Patents Examined by Lisa M. Solomon
  • Patent number: 9878538
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a flow channel forming substrate that is provided with a space constituting a pressure generating chamber which communicates with nozzle openings, a vibration plate that is stacked on one surface of the flow channel forming substrate and seals the space, and a piezoelectric element that includes a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode sequentially stacked on a surface of the vibration plate opposite to the flow channel forming substrate, in which the first electrode is formed, in which at least a width of a first direction along the opposite surface is narrower than the space in a region corresponding to the space, the piezoelectric layer is stacked so as to overlap the first electrode and at least a part of the vibration plate in the region corresponding to the space, the second electrode is stacked so as to overlap the piezoelectric layer in the region corresponding to the space, and as a thickness of a stacked direction of the piezoelectric element i
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shiro Yazaki
  • Patent number: 9873254
    Abstract: An inkjet printing device and method are provided. The inkjet printing device includes a nozzle head; and the nozzle head is provided with a main printing unit and an auxiliary printing unit which share a common liquid supplying pipeline. The main printing unit is located at a middle of the nozzle head and is configured to perform inkjet printing of pixel patterns. The auxiliary printing unit is located at an edge of the nozzle head and is configured to perform inkjet printing of protective patterns. The protective patterns are configured to produce a solvent-protective atmosphere for the pixel patterns at an edge of every printing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Dejiang Zhao
  • Patent number: 9868301
    Abstract: An example system for a printer in accordance with the present disclosure is provided. The system comprises a replaceable platen assembly including a group of interchangeable platens, each platen to support a different type of print substrate, and an edge guide associated with the platen assembly, the edge guide for guiding an edge of a print substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jerry Claesson, Francesc Melia
  • Patent number: 9868283
    Abstract: A method of cleaning a liquid discharge head, which includes a heat generating resistor that generates thermal energy for discharging a liquid and a covering portion covering the heat generating resistor, includes alternately performing a first voltage application process and a second voltage application process multiple times, and reducing energy applied in the second voltage application process. The first voltage application process includes applying voltage between the covering portion and an electrode through the liquid to dissolve the covering portion in the liquid. The second voltage application process includes reversing relative polarities of the covering portion and the electrode in the first voltage application process and applying voltage between the covering portion and the electrode. Energy applied in the second voltage application process is reduced such that the energy applied is less than energy applied in the first voltage application process of an immediately preceding time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Misumi, Maki Kato, Yuzuru Ishida, Akio Goto, Norihiro Yoshinari, Takahiro Matsui, Ichiro Saito
  • Patent number: 9868302
    Abstract: Aspects of fluorescent ink printing, cutting, and apparel assembly are described. In one example, a system includes a textile printer, a textile cutter, and a computing device that arranges panels and develops print features related to textile products. The computing device can assign certain print features to be printed using fluorescent inks. The computing environment can then instruct a textile printer to print textile panels, for example, along with the print features, using the fluorescent inks. Once the panels are printed, ultraviolet (UV) light sources can be used to create a fluorescent reflection from the fluorescent inks. The fluorescent reflection can be captured by image sensors to generate instructions to cut the panels out from the textile sheet. The reflection can also be used as assembly notations for reference by sewing workers or automated sewing systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Rouzbeh Safavi Aminpour
  • Patent number: 9849700
    Abstract: An inkjet printer including a feeding device configured to feed a sheet in a feeding direction, a platen configured to support the sheet, a recording device configured to eject ink on the sheet, contacting members configured to contact the sheet, a detector configured to detect an end portion position of the sheet in a width direction, and a controller configured to control the feeding device and the recording device is provided. The contacting members are arranged at intervals in the width direction, and the controller performs a suppression process in which at least one of the feeding device and the recording device is controlled to suppress a contact of the sheet with the recording device when the end portion position detected by the detector is a position between the two adjacent contacting members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Kenta Horade
  • Patent number: 9849684
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an ink cartridge for an inkjet printer, the ink cartridge comprising a head chip of a print head to be surface-mounted on an FPCB by means of BGA so as to have each contact terminal, which is formed on the FPCB and the head chip, to be formed over a relatively wide area and therefore not require a high level of integration technology. Therefore, the ink cartridge enables easy manufacturing of the FPCB and the head chip and lowering of manufacturing cost. Also, since relatively low precision needs to be maintained during the mounting of the head chip on the FPCB such that each contact terminal comes into contact, the ink cartridge enables more convenient and faster manufacturing of the print head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: WOOSIM SYSTEM INC.
    Inventor: Il Bok Lee
  • Patent number: 9849601
    Abstract: A cutting apparatus comprising: a cutting unit including a first blade member and a second blade member that cooperates with the first blade member in cutting an object, configured to cut the object by relatively moving the object and at least one of the first blade member and the second blade member to each other to cut the object; and a changing unit configured to change a pressing force between the first blade member and the second blade member during an operation of cutting the object; wherein the changing unit sets the pressing force during the initial cutting operation from a time when cutting of the object is started until the object has been cut by a predetermined length higher than the pressing force during the subsequent cutting operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daiki Anayama, Takakazu Ohashi, Ryohei Maruyama
  • Patent number: 9844962
    Abstract: A disclosed ribbon cartridge includes a first spool housing configured to receive a first spool; a second spool housing configured to receive a second spool; a first frame member extending between the first and second spools; and a second frame member extending between the first spool and the second spool; wherein a printhead assembly opening is defined and bounded by the first spool housing, the second spool housing, the first frame member, and the second frame member, wherein the first frame member defines a first channel adjacent to the printhead assembly opening, wherein the second frame member defines a second channel adjacent to the printhead assembly opening, and wherein the first channel and the second channel each comprise a drive surface, wherein the drive surface is configured to be engaged by a printhead assembly to drive the ribbon cartridge to an installed position within the media processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: ZIH Corp.
    Inventors: Petrica Dorinel Balcan, Randal Wong Mun Hon, Kuan-Ying Lu
  • Patent number: 9840089
    Abstract: An input unit receives first image data corresponding to a first print image of a first ink. A density acquisition unit acquires a density value of each pixel included in the first image data. A glossy image density decision unit sets a gloss density value to the minimum possible value of the gloss density value when the density value of the pixel is less than a predetermined value, and sets the gloss density value to a value larger than the minimum possible value when the density value of the pixel is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. A dithering processor performs dithering based on the set gloss density value to create second image data corresponding to a second print image of a second glossy ink. A transfer device transfers the first and second print images on a print body to form a glossy image on the print body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: JVC KENWOOD CORPORATION
    Inventor: Keiji Ihara
  • Patent number: 9840086
    Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of providing an ink-jet recording method with which it is possible to sufficiently remove air bubbles contained in an actinic-ray-curable ink-jet ink and to heighten the delivery stability and curability of the ink. The ink-jet recording method employs an actinic-ray-curable ink-jet ink which comprises a colorant, a photopolymerization initiator, and a photopolymerizable compound. The ink-jet recording method comprises: a step in which the ink-jet ink is introduced into a depressurized space within an ink-jet recorder and deaerated at an ink temperature which is 50° C. or higher but lower than 120° C.; a step in which droplets of the deaerated ink-jet ink are ejected from the recording head and delivered to a recording medium; and a step in which the ink droplets delivered to the recording medium are irradiated with actinic rays to cure the ink droplets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Masashi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 9833992
    Abstract: A recording-element substrate includes a substrate including a base member, a pair of electrodes, a heating element formed of a thermal resistor layer between the electrodes, a surface on which an electroconductive film coating the heating element has been formed, and an insulating film between the heating element and the electroconductive film and a flow-path-forming member including walls forming a liquid flow path toward the heating element while being disposed on the substrate's surface side. The substrate includes an electric connecting portion in contact with the electroconductive film to connect the electroconductive film with the base member. The shortest distance between the electric connecting portion and a portion where an angle formed by the walls is 120 degrees or smaller when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the surface is smaller than that between a boundary between the electrodes and the heating element and the portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Suguru Taniguchi, Koichi Omata, Hideo Tamura, Takaaki Yamaguchi, Kousuke Kubo, Ryoji Oohashi, Yuji Tamaru, Toshio Negishi, Yohei Osuki
  • Patent number: 9827770
    Abstract: Provided is a recording apparatus including a recording head which is supported by a carriage that moves back and forth and performs recording by ejecting liquid on a recording medium, a supply tube which guides liquid in the liquid container body to the recording head and the recording head side thereof is follows and deformed in response to the back and forth movement of the recording head, and a dividing member which vertically divides the supply tube. The supply tube has a first portion which is folded back by the dividing member and a second portion which is folded back by the dividing member forward to the head side more than the first portion, follows and is deformed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Atsushi Takei
  • Patent number: 9815278
    Abstract: A fluid printhead including a plurality of heater elements that are driven to nucleate bubbles in fluid so that the fluid is ejected from the printhead in the form of drops, a plurality of drive elements, each drive element selectively driving a corresponding one of the plurality of heater elements in accordance with a printer controller, and a drop detection system that includes a plurality of drop detection cells, each drop detection cell detecting a change in electrical resistance of a corresponding one of the plurality of heater elements that occurs upon drop formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: John G. Edelen, Steve Bergstedt, Hideo Oi
  • Patent number: 9809023
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting device, including: a flow-path defining member having a pressure chamber formed therein; a piezoelectric actuator constituted by a plurality of layers which includes a piezoelectric layer, a common electrode, and an individual electrode, superposed on the flow-path defining member, and having a through-hole communicating with the pressure chamber; an annular conductor disposed on one of opposite surfaces of the piezoelectric actuator remote from the flow-path defining member such that a part of the layers are sandwiched between the annular conductor and the common electrode, the annular conductor surrounding a periphery of the through-hole; and a liquid supply member having a supply path communicating with the through-hole and bonded to the one of the opposite surfaces via the annular conductor, wherein the annular conductor is connected to a terminal configured to be given a predetermined constant potential and is exposed to a flow path defined by the through-hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shohei Koide, Keita Hirai
  • Patent number: 9802404
    Abstract: A method of printing, including providing a fluid ejection device that includes a substrate, a plurality of drive units formed on the substrate, each drive unit including at least two drive elements electrically coupled in parallel, and a plurality of fluid ejection elements disposed on the substrate, each fluid ejection element of the plurality of fluid ejection elements electrically coupled with a single respective drive unit. Electrical power is selectively supplied via the plurality of drive units to the plurality of fluid ejection elements to cause fluid to be expelled from the fluid ejection device based on image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: John Glenn Edelen, Nicole Semler, Michael Marra
  • Patent number: 9796861
    Abstract: The invention provides dispersed inorganic mixed metal oxide pigment compositions utilizing a carboxylic acid, containing dispersant and a mixed metal oxide pigment. The metal oxide pigment is of the type used to color ceramic or glass articles. The dispersant, in addition to at least one carboxylic acid group, comprises at least one 300-3000 g/mole solubilizing chain of repeating units from hydrocarbylene or repeating units from C3 or C4 alkylene ethers or mixtures of said ethers. A milling process using beads is also described to reduce the mixed metal oxide particle size to the desired range. A method of using the mixed metal oxide dispersion to digitally print an image on a ceramic or glass article using the dispersion jetted through a nozzle and firing the colored article is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: David Cartridge, Elliot Coulbeck, Chris Furmston, Dean Thetford
  • Patent number: 9789688
    Abstract: A bonding resin that bonds substrates to each other in a state of being spaced with a gap between the substrates is configured by stacking a photosensitive resin and a bonding reinforcement resin which is different from the photosensitive resin, the photosensitive resin is patterned in one substrate, and the bonding reinforcement resin which is stacked on the patterned photosensitive resin has a fillet being a wet-spreading portion or a portion which swells outward from the photosensitive resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Naoya Sato
  • Patent number: 9789710
    Abstract: A printer detects when printing paper S is cut by a head cover 32, and includes a vibration detector 71 for detecting vibration, a cut decision mechanism 72 for determining based on output from the vibration detector 71 if the printing paper S was cut by the head cover 32, and a cut report transmitter that reports that the printing paper S was cut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takuya Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 9782975
    Abstract: There is provided a tank including: a wall defining a liquid storage chamber, the wall including: an upper wall defining an upper end of the liquid storage chamber, a lower wall defining a lower end of the liquid storage chamber, and an erected wall between the upper wall and the lower wall and through which the liquid inside the liquid storage chamber is visible from outside of the tank; an inlet penetrating through the upper wall or the erected wall; and an outlet, wherein the lower wall includes an upper stage wall making contact with the erected wall; a lower stage wall located at a position separated and away from the erected wall and below the upper stage wall; and a connecting wall connecting the upper and lower stage walls; and the outlet is disposed below the upper stage wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akinori Igarashi