Patents Examined by David Banh
  • Patent number: 9857753
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first conveying path, a second conveying path, a detector, a conveyance guide member and an interlock mechanism. The first conveying path communicates the second conveying path through which a sheet supplied from a supply part is conveyed. The detector detects whether or not the sheet is present in the first conveying path. The conveyance guide member composes the second conveying path and one end part thereof is pivotally supported so as to be able to open/close the second conveying path. The interlock mechanism interlocks the detector with the opening/closing operation of the conveyance guide member. The detector detects the opening/closing operation of the conveyance guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Hirahara, Tetsuro Kawashima
  • Patent number: 9849706
    Abstract: A device 300 for printing a succession of sheets, includes a platen press 310 for depositing colored or metalized film on each sheet by stamping between a stationary platen 320 and a movable platen 330. A heating element 340 brings a stamping tool integral with the stationary platen 320 to a given temperature for a stamping operation. The heating element 340 is displaced between an operating position between the stationary platen 320 and each stamping tool associated with that platen 320, and a maintenance position in which the heating element is outside the platen press 310.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: BOBST MEX SA
    Inventor: Julien Chretien
  • Patent number: 9841715
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet supplying portion, an intermediate tray, a discharge tray, a post-processing portion, a jam detecting portion, a discontinuation control portion, a dummy feed control portion, and a supplementary printing control portion. The dummy feed control portion, after the paper jam is solved, causes an image forming portion to execute a dummy feed process in which sheets as many as a predetermined dummy feed number are conveyed from the sheet supplying portion to the intermediate tray, without formation of images on the sheets. The supplementary printing control portion cause the image forming portion to execute a supplementary printing process in which images are formed on one or more sheets, the images being images of remaining pages that are obtained by excluding pages corresponding to the dummy feed number of sheets starting from a beginning page, from all pages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Masayuki Miyake
  • Patent number: 9838554
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a document feed section; a document reading section; a discharged document sensor detecting the discharged document already read by the document reading section; an image storage section storing a document image obtained through the reading by the document reading section; an image formation section performing an image formation operation in which a toner image of the document image is formed on paper; a fixing section performing fixing processing of heating and pressurizing the paper on which the image has been formed to fix the toner image on the paper; and a control section, upon judgment, with reference to a signal of the discharged document sensor before image formation of a predefined number of pages of document images stored in the image storage section, that the discharged document exists, stopping the image formation of the predefined number of pages of document images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Ayaka Ikeda, Akihiro Umenaga, Masaki Sanou, Satomi Murai
  • Patent number: 9827798
    Abstract: An assembly, system, and method for applying postage indicia to one or more mailpiece on a high speed mail sorter are disclosed. In some aspects, the assembly includes a diverter; a first and a second lane each including one or more zones, wherein the diverter is configured to alternately divert the one or more mailpiece to either the first or second lane; and one or more meter printers disposed on the first and second lane; wherein the one or more zones includes a first zone configured to decelerate the one or more mailpiece to printer speed, a second zone configured to transport the one or more mailpiece past the one or more meter printers at the printer speed, and a third zone configured to accelerate the one or more mailpiece to transport speed and merge the one or more mailpiece with mailpieces from each of the first and second lane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Fluence Automation LLC
    Inventors: Brian Bowers, Walter S. Conard
  • Patent number: 9821544
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an improved vehicle wheel rolling carving device, consisting of a left impressing system, a right impressing system, a lower synchronous clamping driving system, a left support system, a right support system, an upper synchronous clamping driving system and the like. The lower synchronous clamping driving system enables a vehicle wheel to rotate under the clamped state, the left support system moves towards the right, the right support system moves towards the left and thus left and right support rolls contact the rotating vehicle wheel; meanwhile, the upper synchronous clamping driving system enables two shafts II and two shafts III to clamp the wheel and apply auxiliary clamping forces to drive the vehicle wheel to rotate; and after the left and the right impressing system rise to different heights, impression carving can be performed on different positions of a back cavity of the vehicle wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Citic Dicastal Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Bowen Xue, Jiandong Guo
  • Patent number: 9804548
    Abstract: A medium carrying device includes a carrying part that carries a continuous print medium, a detection part that includes a light emitting part and a light receiving part arranged sandwiching a carrying path, and that detects the print medium carried on the carrying path according to a light amount that is received by the light receiving part, and a control part that controls operations of the carrying part and the detection part, wherein the control part sets a first emitted light amount of the emitted light of the light emitting part used in image formation to the print medium by performing a light amount measurement using the light emitting part and the light receiving part in a state where the print medium is carried to a first position, and sets a threshold light amount that is used in detecting a boundary position between the first region and the second region by the detection part through performing another light amount measurement by obtaining a receiving light amount of the light receiving part with t
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Kato, Kyosuke Nakazato
  • Patent number: 9789723
    Abstract: A mechanism that makes it possible to output a saddle-stitched brochure in a correct page order when a post-processing apparatus that executes a saddle-stitching process by switching back a sheet is caused to execute the saddle-stitching process. Sheets discharged from a printing apparatus are switched back by reverse rotation of a conveying roller pair, and are conveyed into a conveying path for a saddle-stitch bookbinding process. The sheets are accumulated in an accumulation tray for the saddle-stitch bookbinding process. When the saddle-stitch bookbinding process is caused to be executed on the accumulated sheets by the post-processing apparatus, the order of image formation is decided such that the order of pages of images printed on the saddle-stitched sheets becomes correct. The images are printed on the sheets in the decided order of image formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshiro Tachibana
  • Patent number: 9789680
    Abstract: A method of adjusting the print repeat length of a print image in a multicolor rotary printing machine, particularly a flexographic printing press, having a central impression cylinder, a first plate cylinder, and a second plate cylinder, including modifying the peripheral velocity of the first plate cylinder and the peripheral velocity of the second plate cylinder during printing operation, relative to the peripheral velocity of the central impression cylinder, and adjusting the longitudinal register of the first plate cylinder having the modified peripheral velocity and the longitudinal register of the second plate cylinder having the modified peripheral velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: WINDMOELLER & HOELSCHER KG
    Inventors: Mario Frankenberg, Rainer Ehrenberg, Frank Westhof, Uwe Hoewelmeyer
  • Patent number: 9764542
    Abstract: A method of flexographically printing a plurality of lines onto a substrate includes providing a flexo-master having a pattern of raised features including a plurality of lines. At least two of the lines intersect at a junction, wherein the junction includes one or more hollow voids. The flexo-master is used to apply ink onto the substrate forming a printed pattern including a printed junction corresponding to the junction on the flexo-master, wherein the printed junction has a different shape than the junction on the flexo-master.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK Company
    Inventors: Daniel K. VanOstrand, Kevin J. Derichs
  • Patent number: 9751296
    Abstract: There is described an ink wiping system (100) for an intaglio printing press comprising a wiping tank (101) and a rotatable wiping roller assembly (102) positioned on and partly located in the wiping tank (101) to wipe excess ink from the surface of a rotatable intaglio printing cylinder (80) of the intaglio printing press. The ink wiping system (100) comprises a supporting mechanism (200) coupled to the wiping roller assembly (102) and designed to move the wiping roller assembly (102) between a working position where the wiping roller assembly (102) is positioned on and partly located in the wiping tank (101) for cooperation with the intaglio printing cylinder (80) and a maintenance position where the wiping roller assembly (102) is moved out of the wiping tank (101) and away from the intaglio printing cylinder (80).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: KBA-NotaSys SA
    Inventors: Laurent Claude, Antoine Merminod
  • Patent number: 9753425
    Abstract: When a jam is detected in a post-processing device, a purge controller first makes a conveyance roller group and a reverse roller continue conveyance. The purge controller then sets the conveyance destination of a leading sheet that will first arrive at a branch point after the time of detection of the jam. When a first condition is satisfied the purge controller sets the conveyance destination to a reverse slot, and when a second condition is satisfied the purge controller sets the conveyance destination to an outlet path. The first condition is satisfied when no other sheet is present in the reverse slot at the time of detection of the jam, and the second condition is satisfied when another sheet is present in the reverse slot at the time of detection of the jam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Kazuhiko Kowase
  • Patent number: 9753415
    Abstract: An application voltage to a conveyance auxiliary roller is controlled to have a polarity opposite to a charged polarity of toner before a front end of a sheet makes contact with the conveyance auxiliary roller, and the application voltage to the conveyance auxiliary roller is switched to a ground voltage before a rear end of the sheet is separated from the conveyance auxiliary roller after being separated from a conveying belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Tomohisa Okura
  • Patent number: 9746875
    Abstract: A ticket production device that cuts continuous recording paper printed with information and produces a ticket includes a paper conveyance means that conveys the recording paper through a paper conveyance path; a printing means that prints information on the recording paper conveyed by the paper conveyance means; a paper cutting means that cuts the recording paper on which information was printed into a ticket of a specific length; a paper position detection means that detects the position of the recording paper waiting at a paper exit; and a control means that integrally controls these other means. When the paper position detection means detects the position of the recording paper changed, the control means operates the paper cutting means and produces a ticket based on the detection result from the paper position detection means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Gyotoku, Katsuyuki Endo
  • Patent number: 9738065
    Abstract: There is described an intaglio printing press (1; 1*) comprising a plate cylinder (8) carrying one or more intaglio printing plates, the plate cylinder (8) receiving ink from an inking system (9, 20, 23; 20*, 23*) having a plurality of chablon cylinders (23; 23*) transferring ink directly or indirectly onto the plate cylinder (8), the intaglio printing press (1; 1*) comprising an adjustment system acting on the chablon cylinders (23; 23*) in order to compensate elongation of the one or more intaglio printing plates. The adjustment system comprises, for each chablon cylinder (23; 23*), an adjustable drive unit, which adjustable drive unit (25) is interposed between the chablon cylinder (23; 23*) acting as a rotating output body of the adjustable drive unit (25) and a driving gear (100) acting as a rotating input body of the adjustable drive unit (25).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: KBA-NotaSys SA
    Inventors: Thomas Kersten, Johannes Georg Schaede, Alain Würsch, Volkmar Rolf Schwitzky, Volker Scharkus
  • Patent number: 9731533
    Abstract: A method of forming an image on a substrate by applying energy, involves a substrate in or on which there are at least two different color-change agents, i.e. a first color-change agent capable of giving rise to at least two different colors; and a second color-change agent capable of giving rise to at least one different color than achievable with the first color change agent. A preferred embodiment of the invention is a multi-layer laminate comprising, in order, a layer comprising the first agent, a barrier layer, and a layer comprising the second agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: DATALASE LTD.
    Inventors: Anthony N Jarvis, Christopher Anthony Wyres, William Green, Martin Robert Walker
  • Patent number: 9710203
    Abstract: An apparatus for defect detection in a printing system, comprising a sensor device for sensing a surface of a sheet and for generating data representing a height map of the sheet, and a processor device for processing the data from the sensor device, wherein the processor device is configured to analyze the height map to detect a presence of a deformation in the sheet. The processor device is further configured to, when a deformation is detected, to determine at least one property of the deformation, to classify the deformation with respect to a plurality of deformation classes by means of the at least one property of the deformation, and to determine a suitability of the sheet for printing based on the deformation class wherein the deformation has been classified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: OCE-TECHNOLOGIES B.V.
    Inventor: Catharinus Van Acquoij
  • Patent number: 9690247
    Abstract: Printers include (among other components) a sheet path transporting printable media and a printing engine positioned within the sheet path. The printing engine prints markings on the printable media. A first roller is positioned within the sheet path, and the first roller has a harder outer surface. A second roller is positioned parallel to the first roller within the sheet path. The second roller has a softer outer surface relative to the harder outer surface. The first roller and the second roller form a decurling nip decurling sheets that have exited the printing engine. The harder outer surface comprises stainless steel having a metal plasma coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Jason M. LeFevre, Santokh S. Badesha, David A. VanKouwenberg
  • Patent number: 9662874
    Abstract: After the end of a preceding print job, a printing press is stopped, and ink form rollers (6-1 to 6-4) of an ink roller group (6) are thrown off. After that, a printing plate (7) is exchanged with a printing plate (7?) of a next print job, and a blanket (91) mounted on a blanket cylinder (9) is cleaned. The opening amounts of ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) corresponding to the image of the printing plate (7?) of the next print job are obtained. The obtained opening amounts of the ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) are corrected by correction values of the opening amounts of the ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) considering the influence of cleaning of the blanket (91) to obtain corrected opening amounts. In a state in which the opening amounts of the ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) have been set to the corrected opening amounts, a corrected ink film thickness distribution corresponding to the image of the printing plate (7?) of the next print job is formed on the ink roller group (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: KOMORI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro Hirano, Yoshihito Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9665811
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a printing apparatus includes a conveying unit, a printing unit, a display unit, and a control unit. The conveying unit conveys a sheet. The printing unit prints an image on the sheet conveyed by the conveying unit. The display unit performs display for causing a user to select necessity of re-printing on the sheet on which the image is printed. The control unit controls, if the necessity of the re-printing of the sheet is selected, the conveying unit to back-feed the sheet and controls the printing unit to perform re-printing after the back-feed of the sheet is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takahiro Hamanaka