Patents Examined by Lisa M. Solomon
  • Patent number: 9403369
    Abstract: The flow channel member includes an attachment member having a first flow channel to be connected to an ink cartridge; a flow channel plate having a second flow channel to be connected to a head main body ejecting an ink; an adhesive arranged on a first joining surface and a second joining surface where the attachment member and the flow channel plate are opposing each other, and enclosing openings of the first flow channel and the second flow channel; a seal member arranged on the joining surfaces, enclosing an outer side of the adhesive; and an air chamber between the adhesive and the seal member, in which a communication channel allowing the air chamber to communicate outward is disposed in the attachment member, and the communication channel is capable of communicating with an outward open channel of the ink cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Keiji Hara
  • Patent number: 9403358
    Abstract: A method of forming hydrophobic structures in a hydrophilic print medium includes operating a plurality of inkjets to form an arrangement of hydrophobic material on first side of a print medium that moves in a process direction at a predetermined velocity. The method further includes moving the print medium through a convection heater at the predetermined velocity to enable the hydrophobic material to penetrate the print medium to form hydrophobic structures within the print medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph M. Ferrara, Jr., Jing Zhou, Wayne A. Buchar, Nancy Y. Jia
  • Patent number: 9399718
    Abstract: An ink composition is held in an ink container that is provided with an ink inlet through which the ink container can be refilled with the ink composition, and is used in a state in which the ink container is fitted into an inkjet recording device that includes a recording head having a nozzle hole that ejects the ink composition, the ink composition including a disperse dye, and at least one of a silicon-based surfactant and a fluorine-based surfactant, the ink composition having a surface tension of 22 to 30 mN/m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunari Ikeda, Akihito Sao, Hiroshi Takahashi, Shinichi Naito
  • Patent number: 9399340
    Abstract: The present invention provides a resin-based ink recorded body having high transparency, high definition, free from bleeding and having a high film strength of an ink. An ink recording member of the present invention includes a substrate containing an acrylic resin and a plant oil derived from a fatty acid having hydroxyl and carboxyl group blended to the acrylic resin, and an ink fixing film composed of a hydrophilic resin and provided on at least one main face of the substrate. An ink printed pattern is provided on the film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: ADVANTEST CORPORATION
    Inventor: Taiji Nishi
  • Patent number: 9399357
    Abstract: The temperature of heat elements of a thermal head can be controlled with high precision by a process with a low processor load. A printer 100 that prints on thermal roll paper 102 based on print data has a thermal head 134 with multiple heat elements 136 arrayed in a sub-scanning direction CR perpendicular to the conveyance direction F of the thermal roll paper 102. The printer 100 has a current control unit 112 that segments the heat elements of the thermal head 134 into plural blocks, and controls the energize timing of the heat elements in each block based on the number of heat elements 136 that are energized in the thermal head 134.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ishino, Hideki Furihata
  • Patent number: 9394453
    Abstract: A white inkjet ink includes an anionic surfactant having a molecular weight less than 10,000, a white pigment, a latex particle, and a balance of water. The white pigment has i) a density less than 3 g/cm3, and ii) a substantially constant particle size over a predetermined time period. The substantially constant particle size ranges from about 100 nm to about 300 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Hou T. Ng, Howard S. Tom
  • Patent number: 9385298
    Abstract: An electromechanical conversion element includes a lower electrode formed directly or indirectly on a substrate or a base film; an electromechanical conversion film formed on the lower electrode and including a piezoelectric body having a perovskite crystal structure preferentially oriented with a {n00} plane where n is a positive integer; and an upper electrode formed on the electromechanical conversion film. A diffraction peak at a position 2? at which a diffraction intensity has a maximum value and which corresponds to a (X00) plane or a (00X) plane, X being 1 or 2, obtained by ?-2? measurement in X-ray diffraction measurement, shows a trapezoidal peak shape and has two or more bending points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizukami, Takahiko Kuroda, Masahiro Ishimori
  • Patent number: 9375925
    Abstract: A disclosed liquid-ejection head for ejecting liquid droplets includes a substrate having a diaphragm forming a part of walls of a pressure liquid chamber, and a piezoelectric element adhered to the substrate with adhesive, and configured to apply pressure to the pressure liquid chamber via the diaphragm. The piezoelectric element has a surface facing the substrate having the diaphragm, and the surface has one or more projection parts in an area in which the pressure liquid chamber is not disposed, and whereon the substrate having the diaphragm has one or more recess parts that fit in the respective projection parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Shimizu, Tomohiko Kohda, Takahiro Yoshida, Kanshi Abe, Shiomi Andou, Takayuki Nakai, Ryo Kasahara
  • Patent number: 9375948
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a support member that supports a recording medium, a heating device that heats the recording medium on the support member, a recording head that ejects fluid onto the recording medium on the support member and that is positioned between the support member and the heating device, a blower that has a blowing port from which gas is blown, and a carriage that moves and has the recording head mounted thereon. The carriage has an enclosing structure inside which at least part of the gas blown from the blowing port is taken and inside which a gas layer in which the gas flows is formed between the recording head and the heating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuneyuki Sasaki, Yoichi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9371984
    Abstract: A light irradiation apparatus includes a housing configured to house a light irradiation device including a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged, a drive substrate having a circuit to which a constant current generation device is electrically connected, a heat dissipation member having a plate-shape, and a cooling pipe. The light irradiation device is disposed on one main surface of the heat dissipation member, and the constant current generation device is disposed on the other main surface of the heat dissipation member or on the drive substrate, the drive substrate being disposed on the other main surface of the heat dissipation member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventor: Shinya Uchida
  • Patent number: 9370953
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a printer apparatus comprises an insert and eject slot; a medium conveyance section configured to convey a print medium on which code information is arranged and which is inserted from the insert and eject slot towards a predetermined printing position, and convey the print medium from the printing position to the insert and eject slot from which the print medium is ejected; a printing section configured to carry out printing on the print medium sent to the printing position; a code information reading section configured to read the code information arranged on the print medium; and an acquisition section configured to acquire the code information based on reading data of the code information read by the code information reading section multiple times at a predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Norihisa Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 9358797
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus informs a user when an ink tank is substantially mechanically attached so as to prevent an attaching operation from being stopped by a user before completion of attachment of the ink tank. A board is provided with a light emitter, and a control unit for controlling the light emitter according to a conductive state between an electrode and a counterpart electrode. The liquid tank is moved by force P, a second engaging portion is locked to a second locking portion, and then, the liquid tank is attached to a holder at an attachment completion position. The non-conductive state between the electrodes is changed to a conductive state before the second engaging portion engages with the second locking portion, and then, the liquid tank is fixed at the attachment completion position during movement in a reverse direction after the liquid tank passes the attachment completion position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideo Saikawa
  • Patent number: 9359516
    Abstract: An ink composition is held in an ink container that is provided with an ink inlet through which the ink container can be refilled with the ink composition, and is used in a state in which the ink container is fitted into an inkjet recording device that includes a recording head having a nozzle hole that ejects the ink composition, the ink composition including a disperse dye, and at least one of a silicon-based surfactant and a fluorine-based surfactant, the ink composition having a surface tension of 22 to 30 mN/m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunari Ikeda, Akihito Sao, Hiroshi Takahashi, Shinichi Naito
  • Patent number: 9352566
    Abstract: An ink ejection device comprises: an ink supply section including a plurality of ink chambers respectively containing the plural kinds of inks; and a head section having plural groups of nozzles and ejecting the plural kinds of inks to be supplied from the ink supply section. The head section includes a plurality of supply ports which are aligned in the scanning direction and through which the plural kinds of inks are supplied. The ink supply section includes: a plurality of connection passages respectively connecting the plurality of supply ports to the ink chambers containing the inks to be supplied respectively to the supply ports; and a plurality of air discharge passages connected respectively to the plurality of ink chambers. Then, the plurality of ink chambers are aligned in the conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideki Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9352560
    Abstract: In one example, a printhead structure includes: a first layer; an array of openings in the first layer to form printing fluid ejection chambers; a second layer on the first layer; an array of orifices through the second layer, each orifice located adjacent to one of the openings in the first layer; a groove in the first layer spanning substantially a full length of the array of openings; and multiple holes through the second layer to the groove in the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Mark Sanders Taylor, Craig Olbrich, Byron K. Davis
  • Patent number: 9353279
    Abstract: An ink including: a pigment dispersed with a polymer dispersant; polymer particles; a surfactant; a water-soluble organic solvent; and water, wherein the amount of anionic functional group on the surface of the polymer particles is 0.2 mmol/g or less, the surfactant is represented by the general formula (1) and contains a fluorinated surfactant having a hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) of 11 or less as determined by a Griffin method, and the water-soluble organic solvent contains at least one water-soluble organic solvent selected from glycerin, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, poly(ethylene glycol) having a weight-average molecular weight of 10,000 or less, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, and diglycerol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masanobu Ootsuka, Masahiro Terada, Hidetaka Kawamura, Akihiro Taya, Yohei Masada, Takaharu Aotani
  • Patent number: 9353291
    Abstract: An inkjet printhead includes a front face having a polymer coating, the polymer coating including an oleophobic grafted polymer having a crosslinked fluoroelastomer and a perfluorinated fluorosilicone grafted to the crosslinked fluoroelastomer. The polymer coating has an ink contact angle of at least about 45 degrees and an ink slide angle of less than about 35 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mandakini Kanungo, Varun Sambhy, David Gervasi, Santokh Badesha, Matthew Kelly, Peter Michael Gulvin
  • Patent number: 9340696
    Abstract: An ink including: a self-dispersing pigment; polymer particles; a surfactant; a water-soluble organic solvent; and water, wherein the amount of anionic functional group on the surface of the polymer particles is 0.2 mmol/g or less, the surfactant is represented by the general formula (1) and contains a fluorinated surfactant having a hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) of 11 or less as determined by a Griffin method, and the water-soluble organic solvent contains at least one water-soluble organic solvent selected from glycerin, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, poly(ethylene glycol) having a weight-average molecular weight of 10,000 or less, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, and diglycerol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Taya, Masahiro Terada, Hidetaka Kawamura, Yohei Masada, Masanobu Ootsuka, Takaharu Aotani
  • Patent number: 9333742
    Abstract: There is described a transfer member or blanket for use in aqueous ink jet printer. The transfer member includes a surface layer having a surface roughness (Ra) of from about 50 nm to about 5 microns. The surface layer has a surface energy between 8 mN/m2 and 30 mN/m2. The surface layer includes an elastomeric matrix having a plurality texture particles dispersed therein. The weight percent of the texture particles in the surface layer is from about 0.2 weight percent to about 20 weight percent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Carolyn Patricia Moorlag, Yu Qi, Brynn Mary Dooley, Barkev Keoshkerian
  • Patent number: 9333783
    Abstract: A printer apparatus comprises a paper conveyance path on which a paper is conveyed; a carrier which moves in a direction orthogonal to conveyance direction of the paper conveyed on the paper conveyance path; a dot matrix print head which includes head pins arranged in the carrier; an ink ribbon cassette which stores an ink ribbon; a photo sensor which is arranged at the external side of the movement direction of the carrier in the printing area of paper and at the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction of the dot matrix print head; a concentration detection pattern printing module which prints a predetermined concentration detection pattern with the head pins; and an exchange necessity determination section which determines whether to exchange the ink ribbon cassette according to the value obtained by detecting the printing created by the concentration detection pattern printing module through the photo sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Sanada, Kenji Eoka, Akira Oda