Patents Examined by Jason Uhlenhake
  • Printing system
    Patent number: 8827407
    Abstract: A printing system includes: a printing unit; a post-processing unit for performing predetermined post-processing on printed printing paper sheets ejected from the printing unit; a priority setting section, in which a priority of removal of a cause of suspension among the units when operations of each unit are suspended due to a predetermined cause is set in advance; and an informing section for informing the user to remove the cause of suspension according to the priority set in the priority setting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventor: Hideaki Ogawa
  • Method and drive circuit for driving piezoelectric element, and liquid-droplet ejection head
    Patent number: 8807680
    Abstract: A method for driving a piezoelectric element of a head, including: a step of increasing a voltage of a power source to a reference voltage level; and a step of charging one electrode of two electrodes interposing the piezoelectric element to the reference voltage level by repeating source-connections and source-disconnections between the power source and the one electrode while keeping the voltage of the power source at the reference voltage level, such that a ratio of a connection time of each of at least one of second and subsequent connections of the source-connections to a disconnection time of a corresponding source-disconnection continued from each of the at least one of the second and subsequent connections is greater than a ratio of a connection time of a first connection of the source-connections to a disconnection time of a source-disconnection continued from the first connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Izumi Takagi
  • Print head alignment mechanism
    Patent number: 8807691
    Abstract: A printing system is disclosed. The printing system includes a print engine including two or more print heads to generate an alignment chart and an alignment system. The alignment system receives the alignment chart and computes a magnitude of misalignment between the print heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Production Print Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Kartheek Chandu, Mikel J. Stanich, Larry M. Ernst, Sreenath Rao Vantaram, Chai Wah Wu
  • Printing device
    Patent number: 8801125
    Abstract: A printing device includes a discharge head, an irradiation unit and a controller. The discharge head is configured and arranged to discharge droplets of a liquid curable by active rays onto a substrate while the discharge head and the substrate move relative to each other. The irradiation unit is configured and arranged to radiate the active rays to the droplets on the substrate. The irradiation unit is provided behind the discharge head with respect to a direction of a relative movement. The controller is configured to turn off the irradiation unit when a predetermined time has elapsed since start of lighting of the irradiation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Akiyama
  • Printer and printer control method
    Patent number: 8783820
    Abstract: A printer is provided to improve the conveying accuracy of a Y-bar, thus improving printed image quality. The printer includes the Y-bar that extends in a first direction above a flatbed on which a medium is mounted, holds an ink droplet ejecting head unit so that the head unit is movable in the first direction, and is held so as to be movable with respect to the flatbed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The printer includes a drive mechanism that conveys the Y-bar in the second direction, a drive control device that carries out a drive control of the drive mechanism, and a measuring device that directly measures an amount of movement of the Y-bar with respect to the flatbed. The drive control device corrects controlled variables of the drive mechanism based on the amount of movement of the Y-bar measured by the measuring device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Itoh, Tadashi Kishida, Yoshito Yamaguchi, Hideto Tanaka
  • Methods and apparatus for reusing and recycling pre-printed media
    Patent number: 8783803
    Abstract: A method for printing on a print medium, where the method comprises receiving, into a printing apparatus, a print medium containing preprinted information located on a first portion of the print medium. The method further comprises the printing apparatus printing information on a second portion of the print medium, wherein the second portion is different from the first portion. The method also comprises the printing apparatus marking an indication on the print medium at or near the first portion of the print medium, wherein the indication identifies the preprinted information located on the first portion of the print medium as being distinct from the information located on the second portion of the print medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventor: Gordon R. Clark
  • Printer
    Patent number: 8783815
    Abstract: A printer includes a pair of registration rollers for feeding a print sheet to a print unit, a first sheet supply unit including a first feed roller that operates, by rotating in synchronization with the pair of registration rollers, an assistant operation to assist sheet-feeding by the pair of registration rollers, a second sheet supply unit including a second feed roller, a drive unit that selectively drives the first and second feed rollers, and a controller that controls the drive unit. When changing over a sheet supply source from the first sheet supply unit to the second sheet supply unit in the assistant operation, the controller finishes the assistant operation before a trailing edge of a print sheet currently fed has passed through the first feed roller by stopping the drive unit. According to the printer, reduction of print productivity can be restricted while reducing noises and feed failures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Hara, Hitoshi Arai
  • Bronzing index value calculation method, bronzing index value calculation device, and printing device
    Patent number: 8777345
    Abstract: Calculating a difference between a hue angle of a colorimetric value of a printed object with respect to diffuse reflection and the hue angle of a colorimetric value of the printed object with respect to specular reflection, calculating the difference between a standard chroma with respect to an observational light source and the chroma of the colorimetric value of the printed object with respect to specular reflection under the observational light source, and calculating a bronzing index value on the basis of a value obtained by multiplying the calculated difference of the hue angles by the calculated difference of the chromas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Tanaka
  • Inkjet recording apparatus and image forming method
    Patent number: 8764153
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes: an inkjet head having nozzles which eject ink onto a recording medium, the ink being curable by irradiation of an active light beam; a relative movement device recording medium; an active light beam irradiation device having an active light beam emission unit that emits the active light beam and is divided into units in a direction of the relative movement for irradiating the ink deposited on the recording medium with the active light beam while relative movement between the recording medium and the active light beam irradiation device is caused along with the inkjet head; and an active light beam irradiation control device which controls on or off switching with respect to each of the divided units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuo Sanada
  • Liquid ejection device, inspection method, and program
    Patent number: 8757748
    Abstract: A liquid ejection device comprising a plurality of ejection parts for ejecting liquid in cavities, an inspection part for inspecting the ejection parts. The ejection parts are classified into a plurality of ranks according to the characteristics of individual ejection parts. The inspection part performs inspection in accordance with a determination reference corresponding to the ranks. The inspection is performed consecutively on those among the plurality of ejection parts that are classified in the same rank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Suzuki, Osamu Shinkawa
  • Ink for ink jet recording and recording method
    Patent number: 8757784
    Abstract: Ink for ink jet recording includes a coloring material and alkylpolyols, wherein the alkylpolyols include two or more types of first alkylpolyols having a log P value of greater than or equal to ?0.7 and less than or equal to 0.01, and a normal boiling point of greater than or equal to 180° C. and lower than or equal to 250° C., and the content of the alkylpolyols is greater than or equal to 5% by mass and less than or equal to 30% by mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Aoyama, Hidehiko Komatsu, Hitoshi Ohta, Takeshi Yano
  • Ink composition, ink set and inkjet recording method
    Patent number: 8752949
    Abstract: An ink composition includes: a pigment; water; a polymerizable monomer that is capable of being polymerized by an active energy ray; and an initiator that is capable of initiating polymerization of the polymerizable monomer by the active energy ray, wherein a number of particles contained in the ink composition having a particle diameter of 0.8 ?m or more is 20,000 particles/?l or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Misato Sasada, Kiyoshi Irita, Yasufumi Ooishi
  • Printing device and printing method
    Patent number: 8746823
    Abstract: To reduce the tendency of glossiness to vary according to the ink ejection quantity, a printing device includes a color ink head for ejecting color ink to a medium, a clear ink head for ejecting transparent clear ink to the medium, and a controller for controlling ejection of the clear ink so that the clear ink is ejected to a region in which an ejection quantity of the color ink per unit area of the medium is less than a predetermined quantity, and the clear ink is not ejected to a region in which the ejection quantity of the color ink per unit area of the medium is greater than the predetermined quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takamitsu Kondo, Toru Takahashi, Hiroshi Wada, Toshio Tanaka
  • Liquid jet head and liquid jet apparatus
    Patent number: 8746833
    Abstract: A liquid jet head has a head chip including channels and nozzle holes communicating with respective ones of the channels. The channels have sidewalls each provided with a drive electrode. A temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature of a liquid in the channels. A drive voltage value setting device is electrically connected to the temperature sensor for determining a magnitude of a drive voltage based on the temperature of the liquid detected by the temperature sensor. A control device performs a control operation that applies a drive voltage of the magnitude determined by the drive voltage value setting device to the drive electrodes of the head chip so as to increase a pressure in each of the channels by deformation of the side walls to thereby discharge the liquid in the channels from the respective nozzle holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: SII Printek Inc.
    Inventors: Yukihiro Saga, Toshiaki Watanabe
  • Viscosity modulated dual feed continuous liquid ejector
    Patent number: 8740323
    Abstract: A continuous liquid ejector includes a structure including a wall. A portion of the wall defines a nozzle having a first fluidic resistance R1. A first liquid feed channel is in fluid communication with the nozzle. The first liquid feed channel has a second fluidic resistance R2. A first drop forming mechanism is associated with the first liquid feed channel. A second liquid feed channel is in fluid communication with the nozzle. The second liquid feed channel has a third fluidic resistance R3. The first fluidic resistance R1 is less than the second fluidic resistance R2 plus the third fluid resistance R3 (R1<(R2+R3)). A second drop forming mechanism associated with the second liquid feed channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Shelby F. Nelson, Andrew D. Thompson
  • Liquid ejecting method, liquid ejecting head, and liquid ejecting apparatus
    Patent number: 8740330
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejecting method, including: ejecting a liquid from a liquid ejecting head, wherein the viscosity of the liquid is in a range from 6 mPa·s to 20 mPa·s, wherein the liquid ejecting head includes: nozzles which eject the liquid; a pressure chamber which applies a pressure variation to the liquid in order to eject the liquid from the nozzles; and a supply unit which communicates with the pressure chamber and supplies the liquid to the pressure chamber, and wherein the opening area of the nozzles on the side in which the liquid is ejected is 1/10 or less of the opening area of the opening of the supply unit on the pressure chamber side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kinya Ozawa, Junhua Zhang
  • Printing device
    Patent number: 8740340
    Abstract: A printing device includes a camera position control mechanism is configured to control a position of a camera to switch between a first state, a second state, and a third state for photographing an alignment mark furnished on a substrate or a landing face for a liquid on a liquid landing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Umetsu, Yoshitake Kobayashi
  • Ink-jet recording apparatus
    Patent number: 8733870
    Abstract: There is provided an ink jet recording apparatus including an ink jet head; a scanning mechanism for scanning the ink-jet head; a transport mechanism including nip sections for nipping a recording medium; and a controller including a pattern forming mechanism, which controls the ink jet head to form a pattern including a mark for detecting a deviation between a landing position in a forward scanning and a landing position in a backward scanning; wherein the pattern forming mechanism controls the ink jet head to form a part of the mark on the recording medium in one of an area which overlaps in the transport direction with one of the nip sections and areas which are placed at outside positions of the nip sections nipping the recording medium at outermost positions in the scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kohei Terada
  • Line image forming method and apparatus
    Patent number: 8733917
    Abstract: A line image forming method includes the steps of: ejecting a plurality of droplets of liquid sequentially from an inkjet head, the liquid containing a functional component; and depositing the droplets of the liquid onto a non-permeable medium, the deposited droplets becoming joined together on the non-permeable medium to form a line pattern of the liquid, wherein a receding contact angle of the liquid with respect to the non-permeable medium being not larger than 10°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Mataki
  • AlCu hard mask process
    Patent number: 8733871
    Abstract: A process for forming a metal interconnection in an integrated circuit includes forming a first metal layer and a second metal layer on the first metal layer. Photoresist is placed on the second metal layer and patterned to form a mask. The second metal layer is etched. The mask is then removed and the first metal layer is patterned with the second metal layer acting as mask for the first metal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics Pte Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin Hao Chia, Yong Peng Yeo, Wei Leong Lim, Shi Min Veronica Goh, Mei Yu Muk