Patents Examined by Julian D. Huffman
  • Patent number: 11590779
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is configured to detect, from image data of a recording medium on which a plurality of marks are printed, positions of outer edges being edges closer to ends of the image data and positions of inner edges being inside edges not closer to the ends of the image data in both of a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction; identify, with respect to a target mark for which a reference position is to be detected and two marks adjacent to the target mark, first line segments connecting positions of inner edges and second line segments connecting positions of outer edges; and detect, as a reference position of the target mark, a midpoint of a line segment connecting an intersection of the two first line segments and an intersection of the two second line segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Noboru Hirano
  • Patent number: 11590765
    Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a transporting section configured to transport continuous paper in a transport direction, an ink jet head forming a nozzle array having a plurality of nozzles aligned in the transport direction, a cutting section configured to cut the continuous paper in an intersecting direction, and a controller configured to control the transporting section, the ink jet head, and the cutting section. The controller causes the ink jet head to form, on the continuous paper, a first image and a second image that are adjacent to one another in the transport direction, causes a nozzle among the nozzles aligned in the nozzle array to form a test pattern in a region between the first image and the second image, and causes the cutting section to cut the continuous paper to separate, from the continuous paper, the inter-image region in which the test pattern was formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Someno
  • Patent number: 11590785
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an imaging apparatus, a carriage, and a processing section. A sensor in the imaging apparatus has a plurality of pixels placed in a row direction and a column direction in the form of a matrix. The imaging apparatus is disposed in the carriage so that the row direction of the sensor and the direction in which the plurality of nozzles constituting each nozzle row are placed become parallel. The processing section causes ink to be discharged from a nozzle row to be adjusted to print a test pattern. By using a two-dimensional scale as a reference in detection of landing deviation, the processing section detects the landing deviation caused by the nozzle row to be adjusted, according to the imaged test pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Haruhisa Kurane
  • Patent number: 11584144
    Abstract: A conveyance apparatus includes a liquid discharge head unit, a conveyance rotator, and a plurality of detection devices. The liquid discharge head unit discharge liquid to an object conveyed in a conveyance direction. The conveyance rotator conveys the object. The plurality of detection devices output a detection result indicating a position of the object. The adjacent two of the plurality of detection devices are spaced at a prescribed distance. The prescribed distance is an integral multiple of a circumference of the conveyance rotator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsunobu Gohda, Tomoaki Hayashi, Masahiro Mizuno
  • Patent number: 11565527
    Abstract: In a printing apparatus configured to print an image by bidirectional multipass printing while using multiple print element rows that apply color material of the same color, a high-quality image suppressed in hue unevenness and density unevenness is printed. To this end, the printing apparatus forms first and second dot patterns on a print medium in an overlapping manner. In the first dot pattern, dot arrays in which first dot groups are arranged at an interval B1 are arranged in a nozzle arrangement direction while being shifted from each other by C1 in a scanning direction of a print head. In the second dot pattern, dot arrays in which the first dot groups are arranged at the interval B1 are arranged in a nozzle arrangement direction while being shifted from each other by C2 in the scanning direction of the print head. Here, values of C1 and C2 are different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirokazu Tanaka, Tsukasa Doi, Junichi Nakagawa, Mayuko Yamagata, Satoshi Seki
  • Patent number: 11560003
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit, a scanning unit configured to perform relative scanning by moving the recording unit and a recording medium relative to each other at least once with respect to a unit region on the recording medium, a recovery unit configured to perform a recovery operation for maintaining or recovering a recording performance of the recording unit for application of a recording material, and a control unit configured to control the recovery unit, wherein the control unit acquires recording mode information about recording of an image to be performed on a recording medium for (n+1)-th page (n being a natural number) and determines, based on the acquired recording mode information, whether to perform an inter-page recovery operation at timing after recording of an image on a recording medium for n-th page ends and before recording of an image on a recording medium for (n+1)-th page starts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshimitsu Danzuka, Masataka Kato, Hiroto Kango, Rie Takekoshi, Akihiro Tomida, Tomoki Yamamuro, Keita Ishimi, Kazuki Narumi, Taku Yokozawa, Kazuo Suzuki, Kazuhiko Sato
  • Patent number: 11554591
    Abstract: An object is to enable highly accurate density unevenness correction while suppressing a reduction in productivity of printing accompanying correction value calculation for density unevenness correction. In the image processing apparatus, density correction information that specifies an output tone value for implementing a target density for an input tone value for each nozzle and which does not include the influence by a non-ejectable nozzle that cannot eject ink normally is acquired. In a case where a non-ejectable nozzle is detected during printing processing, output tone values corresponding to the detected non-ejectable nozzle and peripheral nozzles thereof among output tone values specified in the density correction information are changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoya Takesue, Hisashi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11554590
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a medium accommodation portion that accommodates a medium, a medium discharge port for discharging the medium, a medium transport section that transports the medium, an ejection head that ejects a liquid to the medium to form an image, and an image detection section that detects the image. The printing apparatus has a first mode and a second mode, the first mode being a mode in which the medium transport section transports the medium in a direction from the medium accommodation portion toward the medium discharge port, and the ejection head ejects the liquid to the medium, and the second mode being a mode in which the medium transport section transports the medium in a direction from the medium discharge port toward the medium accommodation portion, and the image detection section detects image information of the image formed on the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kohei Tatsuta, Tadashi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11531856
    Abstract: A printing apparatus that performs printing on a medium while being manually moved relative to the medium, the printing apparatus including a first discharger including a first nozzle row that discharges a first liquid, a second discharger including a second nozzle row that discharges a second liquid and is so provided as to be separate from the first nozzle row in a first direction perpendicular to the first nozzle row, a movement detection section that detects the moving direction of the printing apparatus viewed from the side facing the printing apparatus while the printing apparatus is moved, and an error process section that carries out an error process when printing using both the first and second dischargers is performed and the moving direction detected by the movement detection section deviates from the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Kuramoto
  • Patent number: 11524497
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head, comprising an insulating member arranged on a substrate, a resistive heating element arranged in the insulating member and configured to generate thermal energy used to discharge a liquid, a bubble chamber provided above the insulating member and configured to generate bubbles of the liquid based on the thermal energy, and a temperature detection element capable of detecting a temperature in the bubble chamber, wherein the temperature detection element is arranged between the resistive heating element and the bubble chamber and in a conductive layer closest to the bubble chamber in a plurality of conductive layers provided with respect to the insulating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mineo Shimotsusa, Hiroyasu Nomura
  • Patent number: 11517095
    Abstract: A printing device including: a print head that performs printing on a printing target; a mount on which the printing target is placed; and a lift that positions a nail of a finger placed on the mount at a proper position appropriate for the printing by lifting the mount, and positions a printing medium other than the nail of the finger placed on the mount at a proper position appropriate for the printing by lifting the mount, wherein the mount includes a nail mount on which the finger or the nail is placed when the printing target is the nail of the finger and a medium mount on which the printing medium is placed when the printing target is the printing medium, and at least one of the nail mount and the medium mount is able to be attached and detached selectively according to the printing target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Tsuyuki
  • Patent number: 11498341
    Abstract: Provided is an image processing method for generating print data, the method including an ink amount generating step for generating CMYK data based on image data. The ink amount generating step determines the CMYK data based on a brightness L* calculated using a function f3(D) satisfying f1(D)?f3(D) in a range of the gradation values D from a coordinates Pk to a coordinates Ps and also satisfying f1(D)?f3(D) in at least part of the range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazushige Tayuki, Yasushi Takeo
  • Patent number: 11491784
    Abstract: When performing on-sheet preliminary ink ejection, a control unit (a) determines a nozzle that performs the on-sheet preliminary ink ejection, (b) randomly selects on a print sheet an ejection position candidate of an ink droplet ejected from the determined nozzle, (c) determines whether the selected ejection position candidate is included by a mask area that includes a postprocessing object, (d1) if the selected ejection position candidate is not included by the mask area, sets as the selected ejection position candidate an ejection position of an ink droplet ejected from the determined nozzle, and (d2) if the selected ejection position candidate is included by the mask area, does not set as the selected ejection position candidate an ejection position of an ink droplet ejected from the determined nozzle and sets an ejection position of an ink droplet ejected from the determined nozzle outside of the mask area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Inventor: Akira Yuki
  • Patent number: 11491800
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: a print execution section and a controller. The print execution section includes: a printing head having nozzles, an ink having a specified color being discharged from the nozzles; a head driver which drives the printing head to form dots having the specified color on a printing medium by discharging the ink having the specified color from the nozzles; and a movement mechanism which moves the printing medium relative to the printing head. The controller is configured to: obtain object image data; generate, by using the object image data, a plurality of pieces of dot data indicating formation states of the dots having the specified color, for a plurality of pixels; and print a printing image by causing the print execution section to execute discharge of the ink having the specified color and movement of the printing medium by use of the pieces of dot data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Masao Mimoto, Tsuyoshi Ito
  • Patent number: 11489986
    Abstract: A multifunction peripheral includes a conveyance roller, a print engine, a scanner, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform: driving the conveyance roller to convey a recording medium and controlling the print engine to record, on the recording medium, a test image based on test image data with recording agent; after recording the test image, controlling the scanner to generate scan data of the test image recorded on the recording medium; after generating the scan data, extracting, based on the scan data and the test image data, stain data indicative of a stain caused by transfer of the recording agent from the conveyance roller to the recording medium; after extracting the stain data, generating correction data by removing the stain data from the scan data; and executing particular processing by using the correction data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomoya Kondo
  • Patent number: 11460199
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a device for climate control of an interior of a machine in a food and beverage industry. The device includes an air discharge system for discharging air from the interior of the machine. The air discharge system includes a first air extraction duct configured for first selective extraction of contaminated air or second selective extraction of high-temperature air or at least two separate air extraction ducts including a first air extraction duct configured for the first selective extraction of the contaminated air and a second air extraction duct configured for the second selective extraction of the high-temperature air. The device further includes an air supply system for supplying air to the interior of the machine. The supplied air includes at least one of fresh air or purified extracted air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventors: August Peutl, Franz Weigl, Valentin Becher
  • Patent number: 11458738
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a hardware processor that forms an image on a conveyed recording medium; and a determining device that determines whether a type of the recording medium is a first recording medium or a second recording medium, wherein if the type of the recording medium is determined to be the first recording medium, the hardware processor forms a normal image on the recording medium, whereas if the type of the recording medium is determined to be the second recording medium, the hardware processor forms a test image on the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Masakazu Date
  • Patent number: 11458752
    Abstract: A printer includes head that performs printing by ejecting ink at a position of ejection of the ink in a print coordinate system, camera that captures an image of an area where the ink is ejected and outputs the image in an image coordinate system, camera capturing an image of calibration pattern printed by ejecting the ink at a calibration ejection position and outputting the image including calibration pattern, the calibration ejection position being a position at which calibration pattern is printed by ejecting the ink, and calculator that calculates the amount of displacement between the position of calibration pattern in the image coordinate system and the calibration ejection position in the print coordinate system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hideki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11440332
    Abstract: A recording head unit includes a first line head and a second line head in which nozzles are provided in an X-axis direction. The first line head is arranged on one side of the second line head in a Y-axis direction intersecting the X-axis direction. The first line head includes a first windbreak member. The second line head includes a second windbreak member. A length by which the first windbreak member protrudes is smaller than a length by which the second windbreak member protrudes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki Sato, Masaaki Hagio, Keigo Yamasaki, Tomoyuki Nakano
  • Patent number: 11420446
    Abstract: A liquid discharge device includes: a tank including a second liquid chamber connectable to a cartridge having a first liquid chamber storing a liquid; a head; and a controller configured to: discharge ink from the head based on a recording instruction; receive a second signal from a liquid level sensor when a position of the liquid level in the second liquid chamber is less than a predetermined position after the ink is discharged based on the recording instruction; after receiving the second signal, determine whether the cartridge is installed in an installation case; based on determining that the cartridge is installed in the installation case after receiving the second signal from the liquid level sensor, accept a maintenance process; and based on receiving the first signal from the liquid level sensor, perform the maintenance process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenta Horade