Patents Examined by Kajli Prince
  • Optical scanning apparatus and image forming apparatus using the same
    Patent number: 8314824
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus, including an incident system that allows a beam from the light source to enter to deflector; and an imaging system that images the beam deflected by the deflector on a scanning surface, in which the incident system includes a first and second systems, the first system includes first and second elements each having a positive power with rotational symmetry, the light source is positioned at a shorter distance from the front focus position of the first element, the first element is formed integrally as a unit, powers of the second element and the first system, magnifications within main and sub-scanning sections of entire system, and focus movement within the main and sub-scanning sections on the scanning surface when the second element is moved in the optical axis direction are appropriately set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Yamawaki
  • Liquid crystal waveguide having refractive shapes for dynamically controlling light
    Patent number: 8311372
    Abstract: Liquid crystal waveguides for dynamically controlling the refraction of light. Generally, liquid crystal materials may be disposed within a waveguide in a cladding proximate or adjacent to a core layer of the waveguide. In one example, portions of the liquid crystal material can be induced to form refractive or lens shapes in the cladding that interact with a portion (e.g. evanescent) of light in the waveguide so as to permit electronic control of the refraction/bending, focusing, or defocusing of light as it travels through the waveguide. In one example, a waveguide may be formed using one or more patterned or shaped electrodes that induce formation of such refractive or lens shapes of liquid crystal material, or alternatively, an alignment layer may have one or more regions that define such refractive or lens shapes to induce formation of refractive or lens shapes of the liquid crystal material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Vescent Photonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael H. Anderson, Scott D. Rommel, Scott R. Davis
  • Image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 8308255
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of controllers that controls nozzle groups for forming an image on an image forming medium based on image data; a plurality of distribution processing units that are connected to a portion of the controllers to transmit to the controllers image data for controlling the nozzle groups allocated to the controllers; and a transmitting processing unit that transmits the image data to the distribution processing unit. Upper and lower level distribution processing units from the first distribution processing unit at the uppermost level to the second distribution processing unit at the lowermost level are communicatably connected to each other. The first distribution processing unit is communicatably connected to the transmitting processing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Sakai
  • Printing assembly calibration
    Patent number: 8308264
    Abstract: A printing assembly includes a transport system configured to transport items on a transport path and a printer rotatably disposed on a support. The printer includes a plurality of printing elements disposed sequentially along the transport path. A method of calibrating the printing assembly includes aligning a first reference associated with the printer with a second reference associated with the support, transporting an item on the transport path, printing a pattern on the item using a first printing element and a second printing element, determining a correction value from the pattern, and rotating the printer relative to the support in an amount corresponding to the correction value to substantially align the printing elements with the transport path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Inventors: John W. Sussmeier, Mark H. Macleod, John R. Masotta
  • Automatic RFID circuit tuning
    Patent number: 8267494
    Abstract: A method of printing comprising the steps of: providing a print media having a printing surface; measuring at least one parameter of the print media; calculating an optimal configuration for a radio frequency identification (RFID) transponder circuit for obtaining a desired RFID transponder resonant frequency; configuring the RFID transponder circuit and printing the RFID transponder circuit onto the print media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Hand Held Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth Addy
  • Pre-leveler cooling device for continuous feed imaging devices
    Patent number: 8262186
    Abstract: A temperature leveling system for thermally conditioning ink deposited onto a print media includes a non-contact cooling device for reducing temperatures of ink deposited onto a print media to a first average temperature. A leveler includes a thermal control for maintaining the leveler at a second temperature that is different than the first average temperature. The leveler is configured to bring the temperatures of the ink to within a predetermined range about the second temperature after the reduction in temperature at the non-contact cooling device. A heater is positioned to heat the ink and media to a third temperature after the leveler, the third temperature being greater than the second temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: James Michael Chappell, Jason Matthew LeFevre, Paul John McConville
  • Apparatus for changing ink cartridges
    Patent number: 8262178
    Abstract: An apparatus for changing ink cartridges of a printing apparatus having a transport apparatus for flat goods, a pressing apparatus and a printing module. The transport apparatus is disposed in a stationary manner in the printing apparatus opposite a pressing apparatus which presses an item of mail onto a transport belt. The transport belt, in a transport region, acts with a predetermined adhesive friction on a part of a surface of the item of mail which is not printed but is close to a region to be printed. A change position for ink cartridges is located before the transport region on a front side of the printing apparatus or above the transport region of an appropriately constructed transport apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfgang Muhl
  • Optocoupler circuit
    Patent number: 8260098
    Abstract: An optocoupler device facilitates on-chip galvanic isolation. In accordance with various example embodiments, an optocoupler circuit includes a silicon-on-insulator substrate having a silicon layer on a buried insulator layer, a silicon-based light-emitting diode (LED) having a silicon p-n junction in the silicon layer, and a silicon-based photodetector in the silicon layer. The LED and photodetector are respectively connected to galvanically isolated circuits in the silicon layer. A local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) isolation material and the buried insulator layer galvanically isolate the first circuit from the second circuit to prevent charge carriers from moving between the first and second circuits. The LED and photodetector communicate optically to pass signals between the galvanically isolated circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Dusan Golubovic, Gerhard Koops, Tony Vanhoucke, Rob Van Dalen
  • Low energy solid ink jet imaging apparatus
    Patent number: 8251469
    Abstract: A printhead provides selective heating to a supply of molten ink within an ink flow channel. The printhead is adapted to be in electrical communication with a controller and programmed to determine ink required by a print job. Based on the determined ink required by the print job, the controller accordingly provides selective heating to the printhead. The printhead includes an ink inlet, a nozzle in fluid communication with the ink inlet, and an ink flow channel having a length and extending between the ink inlet and the nozzle. A molten ink supply from a solid ink supply retaining device is received by the ink inlet and ejected from the nozzle on a print medium. A plurality of heating zones is also disposed along the length and adjacent to the ink flow channel to provide heating to the molten ink supply adjacent to each of the plurality of heating zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventor: William Henry Reed
  • Inkjet printing apparatus and printhead control method of the apparatus
    Patent number: 8240799
    Abstract: A control signal is generated to control ink discharge from a printhead. Urgency of A/D conversion of a detection signal is generated in accordance with a position represented by a signal output from an encoder. Upon determining based on the urgency to perform A/D conversion, control signal generation stops. Upon determining that a printing operation is not being performed, control is executed to A/D convert the detection signal. However, upon determining that the printing operation is being performed, control is executed to perform A/D conversion after the end of the printing operation. The stopped control signal generation is immediately resumed if it is determined that the A/D conversion has ended. Upon determining that the A/D conversion has not ended, however, control signal generation is resumed after the end of the A/D conversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Kasahara
  • Light source apparatus, and optical scanning apparatus and image forming apparatus using the same
    Patent number: 8237763
    Abstract: A disclosed light source apparatus includes a light source including multiple light emitting devices; an optical element configured to transmit light emitted from the light source; a tube configured to hold the optical element; and a tube holder configured to fix the tube by holding an end of the tube close to the light source or by holding the end of the tube on the light emission side away from the light source. A positional displacement preventing member is provided at the other end of the tube on a light emission side away from the light source in such a manner as to be slidable on the tube in the direction of an optical axis and prevent positional displacement of the tube in all directions perpendicular to the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Akatsu
  • Printing device and computer-readable record medium storing program therefor
    Patent number: 8226200
    Abstract: An inkjet printing device comprises an inkjet print head, a carriage on which the print head is mounted and which moves to and fro in a main scan direction while facing a sheet, a detector unit mounted on the carriage and detecting whether or not the sheet exists at a position facing a detecting position (prescribed position of the carriage in the main scan direction), an acquisition unit which acquires a print command including size information specifying sheet size, a setting unit which sets the detecting position depending on the size information, a moving unit which moves the carriage to the detecting position set by the setting unit, and a checking unit which checks whether the sheet exists at the position facing the detecting position by use of the detector unit after the carriage is moved to the detecting position and before the printing on the sheet is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinya Kato
  • Inkjet printer
    Patent number: 8215735
    Abstract: An inkjet printer with a frame and a printhead module further includes an adjusting piece and a pair of adjusting units, for adjusting a distance between the printhead module and a printing medium. An indicating portion and a scale portion are further disposed on the adjusting unit to indicate up-and-down moving amplitude of the adjusting piece. Thereby, the up-and-down moving amplitude of the printhead module is quantized, and the adjustment of the distance between the printhead module and the printing medium is precisely controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignees: Silitek Electronic (GZ) Co., Ltd., Lite-On Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Ling-Peng Tang
  • Method for driving liquid ejector
    Patent number: 8210630
    Abstract: A method for driving a liquid ejector (1) provided with a piezoelectric actuator (7) including a piezoelectric ceramic layer (6) having a size covering a plurality of pressurizing chambers (2). An arbitrary piezoelectric deformation region (8) of the liquid ejector (1) is deflected in one thickness direction and the opposite direction individually by applying a driving voltage waveform including a first voltage (?VL) and an equivalent second voltage (+VL) of the opposite polarity in order to vary the volume of the pressurizing chambers (2) of a corresponding liquid droplet ejecting portion (4), and a liquid droplet is ejected through a communicating nozzle (3). Since gradual creep deformation of the inactive region (16) of the piezoelectric ceramic layer (6) is prevented, the ink droplet ejection performance is maintained at a good level over a long period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Shuzo Iwashita, Sin Ishikura, Takayuki Yamamoto, Hisamitsu Sakai
  • System for delivering the output from an optical fibre
    Patent number: 8213753
    Abstract: A termination for an optical fiber is disclosed, including an end cap optically connected to a delivery end of the fiber and tapering its towards its proximal end so as to expand the signal beam output by the fiber, a capillary having a bore mounted so that the end cap and an end portion of the delivery fiber are mounted within the bore, the capillary having an end which is angled so as to reflect undesired radiation within the capillary away from the fiber, and a cladding mode stripper arranged upstream of the delivery end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: GSI Group Ltd.
    Inventors: Cheng Li, Iain Botheroyd, Steffan Lewis, Glyn Edwards, Stephen Keen
  • Inkjet printing system and method
    Patent number: 8201909
    Abstract: An inkjet printing system and method for printing comprising a printhead having two columns of nozzles, and the printhead is in fluid communication with an ink source and in electrical communication with a controller. In response to the print control signals transmitted from the controller, the printhead ejects ink from the two columns in alternating succession to print images having a checkerboard pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Videojet Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Mike Barbour, Mark R. Thackray, Charles W. Gilson
  • Hardened fiber optic connection system with multiple configurations
    Patent number: 8202008
    Abstract: A fiber optic connection system includes a ruggedized fiber optic adapter and a ruggedized fiber optic connector and can further include a standard fiber optic connector (e.g., an SC connector), a pre-existing ruggedized fiber optic adapter, a first converter for converting the standard fiber optic connector to be compatible with the ruggedized fiber optic adapter, a second converter for converting the ruggedized fiber optic connector to be compatible with the pre-existing ruggedized fiber optic adapter, and a standard fiber optic adapter (e.g., an SC adapter). The ruggedized fiber optic connector is compatible with the ruggedized fiber optic adapter and with the standard fiber optic adapter. To retain the various connectors within the various adapters, various retention members and features (e.g. threaded retention members and latches) can be included in the fiber optic connection system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: ADC Telecommunications, Inc.
    Inventors: Yu Lu, Randy Reagan, Craig M. Standish
  • Printhead, printing apparatus, and printhead driving method
    Patent number: 8186788
    Abstract: A printhead includes a driving unit configured to drive a plurality of heaters, a register configured to input data of a plurality of bits corresponding to the number of heaters, a latch configured holding the data transferred from the register; a generation unit configured to generate a control signal of the driving unit for each heater based on a value of the data and a change in a level of an enable signal including a plurality of pulse signals; and an output unit outputting the control signal generated by the generation unit to the driving unit in synchronism with the pulse signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jiro Moriyama, Atsushi Sakamoto, Hirokazu Tanaka
  • Liquid ejecting print head, liquid ejecting device including the same, and image forming apparatus including the same
    Patent number: 8182070
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting print head, which may be included in a liquid ejecting device and/or an image forming apparatus, includes a plurality of print head units arranged across a longitudinal direction of the liquid ejecting print head and aligned in a zigzag manner in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejecting print head, a plurality of nozzle arrays mounted on each print head unit and including a plurality of nozzle orifices for ejecting a droplet of ink, an energy generating element mounted on each print head unit and provided for each nozzle orifice for generating energy for ejecting the droplet of ink, and a wiring member including a plurality of wirings formed to run in an identical direction with respect to each print head unit and configured to transmit respective signals to the energy generating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenichiroh Hashimoto
  • Curable composition for optical material and optical waveguide
    Patent number: 8175439
    Abstract: A curable composition for an optical material including a specific silicon-containing polymer (A), a specific epoxy resin (B) and an energy ray-sensitive cationic polymerization initiator (C) as essential components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Adeka Corporation
    Inventors: Naofumi Fujiue, Kenji Hara, Yoshihiro Ishikawa, Yoshikazu Shoji