Patents Examined by Bradley W Thies
  • Patent number: 11273644
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge head including a channel unit that includes plates stacked on top of each other in a first direction and is formed having individual channels, a first common channel, and a second common channel. The first and second common channels communicate with the individual channels. Each individual channel includes a nozzle, a pressure chamber, a descender, a first throttle channel, and a second throttle channel. The plates include a nozzle plate, a pressure chamber plate, and a first plate formed having a first through hole that constitutes part of the descender. A center portion of the nozzle is positioned at a side opposite to the second throttle channel in the second direction with respect to a center portion of the descender.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Katayama, Taisuke Mizuno, Jiro Yamamoto, Shotaro Kanzaki, Keita Sugiura
  • Patent number: 11267259
    Abstract: In an example, a method of curing images on a substrate comprises identifying the substrate, determining a deformation temperature of the substrate based on the identifying, calculating a parameter for curing images on the substrate based on the deformation temperature and a thickness of the substrate using a fuzzy logic algorithm, and causing a printing apparatus to cure the images on the substrate based on the parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michel Georges Encrenaz, Pablo Vidal Alvarez, Joaquim Bea Bonet
  • Patent number: 11267258
    Abstract: Techniques for operating a printer are provided. In an example, the printer can include a print head a cure light and a controller. The controller can be configured to move the print head relative to a print media to print a given image, to move the cure light relative to the print media at a cure speed in response to the cure light passing over a printed portion of the given image to cure the ink of the given image, and to move the cure light at an index speed in response to the cure light passing over a non-printed portion of the given image, wherein the index speed is greater than the cure speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: ASSA ABLOY AB
    Inventors: Brent D. Lien, Tanya Jergeris Snyder, Evan Pastor
  • Patent number: 11260677
    Abstract: A heating device includes a support member including a support face, a first heating unit heating the support face, a second heating unit heating the support face, and a control unit independently controlling an output of the first heating unit and an output of the second heating unit. A second heated region is positioned adjacent to a first heated region. The first heating unit and the second heating unit are arranged, in order, from a center, in the width direction, of the support face toward an end thereof. A second detection unit detecting a temperature of the support face is provided in the second heated region, at a location further to an opposite side from the first heating unit than a center, in the width direction, of the second heated region. The control unit controls an output of the second heating unit based on detection of the second detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tomohiro Yoda
  • Patent number: 11260666
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head comprises a plurality of ejection orifices for ejecting liquid, a liquid supply flow path for supplying liquid to the plurality of ejection orifices and a plurality of branch flow paths branched from the liquid supply flow path each being held in communication with corresponding one of the plurality of ejection orifices. The plurality of ejection orifices form a first row and a second row each extending in parallel with each other. The first and second rows of ejection orifices are partially overlapping with each other as viewed in the direction orthogonal relative to the extending direction. The flow rate in the branch flow paths held in communication with the ejection orifices located in the overlapping part is made greater than the flow rate in the branch flow paths held in communication with the ejection orifices located in the non-overlapping part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masafumi Morisue
  • Patent number: 11247469
    Abstract: The second width is smaller than the first width and the fourth width is larger than the third width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Inventors: Akinori Taniuchi, Masahiro Asami
  • Patent number: 11247493
    Abstract: A drying device includes a storage unit in which energy (e.g. thermal energy) may be stored during a charging phase. The stored energy may be used at the beginning of a subsequent printing phase to warm a drying medium (e.g. air) to dry a recording medium that has been printed to. The maximum required connected electrical load of the drying device is advantageously and efficiently reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Production Printing Holding B.V.
    Inventor: Stefan Scherdel
  • Patent number: 11247494
    Abstract: A medium support portion including a support face that supports a medium, a heater configured to heat a surface of the medium remotely from the support face, an airflow supply unit configured to supply airflow, along the surface of the medium, to a region between the medium and the heater, a plurality of heater support portions that support the heater, and at least one first temperature detection unit located remotely from the support face and configured to detect a spatial temperature in the region that is in contact with the surface of the medium are provided, in which the at least one first temperature detection unit is disposed between two mutually adjacent heater support portions among the plurality of heater support portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Jun Ushiama
  • Patent number: 11248843
    Abstract: In example implementations, a printing device is provided. The printing device includes a printer module, a plurality of dryer modules, and a side exit unit. The printer module is to print on a continuous web of print media. The plurality of dryer modules is located downstream from the printer module. The continuous web of print media is fed in a wrap-around direction from an outermost dryer module to a center dryer module. The side exit unit is coupled to the center dryer module to redirect the continuous web of print media along an outer side of the plurality of dryer modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Ronald R. Anderson, Heather Stokes, Robert K. Saathoff
  • Patent number: 11241893
    Abstract: A heating device includes a first member having a first sheet holding face, and a second member having a second sheet holding face and disposed facing the first sheet holding face of the first member. The first and second sheet holding faces are configured to hold a sheet between the first and second sheet holding faces. The sheet has a resin surface on at least one face of the sheet. The heating device is configured to heat the sheet while the first and second sheet holding faces hold the sheet on which liquid is applied. At least one of the first and second sheet holding faces is configured to contact the resin surface of the sheet. The at least one of the first and second sheet holding faces has an uneven surface with a plurality of convex or concave portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Takeshi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11241892
    Abstract: A medium processing apparatus includes a third support surface configured to support a medium downstream from a recording unit in a transport direction, the transport direction being a direction in which the medium to be printed by the recording unit putting a liquid on the medium is transported, a heating unit facing the third support surface and including a heating element configured to heat the medium supported by the third support surface, a first outlet opening toward the support surface, and a blower configured to blow out gas from the first outlet, wherein the first outlet is located closer to the recording unit than the heating unit is located, and is configured such that the gas blown out from the first outlet is directed along the third support surface and is directed away from the recording unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akina Tsuji, Tomohiro Yoda
  • Patent number: 11235580
    Abstract: There is provided a tank including a liquid inlet port, an atmosphere open port, a liquid outflow port, a first liquid chamber having a first atmosphere communication channel, a second liquid chamber being in communication with the first liquid chamber and having a second atmosphere communication channel, and a liquid channel. The liquid inside the liquid channel is movable along with a liquid consumption of a liquid consuming device connected to the tank. With the tank in a usage posture, when the liquid is stored in the first liquid chamber and the second liquid chamber, the liquid level of the liquid stored in the first liquid chamber is formed independently from the liquid level of the liquid stored in the second liquid chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Hayashi, Masako Kawagoe, Taichi Shirono, Yoshinori Osakabe, Seiji Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11235579
    Abstract: A system includes: a housing; a cover that is supported by the housing to be movable between a covering position and an opened position; a tank; a reservoir; and a liquid discharging head that is disposed inside the housing and discharges liquid supplied from the tank, wherein the reservoir includes a liquid passage hole; the tank includes a passage tube that extends upward from the tank and is connectable to the liquid passage hole of the reservoir, the cover includes: a first wall that is positioned above the housing at the covering position, and a second wall that extends downward from an edge of the first wall, and when the cover is positioned at the covering position and the reservoir is connected to the tank, an upper end of the reservoir is positioned above a lower end of the second wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kosuke Nukui, Hiroaki Takahashi, Akihito Ono, Takahiro Miyao, Akinari Ishibe
  • Patent number: 11230102
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a nozzle plate, a channel plate, a common channel substrate, and a wall member. The nozzle plate includes a plurality of nozzles configured to discharge liquid. The channel plate includes a plurality of pressure chambers communicated with the nozzles, respectively. The common channel substrate includes a common channel communicated with the pressure chambers. The wall member includes a deformable region in a part of a wall surface of the common channel. The channel plate and the common channel substrate are disposed with the wall member interposed between the channel plate and the common channel substrate. The channel plate includes an air chamber facing the deformable region. The channel plate includes a bridge portion partially dividing the air chamber in a nozzle arrangement direction in which the nozzles are arranged. The bridge portion is not in contact with the wall member and the nozzle plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Takayuki Nakai, Shiomi Andoh
  • Patent number: 11230120
    Abstract: Power allocation in printing devices is disclosed. Independent load requests are received from printing device heater systems including an independent load request is received from a printing device heater system of the printing device heater systems. A power allowance of an amount of a power output is allocated to the printing device heater system if a print substance density is outside a print substance density threshold and the independent load request is outside a load threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Duane A Koehler, Robert Yraceburu, Daniel James Magnusson
  • Patent number: 11220110
    Abstract: A recording apparatus comprising a container to store a sheet of recording medium; a conveyer configured to convey the recording medium in the container; a main tank receiving portion configured to receive a main tank for storing liquid; a sub tank configured to store liquid supplied from the main tank; and a recording head including an ejection surface where ejection openings for ejecting liquid supplied from the sub tank are formed. Each of three projected areas which are an area of the main tank receiving portion, an area of the sub tank, and an area of the recording head, each projected to a virtual plane parallel to a surface of the recording medium contained in the container from a first direction orthogonal to the virtual plane, at least partially overlaps a container projected area which is an area of the container projected to the virtual plane from the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenichi Hirata, Motohiro Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 11214063
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge head including: first and second common channels extending in a first direction; and a plurality of individual channels each including: a supplying part, a descender part, and a returning part. The returning part includes: a throttle part and a wide part. Each of a plurality of nozzles is located at a position at which each of the plurality of nozzles overlaps with the wide part in a second direction. At a throttle-starting position which is a boundary between the throttle part and the wide part, a length in the second direction of the throttle part and a length in the second direction of the wide part are same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Katayama, Jiro Yamamoto, Keita Sugiura, Shotaro Kanzaki, Taisuke Mizuno
  • Patent number: 11207902
    Abstract: There is provided a printing apparatus including: a transport section that transports a medium in a first direction; a printing section that makes a liquid adhere to the medium transported by the transport section; a heating section provided downstream of the printing section in the first direction, in which the heating section includes a first heater that extends to a first range in a second direction intersecting the first direction and a second range positioned on one side in the second direction from the first range and heats the medium, and a second heater that extends to the first range and a third range positioned on the other side in the second direction from the first range, and heats the medium, and heats the medium by the first heater and the second heater when the printing section made the liquid adhere to the first range on the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Fujimori, Hironori Endo, Toshiyuki Suzuki, Toru Matsuyama, Ryo Hirabayashi, Nobuaki Ito
  • Patent number: 11207900
    Abstract: A recording device includes a medium placement unit on which a medium is fixedly placed, a recording head configured to discharge liquid toward the medium, a gantry including a discharging unit, the gantry being configured to move relative to the medium placement unit along a first axial direction, a heater provided at the medium placement unit, the heater being configured to heat the medium placed on the medium placement unit, and a control unit configured to control the heater. The control unit controls heating of the medium by the heater in accordance with a condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Eoson Corporation
    Inventors: Norihiro Masuda, Yoshitaka Shimada, Yutaka Nagashima
  • Patent number: 11203213
    Abstract: An inkjet printing device including a transporter that transports a print medium, a printer that discharges ink droplets onto the print medium and a heat roller that includes a peripheral surface with which the print medium comes into contact after printing is provided. The peripheral surface of the heat roller includes a paper contact region and a non-paper region. The device further includes a first heater for the paper region, a second heater for the non-paper region, a target temperature setter that provides a target temperature at the paper region side, and a sensor that measures the temperature at the paper region side. The target temperature and a sensor output are referenced when heating by the first heater is performed, to judge whether supplementary heating of the paper region by the second heater is necessary. If supplementary heating is necessary, the second heater is driven by a drive signal having an intensity that corresponds to a deficient heat amount equivalent value in the paper region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Inventor: Mitsuru Tanemoto