Patents Examined by Andrew H. Hirshfield
  • Patent number: 7052193
    Abstract: A scratch card printer has a conveying section to convey a card, for example, by a plurality of conveying roller pairs, a first printing mechanism to have a thermal head, printing control means to control a printing head of the first printing mechanism to allow information, to be printed on a card, a second printing mechanism configured to have a thermal head located more on a downstream side in a direction of conveying of the card by the conveying section than the first printing mechanism, and a thermal transfer control section which, in order to cover the information printed by the first printing mechanism, controls the thermal head of the second printing mechanism to allow an ink to be transferred to the card from a thermal transfer ribbon for concealment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yozo Kobayashi, Toshiyuki Tamura, Takayuki Hiyoshi
  • Patent number: 7017486
    Abstract: In a method and an apparatus for printing on material in web form print images are successively applied to the web by a transfer cylinder. The web is continuously drawn into the printing station and the speed at which the web is moved in the printing station during a printing operation is greater than the speed at which it is drawn into the printing station. After the printing operation the web is positioned in the printing station for the following printing operation relative to the transfer cylinder which is not in contact with the web during a part of a revolution of 360°, and at the same time the path of the web is altered in accordance with the change in the speed thereof. The web is driven by the impression cylinder which is associated with the transfer cylinder and around the peripheral surface of which the web partially passes. Positioning of the web for the respectively following printing operation is implemented by a change in the rotary movement of the impression cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Werner Kammann Maschinenfabrik GmbH
    Inventors: Volker Steffen, Helmut Schneider, Mathias Schulz
  • Patent number: 6932529
    Abstract: A printing device including a feed roller assembly, a separation pad located adjacent to the feed roller assembly, and a printer housing having an access plate. The separation pad is user-accessible when the access plate is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Dean Richtsmeier, Harold M. Miller
  • Patent number: 6793419
    Abstract: A printer unit comprises a first positioning mechanism and a second positioning mechanism for positioning a platen with respect to a print head when a cover frame is closed. The first positioning mechanism is constituted to restrict a change in the position of the platen to a rotation around a first positioning fulcrum, such as a lock pin. The second positioning mechanism is constituted to restrict the rotation of the platen around a first positioning fulcrum by abutment on a second positioning fulcrum, such as a lock lever spindle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Mitsuhiko Nebashi
  • Patent number: 6782818
    Abstract: The tension of a web in a rotary printing machine is monitored and adjusted. The web runs through at least one printing group in the rotary printing machine. Any change in the stretch of the web during the production run is determined by noting any difference between first and second speeds of the web. The change in stretch is compensated for by a change in the tension of the web before the first printing group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Erhard Herbert Glöckner, Dieter Koch
  • Patent number: 6779445
    Abstract: An intaglio printer has a form or plate cylinder and a printing or counterpressure cylinder. In addition, at least one screen printing cylinder is provided and transfers screen printing ink to the form or plate cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Johannes George Schaede
  • Patent number: 6772683
    Abstract: The present invention is for a method and associated apparatus whereby low viscosity flexograhic printing inks having a viscosity controlling diluent are used in implementing wet trapping of sequentially applied ink layers by controlling the time between ink layer applications such that sufficient diluent evaporates from an applied layer to increase the first applied layer viscosity sufficiently to wet trap a subsequently applied superposed ink layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Sun Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Mikhail Laksin, Subhankar Chatterjee, Volker Linzer
  • Patent number: 6772640
    Abstract: A heater is disclosed for use with pressure transducers. The disclosed heater includes a first heating element and a second heating element. The first heating element is characterized by a first electrical resistance. The second heating element is characterized by a second electrical resistance. In preferred embodiments, the first electrical resistance is different than the second electrical resistance. The disclosed heater can be used to accurately heat a pressure transducer to at least four different operating temperatures by selectively (a) connecting the first heating element to the transducer temperature control circuitry, (b) connecting the second heating element to the transducer temperature control circuitry, (c) connecting the first and second heating elements in series with the transducer temperature control circuitry, or (d) connecting the first and second heating elements in parallel with the transducer temperature control circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Claudia J. Quigley, Kerry S. Lahey, Santhi E. Mathew, J. Robert Maxwell, Jr., Leonid Mindlin, James M. Poulin, Gardy St. Paul
  • Patent number: 6709177
    Abstract: Two paper trays 11, 12 are disposed in such a manner that they are superimposed on top of each other in the vertical direction, a first paper feed roller 13 for feeding out paper from the upper-side paper tray 11 is disposed backwardly of and obliquely upwardly of a second paper feed roller 14 with respect to a direction in which the paper is fed out, and the upper-side paper tray 11 is disposed backwardly of and adjacently to the second paper feed roller 14. The sheets of paper fed out from the upper- and lower-side paper trays are delivered along the upper or lower surface of the second paper feed roller 14 and a are then fed into a common registration roller 10 without providing a delivery roller on the way. A holder 18 for supporting a handling member 16 to be contacted with the second paper feed roller 14 is supported by the paper tray 12 and can be retreated downwardly when pulling out the paper tray 12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Naoto Sugimura
  • Patent number: 6682240
    Abstract: A self-positioning device for a keyboard includes two protrusions adapted to be respectively formed on opposite sides of a corresponding leg, two stops each formed on a corresponding one of the protrusions, and two sectorial bosses adapted to be formed on a corresponding one of the recessed seats to correspond to the two protrusions. Each sectorial boss has a first edge and a second edge to selectively abut a corresponding one of the two stops. The selective abutting of the stops to the first and second edges enables support of the keyboard on a plan surface horizontally and inclinedly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Behavior Tech Computer Corporation
    Inventor: Kuan-Nan Chou
  • Patent number: 6679169
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for controlling the ink feed in a printing press which processes printing substrates (12) and features at least one inking unit and one computer and to a device for carrying out the method. The present invention is characterized in that the computer knows at least the physical properties of printing ink and/or printing substrates (12) as data, that the stored data is read into an ink control model which is stored in the computer, and that the optimum settings with regard to the ink feed are made on the basis of this ink control model before the start of printing or during the printing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Werner Anweiler, Caroline Gateaud, Axel Hauck, Martin Mayer
  • Patent number: 6614227
    Abstract: In a scanning microwave microscope including a microwave resonator, an exciting unit for exciting the microwave resonator, a first detecting unit for detecting a first detection amount relating to a resonant state of the microwave resonator, a sharp end coupled to a center conductor of the microwave resonator, and a display unit for displaying the first detection amount while a sample is scanned by the sharp end, a distance changing unit causes a differential change in a distance between the sharp end and the sample. A second detecting unit detects a second detection amount relating to a change of the first detection amount. A control unit controls the distance between the sharp end and the sample in accordance with the second detection amount, so that an average value of the distance between the sharp end and the sample is brought close to a definite value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Norio Ookubo
  • Patent number: 6516716
    Abstract: A method for imaging a product with a pattern commences by forming a film of a wet or tacking marking material on a cliché. A negative of the pattern is ablatively imaged into the film on the cliché. The negative image then is pressure transferred from the cliché onto a marking pad. Finally, the negative image is pressure transferred from the marking pad onto the product. Preferably, the cliché where the film is formed contains recesses. The apparatus, which images the product, has a moveable cliché having a recessed pocket. An ink reservoir transfers ink into the recessed pocket. A laser imaging system images a pattern into ink contained in the recessed pocket. A stamp pad is moveable from a home position to contact the imaged pattern for pressure transferring the pattern onto the stamp pad, and moveable to a printing station to pressure transfer the pattern onto a product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Inventors: John A. Robertson, G. David Hudelson, Ken R. Vaughn, Edward S. O'Neal
  • Patent number: 6119621
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a modular cone. The modular cone includes a tubular member and a selectively collapsible base member coupled to the tubular member, wherein the base member may be selectively collapsed and stored within the tubular member. In addition, different embodiments of the modular cone include reflective surfaces, a self-storing barrier tape, and various caps such as a strobe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Barbara Johnson
    Inventor: Mike Johnson