Patents Examined by Justin Seo
  • Patent number: 11285738
    Abstract: Ink dryers of the present technology include a heated platen configured to pivotally attach to a digital printer, and a controller that controls the temperature of the heated platen. The ink dryers may also include a current sensor that allows the controller to determine if whether the printer is active or asleep. The controller may turn on the heated platen when the printer is active, and turn off the heated platen when the printer is asleep.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Einstein Graphic Services, LLC
    Inventor: Steve J. Mondloch
  • Patent number: 11279144
    Abstract: A method for introducing a reflective and/or diffractive metallic variable and/or non-variable image to a substrate by use of thermal transfer printing includes simultaneously transferring a defined portion of each of a protective coating layer, a metal layer, and an adhesive layer from a carrier film of a transfer ribbon to the substrate by applying heat to the transfer ribbon. The defined portions of the metal layer and the protective coating layer are adhered to the substrate using the adhesive layer. Subsequent to transferring the protective coating layer, the metal layer, and the adhesive layer, durability is provided to the metal layer by cross-linking the protective coating layer that is over the metal layer by exposing the protective coating layer to a radiation source after the defined portions of the protective coating layer, the metal layer, and the adhesive layer are transferred from the carrier film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Suwit John Sangkaratana, Daniel Szumski
  • Patent number: 11267272
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a support portion configured to support a part of a printing medium to be transported, a heating portion configured to heat the part of the printing medium supported by the support portion, and a curved portion disposed upstream of the support portion in a transport path of the printing medium and including a curved surface that curves the transport path. The curved portion is formed of a member having a lower thermal conductivity than the support portion. In addition, the temperature of the curved portion is lower than the temperature of the support portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Toyama, Satoru Katagami
  • Patent number: 11267239
    Abstract: A printing system comprises an intermediate transfer member (ITM), an image forming station, a conveyer for driving rotation of the ITM, and a treatment station disposed downstream of the impression station and upstream of the image forming station configured for coating the ITM surface with a layer of a liquid treatment formulation, the treatment station comprising an applicator for applying the liquid treatment formulation to the ITM, a coating thickness-regulation assembly comprising a plurality of blades, a blade-replacement mechanism, and a blade-replacement controller for controlling the blade-replacement mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: LANDA CORPORATION LTD.
    Inventors: Uriel Pomerantz, Vitaly Burkatovsky
  • Patent number: 11260664
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus including a transporting portion that transports a medium along a transport path, a liquid ejecting head that performs recording by ejecting, through a nozzle, a liquid onto the medium that is being transported, a mounting portion in which a liquid storage portion that stores the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head is mounted, and a heating portion that heats the medium on which the recording has been performed. The transport path includes an upper path positioned above the mounting portion in a vertical direction. After transporting and passing the medium, on which the recording has been performed, through the upper path, the transporting portion discharges the medium through a discharge port. The heating portion is provided above the mounting portion in the vertical direction and heats the medium transported through the upper path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Nakamura, Izumi Nozawa
  • Patent number: 11260669
    Abstract: In some examples, a controller is to receive sensor data from a sensor associated with a fluid delivery system that delivers fluid from a fluid reservoir to a fluid conduit, determine, based on the sensor data, presence or integrity of a gas purger that is to be fluidically coupled to the fluid conduit, and issue an alert to indicate a gas purger anomaly condition based on the determining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Josep Ortiz Mompel, Ana Oropesa Fisica, Felix Ruiz Martinez
  • Patent number: 11254143
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium by discharging liquid droplets onto the medium; and a media heater to heat the medium by contacting a rear surface of the medium opposite a surface of the medium on which the image is formed, in which the media heater includes a contact member with a contact surface having a predetermined curvature that the medium contacts, the contact member is a roller member, and the medium closely contacts the contact surface of the contact member across an entire width of the medium in a direction perpendicular to the media conveyance direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Hoshino, Kenji Sato, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka, Hideaki Nishimura, Yoko Ishii
  • Patent number: 11254133
    Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided with a print head having at least a first type nozzles and a second type nozzles positioned on a first direction side with respect to the first type of nozzles and a controller. The controller is configured to perform a first ejection control with performing a main scanning. The first ejection control includes a control of performing flushing when the print head is in a first state where the second type of nozzles are located at a position corresponding to an ink receiver and the first type of nozzles are located at a position corresponding to the medium range, and a control of causing the first type nozzles to eject the ink toward the printing medium during a period where the ink is ejected from the second type of nozzles toward the ink receiver when the print head is in the first state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoru Arakane
  • Patent number: 11241879
    Abstract: A fluid ejection device may include fluid ejectors, fluid pumps to circulate fluid to the fluid ejectors, a first actuation signal line and at least one second actuation signal line. The first actuation signal line is connected to each of the fluid ejectors and each of the fluid pumps along which a first signal is transmittable to actuate a selected one of fluid ejectors and the fluid pumps. The at least one second actuation signal line is connected to the fluid pumps along which a second signal is transmittable to actuate a selected one of the fluid pumps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Vincent C Korthuis, Eric T Martin
  • Patent number: 11241894
    Abstract: Inkjet printing on a plastic card using a radiation curable ink is described herein. After the ink is applied to the card surface (i.e. the printed surface), radiation, such as UV radiation, is directed onto a non-printed surface of the card (for example, a perimeter side edge surface and/or a surface of the plastic card opposite the printed surface the radiation curable ink is applied to) in order to at least partially cure any of the applied ink that may have flowed onto or that may otherwise be disposed on the non-printed surface. This prevents contamination of a drive mechanism used to transport the plastic card via the perimeter side edge surfaces or via the opposite surface prior to full curing of the ink applied to the printed surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Entrust Corporation
    Inventor: Brendan Hinnenkamp
  • Patent number: 11235585
    Abstract: In one example, a liquid delivery system for an inkjet type dispenser includes a reservoir to hold liquid, a chamber downstream from the reservoir, a one-way valve to allow the flow of liquid from the reservoir into the chamber and to block the flow of liquid from the chamber back into the reservoir, and a manually actuated pump to pull liquid from the reservoir into the chamber through the valve and to push liquid from the chamber toward a printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Bruce Cowger
  • Patent number: 11230108
    Abstract: There is disclosed a fluid container 200 useable with print apparatus. The fluid container comprises a primary module 210 comprising: a primary reservoir 220 to contain print fluid and a regulated chamber 230 to receive the print fluid from the primary reservoir 220. The regulated chamber 203 comprises a regulator unit 232 to actuate a gas control valve 234 to control a flow of relief gas into the fluid container 200 as print fluid is discharged from the fluid container 200. The fluid container comprises a secondary module 250 comprising a secondary reservoir 252 to contain print fluid. The primary reservoir 220 is to receive the print fluid from the secondary reservoir 252 via a re-supply conduit 260 between the secondary reservoir 252 and the primary reservoir 220. The secondary reservoir 252 is to receive the relief gas via the gas control valve 234, and the primary reservoir 220 is to receive the relief gas via the secondary reservoir 252.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Eugene Cahill, Brian Cronly, Brian Walsh, James Mannion, Cormac O'Beirne
  • Patent number: 11230095
    Abstract: A method of controlling a liquid ejecting apparatus includes detecting an ejection failure of nozzles by inspecting an ejection state of the nozzles from which liquid is ejected, covering the nozzles with a cap when the number of the nozzles whose ejection failure is detected is equal to or less than a predetermined number, and discharging the liquid from the nozzles when the number of the nozzles whose ejection failure is detected is greater than the predetermined number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kenji Tsukada
  • Patent number: 11230096
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a print medium, a printhead for printing an image by discharging ink to the conveyed print medium, a heating unit provided on a downstream side of the printhead with respect to a conveyance direction of the print medium and configured to heat the print medium, and a ventilation unit provided on a downstream side of the heating unit with respect to the conveyance direction and configured to ventilate air in a peripheral space of a conveyance path of the print medium. The printing apparatus controls to delay a start of printing by the printhead so that the print medium dried by the heating unit passes through the conveyance path in a state in which a humidity in the space becomes lower than a predetermined value due to the ventilation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Iwasaki, Yoshinori Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 11230116
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit configured to apply a recording agent to a recording medium, the recording agent developing metallic luster when fixed to the recording medium, a conveyance unit configured to come into contact with the recording medium and convey the recording medium, after an image to be recorded on a side where the amount of the recording agent is smaller is recorded on a first side of the recording medium, an image to be recorded on a side where the amount of the recording agent is greater is recorded on a second side of the recording medium opposite from the first side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Yamaguchi, Yuto Kajiwara, Fumitaka Goto
  • Patent number: 11225084
    Abstract: A replenishing-type liquid storage tank includes a tank body, a backpressure application member, and upper limit indicator set in the tank body. Liquid is replenishable in the tank body and the tank body is configured to store the liquid therein. The backpressure application member is made from a material capable of absorbing liquid and is accommodated in the tank body to apply backpressure to the liquid stored in the tank body. The upper limit indicator is indicative of a liquid level of a maximum tolerable amount of the liquid that can be stored in the tank body. The backpressure application member has a portion positioned higher than the upper limit indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Fumio Nakazawa, Tsuyoshi Kuwayama, Yoshinori Osakabe
  • Patent number: 11220111
    Abstract: An example ink tank includes a cap with a preloaded hinge that biases the cap to a fully opened position when the cap is unlatched. The cap in the fully opened position interferes with and prevents the closure of a door that provides access to the ink tank. The door includes a sensor that locks out the print function when the door is open, effecting a printer lockout when the cap of the ink tank is opened for filling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: John J. Cantrell, Keith Jariabka, Theodore J. Conley, William S. Osborne
  • Patent number: 11214079
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a coater, a first discharger, a first dryer, a second discharger, and a second dryer. The coater applies a coating liquid to both faces of a sheet material. The first discharger discharges a first liquid to one face of the sheet material with the coating liquid applied to both faces of the sheet material. The first dryer dries the sheet material to which the first liquid discharged from the first discharger is applied. The second discharger discharges a second liquid to the other face of the sheet material that has passed through the first dryer. The second dryer dries the sheet material to which the second liquid discharged by the second discharger is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Masaya Kawarada
  • Patent number: 11203206
    Abstract: There is provided an image recording apparatus, including: a conveyer; a recording head; a carriage; a signal output circuit; and a controller. When recording is performed by a multi-pass recording mode, when the number of defective-discharge nozzles is less than a predefined value, when a discharge-defective nozzle, in which a dot recording ratio using a first mask data is equal to or more than a threshold value, is included in nozzles, and when a discharge-defective nozzle, in which a dot recording ratio using a second mask data is equal to or more than the threshold value, is not included in the nozzles, the controller sets the second mask data as a used mask data and performs recording without a suction purge. In other cases, the controller sets the first mask data as the used mask data and performs a purge process before recording as needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoru Arakane
  • Patent number: 11198308
    Abstract: A heating device includes a heater to heat an object to be heated, a temperature detector to detect a surface temperature of the heater, a power calculator to calculate a power consumption of the heater, an abnormality detector to detect an abnormality of the temperature detector, and circuitry to cause the heater to increase the surface temperature of the heater from a first temperature to a second temperature higher than the first temperature; cause the power calculator to calculate the power consumption of the heater increased to the second temperature; cause the abnormality detector to compare the power consumption calculated by the power calculator and a predetermined threshold value; and cause the abnormality detector to determine that the temperature detector is abnormal when the power consumption calculated by the power calculator is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiro Yoshinuma