Patents Examined by Alessandro Amari
  • Patent number: 9656474
    Abstract: Gas is blown at a predetermined speed from a predetermined area on an orifice substrate with reference to the position of an ejection port array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Arimizu, Ken Tsuchii, Nobuhito Yamaguchi, Yumi Komamiya, Arihito Miyakoshi, Koichi Ishida
  • Patent number: 9656462
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus which includes a modulation circuit which generates a modulated signal; a transistor which generates an amplified-modulated signal; a low pass filter which generates a driving signal; a thermistor; a control section which controls printing; and a multilayered circuit board on which the modulation circuit, the transistor, and the low pass filter are mounted, in which the modulation circuit generates the modulated signal by feeding back a signal based on any one of the modulated signal, the amplified-modulated signal, and the driving signal, the multilayered circuit board has a multilayer structure of three layers or more, a feedback wiring pattern which feeds back any one of the modulated signal, the amplified-modulated signal, and the driving signal to the modulation circuit, and a temperature wiring pattern which electrically connects the thermistor and the control section does not intersect the feedback wiring pattern when viewed planarly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Orii, Toru Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 9649845
    Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus includes a casing, a tank formed with a liquid storage chamber which stores liquid, an inlet which allows the liquid to be poured into the liquid storage chamber, and a liquid outflow channel which allows the liquid to flow out from the liquid storage chamber, a conveying mechanism which conveys a recording medium along a conveying path extending in a front-rear direction, a carriage which moves in a left-right direction, and a head mounted on the carriage and having a nozzle which jets the liquid onto the recording medium conveyed by the conveying mechanism. The tank, the conveying path, and the carriage are arranged inside the casing, the tank is arranged outside the conveying path in the left-right direction, and at least a part of the tank is arranged inside both ends of a movement area of the carriage in the left-right direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinori Osakabe, Tomohisa Higuchi, Akira Shinoda, Akinori Igarashi, Suguru Tomoguchi, Hisaki Sakurai
  • Patent number: 9649854
    Abstract: Provided is an inkjet recording device and an inkjet recording method that can selectively perform a high-speed recording mode or a high-quality recording mode without requiring a process of changing configurations of nozzle rows. The head control section performs the discharge control by using all the nozzles belonging to the nozzle groups of respective colors as the usable range Ru in the case where the “high-speed mode” is designated by the mode designating section. On the other hand, in the case where the “high-quality mode” is designated, the head control section determines, for each color, the usable range Ru being a part of the nozzle range Rn configured by the nozzle groups, and performs the discharge control using only the nozzles belonging to the usable ranges Ru so as to cause the ink droplets to be discharged according to the particular color order at any positions on the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Eiichi Ohara
  • Patent number: 9643418
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes multiple nozzle rows, in which a plurality of nozzles capable of discharging liquid onto a medium are arranged, that are arranged in an intersection direction intersecting with a nozzles-arranged direction where the nozzles are arranged, a shielding portion that shields an area between the nozzle rows, and a collecting portion that collects mist which is attached to the shielding portion and is generated due to discharging of the liquid from the nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru Katagami, Tsutomu Sasaki, Manabu Suzuki, Kazutoshi Fujishima
  • Patent number: 9636924
    Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided in which a position of a joint of a first yellow nozzle group and a second yellow nozzle group in a predetermined direction is offset from a position of a joint of a first magenta nozzle group and a second magenta nozzle group in a predetermined position and a position of a joint of a first cyan nozzle group and a second cyan nozzle group in the predetermined position, and the position of the joint of the first magenta nozzle group and the second magenta nozzle group in the predetermined position is the same as the position of the joint of the first cyan nozzle group and the second cyan nozzle group in the predetermined direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Takahashi, Takamitsu Kondo, Kazuyoshi Tanase, Hiroshi Wada
  • Patent number: 9636909
    Abstract: A liquid ejection device includes a head unit and a control unit. A driving signal generating portion of the control unit is configured to create a driving signal having at least one wave portion for ejecting the liquid from the nozzles. A signal converting portion of the control unit is configured to convert plural types of original control signals including an original latching signal and an original printing data signal into a single serial control signal having a serial form. A signal restoring portion of the head unit is configured to create plural types of restored control signals from the serial control signal received, the restored control signals including a restored latching signal and a restored printing data signal. The nozzles are configured and arranged to eject the liquid based on the driving signal, the restored latching signal, and the restored printing data signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9636936
    Abstract: A device for printing on at least one region of a surface of a so-called 3D object, for instance a curved auto body part, includes a manipulator, for instance an articulated-arm robot with six degrees of freedom. The device also includes a system for vibration compensation for the print head. The system includes an active component and a passive component. Manipulator vibration which creates defects in a printed image may thus be effectively avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Steffen Neeb, Roland Stenzel
  • Patent number: 9623683
    Abstract: A thermal printer includes a control unit that performs control to perform: an option operation, whereby upon completion of printing on a label provided on a continuous label body, the printed label is conveyed to a particular position and then conveyance of the continuous label body is stopped; and a retraction operation, whereby when a preset permitted stop time period has elapsed since the stop of conveyance of the continuous label body without performing next printing during the permitted stop time period, an unprinted label retracts to a retraction position where at least a printing region of the unprinted label is not sandwiched between a platen roller and a thermal head. The control unit can change the permitted stop time period for each type and/or each width of a label to be printed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: SATO HOLDINGS KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Michitaka Kojima
  • Patent number: 9627606
    Abstract: An electromechanical transducer element includes a first electrode, an electromechanical transducer film, and a second electrode. The electromechanical transducer film is a {100} preferentially oriented polycrystalline film. A sum of an orientation degree ?{111} of {111} plane and an orientation degree ?{100} of {100} plane is in a range of not less than 0.0002 and not greater than 0.25. At least two diffraction peaks of a plurality of diffraction peaks separated in diffraction peaks derived from {200} plane or {400} plane obtained by the ?-2? measurement of the electromechanical transducer film according to the X-ray diffraction method attribute to a tetragonal a-domain structure and a tetragonal c-domain structure, respectively. A value of Sc/(Sa+Sc) is not greater than 20%, where Sa represents an area of a diffraction peak attributing to the tetragonal a-domain structure and Sc represents an area of a diffraction peak attributing to the tetragonal c-domain structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Satoshi Mizukami
  • Patent number: 9616686
    Abstract: A printing apparatus (liquid droplet ejecting apparatus) includes a detector configured to output a first signal which denotes that a medium is not supported on a support face of a medium support unit, and a second signal which denotes that a medium is supported on the support face; and a controller that limits executing of a printing operation when the first signal in received and allows executing of a printing operation when the second signal is received. The controller is configured to ignore the first signal or interpret the first signal as the second signal under a specified condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Yuichi Honobe
  • Patent number: 9616681
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium by discharging liquid droplets onto the medium; and a media heater to heat the medium by contacting a rear surface of the medium opposite a surface of the medium on which the image is formed, in which the media heater includes a contact member with a contact surface having a predetermined curvature that the medium contacts, the contact member is a roller member, and the medium closely contacts the contact surface of the contact member across an entire width of the medium in a direction perpendicular to the media conveyance direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Hoshino, Kenji Sato, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka, Hideaki Nishimura, Yoko Ishii
  • Patent number: 9610792
    Abstract: There is provided a recording apparatus including: a recording section that performs recording on a recording medium; a cable relay section that is provided between a first area, in which the recording section is arranged, and a second area in which a control section for control is arranged, and that relays cables; a first cable that is configured to extend from the recording section and is connected to the cable relay section on a side of the first area; and a second cable that is configured to extend from the control section and is connected to the cable relay section on a side of the second area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichiro Yoshikawa, Hiroki Chino, Yuichi Segawa
  • Patent number: 9610789
    Abstract: Provided is a recording apparatus which includes a recording portion which can perform recording, a transporting portion which transports a medium by coming into contact with the medium and is provided in an area upstream from the recording portion in a transporting direction of the medium, and a plurality of tension adjusters which are provided in a cross direction crossing the transporting direction and each of which can apply tension to the medium from at least either a recording surface side or a non-recording surface side opposite to the recording surface of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Junya Kato
  • Patent number: 9610784
    Abstract: A medium supporting unit includes a supporting unit which can support a medium, and a pressing unit which can press the medium which is supported by the supporting, in which a coefficient of static friction of a contact face with the medium in the pressing unit is larger than that of a contact face with the medium in the supporting unit. By configuring such a medium supporting unit, it is possible to suppress floating of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuhiko Hamada
  • Patent number: 9604477
    Abstract: In order to provide a printer capable of detecting a continuous paper sheet without causing a sensor provided in the downstream side of a thermal head from being hindered by an ink ribbon, the printer includes: a main body (20) defining a conveying passage of a continuous paper sheet (P); a print unit having a thermal head (40) provided in the main body (20) to print predetermined information on the continuous paper sheet (P) by using an ink ribbon, and a platen roller (41) provided to face the thermal head (40) by interposing the continuous paper sheet (P); and a sensor unit (45) installed in the main body (20) and provided with a sensor (48) for detecting the continuous paper sheet (P), the sensor unit (45) being configured to move between a first position where the sensor (48) detects the continuous paper sheet (P) in the downstream side of the thermal head (40) and a second position farther than the first position from the thermal head (40).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: SATO HOLDINGS KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoshi Maekawa
  • Patent number: 9604448
    Abstract: There is described a transfer member or blanket for use in aqueous ink jet printer. The transfer member includes a non-woven polymer fiber matrix and a polymer dispersed throughout the non-woven polymer fiber matrix. The polymer fiber matrix has a first surface energy and the polymer has a second surface energy. The difference between the first surface energy and the second surface energy is from about 30 mJ/m2 to about 5 mJ/m2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Yu Qi, Carolyn Patricia Moorlag, Brynn Mary Dooley, Barkev Keoshkerian
  • Patent number: 9604467
    Abstract: A printing apparatus capable of realizing a high quality printing at low cost is provided. In the printing apparatus, an ink film is wound around and stretched between a first bobbin and a second bobbin, while a transfer film is wound around and stretched between a third bobbin and a fourth bobbin, and the printing apparatus has a platen roller and a thermal head configured to put the ink film and the transfer film into pressed contact, in the transfer operation, and a driving unit configured to move the ink film between the first bobbin and the second bobbin. The driving unit has a motor, a first transmission route portion configured to constantly transmit a torque to the first bobbin, and a second transmission route portion, branching from the first transmission route portion, configured to selectively transmit the torque to the second bobbin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: JVC KENWOOD CORPORATION
    Inventor: Keiji Ihara
  • Patent number: 9598592
    Abstract: Provided is an ink set enabling the recording of images that have excellent gloss clarity and bronzing resistance and have suppressed an occurrence of fringe unevenness when a clear ink and a pigment ink are used in combination. The aqueous ink set includes a combination of a first ink containing no coloring material and a second ink containing a coloring material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiichi Nakata, Hirofumi Ichinose, Kouhei Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 9594110
    Abstract: The invention relates to an insulation monitoring device for simultaneously monitoring an ungrounded power supply system comprising network sections that can be interconnected via coupling switches, comprising a signal generator for generating a measuring signal and a coupling circuit for coupling the measuring signal to the power supply system. According to the invention, the insulation monitoring device comprises a coupling circuit for each interconnectable network section to be monitored, a switchable electrical connecting element being arranged for connecting adjacent coupling circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: BENDER GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Mario Lehr, Carsten Weiss, Hans-Juergen Jaeger