Patents Examined by Anthony Nguyen
  • Image forming apparatus and storage device
    Patent number: 8965267
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet; a printing unit configured to drive a developing device accommodating developer therein, supply the developer from the developing device to a photosensitive member having an electrostatic latent image formed thereon to thus form a developer image, and transfer the developer image onto the sheet, in accordance with the conveyance of the sheet by the conveyance unit; a first acquisition unit configured to acquire a remaining life span of the developing device based on a driving amount of the developing device; and an adjusting unit configured to adjust a distance between the sheets being conveyed by the conveyance unit based on the remaining life span of the developing device acquired by the first acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Fei Cheng
  • Method of mounting and registering a printing plate on a plate cylinder of a multi-color offset printing press
    Patent number: 8943967
    Abstract: A method of mounting and adjusting a printing plate on a plate cylinder of a multicolor offset printing press is described. The printing plate is clamped between front and rear clamping bars, the rear clamping bar being movable under the application of a tensioning force and occupying, upon clamping of the trailing end of the printing plate, a tension-release position. Tensioning of the printing plate is carried out by initially applying a nominal tensioning force to the rear clamping bar. A print register of the tensioned printing plate is then measured and compared to a target print register to determine a corrected tensioning position of the rear clamping bar corresponding to the target print register. The tension of the printing plate is thereafter released. The correct tensioning position is set as new reference position of the rear clamping bar before or after tensioning again the printing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Michael Hans, Patrick Kress, Volkmar Rolf Schwitzky
  • Powdering device for a printing press and method for operating the powdering device
    Patent number: 8943964
    Abstract: A powdering device for a printing press includes a metering roller and a manifold. A plurality of injectors are provided downstream of the manifold in a conveying direction of the powder. The powdering device is operable in accordance with a method in which a total powder stream is subdivided into partial powder streams that are subsequently separately mixed with compressed air to create powder/air streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Peter Foerch, Claudius Haas, Markus Moehringer
  • Image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 8948680
    Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including: a sheet feeding unit; photoconductors; a transfer belt unit; a first and second frame units; and a bridging member bridging the first and second frame units. Each of the photoconductors is held by the first and second frame units. The transfer belt unit is biased to the one end side in the width direction to abut on the first frame unit and the bridging member, to thereby be positioned with respect to the first frame unit and the bridging member. The sheet feeding unit abuts on at least two places, of the bridging member, in the width direction from a perpendicular direction, to thereby be positioned with respect to the bridging member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yohei Nishimura
  • Ticket printer
    Patent number: 8931970
    Abstract: A ticket printer includes a housing having a frame and a front panel concurrently formed as a single unit. A printer unit is positioned in the housing and includes a print body and swing assembly having a print roller head. The swing assembly can be selectively rotated away from the print body for maintenance and cleaning. A paper guide, located at an outlet side of the printer unit, is positioned within the housing. Paper is routed between the print roller head and the print body of the printer unit. The paper guide directs the paper along a paper pathway and out of a ticket outlet in the front panel. The paper guide may be transparent to visualize jammed paper in the paper pathway. Paper directing ramps formed in the swing assembly and the paper guide direct the paper into the paper pathway and downwardly to the ticket outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Pyramid Group, Inc.
    Inventors: David S. Mays, Leif J. Strom
  • Cleaning structure and method for friction roll feeders
    Patent number: 8925458
    Abstract: With a cleaning system/method, a user places a printing device in a cleaning mode, inserts a cleaning apparatus that includes a cleaning sheet into a paper supply tray of the printing device, and executes a cleaning operation on the printing device. With the system, a set of instructions is stored on a machine-readable medium. The set of instructions causes the printing device to execute a cleaning operation on a feed nip of the printing device. The cleaning sheet cleans the feed roller and the retard roller when it is positioned within the feed nip during the cleaning operation. The set of instructions cause the printing device to move the cleaning sheet into the feed nip and to rotate the feed roller and the retard roller for a predetermined time period, when the printing device is placed into a cleaning mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth P. Moore, Frank A. Porter, Ron E. Dufort
  • Electronic equipment
    Patent number: 8920056
    Abstract: An electronic equipment of the embodiment comprises a housing that has an attaching wall with an inclined surface on which a covered object is arranged, an attaching body that has a covering surface covering the covered object and is amounted on the attaching wall, a first convex portion, wherein the projection tip portion of the first convex portion contacts the covering surface, and a second convex portion, wherein the projection tip portion of the second convex portion contacts the inclined surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Matsumura
  • Roll tape and printer
    Patent number: 8920054
    Abstract: There is provided a roll tape including a core main body portion having a double cylinder construction made up of an outer core portion and an inner core portion, a pair of shaft portions each having an insertion portion which can be fittingly inserted in the inner core portion, an outer shaft which can be fittingly inserted in the outer core portion and a bearing shaft that is thinner than and concentric with the outer shaft and which extends longer in one direction than the outer shaft and a printing tape which is wound around a tape core which has the pair of shaft portions disposed individually on both sides of the core main body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshimasa Yokoyama
  • Media drive restraint
    Patent number: 8915661
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a device for a printer includes a movable tray for supporting a print media. The tray is movable between an open position in which media may be moved on to the tray and a closed position in which media is blocked from moving on to the tray. The device also includes a rotatable media drive component for moving print media on to the tray and a movable restraint operatively connected to the tray. The restraint is movable between: a first position, corresponding to the open position of the tray, in which the restraint does not restrain the media drive component; and a second position, corresponding to the closed position of the tray, in which the restraint restrains rotation of the media drive component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Mark G Miranda, Keith Janabka, Robert Winburne
  • Assembly for axially aligning a print die
    Patent number: 8915185
    Abstract: An assembly for axially aligning a print die, the assembly comprising an axle; at least a first expandable force ring receiving the axle; a roll having a circumferential outer surface and a hollow bore receiving the axle and the at least first expandable force ring; loading sleeves connected operatively to the axle for alternatively outwardly compressing the at least first expandable force ring against the roll's hollow bore, for resisting axial movement of the roll with respect to the axle, and for alternatively inwardly decompressing the at least first expandable force ring for permitting such axial movement; and print die mounting magnets fixedly attached to the roll's outer circumferential surface for attaching the print die to the roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Bunting Magnetics Co.
    Inventor: George Pantchev
  • Method of and system for cleaning off ink in flexographic printing machine
    Patent number: 8915186
    Abstract: It is an object is to improve the cleaning effect, to reduce the cleaning time, and to reduce the consumption of cleaning water during cleaning of an inside of an ink chamber of a flexographic printing machine. For cleaning an ink chamber 20, purge air “a” is supplied from pipes 46a-b to the ink chamber 20, and an ink “f” is collected from an ink supply pipe 26 and an ink recovery pipe 36 to an ink can 30. Subsequently, cleaning water “w” is supplied from the pipes 46a-b to the ink chamber 20, as well as defining a cleaning water circulatory passage 44 constructed from a three-way valve 24, an ink supply port 22, the ink chamber 20, excessive ink recovery ports 32, the ink recovery pipe 36, and a connecting pipe 40 for circulating cleaning water “w” through the circulatory passage 44 to clean inside the ink chamber 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Printing & Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Nadachi, Osamu Hatano
  • Sheet supply device and medium processing device
    Patent number: 8913947
    Abstract: A sheet supply device that is addable to a medium processing device includes a storage part storing a medium and a controller. The controller performs a first operation in which the medium is supplied from the storage part of the sheet supply device, and a second operation in which another medium supplied from an upstream side of a medium path is carried to a downstream side. When the second operation is performed, the controller operates the carrying part by transmitting a drive force to the carrying part via the transmission mechanism without operating the carrying transmission member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventors: Naoya Tonooka, Makoto Kitamura
  • Adhesive tape cutting apparatus
    Patent number: 8905663
    Abstract: The disclosure discloses an adhesive tape cutting apparatus. The apparatus includes a feeding roller configured to feed an adhesive tape, a guide plate configured to contact and guide a surface of the other side end of the adhesive tape, a movable blade configured to advance from the adhesive layer and cut the adhesive tape, disposed below the guide plate so that a blade edge of the movable plate vertically faces the guide plate, a travel mechanism for causing the movable blade to travel along the tape width direction along the guide plate, and a movable blade support device configured to support the movable blade with respect to the travel mechanism in the manner that the movable blade slopes so that the blade edge presses the adhesive tape to the guide plate in the travel direction along the tape width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsugi Tanaka
  • Reduction of print head temperature by disrupting air from heated webs of print media
    Patent number: 8899150
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for reducing the temperature of print heads of a printer in a multi-printer environment. The system comprises a receiving printer operable to receive a web of print media heated by an upstream dryer. The system further comprises an airflow generator located immediately before the heated web enters the receiving printer, the airflow generator operable to project impinging air that deflects warm air proximate to the heated web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Casey E. Walker, Scott Johnson, Stuart J. Boland, William Edward Manchester, David M Price
  • Ghost-free inking methods, apparatus, and systems with reduced fountain solution contamination
    Patent number: 8893616
    Abstract: A digital offset inking system includes an ink supply, a soft transfer roll, and a hard form roll. A cleaning blade cleaning ink and fountain solution from the surface of the hard form roll that is leftover after transferring ink to a digital imaging member. A fountain solution removal system processes the ink to remove the fountain solution from the ink. The processes ink is resupplied to the inking system for transfer to the digital imaging member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Chu-heng Liu
  • Method for cleaning inking units in offset printing presses
    Patent number: 8887635
    Abstract: An offset printing press and a method for cleaning inking units in offset printing presses include emptying and subsequently refilling ink fountains of individual inking units of the printing units with ink sequentially one after the other. Immediately after the emptying of a first ink fountain, a washing operation for an associated inking unit is started even before remaining ink fountains have been emptied. After a respective further one of the remaining ink fountains has been emptied, the washing operation for a respective further inking unit is started and refilling of the first ink fountain is started while washing operations for one or more of the further inking units are still running.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Stephan Ehrhardt, Bernd Maier
  • Image processing device and sheet feeding mechanism
    Patent number: 8882373
    Abstract: Factory adjustment and repairs are simplified while assuring the accuracy of a multifeed prevention function. A main unit has a conveyance path that conveys sheets, and a processing unit that applies a specific process to the sheets conveyed through the conveyance path, and a multifeed detection unit is removably disposed to the main unit. The multifeed detection unit has a sheet-passing unit disposed contiguously to the conveyance path, an ultrasonic transmitter disposed facing the sheet-passing unit, and an ultrasonic receiver disposed opposite the ultrasonic transmitter with the sheet-passing unit therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuhiro Inoue
  • Printing device and method for detecting paper width direction edge position
    Patent number: 8881653
    Abstract: A printing device includes a head unit having a print head and a sensor that detects a presence or an absence of a sheet, a drive unit that causes the head unit to move to a width direction orthogonal to a feeding direction of the sheet, and a control unit controlling a position of the print head to the sheet based on a detection result of the sensor, wherein the control unit executes a first control that obtains the detection result of the sensor whenever the head unit moves only a first interval to a specific direction from a reference position and a second control that, when a change from the presence to the absence of the sheet is detected by the sensor during the first control, obtains the detection result of the sensor whenever the head unit moves only a second interval that is shorter than the first interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Junichi Yamauchi
  • Sheet guiding device and sheet brake, diecutter and printing press having the device
    Patent number: 8863662
    Abstract: A device for guiding sheets in a sheet-fed rotary printing press or diecutter includes a sheet-guiding plate with openings and a cover plate disposed parallel thereto and being displaceable by an applied operating pressure. A flexible intermediate layer disposed between the sheet-guiding plate and the cover plate has passages with a cross section which is variable by the operating pressure. A sheet brake, a diecutter and a printing press having the sheet guiding device are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Burkhard Wolf, Andreas Müller, Simon Klingler
  • Media advance
    Patent number: 8864393
    Abstract: Calibrating a media drive, comprising advancing media with a media drive while detecting media advances within the printer, determining an error in the media advances, and calibrating the media drive so as to at least partly compensate for the determined error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Raimon Castells, Francisco Guerrero, Abel Martinez, Carles Flotats