Patents Examined by Lam Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9630396
    Abstract: An apparatus for printing an image onto a curved surface of a three dimensional article. The apparatus principally includes a support fixture, an ink jet print head having a plurality of nozzles, and an articulatable robotic arm. One of the support fixture and the print head are mounted to and carried by the robotic arm. The robotic arm is moveable so as to cause relative movement of the print head along a series of scanning paths that follow the surface contour of the curved surface of the article. A controller is coupled to the robotic arm and is configured to cause articulation of the robotic arm. The controller causes the robotic arm to continuously locate the print head relative to the curved surface and to cause the plurality of nozzles to eject printing medium at predetermined locations along the scanning paths so as to form the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: SABIC GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES B.V.
    Inventor: Craig Orr
  • Patent number: 9625250
    Abstract: A method of generating a tomographic image includes detecting an interference signal containing cross-sectional information of a target object as raw data of the target object, the raw data being phase-modulated in a first direction with respect to a cross section of the target object; demodulating the raw data by adjusting at least one parameter of a filter function defining filtering using a fixed window size; and generating a tomographic image of the target object by performing signal processing on the demodulated raw data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Korea University Research and Business Foundation
    Inventors: Jae-guyn Lim, Beop-min Kim, Won-zoo Chung, Hyun-woo Jeong, Seong-deok Lee, Woo-young Jang
  • Patent number: 9616662
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a liquid discharging head unit including multiple nozzles to discharge liquid droplets, individual liquid chambers communicated to the multiple nozzles, and pressure generating units to generate pressure applied to a liquid in the individual liquid chambers; and a head drive control unit to generate a common driving waveform including multiple discharging pulses arranged in time series within one driving cycle of discharging liquid droplets of the liquid, to select at least one of the multiple discharging pulses from the common driving waveform, and to apply the selected at least one of the discharging pulses to the pressure generating units. The common driving waveform, generated by the head drive control unit, include at least a first discharging pulse and a second discharging pulse for discharging liquid droplets of same size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Naoko Kitaoka, Takahiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9594120
    Abstract: A battery monitoring apparatus is built in a device having a primary battery. The battery monitoring apparatus includes a voltage measuring module configured to obtain an open circuit voltage of the primary battery and an output voltage of the primary battery at the time when a load current flows, a current measuring module configured to obtain the load current, a first resistance value calculating module configured to obtain a first internal resistance of the primary battery based on the open circuit voltage, the load current and the output voltage, a second resistance value calculating module configured to obtain a second internal resistance of the primary battery at which the device can operate normally based on the open circuit voltage, the load current and the minimum drive voltage, and an alarm outputting module configured to output a battery life alarm when the first internal resistance is larger than the second internal resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi Nonoyama
  • Patent number: 9586397
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid discharging apparatus which includes a modulation circuit which generates a modulation signal which is obtained by pulse-modulating a source signal, a transistor which generates an amplified modulation signal by amplifying the modulation signal, a low pass filter which includes an inductor and a capacitor and generates a drive signal by smoothening the amplified modulation signal, a piezoelectric element which is displaced by receiving the drive signal, a cavity of which the internal volume changes in accordance with the displacement of the piezoelectric element, a nozzle through which liquid in the cavity is discharged in accordance with change in the internal volume of the cavity, and a circuit substrate on which the modulation circuit, the transistor, and the low pass filter are mounted, in which the capacitor is a leadless type capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Abe, Hiroshi Sugita
  • Patent number: 9579884
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus configured to form a monochrome image by discharging ink droplets on the basis of recording data from a plurality of nozzles having black nozzles for discharging black ink droplets and color nozzles for discharging color ink droplets that produce composite black, the image formation apparatus comprising a control unit configured to form the monochrome image by discharging the black ink droplets from the black nozzles and discharging the color ink droplets that produce composite black from the color nozzles when recording density of black ink represented by the recording data is a predetermined density or higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Matsumura, Hirotaka Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 9582790
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes white and gray text determination units and a setting unit to charge a color printing fee where a pixel for which a color printing flag is set is present in an input image, and to charge a black-and-white printing fee where a pixel for which the color printing flag is set is not present in an input image. The white determination unit determines whether a focused pixel in the input image is a white pixel. The gray text determination unit determines whether the focused pixel constitutes a gray text. Where the focused pixel is determined to constitute a gray text or be a white pixel, the setting unit sets a black-and-white printing flag for the focused pixel and, where the focused pixel is determined to neither constitute a gray text nor be a white pixel, the color printing flag is set for the focused pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Daisuke Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 9579893
    Abstract: Controlling adhesives between substrates and carriers includes forming a depression into a bonding area of a backside surface of a substrate of a print head where the bonding area being formed proximate an ink feed slot formed through the thickness of the substrate from the backside surface to a front side surface; placing an adhesive between the bonding area and a substrate carrier, and moving the substrate and the substrate carrier together such that the adhesive flows into the depression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Rio Rivas, Ed Friesen, Lawrence Thurber, Garrett E. Clark, Rosanna L. Bigford
  • Patent number: 9579885
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of the present technique may include a method including monitoring a number of drops of ink released by a print head of a printing device. The method may also include associating the number of drops of ink with a quanta of charge. The method may also include storing the associated quanta of charge in a memory cell of a programmable read-only memory (PROM) device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Daryl E. Anderson, Andrew L. Van Brocklin, James Michael Gardner
  • Patent number: 9568502
    Abstract: Example embodiments relate to providing visual analytics of spatial time series data. In example embodiments, sensors may be located at regions within a building for collecting sensor data at regular time intervals. A sensor hierarchy can be generated including sensor nodes that are hierarchically arranged according to a physical infrastructure of the building, where each of the sensor nodes corresponds to a sensor. Sensor data can be obtained from the sensors, and a pixel calendar tree can be generated based on the sensor data and the sensor hierarchy, where the pixel calendar tree is recursively subdivided into tree portions according to a proportion of the sensor data attributable to each of the sensors. The pixel calendar tree can be displayed, where each of the tree portions includes time series sensor data of a corresponding region that is generated based on the sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Ming C Hao, Halldor Janetzko, Manish Marwah, Umeshwar Dayal, Meichun Hsu, Daniel Keim
  • Patent number: 9551562
    Abstract: In a method for determining absolute position of a mobile element in reference to two magneto-sensitive sensors, having a source of a magnetic field fastened to the element, a first sensor signal and a second sensor signal are measured with one magneto-sensitive sensor each. An amplitude ratio of the respective sensor signals and the off-set values about the respective zero point of the sensor signals are determined from the minimum and maximum values of the sensor signals, and from these values, scaled sensor signals are calculated that form a sum signal and a difference signal, which are scaled, with the determination of the minimum and the maximum values occurring by a relative movement of the element over a full range of motion, and an absolute position is calculated via the scaled sum signal and the scaled difference signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: IDT EUROPE GmbH
    Inventor: Josef Janisch
  • Patent number: 9553214
    Abstract: A positioning method of a photoelectric conversion device (an imaging device) includes irradiating an optical member with light and receiving light which passes through an opening of a light shielding member and the optical member with the photoelectric conversion device. The photoelectric conversion device is moved in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis of the optical member and a first position at which the photoelectric conversion device detects a side of an opening and a second position at which the photoelectric conversion device detects another side opposing the side are acquired. A position of the photoelectric conversion device at which a center of the opening and a center position of the photoelectric conversion device are aligned based on the first position and the second position is determined. The photoelectric conversion device is fixed at the determined position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsutaka Ide, Hideyuki Kataoka, Hiroyuki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9547572
    Abstract: The invention relates to a predictive maintenance method for a cooled detection module, comprising: a detector (1) comprising a matrix consisting of pixels that are sensitive to light signals; a cryostat (2) containing the detector (1); and a cooling machine (3), said method being characterized in that it comprises a step according to which a processing board (4) of the module, which is electrically connected to the detector (1), to the cryostat (2), and to the cooling machine (3) measures, stores, and processes at least: one motor current, i.e. a supply current of the machine (3); one motor voltage, i.e. a supply voltage of the machine (3); and a number of defective pixels of the detector (1). The invention further relates to a module for implementing the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: SAGEM DEFENSE SECURITE
    Inventors: Aubry Picard, Thomas Tillard
  • Patent number: 9544470
    Abstract: A method is disclosed. The method includes receiving a print job to be printed, determining if the print job is to be printed as a monochrome print job, invoking a monochrome International Color Consortium (ICC) profile if the print job is determined to be a monochrome print job, printing the monochrome print job and tracking a first print volume during periods in which the monochrome ICC profile has been invoked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: James M. Herold, Jeffrey A. Schilling
  • Patent number: 9535360
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises: a plurality of exposure units, each of the exposure units including a plurality of light emitting elements that are arranged in a main scanning direction; a calculating unit that, with respect to each of the exposure units, calculates a pre-charge period that is a period during which a pre-charge is performed on at least any of the light emitting elements included in a corresponding exposure unit; and an emission control unit that, with respect to each of the exposure units, causes the light emitting elements included in a corresponding exposure unit to emit light such that a pre-charge period of at least any of the exposure units is shifted with respect to pre-charge periods of remaining ones of the exposure units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Motohiro Kawanabe, Masayuki Hayashi, Masatoshi Murakami, Yoshinori Shirasaki, Yuusuke Kohri, Akinori Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 9528014
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a coloring composition comprising, for example, a compound (1A), for example, a compound (2B), and at least one preservative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshihiko Fujie
  • Patent number: 9527280
    Abstract: For a lenticular in which a lens body having low shape accuracy is disposed on one end portion, when the other end portion of the lenticular is detected, a position of a carriage at the time of detecting the end portion of the lenticular is stored in a buffer as a paper end position, a carriage motor is controlled such that the carriage is separated from a home position and moved in a main scanning direction, and a printing head is controlled such that an ink discharge having a color according to printing data is started at the paper end position. Since the lens body having high shape accuracy is disposed on the end portion of the lenticular, it is possible to land the ink onto a more suitable position with respect to the lens body, thereby allowing printing quality to be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Manabu Kondo, Yasuhiko Yoshihisa, Takayuki Tanaka, Yohei Nunokawa
  • Patent number: 9517641
    Abstract: A printing device includes a paper medium print mode configured to execute printing on a paper medium; and a textile print mode configured to execute printing on a fabric medium, a print speed in the textile print mode being slower than a print speed in the paper medium print mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Sayama, Toru Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 9511594
    Abstract: A technique of enhancing attachment of a liquid supply unit to a liquid ejection device is provided. A first cartridge 100a and a second cartridge 100b are attached to a carriage 27 of a printing device 27 via a holder structure 200. The holder structure 200 has a lever member 230 rotated and moved to engage with a main engagement part 120 of each of the first and the second cartridges 100a and 100b. Each of the first and the second cartridges 100a and 100b has a first side wall portion 125 and a second side wall portion 126 configured to press the lever member 230 and rotate and move the lever member 230 forward in the course of attachment of the first or the second cartridge 100a or 100b to the holder structure 200. A rotation axis RX of the lever member 230 is located at a position closer to an ink supply port 110 or 110a than the first side wall portion 125 and the second side wall portion 126 in the course of attachment of the first or the second cartridge 100a or 100b.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Shiota, Atsushi Kobayashi, Tadahiro Mizutani, Shun Oya
  • Patent number: 9505231
    Abstract: A system for printing on a three-dimensional object includes: a recording head; a three-dimensional object supporting device supporting a three-dimensional object rotatively with a shaft member as a center; a print control section causing the recording head to print an image on the three-dimensional object while rotating the three-dimensional object by the three-dimensional object supporting device, and causing the three-dimensional object supporting device to support the three-dimensional object at a designated angle, for each of designated angles, and causing the recording head to print divided images on the three-dimensional object, the divided images being set with respect to the designated angles; an image accepting section that receives the print image; and an image dividing section that divides the print image received by the image accepting section in association with the designated angles to set the divided images to the designated angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Daisuke Takai, Wataru Hioki