Patents Examined by Lam S Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11400713
    Abstract: A width in a second direction of the first portion disposed in a position corresponding to the first piezoelectric body in the third electrode which intersects with the first direction is a first width. A width in a second direction of the second portion in the third electrode disposed in a position corresponding to the second piezoelectric body is a second width. A width in the second direction of the third portion in the third electrode disposed in a position between the first piezoelectric body and the second piezoelectric body in the first direction is a third width which is smaller than the first width and the second width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Okui
  • Patent number: 11400704
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes thermal tracking logic, control logic, and an output interface. The thermal tracking logic determines a temperature of a fluid ejection die. The control logic defines an emulated parameter of the fluid ejection die as a function of the temperature of the fluid ejection die. The output interface outputs the emulated parameter to a printer system based on the function and the temperature of the fluid ejection die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: John Rossi, Eric D. Ness, James Michael Gardner, Scott A. Linn
  • Patent number: 11396178
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a drive waveform generator configured to generate a common drive waveform including, in one cycle, a first period having a discharge waveform including a first element for changing a potential from a first potential to a second potential and a second element for changing a potential from the second potential to a third potential, and a second period having a first potential change waveform for decreasing deformation of the piezoelectric device as compared to deformation of the piezoelectric device when the first potential is supplied, and a waveform selector configured to supply the discharge waveform to the piezoelectric device in the first discharge section that discharges the liquid, and supply the first potential change waveform to the piezoelectric device in the second discharge section that does not discharge the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Yamagata
  • Patent number: 11390070
    Abstract: An integrated circuit to drive a plurality of fluid actuation devices includes a plurality of first data lines, a second data line, a first memory element, and a second memory element. The first memory element is enabled in response to first data on the plurality of first data lines. The second memory element is enabled in response to second data on the second data line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Boon Bing Ng
  • Patent number: 11391567
    Abstract: Measurement approaches and data analysis methods are disclosed for combining 3D topographic data with spatially-registered gas concentration data to increase the efficiency of gas monitoring and leak detection tasks. Here, the metric for efficiency is defined as reducing the measurement time required to achieve the detection, or non-detection, of a gas leak with a desired confidence level. Methods are presented for localizing and quantifying detected gas leaks. Particular attention is paid to the combination of 3D spatial data with path-integrated gas concentration measurements acquired using remote gas sensing technologies, as this data can be used to determine the path-averaged gas concentration between the sensor and points in the measurement scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Bridger Photonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Thorpe, Aaron Kreitinger, Stephen Crouch
  • Patent number: 11383541
    Abstract: A printing system includes a printing apparatus providing, in a case a first type of printing material is loaded to a print unit without loading a second type of printing material, a host device with a first printing service using a first identifier to identify the printing apparatus, and in a case where at least the second type of printing material is loaded to the print unit, to provide the host device with a second printing service using a different second identifier. The host device obtains printability information when an identifier provided from the printing apparatus is an unknown identifier, the printability information being information indicating a printable condition with the printing apparatus, sets the printable condition with the printing apparatus based on the obtained printability information, and transmits a printing job based on the set condition to the printing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akitoshi Yamada, Nobuyuki Bannai, Arata Miyagi, Ruriko Mikami, Nobuo Onuma
  • Patent number: 11383514
    Abstract: A die for a printhead is described herein. The die includes a number of fluid feed holes disposed in a line parallel to a longitudinal axis of the die. A number of fluidic actuators are disposed in a line parallel to the fluid feed holes. A crack detector trace is routed between each of the plurality of fluid feed holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: James Michael Gardner, Anthony M. Fuller, Scott A. Linn
  • Patent number: 11383512
    Abstract: An inkjet recording device includes a nozzle, a pressure generator and a driver. The nozzle ejects ink. The pressure generator changes pressure on ink in an ink flow path that communicates with the nozzle by a predetermined drive operation. The driver makes the pressure generator perform the drive operation predetermined limes of at least twice at time points on a predetermined cycle, and makes the nozzle eject an ink droplet of an amount corresponding to a number of drive operations included in a set of drive operations. In a case in which the number of drive operations is two, the driver makes the pressure generator perform the drive operation twice with an interval twice as long as the cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Masanori Shimazoe
  • Patent number: 11376843
    Abstract: In a method of nozzle failure detection in an ink jet printer having a plurality of ejection units including a nozzle and an associated liquid chamber with an electromechanical transducer, nozzle failure detection is performed, for each ejection unit, with a given minimum detection frequency. Each nozzle failure detection includes energizing the transducer with a waveform that does not lead to the ejection of a droplet but creates a pressure fluctuation that is sensitive to whether or not the ejection unit is in a malfunction state; measuring the pressure fluctuation in order to detect the malfunction state; defining a mask pattern that is independent of image contents to be printed; and when an image is being printed, performing the nozzle failure detection steps for each ejection unit at timings at which the respective nozzles are in pixel positions that belong to the mask pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: CANON PRODUCTION PRINTING HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Amol A. Khalate, Koen Joan Klein Koerkamp
  • Patent number: 11376866
    Abstract: A process is disclosed to precisely control the total amount of UV energy applied to images printed onto the exterior of a 3D object, such as a container like a wine bottle. The process includes establishing a UV dosage energy value to optimally cure an applied layer of ink expressed via an inkjet printing head onto the surface of the object, doing a partial cure of a printed ink layer, using a formula to calculate a power scale factor for the printed 3D object, and then based on the power scale factor tailoring a final cure step by controlling the amount of UV energy applied to the object to obtain an optimum cure result on the 3D object. The process allows for the control of a number of variables in the printing system to consistently apply an optimal amount of UV energy to the printed images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: LSINC Corporation
    Inventors: James Richard Bullington, Cody Landon Curtsinger, Corey Michael Maxwell-Swarthout, Joshua Boyd Jordan, Michael Edward Freeman
  • Patent number: 11376846
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes: a discharging head that discharges liquid onto a medium; first and second components that are operable for discharging the liquid onto the medium; first and second control circuits that control driving of the discharging head; a first control circuit board on which the first control circuit is provided; a second control circuit board on which the second control circuit is provided; wherein the first component is electrically coupled to the first control circuit, the second component is electrically coupled to the second control circuit, a minimum distance between the first control circuit board and the first component is shorter than a minimum distance between the first control circuit board and the second component, and a minimum distance between the second control circuit board and the second component is shorter than a minimum distance between the second control circuit board and the first component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Inventors: Yuko Takeuchi, Yuta Takigami, Hideaki Nishimura, Katsuhiko Otani
  • Patent number: 11376844
    Abstract: A drive circuit for driving a first drive element having a first terminal and a second terminal and driving a second drive element having a third terminal and a fourth terminal, includes a first drive signal output circuit that is electrically coupled to the first terminal and outputs a first drive signal, a second drive signal output circuit that is electrically coupled to the third terminal and outputs a second drive signal, a reference voltage signal output circuit that outputs a reference voltage signal having a constant reference voltage value, and a first switch circuit having one end electrically coupled to an output terminal of the reference voltage signal output circuit and the other end electrically coupled to the second terminal and the fourth terminal. The first switch circuit switches whether or not to supply a second constant voltage signal to the second terminal and the fourth terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Inventors: Toru Kashimura, Yoichiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 11376845
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes an ejecting section configured to eject liquid to a print medium, a movement mechanism configured to change the relative positional relationship between the print medium and the ejecting section, an encoder configured to include a scale, a light emitting element emitting light, and a light receiving element receiving light reflected by the scale or light transmitted through the scale in the emitted light and configured to output information changed in accordance with a change in the positional relationship, a signal generation section configured to generate a pulse signal including a pulse prescribing a timing when the ejecting section ejects liquid based on the information, a measurement section configured to measure a time length between pulses included in the pulse signal, and an ejection restriction section configured to restrict ejection of liquid from the ejecting section when the time length is larger than a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shuichi Nakano
  • Patent number: 11373107
    Abstract: Techniques to suggest a set of source ingredients that can be used to recreate functional properties of a target food item, using artificial intelligence, are disclosed. A computer model determines, for the target food item, an ingredient quantities vector and an ingredient inclusion vector based on a matrix of chemical compound source ingredient vectors of all source ingredients. The ingredient inclusion vector indicates which source ingredients from a plurality of source ingredients to include in the ingredient set, and the ingredient quantities vector indicates the quantity or amount of each source ingredient such that a corresponding volatile profile of the ingredient set is similar to that of the target food item. A volatile profile for the ingredient set, which is determined from the matrix of chemical compound source ingredient vectors, the ingredient inclusion vector, and the ingredient quantities vector, mimics the target food item's volatile profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: NotCo Delaware, LLC
    Inventors: Francisco Clavero, Kyohei Kaneko, Héctor Henriquez, Catalina Donoso, Aadit Patel
  • Patent number: 11370239
    Abstract: A printer includes a holder configured to house rolled recording paper, a cover that is attached to the holder to be openable and closable relative to the holder, and a contact part that is attached to the cover and configured to contact the recording paper. The contact part is configured such that the contact part substantially point-contacts the recording paper, and positions on the contact part contacting the recording paper change as the recording paper is unrolled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: FUJITSU COMPONENT LIMITED
    Inventors: Yuji Yada, Yoshinari Takabatake, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa, Tatsuya Oguchi, Masahiro Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 11351775
    Abstract: An integrated circuit to drive a plurality of fluid actuation devices includes a plurality of first memory cells, a plurality of first storage elements, and control logic. Each first memory cell stores a customization bit. Each first storage element is coupled to a corresponding first memory cell. The control logic, in response to a reset signal, reads the customization bit stored in each first memory cell and latches each customization bit in a corresponding first storage element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Scott A. Linn, James Michael Gardner, Michael W. Cumbie
  • Patent number: 11351802
    Abstract: A model inversion-based iterative learning control method for a printer and a printer system. An error of a desired trajectory and an actual displacement of a printing paper and an error of a reference input and an actual displacement of a motor are considered at the same time to construct an iterative learning control model for the printer based on an inversion model, so as to iteratively modify an error failing to meet requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Guangdong Ocean University
    Inventors: Yulin Wang, Huanlao Liu, Can Liu, Haitao Liu
  • Patent number: 11351777
    Abstract: A conveyer conveys an ejection target in a conveyance direction along a conveyance path including a facing position facing a nozzle surface of a liquid ejection head. A distance sensor outputs a distance signal that changes depending on a distance between the nozzle surface and a surface of the ejection target. A controller performs: receiving the distance signal outputted from the distance sensor and positional information relating to a position of the ejection target on the conveyance path; and during ejecting liquid from the nozzle to record an image on the ejection target, changing at least one of a determination condition and a coefficient based on the positional information, the determination condition being a condition for determining whether to interrupt recording of the image by referring to the distance signal, the coefficient being multiplied by a value of the distance signal when determining whether to interrupt recording.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shoji Sato, Satoru Arakane
  • Patent number: 11351791
    Abstract: A logic circuitry package includes an interface to communicate with a print apparatus logic circuit and at least one logic circuit. The logic circuit is configured to receive, via the interface, a plurality of first requests in a heater disabled mode, each first request corresponding to a different sensor ID of a plurality of sensor IDs; transmit, via the interface, a first digital value in response to each first request; receive, via the interface, a plurality of second requests in a heater enabled mode, each second request corresponding to a different sensor ID of the plurality of sensor IDs; and transmit, via the interface, a second digital value in response to each second request. Delta values corresponding to a difference between the first digital value and the second digital value for each different sensor ID of the plurality of sensor IDs are indicative of a print material level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: James Michael Gardner, James William Ring, David Owen Roethig, Christopher Hans Bakker
  • Patent number: 11345155
    Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a printer body, a waste ink container, and a cover member. The waste ink container includes a first engagement portion. The cover member constitutes a part of a housing of the inkjet printer and includes a second engagement portion. The second engagement portion is engageable with the first engagement portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomohiro Wada