Patents Examined by Marvin P Crenshaw
  • Patent number: 7270057
    Abstract: In a printing press, an adjustment system for positioning a rolling element such as a form roller or an impression cylinder relative to a first cylinder having a first diameter and relative to at least a second cylinder adapted to replace the first cylinder and having a second diameter different than the first diameter, the system comprising an actuating member operable to displace the rolling element relative to the first cylinder and having a pivotable fixed first end and a second end mechanically linked to the rolling element, the actuating member providing sufficient displacement to bring the rolling element into contact with the first cylinder such that a predetermined contact pressure therebetween is reached, the actuating member also being operable to bring the rolling element into contact with the second cylinder such that the predetermined contact pressure therebetween is reached. A method for displacing a rolling element is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: RDP Marathon Inc.
    Inventor: Marcel Motard
  • Patent number: 7240614
    Abstract: A method for influencing lateral web spreading in a printing unit in a rotary printing press, the printing unit having first and second transfer cylinders contacting each other along a contact zone for receiving a web to be printed on therebetween and undergoing a deflection during operation, and at least one plate cylinder which is respectively settable against one of the first and second transfer cylinders for printing on at least one side of the web receivable in the contact zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Eduard Hoffmann, Christian Sameit, Georg Schmid
  • Patent number: 7215921
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, such as a printer, having a frame member, wherein there is provided, inside the frame member and on the upstream side of a sheet discharging portion with respect to the sheet conveying direction, a buffering device equipped with a rotary member capable of forward and reverse rotation, and wherein there are formed, along the peripheral surface of the rotary member, a buffering path for causing sheets to stay temporarily, a part of a sheet processing path for conveying sheets to a sheet processing apparatus, and a part of a re-conveying path for re-conveying sheets to an image forming portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuzo Matsumoto, Junichi Moteki
  • Patent number: 7201522
    Abstract: A printer cartridge suitable for use in a cartridge-based printer houses and dispenses a roll of label media, and includes a housing having a top wall and a bottom wall. A yoke pivotally mounted between the top and bottom walls for pivotable movement about a pivot axis includes a label media supply shaft for holding a roll of label media. The label media supply shaft has a longitudinal axis spaced from, and parallel to, the pivot axis. A label media drive roller is rotatably mounted between the top and bottom walls, and a biasing means biases the yoke toward the label media drive roller to maintain the roll of label media in contact with the label media drive roller. Ratchet teeth fixed relative to at least one of the housing and yoke engage structure of the other of the housing and the yoke to prevent the yoke from pivoting away from the label media drive roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Brady Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent A. Bandholz, Richard L. Carriere
  • Patent number: 7203454
    Abstract: A sheet post-process apparatus comprises left and right lower face support members which support left and right lower faces in a transport direction of a sheet retained by a waiting tray in a waiting mode, distal end lower face support members which support a distal end lower face of the sheet transmitted to the waiting tray, a distal end upper face retainer member which retains a distal end upper face of the sheet transported to the waiting tray, sensor means for sensing that a sheet has been held on the waiting tray, and a drive motor which, based on a sense signal of the sensor means, drives the distal end upper face retainer member in a location for retaining a distal end upper face of the sheet transported to the waiting tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasunobu Terao, Yoshiaki Sugizaki, Mikio Yamamoto, Tomomi Iijima, Hiroyuki Taki
  • Patent number: 7181157
    Abstract: A duplex image forming device includes an image forming device and a reversible transportation unit. The image forming device includes a paper transportation path, a paper feed unit which transports a paper to the paper transportation path, a printing unit which prints an image onto the paper, a discharge tray where the paper printed with the image is discharged, a manual paper feed tray which is attached to a side of the image forming device, and a storage opening which is provided at a side of the image forming device and stores the manual paper feed tray. The reversible transportation unit is inserted into a side of the image forming device to cover the upper part of the storage unit. The reversible transportation unit includes a reversible transportation path for transporting out to an upstream side of the printing unit, the paper transported from the downstream side of the printing unit of the paper transportation path. The reversible transportation path is formed by passing through the storage opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Murata Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shigeo Nanno
  • Patent number: 7178456
    Abstract: Roll-forming apparatus is provided together with a conveyor system utilized to transport raw dough rolls. A stop gate is movably positioned in the path of the rolls and, when placed in an interfering position, temporarily stops the rolls while the rolls maintain sliding contact with the conveyor. An imprinter is positioned above the conveyor and adjacent the stop gate. The stop gate is subsequently moved to a noninterfering position to permit the rolls to pass to the imprinting drums where the rolls are formed into a desired shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Inventor: William Roy Bryan
  • Patent number: 7174125
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the invention at least includes: a transport control component for controlling a transporting component so that transporting of the continuous paper is stopped when a print job is finished, the continuous paper is back-transported to an image formation start position of the next print job, and after that, the continuous paper is transported again; and a control component that, when a print job is executed in the case where a pattern image exists in a back-transported area which is set after the continuous paper is back-transported, controls the image formation controlling component so as not to correct the image formation position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Naoya Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 7171153
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit installed in a main body of the image forming apparatus and a tray stack including stacked media supplying units for supplying the media piece from selected one of the stacked media supplying units to the image forming unit. The tray stack is detachable from and attachable to the main body. The tray stack includes a register installed only in uppermost one of the stacked media supplying units. The register functions to correct skew of the media piece with respect to a transport direction along which the media piece is transported and then feed the media piece to the image forming unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Naomi Eguchi
  • Patent number: 7167674
    Abstract: A sheet storage cassette includes: a case provided with a storage portion; a stacking plate on which a sheet is placed; and a lifting unit that lifts the stacking plate. The lifting unit has: a driving gear that communicates with an output gear of the device main body in a state where the sheet storage cassette is received in the device main body, is rotated by driving force transmitted from the output gear, and is provided with an engaged part; a swing portion that has an engaging part engaged with the engaged part, and lifts the stacking plate by a rotation of the driving gear; and a reverse rotation allowing unit that allows the driving gear to rotate in an opposite direction to a direction of lifting the stacking plate when inserting the sheet storage cassette into the device main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Hattori
  • Patent number: 7164881
    Abstract: An imaging device, such as a printer, scanner, copier, multifunctional printer, and the like includes a sensor to detect the size of media fed into the imaging device. The detected media size can be set as the default media size for further operations, if desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2007
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael D. Donovan
  • Patent number: 7152527
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method in which when both of two-stage type and impression cylinder connecting type sheet-fed perfecting multi-color printing presses are manufactured, there is no need for a manufacture of extra parts or an extra stock, and also the replacement and servicing of parts are easy in the event of a failure of a printing unit or the sheet-fed perfecting multi-color printing press. For this purpose, modules for the printing unit for the sheet-fed perfecting multi-color printing press, each of which consists of a combination of at least two elements of a group consisting of an intermediate cylinder, impression cylinder, blanket cylinder, plate cylinder, inking mechanism, and water supply mechanism are manufactured, and the modules are used to manufacture the two-stage type and impression cylinder connecting type sheet-fed perfecting multi-color printing presses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazutada Dejima, Shinichi Fujimoto, Shinya Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 7150223
    Abstract: Devices for accomplishing the alignment of a covering applied to a cylinder in a printing machine include a detent and a roller element. The detent is situated in a mounting direction of the covering and is upstream of the roller element. The covering to be applied engages with the detent. In an alternative configuration, the roller can itself act as the detent. A method for aligning or for mounting the covering on the cylinder utilizes the detent or the roller element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Karl Robert Schäfer, Georg Schneider
  • Patent number: 7144095
    Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a support structure. An ink reservoir arrangement is mounted on the support structure. An array of printhead chips is mounted on the ink reservoir arrangement to receive ink from the ink reservoir arrangement. An ink transfer roller is rotatably mounted on the support structure operatively with respect to the array of printhead chips so that the printhead chips can carry out a printing operation on the transfer roller. A retaining mechanism is mounted on the support structure to bear against the ink transfer roller. A sheet of print medium is receivable between the retaining mechanism and the transfer roller so that ink printed on the transfer roller is transferred to the sheet of print medium. A feed mechanism feeds the sheet of print medium between the ink transfer roller and the retaining mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 7131376
    Abstract: An ink feeding method includes a density reading step for reading density data obtained by measuring densities of detecting patches on a first image, before an end of a printing operation, a first computing step for computing, from the density data, an ink feed film thickness remaining after prints having the first image are made, a second computing step for computing an ink feed film thickness required for making prints having a second image, from a target density for the prints having the second image, a third computing step for computing a preset ink feeding rate from the ink feed film thickness remaining after the prints having the first image are made, computed in the first computing step, and the ink feed film thickness required for making the prints having the second image, computed in the second computing step, and an ink feeding step for feeding the preset ink based on the preset ink feeding rate computed in the third computing step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takaharu Yamamoto, Kazuya Takeda, Kazuki Fukui
  • Patent number: 7131373
    Abstract: A screen printing manual repetition system semi-automates use of a screen with a manual printing press. The screen has a screen frame and a screen mesh. The manual repetition system (MRS) has an MRS frame mountable to the screen frame, a track system, and a height adjustor configured to adjust the height of the track system relative to the MRS frame. A squeegee has a squeegee frame with a blade, guide members configured to guide the squeegee through the track system, and an angle adjustor configured to adjust the angle of the blade relative to the screen mesh during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Inventor: Michael S. Edson
  • Patent number: 7127988
    Abstract: A screen printing manual repetition system semi-automates use of a screen with a manual printing press. The screen has a screen frame and a screen mesh. The manual repetition system (MRS) has an MRS frame mountable to the screen frame, a track system, and a height adjustor configured to adjust the height of the track system relative to the MRS frame. A squeegee has a squeegee frame with a blade, guide members configured to guide the squeegee through the track system, and an angle adjustor configured to adjust the angle of the blade relative to the screen mesh during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Inventor: Michael S. Edson
  • Patent number: 7127991
    Abstract: A printing unit for influencing lateral web spreading in particular in rotary presses, which makes constant contact conditions possible across the width in the rubber-rubber nip and improves the lateral-register quality and the web run without using concave or convex blanket cylinders, has a blanket cylinder and plate cylinders which can be set against the former for printing on one or both sides of a web. The web passes through between the blanket cylinders in a contact zone, it either being possible to skew at least one of the blanket cylinders with respect to the respective plate cylinder or it being possible to skew at least one of the plate cylinders with respect to the respective blanket cylinder, for producing a concave velocity profile on the web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Eduard Hoffmann, Christian Sameit, Georg Schmid
  • Patent number: 7124687
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for positioning an element with respect to at least two reference points (4a, 4c), in which said device acts upon a working point on the element to be positioned and comprises a positioning arm attached to a fixed hinging point with respect to said reference points (4a, 4c), comprising two mutually hinged parts (6a, 6b) allowing a movement of said element to each reference point (4a, 4c). The invention related further to a device for positioning at least one offset plate on a positioning table of a pre-press equipment, comprising means to move the offset plate in a plane parallel to the positioning table to at least one reference point (4a) on the positioning table, in which said means acts upon a working point situated in the supporting plane of the offset plate on the positioning table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Strobbe Graphics N.V.
    Inventor: Bart Wattyn
  • Patent number: 7127184
    Abstract: A method and device for removing media sheet jams within an image forming device. The position of the media sheets is monitored as the media sheets move through the image forming process. The occurrence of a media jam is detected, and the position of each media sheet within the device at the time of the jam is also detected. A message is displayed to an operator indicating the number of sheets within the device that should be removed to clear the jam. The order of media sheet removal may also be displayed to the operator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Christopher Coriale, Delbert Lester Elliott, Michael David Maul, Jason Rowe, David Anthony Schneider