Patents Examined by Kendrick Liu
  • Patent number: 9722438
    Abstract: The present teachings provide for an electrical connector including a first housing, power terminals, and first and second shunts. The terminals and shunts are located within a cavity of defined by the first housing. The first housing is configured to mate with a second housing to transfer power between a power storage device and components of an electric or hybrid electric vehicle. The first shunt is configured to complete an interlock circuit. The second shunt is configured to complete a service disconnect circuit. The interlock circuit prevents the transfer of power between the first and second housings when the circuit is broken and allows it when complete. The service disconnect circuit causes the power storage device to be substantially electrically isolated from the rest of the vehicle when the circuit is broken.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Yazaki North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Jason R. Degen
  • Patent number: 9714965
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system and method for evaluating the adequacy of a connection between a utility line and a utility meter. In one embodiment, a force sensing unit is disposed between a first half and a second half of a first terminal of the utility meter and is configured to measure a contact force between the first terminal and a socket jaw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: Aclara Meters, LLC
    Inventor: Curtis Whitmore Crittenden
  • Patent number: 9709804
    Abstract: A lens, a light scanning unit, and an electrophotography type image forming apparatus includes effective optical surfaces, wherein reference indicating portions to measure a decenter of the lens are arranged on the effective optical surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: S-PRINTING SOLUTION CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Won-young Cho
  • Patent number: 9678334
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus performs periodic line based image transformation in order to correct for irregularities in a mirror and for mechanical disturbances that may occur during the rotation of the mirror. The irregularities of the mirror and the mechanical disturbances that occur during the rotation of the mirror may be measured at installation or may be measured during an operation of the image formation apparatus. The characteristics of the mirror are stored as configuration data, which is referenced by a direction of rotation. The image forming apparatus adjusts image data according to the configuration data. The adjustment may occur through data manipulation in stored image data. Alternatively, the adjustment may occur through the control of a pixel rate used to modulate the image data into a transmitted laser beam. The image data may be received by a host device or the image data may be generated by a scanner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventors: Douglas G. Keithley, Gregory L. Unruh
  • Patent number: 9662917
    Abstract: There is provided a printing control apparatus that is communicably connected to a printing apparatus, the printing control apparatus including a medium information obtaining unit that obtains medium information from the printing apparatus, the medium information including at least one of amount information of a medium mounted in the printing apparatus and mounted state information of the medium, a screen generating unit that generates an information display screen according to the medium information, and a display unit that displays the information display screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masanari Shinkai
  • Patent number: 9658449
    Abstract: There is provided a light scanning apparatus that is free from main scanning jitter and allows size reduction of a deflector. The light scanning apparatus has a plurality of light sources, a deflector that deflects a plurality of light fluxes emitted from a plurality of light sources to scan a plurality of scanned surfaces along a main scanning direction, and a first stop arranged between the plurality of light sources and the deflector and provided with an aperture that regulates the width of the plurality of light fluxes with respect to the main scanning direction. The number of apertures of the first stop is smaller than the number of light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Genichiro Kudo
  • Patent number: 9645189
    Abstract: A partial discharge charge amount measuring method includes generating a partial discharge in a sample by applying a voltage from a voltage impressing device connected to the sample, the voltage being higher than a partial discharge inception voltage, continuously measuring and recording terminal voltages of a capacitor connected in series between the sample and a ground at least until a breakdown of the sample occurs by alternately operating at least two data loggers connected to the capacitor at intervals of a predetermined time, calculating an amount of electric charge discharged from the sample and remaining in the capacitor by multiplying a difference in the recorded terminal voltages of the capacitor by a capacitance of the capacitor, and calculating an accumulated discharge amount by accumulating the discharged amount of electric charge at earliest until the breakdown of the sample occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yosuke Sumi, Naofumi Chiwata, Hideyuki Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 9636928
    Abstract: An apparatus for the printing and radiation treatment of a curved surface of an object, such as a body part, includes a printing unit, preferably an inkjet print head, a radiation unit, preferably a UV dryer, and a movement unit, preferably a robot, either for moving the printing unit and the radiation unit at a working distance along the surface or for moving the object at a working distance along the printing unit and the radiation unit. A shielding unit can be adjusted and/or deformed relative to the printing unit and/or relative to the radiation unit and during the printing. Scattered radiation is shielded and damage to the printing unit is prevented as a result of the special configuration of the shielding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Matthias Noell
  • Patent number: 9636906
    Abstract: A printing apparatus comprising a printhead including two nozzle arrays neighboring in a first direction, each array including nozzles arrayed in a second direction, a determining unit for determining discharge nozzles and non-discharge nozzles for each array, a conveying unit for conveying a sheet to the first direction, a unit configured to perform (a) determining printing data such that dots corresponding to the non-discharge nozzles in one array are printed by the discharge nozzles in another array, (b) inserting null data into the printing data based on a shift amount of between printing positions of the two nozzle array, and (c) newly determining discharge nozzles and non-discharge nozzles by the determining unit based on the printing data including the null data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norihiro Kawatoko, Fumiko Suzuki, Yutaka Kano, Yoshiyuki Honda
  • Patent number: 9636935
    Abstract: A printer cleaning device cleans an image receiving surface treated with a surface preparation material. The cleaning surface includes an applicator that receives fluid from a receptacle and applies a portion of the fluid onto the image receiving surface of a printer. A wiper engages the image receiving surface to remove a portion of dried aqueous ink and fluid from the image receiving surface. The applicator is rotated in a direction opposite to a direction of movement of the image receiving surface. The dried aqueous ink and fluid removed by the wiper are diverted to a conduit to enable a pump to move the dried aqueous ink and fluid through a filter before returning the filtered fluid to the receptacle so the applicator can absorb the filtered fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Bruce E. Thayer
  • Patent number: 9630424
    Abstract: A single-pass imaging system utilizes a two-dimensional (2D) light field generator (e.g., one or more VCSEL devices) to generate a modulated two-dimensional modulated light field in accordance with image data for a single row of pixels, and an anamorphic optical system that concentrates the two-dimensional modulated light field in a process direction such that a one-dimensional scan line image extending in a cross-process direction is generated on an imaging surface. The VCSEL array is configured using a scan line image data group made up of pixel image data portions, with associated groups of light emitting elements aligned in the process direction being configured by each pixel image data portion. Gray scaling is achieved either by turning on some of the light emitting elements of the associated group, or by turning the light emitting elements of the associated group partially on, e.g. using a common drive current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Timothy David Stowe, David K. Biegelsen, Patrick Y. Maeda, Christopher L. Chua
  • Patent number: 9630434
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transmission-type photosensor including a light-emitting part and a light-receiving part, disposed on opposite sides of a media conveyance path; a sensor retainer to retain the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part; a suspended needle indicator including one end portion freely rotatably disposed on the sensor retainer at a position higher than the photosensor, and an indicator disposed on another end thereof; and an angle viewer with scale marks that mark an angle of an optical axis of the photosensor from a vertical direction. The photosensor is disposed with the optical axis thereof is angled within a predetermined adjusted angle relative to the media conveyance path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeru Morinaga, Masayuki Sunaoshi
  • Patent number: 9623680
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid discharging apparatus which includes a discharge portion which can discharge liquid, a medium support portion which has a support surface which can support a medium onto which the liquid is discharged, and a heating portion which can heat the medium supported by the medium support portion, in which at least a part of the medium support portion is constituted of a low thermal conductivity member having a thermal conductivity of 0.4 W/mK or less and the radiation rate of the support surface is set to a value equal to or greater than 0.7 and less than 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuneyuki Sasaki, Shuichiro Nakano
  • Patent number: 9625711
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus includes a light source, an optical deflector having a rotary polygon mirror to deflect a light beam from the light source, a scanning optical system configured to focus the light beam deflected by the optical deflector on a target surface, a sync detecting sensor configured to determine a write start timing on the target surface, and a processing unit configured to correct detection data of the sync detecting sensor based on a measured value of a time needed for one revolution of the rotary polygon mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Toshiaki Tokita, Kohji Sakai, Nobuaki Kubo, Masayuki Muranaka
  • Patent number: 9604466
    Abstract: A liquid-supply apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus supplies liquid to be applied onto a recording medium to a liquid-supply pan. The liquid-supply apparatus comprises a temporary-storage room arranged lower than a liquid surface of the liquid-supply pan, the temporary-storage room storing the liquid inside the liquid-supply pan by temporal evacuation, an evacuation line connecting the liquid-supply pan and the temporary-storage room, the evacuation line being a flow channel for the liquid during evacuation, an evacuation-line opening and closing member opening and closing the evacuation line, and a controller controlling an opening and closing operation of the evacuation-line opening and closing member. The liquid surface in the temporary-storage room is in a position lower than that of the liquid-supply pan. The controller controls the operation of the evacuation-line opening and closing member so as to fill the evacuation line with the liquid as an auxiliary operation just before the evacuation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuya Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9595660
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electromechanical transducer includes forming a first electrode on a substrate or a base film, forming a piezoelectric film made of lead zirconate titanate on the first electrode, forming a second electrode on the piezoelectric film, and polarizing the piezoelectric film. The polarizing includes applying to the second electrode a positive polarity voltage having a positive polarity relative to a potential of the first electrode, and satisfying a first expression of ?EcP?(?Ec)<0 and a second expression of |?EcP?(?Ec)|>0.15Ă—EcPav, where ?Ec represents an initial coercive field of a negative polarity side of the electromechanical transducer, ?EcP represents a coercive field of the negative polarity side after the applying, EcP represents a coercive field of a positive polarity side after the applying, and EcPav represents an average of absolute values of the coercive field ?EcP and the coercive field EcP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Akiyama, Naoya Kondo, Satoshi Mizukami
  • Patent number: 9592672
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejecting apparatus having a wiping device which performs a first wiping operation in which the first surface wipes the nozzle forming surface while setting a contact pressure of a wiper with respect to the nozzle forming surface to a first contact pressure, in a state where the pressurizing portion is driven and the pressure of liquid in the nozzles is set to be equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure and a second wiping operation in which the second surface wipes the nozzle forming surface wiped by the first surface while setting the contact pressure of the wiper with respect to the nozzle forming surface to a second contact pressure less than the first contact pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Chiba, Kazuhiko Sato
  • Patent number: 9586424
    Abstract: A printhead support structure may have a receiving portion to receive a printhead, first and second portions having an adjustment mechanism therebetween for converting a translational movement of the first portion to a rotational movement of the second portion, and a coupling mechanism coupling the second portion to the receiving portion for adjusting the rotational angle of the printhead. A method for adjusting a position of a printhead coupled to a printhead support may include applying a force to a first portion of the printhead support to effect a translational movement of the first portion, converting the translational movement of the first portion into a rotational movement of a second portion of the printhead support, and applying the rotational movement of the second portion to the printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Inca Digital Printers Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas John Campbell, Steven Mark Sadler
  • Patent number: 9581954
    Abstract: A printer cleaning device cleans an image receiving surface with a surface preparation material, includes a roller having a perforated cylindrical wall surrounded by a foam material. The cylindrical wall has an interior volume for holding a fluid pumped into the interior volume by a pump. The pressurized fluid flows through the cylindrical wall into the foam material as the roller is moved into engagement with the image receiving surface. The roller is rotated in a direction opposition to a direction of movement of the image receiving surface to help the foam material to scrub the image receiving surface and apply the fluid to the surface. As the roller is moved away from the surface, the foam material expands to facilitate absorption of fluid and remove material from the image receiving surface. The foam material in one embodiment is hydrophobic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce E. Thayer, Lawrence Floyd, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9579895
    Abstract: A liquid jet head has a head chip which ejects liquid droplets, a nozzle plate in contact with a lower surface of the head chip, a flexible circuit board in contact with the lower surface of the head chip, and a bending member in direct contact with the flexible circuit board and configured to bend the flexible circuit board along a lower corner of the head chip. The nozzle plate and the flexible circuit board contact the lower surface of the head chip in the same plane thereby saving space to enable downsizing of the liquid jet head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: SII PRINTEK INC.
    Inventors: Ryoichiro Yamashita, Kazuyoshi Tominaga, Yosuke Kami