and supports a tube having one end inserted between the heads; and a gas supply unit that is connected to the other end of the tube and supplies gas between the heads from the one end of the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Tsutomu Yokouchi
  • Passivation of ring electrodes
    Patent number: 8851637
    Abstract: An inkjet device includes a pumping chamber bounded by a wall, a piezoelectric layer disposed above the pumping chamber, a ring electrode having an annular lower portion disposed on the piezoelectric layer. A moisture barrier layer covers a remainder of the piezoelectric layer over the pumping chamber that is not covered by the annular lower portion of the ring electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Youming Li, Yoshikazu Hishinuma, Jeffrey Birkmeyer
  • Pre-treatment composition
    Patent number: 8851652
    Abstract: Pre-treatment composition and printing method using such pre-treatment composition are disclosed. A disclosed example of the pre-treatment composition includes a liquid vehicle, a polyvalent metal salt as fixing agent, and a latex resin having an acid number of less than 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: George Sarkisian, Elizabeth Ann Visnyak, Ali Emamjomeh
  • Image forming device, image forming system, and storage medium that stores a control program of an image forming device
    Patent number: 8840239
    Abstract: An image forming device is provided. The image forming device includes: a forming component that forms an index, at a formation position, on a recording medium that is conveyed in a first direction and passes the formation position; an acquiring component that acquires measurement results, from a measuring component, of a width, along a second direction that intersects the first direction, of the recording medium; and a formation control component that carries out control that causes the index to be formed by the forming component at a position that is at one end portion side, along the second direction, of the recording medium, and that is apart, along the second direction and by a distance corresponding to the width acquired by the acquiring component, from a formation reference position that is set at another end portion side, along the second direction, of the recording medium, is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Megumi Yasuda
  • Recording apparatus
    Patent number: 8833932
    Abstract: A recording apparatus, including: a support portion; a recording portion; a first casing; a second casing; a positioning mechanism: a restricting mechanism configured to be selectively placed in one of: a restricted state in which a pivotal movement of the second housing is restricted; and a non-restricted state in which the pivotal movement of the second housing is not restricted, and an interlocking mechanism configured to move one of a guide pin and a guide hole in conjunction with the restricting mechanism, such that the guide pin and the guide hole are selectively placed at one of: an engaged state in which the guide pin and the guide hole engage each other when the restricting mechanism is in the restricted state; and a non-engaged state in which the guide pin and the guide hole do not engage when the restricting mechanism is in the non-restricted state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masayuki Okumura
  • Print head configuration for hand-held printing
    Patent number: 8827442
    Abstract: A hand-held printer is disclosed. The hand-held printer includes a print module configured for multidirectional printing, a print head in communication with the print module having a first nozzle array including a first plurality of nozzles, and a second nozzle array including a second plurality of nozzles, wherein the first plurality of nozzles are positioned substantially equidistant from a reference point and wherein the second plurality of nozzles are positioned substantially equidistant from the reference point and the first plurality of nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventor: Asher Simmons
  • Liquid ejecting head and liquid ejecting apparatus
    Patent number: 8827423
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes: a nozzle plate in which a first nozzle row of nozzle openings aligned along a first direction X and a second nozzle row of nozzle openings aligned along the first direction X are disposed side by side along a second direction Y perpendicular to the first direction X; and a channel member including pressure generating chambers aligned along the first direction X, supply paths that supply liquid to the pressure generating chambers, and nozzle communication holes that allows the pressure generating chambers and the nozzle openings to communicate with each other, wherein the supply paths are located at an identical position in the second direction Y and are aligned along the first direction X, the nozzle communication holes include first openings communicating with the pressure generating chambers and second openings open to the nozzle plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hajime Nakao
  • Printing method and printer
    Patent number: 8827437
    Abstract: A printing method includes preprocessing a substrate by irradiating the substrate in a heated state with an activation light beam, and printing, after the preprocessing, a predetermined pattern on the substrate by ejecting a droplet to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiro Yokozawa, Masahiro Ido
  • Printhead having apertures for application of a surface treatment fluid
    Patent number: 8820885
    Abstract: A printhead enables surface treatment fluid to be applied to the face of the printhead through at least one aperture located in the printhead faceplate. The printhead receives pressurized surface treatment fluid, which flows through a reservoir in the printhead, through at least one channel in the jet stack, and out the at least one aperture onto the surface of the faceplate. The surface treatment fluid is spread across ink apertures in the faceplate to disable ink from drooling from the ink apertures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Greg A. Hildebrand, Cory D. Luth, Jeffrey J. Folkins, Jeffrey S. Rigotti, Srinivasa R. Deshiikan
  • Printing method with pre-treatment composition
    Patent number: 8814318
    Abstract: Pre-treatment composition and printing method, for producing durable images, using it are disclosed. Said pre-treatment composition includes a liquid vehicle, a polyvalent metal salt as fixing agent, and a latex resin having a glass transition temperature (Tg) ranging from ?22° C. to 20° C. Said method encompasses applying the pre-treatment composition onto a recording medium and applying an ink composition including an aqueous liquid vehicle and a colorant, over said pre-treatment composition, wherein the time interval between the finishing point of the application of the pre-treatment composition and between the starting point of the application of the ink composition is between 1 and 30 seconds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: George Sarkisian, Ali Emamjomeh, Blair A. Butler