Patents Examined by Kevin S. Wood
  • Patent number: 8430478
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a rubber member in an ink flow passage. The rubber member is made of a rubber composition including a rubber base polymer selected from ethylene-propylene diene rubber polymer and isobutylene-isoprene rubber polymer, and at least one trapping agent selected from calcium carbonate, silicon dioxide, talc, and clay. The trapping agent is effective for absorb-trapping various types of additives that may be present in the rubber member. The additives in the rubber are thereby held in the rubber structure and prevented from being eluted into the water-based ink or the preservative solution, which can lead to clogging of ink nozzles and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuma Goto, Noriaki Satoh
  • Patent number: 8428412
    Abstract: An optical fiber includes a cladding with a material having a first refractive index and a pattern of regions formed therein. Each of the regions has a second refractive index lower than the first refractive index. The optical fiber further includes a core region and a core ring having an inner perimeter, an outer perimeter, and a thickness between the inner perimeter and the outer perimeter. The thickness is sized to reduce the number of ring surface modes supported by the core ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Hyang Kyun Kim, Shanhui Fan, Gordon S. Kino, Jonghwa Shin, Michel J. F. Digonnet, Vinayak Dangui
  • Patent number: 8424999
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a recording head which conducts recording onto a printing medium; a supporter which supports the recording head at a recording position; and a vibration damper interposed between the recording head and the supporter. The recording head includes a recording surface facing a printing medium and a gradient inclined relative to the recording surface. The gradient is provided at an end of the recording surface. The vibration damper abuts: at least one of the recording surface and a surface parallel to the recording surface of the recording head; and the gradient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideaki Kato
  • Patent number: 8406595
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a multi-core fiber having a structure for effectively suppressing crosstalk increase between cores caused by bending within an allowable range. The multi-core fiber comprises a plurality of types of cores respectively extending along an optical axis and a cladding region, and the effective refractive index of each core is set so that, in all pairs of cores of different types, a relative refractive index difference between an effective refractive index of a core of a certain type and an effective refractive index of a core of another type satisfies a condition regulated according to a core spacing between cores and a bending radius.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuya Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8398221
    Abstract: A method of printing provides liquid drops travelling along a first path using a jetting module. A catcher including a stationary porous surface is also provided. A liquid film is caused to flow over the stationary porous surface of the catcher using a liquid source. Selected liquid drops are caused to deviate from the first path and begin travelling along a second path using a deflection mechanism. The liquid drops travelling along one of the first path and the second path contact the liquid film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Comapny
    Inventors: Yonglin Xie, Qing Yang, Roger S. Kerr, Chang-Fang Hsu
  • Patent number: 8398217
    Abstract: Drop-on-demand inkjet printing device (10) comprising a through-flow print head (20) having nozzles (22) and a fluid circulation system comprising a main reservoir (30), a supply buffer tank (38), a return manifold (64), wherein the main reservoir (30) is connected to the supply buffer tank (38) wherein the supply buffer tank (38) is in fluid communication with the nozzles (22) print head (20) the nozzles (22) being in fluid communication with the return manifold (38) wherein the return manifold (64) is connected to the main reservoir (30) and both are arranged in height with respect to the nozzles (22), wherein the supply buffer tank (38) is provided with a lockable conduit (56) connecting the supply buffer tank (38) to the main reservoir (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Stork Prints B.V.
    Inventors: Martinus Gerardus Jozef Manders, Franciscus Wilhelmus Johanna Gerardus van de Kruijs
  • Patent number: 8391661
    Abstract: A multimode optical fiber includes a central core having a graded-index profile with a delta value of about 1.9 percent or greater. The graded-index core profile has at least two different alpha parameter values along the core radius, namely a first value in an inner zone of the central core and a second value in an outer zone of the central core. The second alpha parameter value is typically less than the first alpha parameter value. The graded-index core profile and its first derivative are typically substantially continuous over the width of the graded-index core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Draka Comteq, B.V.
    Inventors: Denis Molin, Marianne Bigot-Astruc, Pierre Sillard, Koen de Jongh
  • Patent number: 8388100
    Abstract: In the state in which a position of a movable member relative to the unit base portion is in a first displacement position, a first regulation portion provided in a seal member comes into contact with a unit base portion by the elastic force of a elastic member, whereby the posture of the seal member is regulated so that a sealing surface becomes parallel to a head surface of a liquid ejecting head, and wherein, in the state in which the position of the movable member relative to the unit base portion is in a second displacement position, a second regulation portion provided in the seal member comes into contact with the movable member, whereby the posture of the seal member is regulated so that the sealing surface is tilted with respect to the head surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hisashi Miyazawa, Takato Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8388234
    Abstract: An optical fiber adapter includes a main body and a pair of inner housings. The main body has an accommodation room having opposing first and second openings in an axial direction. First through fourth stop blocks are positioned on the walls or within the accommodation room. Each inner housing is positioned within the accommodation room, and includes a flange having opposing front and back surfaces and a hollow cylinder extending from the front surface of the flange. The flanges of the two inner housings are attached to each other and are positioned between the first and second stop blocks, and between the third and fourth stop blocks. The first, second, third and fourth stop blocks are positioned to restrict a movement of the flanges in the axial direction. The first opening is configured for an optical fiber connector and the two inner housings to insert into the accommodation room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Ezontek Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung An Lin, Sung Chi Lin
  • Patent number: 8385709
    Abstract: Structured cabling solutions may include techniques and systems usable to route, organize, and otherwise manager wires, optical fibers, and other cables. Structured cabling solutions may include one or more chassis coupled to and movable relative to a frame to provide access to signal connectors on the chassis. Structured cabling solutions may also include labeling schemes that identify patch connectors that correspond to outlets in a structured cabling installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Telect Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Robert Hawley, Jeremy James Gallagher, Walter Dean Takisaki, James Patrick Jenkins
  • Patent number: 8382237
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid from nozzles; a carriage capable of carrying the liquid ejecting head; a plurality of cap spaces capable of covering the nozzles; a suction pump capable of applying a negative pressure to each of the cap spaces so as to suck liquid from the nozzles; a plurality of suction channels that communicate with the plurality of cap spaces and carry the liquid sucked by the suction pump; a channel selection means for selecting one or more suction channels for cutting off the communication with the cap spaces based on the position of the carriage; and a communication cut-off means for cutting off the communication of the one or more suction channels selected by the channel selecting means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Seiji Tojo
  • Patent number: 8376526
    Abstract: An inkjet head includes: a first nozzle that jets pigmented ink; a first pressure chamber coupled to the first nozzle; a first actuator that selectively applies a jetting pressure to the pigmented ink in the first pressure chamber; a second nozzle that jets dye ink; a second pressure chamber coupled to the second nozzle; and a second actuator that selectively applies a jetting pressure to the dye ink in the second pressure chamber. The first nozzle has a diameter D1 and the second nozzle D2. The first actuator has a first portion that applies the jetting pressure to the first pressure chamber, which has a size L1. The second actuator has a second portion that applies jetting pressure to the second pressure chamber, which has a size of L2. D1, D2, L1 and L2 satisfy the following formula: ?xD1+yL1??xD2+yL2, where x and y are predetermined coefficients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichiro Hara, Atsushi Ito
  • Patent number: 8376630
    Abstract: A hybrid RJ-45 plug is provided that has both an electrical coupling configuration and an optical coupling configuration. The electrical coupling configuration is an 8P8C electrical wiring configuration that complies with the RJ-45 electrical wiring standard. The optical coupling configuration includes an optics system that provides the plug with optical communications capabilities. The hybrid RJ-45 plug is backwards compatible with an existing RJ-45 jack that implements an RJ-45 electrical wiring standard. However, the hybrid RJ-45 plug is also configured to mate with an optical jack that has only optical communications capabilities and to mate with a hybrid RJ-45 jack that has both optical and electrical communications capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Avago Technologies Fiber IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Tak Kui Wang, Chung-Yi Su
  • Patent number: 8363990
    Abstract: An optical set-reset (SR) latch is formed from a first electroabsorption modulator (EAM), a second EAM and a waveguide photodetector (PD) which are arranged in an optical and electrical feedback loop which controls the transmission of light through the first EAM to latch the first EAM in a light-transmissive state in response to a Set light input. A second waveguide PD controls the transmission of light through the second EAM and is used to switch the first EAM to a light-absorptive state in response to a Reset light input provided to the second waveguide PD. The optical SR latch, which may be formed on a III-V compound semiconductor substrate (e.g. an InP or a GaAs substrate) as a photonic integrated circuit (PIC), stores a bit of optical information and has an optical output for the logic state of that bit of information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventor: Erik J. Skogen
  • Patent number: 8360558
    Abstract: A liquid droplet discharging head includes a pressure chamber substrate having a pressure chamber in communication with a nozzle hole. The pressure chamber has compartments adjacent to one another in a first direction. A vibrating plate has a first surface for covering the pressure chamber and a second, opposite, surface. The vibrating plate has a first area surface as a part of the first surface, the first area surface covering the pressure chamber in a view in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction and is normal to the first surface. A first conductive layer is formed at a plurality of areas to cover, in a view in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Eiju Hirai, Shiro Yazaki
  • Patent number: 8360554
    Abstract: A modular encoder has been developed that can be mounted to a motor shaft without requiring time consuming alignment or special tools. The encoder includes a base having an annular opening, the base including a plurality of resilient arms surrounding the annular opening with each arm having a terminal end that extends into the annular opening, and a hub having a horizontal flange with a top and a bottom surface and a generally vertical wall extending from the bottom surface of the horizontal flange, the wall is configured to fit within the annular opening of the base and is circumscribed with a groove for receiving the terminal ends of the resilient arms to secure the hub to the base and enable rotation of the hub within the annular opening of the base as the terminal ends of the resilient arms slide within the groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: David Scott Allaway
  • Patent number: 8350995
    Abstract: A production method of an optical film, including: a stretching step of stretching a film, wherein the film has a longitudinal direction, a width direction and a thickness direction, wherein the stretching is in either of the longitudinal direction or the width direction of the film; and a shrinking step of shrinking the film in either of the longitudinal direction or the width direction of the film, that is not the direction in which the film is stretched, wherein the film thickness in the thickness direction is increased as compared with the film thickness before at least one of the stretching step and the shrinking step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Hajime Nakayama, Yoji Ito
  • Patent number: 8348400
    Abstract: When liquid materials are fed to inkjet heads, fluid pressures are equalized so that a gas does not remain in liquid feed pipe lines. Separate liquid feed pipe lines (3) for feeding the liquid material, each of which communicates with each of a plurality of inkjet heads (4), are each connected to a common liquid feed pipe line (2) which stores one kind of the liquid material and communicates with an ink tank (1). Separate gas flow pipe lines (19), each of which is capable of feeding a gas and communicates with a connection portion between the common liquid feed pipe line (2) and each of the separate liquid feed pipe lines (3), with each of the inkjet heads (4), or with both the connection portion and each of the inkjet heads (4), are each connected to a bypass pipe line (18a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Ishiihyoki
    Inventors: Teruyuki Nakano, Yasuhiro Kozawa
  • Patent number: 8336989
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus which can keep an adequate absorptivity of an ink absorbing member for a long period of time, even when such inks which react with each other are sucked through the same cap in a sucking recovery operation, by preventing a mixed ink collected by the ink absorbing member from thickening or being solidified. The ink jet recording apparatus has: a recovery unit 8 and 62 for draining ink from a black-ink discharge portion 13 for discharging black ink and a color-ink discharge portion 14 for discharging color ink which reacts with the black ink; an ink absorbing member 31 for collecting the ink which is drained by the recovery unit and separating the ink into a solid part 41 and a liquid part 42; and an ink introduction unit 7 for introducing the ink which is drained by the recovery unit, into the ink absorbing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Michinari Mizutani, Takuma Kodoi
  • Patent number: 8328324
    Abstract: A maintenance device that is mounted in a printer, which has a recording head including nozzles ejecting ink, and maintains the recording head is provided. The maintenance device includes a plurality of wipers capable of wiping a nozzle forming surface of the recording head, an electric motor that drives each of the wipers movably in a wiping direction, and a selecting portion. The selecting portion selects at least one of the wipers and causes the selected wiper to wipe the nozzle forming surface when the wiper moves in the wiping direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hisashi Miyazawa