Patents Examined by John P Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 9855756
    Abstract: During attachment or detachment of an article to or from an attaching portion, a coded vibration pattern is generated by contact between the attaching portion and the article. Information about attachment or detachment of an article is acquired by detection of a vibration pattern using a vibration sensor and analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideyuki Ueki
  • Patent number: 9855769
    Abstract: Curing apparatus, image forming apparatus and articles of manufacture are disclosed. An example curing apparatus includes a curing unit to heat an area adjacent a substrate travel path, the curing unit having a width less than a width of the substrate travel path, and a controller to reciprocate the curing unit within the substrate width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Francisco Javier Perez Gellida, Luis Fernando Martinez Nieto, Francisco Javier Rodriguez Escanuela
  • Patent number: 9851559
    Abstract: An optical scanning unit includes a rotatable multi-faceted mirror having a plurality of faces reflecting light flux emitted from a light source to scan a scanning area in a main scanning direction. A width of the light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is smaller than a length of a face of the rotatable multi-faceted mirror. The entire of light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is reflected at a first face when the light flux reflected by the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is directed to the center portion of the scanning area. A part of the light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is reflected at the first face while the remaining of the light flux is reflected at a second face when the light flux reflected by the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is directed to a least one of the two end portions of the scanning area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Itami, Yoshinori Hayashi, Naoki Miyatake, Yukihisa Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 9850391
    Abstract: Provided is an ink including: copolymer including at least one of structural unit of formula (1) and structural unit of formula (2); pigment having acid value of ?15 ?mol/g and represented by formula (3); water; and water-soluble organic solvent. In formula (1), R1 represents hydrogen or methyl group. L1 represents alkylene group including 2-18 carbon atoms. In formula (2), R1 represents hydrogen or methyl group. L2 represents single bond or —(CH2)n-O— of which oxygen is bound with biphenyl. n represents integer of 2 through 18. In formula (3), R1 represents any one of hydrogen, halogen, alkyl group including 1-4 carbon atoms, alkoxy group including 1-4 carbon atoms, hydroxy, nitro, and alkyl substituted or unsubstituted amino group including 1-4 carbon atoms. n represents integer of 1 through 5. When n is a plural number, R1 may be identical or different. R2, R3, and R4 represent alkyl group including 1-4 carbon atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Fukuoka, Shigeyuki Harada, Yoshiki Yanagawa, Takuya Yamazaki, Kazukiyo Nagai, Yuusuke Koizuka, Tomoyuki Shimada, Akiyoshi Sabu, Akihiko Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 9847792
    Abstract: A communication apparatus includes a serializer configured to convert parallel data into serial data and output the serial data; and a deserializer configured to convert the serial data output from the serializer into parallel data and output the parallel data. The serializer is configured to add first data used for detecting unique data in the parallel data before the unique data, add second data used for detecting the unique data after the unique data, and add third data whose length is variable to each of the first data and the second data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miyadera, Satoshi Ohmiya, Tatsuo Ohyama, Masahiko Oikawa, Yuichiro Shukuya, Makoto Higashiyama, Yasuhiro Abe
  • Patent number: 9840082
    Abstract: To provide an ink cartridge capable of accomplishing satisfactory electrical connection relative to a printer main assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tatsuo Nanjo, Yasuo Kotaki, Kenta Udagawa, Hiroshi Koshikawa, Wataru Takahashi, Koichi Kubo, Shigeki Fukui, Naozumi Nabeshima, Soji Kondo, Masafumi Seki, Kazuya Yoshii, Satoshi Kimura, Kyosuke Toda
  • Patent number: 9827793
    Abstract: A synchronous single/double-sided digital inkjet printer comprises a rack, feeding rollers (2, 23), take-up rollers (3, 22), two groups of inkjet printing carriages (9, 16) and driving rollers (5, 20). The two groups of inkjet printing carriages (9, 16) respectively make reciprocating motion on the two groups of track beams (10, 15) mounted on the rack, and are provided with print heads (8, 17). The lower parts of the two groups of inkjet printing carriages (9, 16) are provided with inkjet printing platforms (7, 19) mounted on the rack, and the lower parts of the two inkjet printing carriages (9, 16) are provided with the driving rollers (5, 20). The two driving rollers (5, 20) are driven to rotate in the opposite direction respectively by two independent driving devices mounted on the rack. A printing material winding method is applied to the inkjet printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Inventor: Jian Liang
  • Patent number: 9827780
    Abstract: A color discriminating apparatus reads a plurality of colored dots placed on computer readable media. The plurality of colored dots represents encoded data that has a plurality of non-binary digits where each non-binary digit has at least three possible digit values. Each non-binary digit is represented by a single colored dot from the plurality of colored dots, and each possible digit value is represented by a different color so that a color of each colored dot indicates a digital value represented by the colored dot. The color discriminating apparatus detects a color of each colored dot in the plurality of colored dots. A module correlates the color of each colored dot in the plurality of colored dots detected by the color discriminating apparatus to recover an original digital value represented by each colored dot in the plurality of colored dots and to recover the encoded data that is represented by the plurality of non-binary digits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Inventor: Hao-Jan Chang
  • Patent number: 9824784
    Abstract: To provide a protection barrier, which includes an inlet from which laser light emitted from a laser device enters; an outlet from which the laser light is output towards an irradiation target; and a unit configured to prevent a leakage, where the unit is configured to reduce an intensity of the laser light leaked from the protection barrier, wherein the protection barrier is configured to surround a light path of the laser light emitted from the laser device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Kazutaka Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9822270
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides binary ink sets and related methods. In one example, a binary ink set for printing a non-Newtonian inkjet image can comprise a gelator inkjet ink comprising a gelator in an amount ranging from 0.1% to 10% by weight based on the total weight of the gelator ink and an organic solvent; and a colorant inkjet ink comprising a colorant and an organic solvent. The gelator inkjet ink and the colorant inkjet ink can be configured to form a structured network upon printing where the non-Newtonian inkjet ink has a first dynamic viscosity ranging from 25 cps to 10,000 cps at a first state and a second dynamic viscosity ranging from 1 cps to 50 cps at a second state, measured at 25° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Raymond Adamic, Vladek Kasperchik
  • Patent number: 9815301
    Abstract: An inkjet printer includes: a printing unit including an inkjet head and configured to eject an ink from the inkjet head while conveying a sheet in a conveying direction along a printing route to perform printing on the sheet; and a downstream side conveyor arranged downstream of the printing unit in the conveying direction and including a guide defining a downstream conveyance route being a space for the sheet to be conveyed. The downstream side conveyor is configured to convey the sheet along the downstream conveyance route. The downstream side conveyor includes an adjustment member narrowing a flow passage of air in the downstream conveyance route. The guide includes communication holes communicating the downstream conveyance route with a space outside the printing route and outside the downstream conveyance route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshihide Maesaka
  • Patent number: 9802426
    Abstract: A platen includes: a plurality of supporting portions capable of supporting a sheet; negative pressure chambers, to which a negative pressure is supplied, so as to suck a sheet facing the supporting portions to the supporting portions; and ink receiver and that receive ink ejected from a printhead to the outside of the sheet supported by the supporting portions. The plurality of supporting portions are arranged in a sheet width direction (i.e., an X direction) transverse a sheet conveyance direction. The plurality of negative pressure chambers are disposed in a manner corresponding to the plurality of supporting portions, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahide Onuma, Tetsuji Kurata, Seiji Ogasawara, Masakazu Tsukuda, Yasunori Saito
  • Patent number: 9789718
    Abstract: When performing printing for every M columns, a print buffer stores printing data by dividing the data into M groups. When data is multilevel data or when performing no column thinning printing, the print buffer stores the data without dividing it. When data to be stored in the print buffer is binary data and printing is to be performed for every M columns, printing data is stored as it is divided into M groups, and these data groups are read out as they are switched for each scan of the printhead. When data to be stored in the print buffer is multilevel data or when performing no column thinning printing, data is read out without switching readout regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hisanori Inayoshi
  • Patent number: 9794448
    Abstract: This invention refers to a data encoding system, a software basis, a data recording medium, a data read/write system, and methods and apparatus to make them thereof, all of which are based on a Multiple Codes System of more than two colors dots. The Multiple Codes system of more than two colors dots comprises more than two distinct colors as multiple codes for directly representing bits of bytes of data encoded by the system. The visible multiple colors may comprise bytes of data written in a software language for being read by an operating system or a program. The system also includes a bit/byte system with a format and rules of using a group of specific number of bits per byte including 8 bit/byte, 16 bit/byte, 32 bit/byte, 64 bit/byte, 128 bit/byte . . . or other higher numbers of bit/byte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Inventor: Hao-Jan Chang
  • Patent number: 9783694
    Abstract: An image recording method including an ink application step of applying an ink containing a coloring material, an anionic water-soluble resin, resin particles and an inclusion compound to a recording medium; and a first liquid composition application step of applying a first liquid composition containing at least one of an organic acid and a polyvalent metal ion to the recording medium so as to at least partly overlap with an area where the ink is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akiko Tominaga, Takashi Imai
  • Patent number: 9782987
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit having at least two nozzle lines each having multiple nozzles to discharge different color droplets; a carriage that carries the image forming unit and is configured to reciprocate in the moving direction crossing an arrangement direction of the nozzles; and a control device to control dual-directional printing to form an image using the at least two nozzle lines in an outward and a return of the carriage. The control device executes color difference handling print control for discharging the different color droplets by using, of each of the nozzles in the at least two nozzle lines, the nozzles located at different positions in the arrangement direction of the nozzles while not overlapping in the moving direction of the carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Yasunobu Takagi
  • Patent number: 9782968
    Abstract: A droplet discharging apparatus includes a recording head that includes pressure chambers, piezoelectric elements, and an in-head reservoir, provided near the pressure chambers; a liquid circulation unit that includes a liquid reservoir and circulates liquid between the in-head reservoir and the liquid reservoir; a drive waveform generation unit that generates a drive waveform that drives each of the piezoelectric elements; a remaining oscillation detection unit that detects remaining oscillation generated in at least one of the pressure chambers after driving the respective piezoelectric element; a status determining unit that determines a sedimentation status of a component in liquid in the in-head reservoir based on the detected remaining oscillation; and a control unit that controls a liquid circulation operation of the liquid circulation unit in order to dissolve the sedimentation status of the component in the liquid in the in-head reservoir based on the determined sedimentation status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsuhiro Tobita
  • Patent number: 9770924
    Abstract: A printing unit in a sheet-fed printing machine includes a printing cylinder, an upstream transfer cylinder and a downstream transfer cylinder. The transfer cylinders each include a device for decelerating/accelerating a sheet. The device, in particular, includes at least one gripper bar being movable in a substantially radial direction to change the tangential speed of the gripper bar and thus of the sheet. A printing unit of this construction allows the sheets to be transported at a lower speed and at a shorter distance from one another during the printing process, resulting in a better print quality and a higher throughput of the machine. A sheet-fed printing machine including such a printing unit is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Stefan Mutschall
  • Patent number: 9770928
    Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided and includes cover members for covering at least a portion of a conveyance path for conveying a medium. The cover members are configured such that at least a portion of a part covering a conveyance path is able to expand and contract. Therefore, if necessary, it is possible to expand or contract the area of the cover members covering the conveyance path. On the occasion of setting the medium or when a jam has occurred, it is possible to contract the cover members in the conveyance direction of the medium. Also, even if the cover members move once from the state where they cover the conveyance path, it is possible to easily return the cover members to their original positions, and it is possible to easily return the cover members to the state where they cover a portion of the conveyance path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuta Harayama, Shunsuke Akuta, Katsutoshi Yamabe, Tomonori Amari, Eiji Miyashita
  • Patent number: 9764564
    Abstract: A system and methods for printing and curing ink deposited on a substrate using a first light source and a second light source. In various embodiments, the first light source emits one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation subtype C (UVC), and the second light source emits one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation subtype A (UVA), subtype B (UVB), subtype V (UVV), or a combination thereof. The substrate is configured such that any ink deposited on the substrate by a printer head is predominantly exposed to the first light source prior to the second light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING, INC.
    Inventors: Dan-Cristian Grigore, Paul Andrew Edwards, Steven Billow