Patents Examined by Kendrick X Liu
  • Fluidic die
    Patent number: 10589522
    Abstract: A fluidic die may include a number of actuators. The number of actuators form a number of primitives. The fluidic die may include a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to drive a number of the delay circuits. The delay circuits delay a number of activation pulses that activate the actuators associated with the primitives to reduce peak power demands of the fluidic die. A number of delay circuits may be coupled to each primitive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Scott A. Linn, George H. Corrigan, III, Michael W. Cumbie
  • Inkjet recording apparatus, computer-readable storage medium, and system
    Patent number: 10583658
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus, including a recording head with a nozzle, a cap, a moving mechanism to move at least one of the recording head and the cap, a communication interface, and a controller, is provided. In response to receipt of a preceding command from an information processing terminal through the communication interface, the controller determines a standby period based on a parameter being in correlation with a receiving interval between a preceding command and a record command. In response to elapse of the determined standby period, the controller controls the moving mechanism to uncap the recording head. In response to receipt of the record command from the information processing terminal, and in response to completion of the uncapping, the controller controls the recording head in accordance with the record command to discharge the ink from the nozzle to record the image on a medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoru Arakane
  • Image forming apparatus capable of restricting opening of cover
    Patent number: 10585386
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an inner cover, an outer cover, a first pressing portion, and a restricting portion. The inner cover is opened and closed for a developer storage portion storing developer to be attached or detached. The outer cover is made of resin and provided on an outer side of the inner cover, and opened and closed in a same direction as the inner cover. The first pressing portion is provided on the outer cover and, when the outer cover is closed in a state where the inner cover is opened, comes into contact with and presses the inner cover in a closing direction. When the inner cover is closed, the restricting portion is engaged with the inner cover at a lock position located on an upstream side of a predetermined closing position of the inner cover in the closing direction, and restricts opening of the inner cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Maeda
  • Printing apparatus
    Patent number: 10583674
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a printing head, a controller, an FFC, and a support section. The printing head discharges liquid onto a medium while moving in a primary scan direction so as to print an image on the medium. The controller controls a discharge state of the liquid from the printing head. The FFC electrically connects the printing head and the controller together so as to enable transmission of control signals, and includes a flat portion. The support section supports the flat portion of the flexible flat cable. A portion of the support section that contacts the flat portion is shorter than a width of the flexible flat cable in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the primary scan direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Koki Fukasawa, Toru Chino
  • Printer
    Patent number: 10576767
    Abstract: A printer includes a printing unit having a printing head and a platen positioned opposite the printing head, the printing head being configured to print on a print medium that is fed between the printing head and the platen, a ribbon holding shaft configured to hold an ink ribbon that is wound thereon, a ribbon winding shaft configured to wind and collect the ink ribbon supplied from the ribbon holding shaft, and first and second guide shafts provided along a feeding route of the ink ribbon between the ribbon holding shaft and the ribbon winding shaft to apply tension to the ink ribbon. At least one of the first and second guide shafts has a tilt adjuster that applies a twist to the ink ribbon in a width direction of the ink ribbon through said at least one of the first and second guide shafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshinori Asai
  • Image forming apparatus and image forming method
    Patent number: 10578992
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: an image signal generating portion configured to generate an image signal based on image data; a light source configured to emit a light beam based on the image signal; and a deflection device configured to deflect the light beam in a main scanning direction, wherein the image signal generating portion includes: a mode setting portion configured to set a plurality of modes including a mode in which a value of a pixel of the image data is not converted and a mode in which the value of the pixel in one or more lines is converted, to a plurality of areas into which a scanning area is divided in the main scanning direction, respectively; and a pixel value conversion portion configured to convert the value of the pixel in each mode in accordance with a position of the pixel in the main scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoki Oyama
  • Liquid ejection head
    Patent number: 10569548
    Abstract: An ink-jet printer, including: an ink-jet head; and a head moving device for moving the head in a scanning direction, wherein the ink-jet head includes a first head unit having a first nozzle row from which first ink is ejected and a second nozzle row from which second ink that differs in color from the first ink is ejected, a second head unit disposed so as to be shifted from the first head unit in a nozzle arrangement direction by a distance less than a nozzle pitch, and a third head unit disposed between the first and second head units in the scanning direction so as to be shifted from the first head unit in the nozzle arrangement direction by a distance corresponding to a predetermined natural number multiple of the nozzle pitch, the third head unit having fifth and sixth nozzle rows from which the first ink is ejected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroto Sugahara
  • Image recording apparatus
    Patent number: 10556440
    Abstract: The image recording apparatus has a head, a tank, a case that receives a cartridge, and a controller. When the cartridge is installed in the case of the image recording apparatus, the liquid in the cartridge flows to the tank by a difference between a liquid level in the cartridge and a liquid level in the tank. The controller controls a display to display a first notification indicating an ink cartridge based on receiving a first signal output from a sensor when a liquid level in an ink chamber reached a specific position. The controller, after receiving the first signal from the sensor, counts a count value indicating an amount of discharged liquid from the head. Further, the controller, in response to the count value reaching a first threshold, controls the display to display a second notification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenta Horade
  • Printer, printing system including the same, and computer-readable medium therefor
    Patent number: 10549546
    Abstract: A printer includes a controller configured to perform a first printing process to control a thermal head to print a first image with a first density, store first print data for identifying the first image and first density data for identifying the first density into a first memory device attached to an attachment holder, when a second memory device storing second print data and second density data is attached to the attachment holder, acquire from the second memory device the second print data and the second density data stored into the second memory device by another printer, and perform a second printing process to control the thermal head to print a second image with a second density, the second image being identified based on the acquired second print data, the second density being identified based on the acquired second density data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yukinori Suzuki
  • Print media edge repair
    Patent number: 10538112
    Abstract: Examples described herein include a print media edge repair system that includes a first repair element disposed adjacent to a media handling path to repair a leading edge of a sheet of print media as the sheet of print media moves into a position relative to a printing system associated with the print media edge repair system. The print media repair system may also include a second repair element disposed opposite the first repair element across the media handling path to repair a trailing edge of the sheet of print media as the sheet of print media moves into the position relative to a printing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: HP SCITEX LTD.
    Inventors: Yuval Dim, Alex Veis
  • Liquid circulation device and liquid discharging apparatus
    Patent number: 10538098
    Abstract: A liquid circulation device includes a housing having an outlet and an inlet, a circulation unit configured to convey liquid out of the housing through the outlet and recover liquid into the housing through the inlet, a liquid supplying unit configured to supply liquid into the housing, an air conveying unit configured to convey air into and out of the housing, a level detecting unit configured to detect a level of the liquid in the housing, a pressure sensing unit configured to detect a pressure of the air in the housing, and a control unit configured to control a pressure of the liquid in the housing by controlling the liquid supplying unit or the air conveying unit, based on the level and the pressure of the air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Ishikawa
  • Suction force calibration
    Patent number: 10532588
    Abstract: Provided in one example is a printing system that has a printing zone with a platen (10), a drive, a suction force generator (18), a media advance sensor (26) to monitor movement of the medium through the printing zone in a medium advance direction, and a controller 28) to perform suction force calibration prior to printing. The suction force calibration includes controlling the drive to cause movement of the medium from an initial position at least partly through the printing zone while the suction force generator is controlled to generate at least one suction force level, determining a suction force level to be used during printing on the medium based on the output of the media advance sensor during the movement, and moving the medium back to the initial position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Antonio Gracia Verdugo, Carles Flotats Villagrasa, Aleix Fort Filgueira
  • Inkjet recording apparatus head position adjustment mechanism and line head
    Patent number: 10532592
    Abstract: A head position adjustment mechanism including: a head fixing section for fixedly supporting a head section; a linear-motion mechanism to which the head fixing section has been attached; and a bracket to which the linear-motion mechanism has been attached, the bracket has a tapered pin attached to the bracket and a plunger attached to the bracket, the tapered pin and the plunger facing each other, the tapered pin has its tapered part brought into contact with a first side end of the head fixing section in the X-axis direction, the plunger biases a second side end of the head fixing section in the X-axis direction toward the tapered pin, and moving up and down the tapered pin causes the head fixing section to linearly move in the X-axis direction so that the position of the head fixing section is adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: MIYAKOSHI PRINTING MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideo Izawa, Kouichi Ooyama, Ayumu Sasaki
  • Liquid circulation device and liquid discharging apparatus
    Patent number: 10525723
    Abstract: A liquid circulation device includes a housing having an outlet and an inlet, a circulation unit configured to convey liquid out of the housing through the outlet and recover liquid into the housing through the inlet, a liquid supplying unit configured to supply liquid into the housing, an air conveying unit configured to convey air into and out of the housing, a level detecting unit configured to detect a level of the liquid in the housing, a pressure sensing unit configured to detect a pressure of the air in the housing, and a control unit configured to control a pressure of the liquid in the housing by controlling the liquid supplying unit or the air conveying unit, based on the level and the pressure of the air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Ishikawa
  • Electrostatic charging apparatus and method for sheet transport
    Patent number: 10525745
    Abstract: A media sheet drive has a continuous belt of a dielectric material for transporting sheet media supported on the belt in a transport direction. A launch mechanism is used to launch a sheet medium onto a top surface of the belt. A charging circuit including a charging roller is used to charge a top surface of the sheet medium and the belt as the sheet medium is launched. Charging acts to generate an electrostatic tacking force to tack the sheet medium to the belt. The charging roller has a second function to smooth out curled edges of paper as it is acted on by the charging circuit so that the full extent of a launched sheet medium may be subject to the electrostatic tacking force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Delphax Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Stuart McCallum
  • Inkjet printing device for heavy-weight substrates
    Patent number: 10518562
    Abstract: An inkjet printing device includes a flatbed table for supporting on its support surface heavy-weight substrates to print on; and ball transfer units, arranged in the support surface, for transporting and/or positioning substrates on the flatbed table; wherein the inkjet printing device includes a drive module for moving away the ball transfer units from the support surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: AGFA NV
    Inventors: Joris Van Garsse, Tom Cloots
  • Recording apparatus and recording method
    Patent number: 10507646
    Abstract: Priority order is updated so that an ejection port that is selected as an ejection port subjected to ejection failure determination in a pixel row in which a previous ejection operation is to be performed has the lowest priority order, which is used for selecting an ejection port subjected to ejection failure determination, in a pixel row in which a subsequent ejection operation is to be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Kitai, Kouichi Serizawa, Masahiko Umezawa, Atsushi Takahashi, Shinsuke Ikegami, Takeshi Murase, Masashi Hayashi, Yuki Sawai
  • Liquid cartridge capable of reducing leakage of liquid from liquid storage chamber
    Patent number: 10493765
    Abstract: A liquid cartridge includes: a cartridge casing having a liquid storage chamber; a first wall; a second wall; and an air communication passage. The first wall is positioned upward relative to the liquid storage chamber. The second wall is positioned upward relative to the first wall. The air communication passage has a first communication hole in communication with the liquid storage chamber and a communication opening open to an atmosphere. The air communication passage includes: an air chamber defined by the first wall and the second wall and in communication with the liquid storage chamber through the first communication hole; a second communication hole formed in the second wall; and a labyrinth path. The labyrinth path is positioned upward relative to the air chamber, and has one end in communication with the second communication hole and another end in communication with the communication opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuro Kobayashi, Hiroaki Takahashi, Takahiro Miyao, Fumio Nakazawa, Naoya Okazaki, Akihito Ono, Kosuke Nukui, Hiroshi Taira, Toyonori Sasaki
  • Liquid cartridge having chamber and set of the liquid cartridges
    Patent number: 10479095
    Abstract: A liquid cartridge includes: a liquid chamber; a liquid supply portion having a front end part of a liquid supply hole; a front wall and a rear wall away from the front wall in a rearward direction; a bottom wall extending between the front and the rear walls; a sub front wall; and a sub bottom wall extending between the front wall and the sub front wall. The sub front wall faces frontward and is positioned closer to the front wall than to the rear wall. The sub bottom wall is positioned upward relative to the liquid supply portion. The front wall is positioned frontward relative to the front end part of the liquid supply hole. The front wall has a length in an upward direction longer than a length of the sub front wall in the upward direction in an upright posture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuro Kobayashi, Fumio Nakazawa, Hiroaki Takahashi, Akihito Ono, Takahiro Miyao, Suguru Tomoguchi, Kosuke Nukui, Naoya Okazaki
  • Liquid cartridge capable of improving visibility to liquid stored in liquid storage chamber
    Patent number: 10449771
    Abstract: A liquid cartridge includes: a cartridge casing having a liquid storage chamber defined by a front wall, a rear wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall; and a liquid supply portion; a top wall; and an accessed member. The liquid supply portion has a liquid supply hole extending from the liquid storage chamber to the outside in a frontward direction. The front, rear, first side, and second side walls are formed of a material permitting the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to be visually recognized from the outside. Each of the front, rear, first side, and second side walls includes a portion forming an outer wall of the cartridge casing exposed to the outside of the cartridge casing. The accessed member is disposed upward relative to the liquid storage chamber and accessed from the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kosuke Nukui, Hiroaki Takahashi, Takahiro Miyao, Akihito Ono, Tetsuro Kobayashi, Fumio Nakazawa