Patents Examined by Scott A Richmond
  • Patent number: 10821753
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head; an output unit that outputs the recording medium; an output tray that receives the recording medium; a pressing member that is configured to be displaced in an up-down direction and that presses the recording medium toward the output tray by displacement of the pressing member from an upper side to a lower side with respect to the recording medium output from the output unit; and a restricting member configured to be advanced and retracted in an advance direction and a retract direction. The restricting member restricts deformation of an upstream end portion in the output direction of the recording medium pressed by the pressing member, at a position at which the restricting member is advanced in the advance direction. The pressing member is displaced upward in a state in which the restricting member restricts the deformation of the upstream end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yuto Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10807381
    Abstract: A recording device includes a recording head (a printing head) with multiple nozzles arranged therein to discharge droplets (ink droplets) onto a recording medium (a printing medium), and a recording controller (a printing controller) configured to control recording of a recording image, the recording including moving the recording head relative to the recording medium while the droplets are discharged. The recording controller is configured to control the recording for pixel data of the recording image that have a prescribed gray scale value or larger under conditions that a nozzle duty corresponding to the number of nozzles, included in the multiple nozzles and being able to discharge the droplets per unit area on the recording medium, is smaller than or equal to an upper limit value and that a discharge amount of the droplets discharged per the unit area is variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toru Fujita
  • Patent number: 10807383
    Abstract: A robotic printing system for an exterior surface of an aircraft includes a robotic printer, the robotic printer having a body and a plurality of vacuum suction cups mounted to the body for attaching the robotic printer to the exterior surface of the aircraft, where the plurality of vacuum suction cups are configured to move the robotic printer along the exterior surface of the aircraft. The robotic printer also includes a printing head mounted to the body, where the printing head is positioned to apply a print medium to the exterior surface of the aircraft. The robotic printer also includes a laser-based positioning device mounted to the body for determining a position of the robotic printer on the exterior surface of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Steven Laurance
  • Patent number: 10800178
    Abstract: The liquid discharge device starts executing an initial process of discharging the liquid, based on determining that a low level signal is received after receiving a high level signal from an installation sensor and that a low level signal is received after receiving a high level signal from a liquid level sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiro Ueda, Mikio Ogawa, Kenta Horade
  • Patent number: 10800172
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus including: a first switching circuit is switched so that a first voltage waveform is supplied to a first piezoelectric element corresponding to a first nozzle which ejects the liquid, a second switching circuit is switched so that a second voltage waveform is supplied to a second piezoelectric element corresponding to a second nozzle which does not eject the liquid, and a third switching circuit is switched so that none of a plurality of voltage waveforms is supplied to a third piezoelectric element corresponding to the third nozzle which does not eject the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Motonori Chikamoto, Toru Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 10792932
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus that irradiates a recording target with laser light and records an image thereon, that includes: a laser irradiation device that has plural laser emitting elements, and irradiates the recording target with laser light emitted from the plural laser emitting elements; an irradiation condition adjusting unit that causes the laser irradiation device to emit laser light such that a part of an image dot recorded on the recording target moving relatively to the laser irradiation device overlaps an image dot adjacent thereto, and makes a laser irradiation condition for when image dots forming a boundary between a colored portion and a non-colored portion are recorded, different from a laser irradiation condition for when the other image dots are recorded; and an output control unit that controls the irradiation with the laser light, based on the laser irradiation condition adjusted by the irradiation condition adjusting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Ichiro Sawamura, Yoshihiko Hotta, Kazuyuki Uetake, Takahiro Furukawa, Tomomi Ishimi, Yasuroh Yokota
  • Patent number: 10780698
    Abstract: A fluid ejection die includes a substrate including an array of nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michael W Cumbie, Jr., Chien-Hua Chen, Erik D. Torniainen
  • Patent number: 10766274
    Abstract: A pulse signal is detected from an encoder signal of a rotary encoder. The detected pulse signal is used as a signal for controlling a light exposure timing of a line type light exposure head and is used for detecting a transport speed of an instant film. The light exposure head sequentially performs light exposure for a line image on the transported instant film in synchronization with each pulse signal detected from the encoder signal, and a density correction unit corrects an amount of light emission of the light exposure head depending on the transport speed of the instant film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Fujii, Hirofumi Katsura, Hiroyuki Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 10766285
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a transporting unit that transports a printing medium, a transporting unit encoder that outputs a movement amount information indicating a movement amount of the printing medium, a medium winding unit disposed downstream of the guide member with respect to the transporting unit and winds the printing medium, a tension applying unit including a tension bar that presses the printing medium at a location between the transporting unit and the medium winding unit while the tension bar is moving between an upper limit position and a lower limit position and applies tension to the printing medium, a tension applying unit encoder that outputs a rod member location information indicating a position of the tension bar, and a control unit that determines a movement state of the printing medium at the tension applying unit, based on the movement amount information and the rod member location information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jun Ushiama
  • Patent number: 10759174
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head and a mounting unit. The liquid ejecting head is able to eject liquid. A plurality of liquid containers containing the liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejecting head mounted so as to overlap in an up-down direction. The mounting unit includes a separator and an electrical member. The separator separates, in the up-down direction, a space where the plurality of liquid containers are mounted. The electrical member allows electricity to flow therethrough. The separator has a through portion that penetrates through the separator in the up-down direction. The through portion is positioned such that, when seen in the up-down direction, an edge portion of the through portion does not overlap with the electrical member positioned below the through portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiro Toya
  • Patent number: 10752004
    Abstract: An ink jet printer includes an ink cartridge that has a storage chamber for storing ink and enables the storage chamber to be replenished with the ink, a print head that ejects the ink supplied from the storage chamber via a filter, a state estimation portion that estimates a state of the filter, and a notification portion that performs notification, wherein the notification portion performs different notification in accordance with an estimated state by the state estimation portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shigeki Fukushima
  • Patent number: 10752011
    Abstract: A liquid cartridge includes: a cartridge body defining a liquid chamber; a liquid-supply part; a deformable member protruding upward relative to the cartridge body; and a detection member having a detected part. The liquid chamber is configured such that an internal pressure thereof is reduced in accordance with outflow of liquid from the liquid chamber. The deformable member defines an inner space communicating with the liquid chamber, the deformable member being deformable such that a volume of the inner space is reduced in accordance with the reduction in the internal pressure of the liquid chamber. The detected part is movable from a first position to a second position, the detected part at the second position being in contact with the deformable member, the detected part being further movable from the second position to a third position below the second position in accordance with deformation of the deformable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kosuke Nukui
  • Patent number: 10751994
    Abstract: A first flow path member of a liquid ejection head includes a plurality of pressurizing chambers respectively connected to a plurality of ejection holes, a plurality of first individual flow paths and a plurality of second individual flow paths which are respectively connected to the plurality of pressurizing chambers, and a first common flow path connected in common to the plurality of first individual flow paths and the plurality of second individual flow paths. The pressurizing chamber, the first individual flow path, the first common flow path, and the second individual flow path configure an annular flow path. When T0 denotes a resonance period of the pressurizing chamber and T1 denotes a time required for a pressure wave to circulate once around the annular flow path, a decimal place value of T1/T0 is ? to ?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Miyahara, Wataru Ikeuchi, Hiroyuki Kawamura, Kenichi Yoshimura, Naoki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10744783
    Abstract: An apparatus displays an S_Empty informing screen on a display when a count value N reaches a threshold Nth, reads a liquid amount Vc from an IC chip of a cartridge which is installed, calculates an outflow amount Qc of a liquid flowing out from the cartridge to a tank at a period ?t based on the read liquid amount Vc, and erases the S_Empty informing screen from the display when the calculated outflow amount Qc is equal to or larger than a threshold Qth1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenta Horade, Mikio Ogawa, Toshiro Ueda
  • Patent number: 10737499
    Abstract: A liquid consumption device includes a cartridge, a tank and a consumption portion. The cartridge includes a first storage chamber. The tank includes a second storage chamber and a semipermeable membrane. The semipermeable membrane covers the communication port. The semipermeable membrane is configured to block a liquid. The semipermeable membrane is positioned above a level of the liquid stored in the first storage chamber in a state where the level of the liquid stored in the first storage chamber becomes equal to the level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber because of a flow of the liquid from the first storage chamber to the second storage chamber due to water head difference as a result of the connection of the cartridge to the tank. The first storage chamber of the cartridge to connected to the tank stores therein a maximum amount of liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Inventor: Masahiro Hayashi
  • Patent number: 10723135
    Abstract: The ink jet recording method, which uses an ink jet recording apparatus, including: a first ink and a second ink containing a pigment; and a recording head having an ejection orifice surface in which a first ejection orifice array for ejecting the first ink and a second ejection orifice array for ejecting the second ink are formed, wherein the first ejection orifice array and the second ejection orifice array are sequentially arranged from the bottom in the direction of gravity to be adjacent to each other and arranged to at least partially overlap each other, includes: a recording step, wherein a true specific gravity of the pigment in the first ink is smaller than a true specific gravity of the pigment in the second ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Minako Kawabe, Kouhei Nakagawa, Hideyuki Saito, Yoshihide Aikawa
  • Patent number: 10723152
    Abstract: A printer includes a printhead assembly and a dryer. A transport mechanism conveys the printed media in a downstream direction between the printhead assembly and a dryer and between the dryer and an output device. The transport mechanism includes an electric field-generating transport member. The transport member includes a continuous belt supported by rollers. The belt is driven to transport the printed media on an upper surface of the belt. The belt includes an electrically-insulating inner layer and an electrically-insulating outer layer. First and second sets of electrical conductors are positioned intermediate the inner and outer layers. Electrical conductors in the second set are grounded and alternate with electrical conductors in the first set, A charging unit selectively applies a voltage to only a subset of the electrical conductors in the first set at a time, to electrostatically attract the printed media to the upper surface of the belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Paul M. Fromm, Erwin Ruiz, Linn C. Hoover, David A. VanKouwenberg
  • Patent number: 10717305
    Abstract: Methods, Apparatus, Devices and Systems herein load a firing distance into a distance counter of a printing device. The firing distance is the distance from the current position of a printhead of the printing device to a marking location on a substrate and the distance is calculated based on an angular encoder operatively associated with a roller used to transport a marking media to the printhead for marking. These devices and methods count the firing distance in angular distance increments as a function of the encoder angular position to correct for encoder roller runout using the distance counter, based on relative movement of the substrate and printhead. When the distance counter reaches the last discrete distance increment corrected for encoder roller runout of the firing distance, these devices and methods load the fractional remaining distance of the firing distance into a time counter of the printing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Patricia Joanne Donaldson
  • Patent number: 10717291
    Abstract: A liquid cartridge includes: a cartridge body defining a liquid chamber; a liquid-supply part; a deformable member protruding upward relative to the cartridge body; and a detection member having a detected part. The liquid chamber is configured such that an internal pressure thereof is reduced in accordance with outflow of liquid from the liquid chamber. The deformable member defines an inner space communicating with the liquid chamber, the deformable member being deformable such that a volume of the inner space is reduced in accordance with the reduction in the internal pressure of the liquid chamber. The detected part is movable from a first position to a second position, the detected part at the second position being in contact with the deformable member, the detected part being further movable from the second position to a third position below the second position in accordance with deformation of the deformable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kosuke Nukui
  • Patent number: 10710372
    Abstract: Example implementations relate to wiping die nozzles of fluid ejection dies. For example, a printing device may be directed by execution of stored instructions to eject a droplet in a first direction from an opening in a die nozzle toward a location of an absorbent wipe material and to wipe the opening concurrently with the droplet being ejected from the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Rachelle Hea Cobb, Teressa L Roth, Dimitre Lalov Staykov, Weiyun Sun, Christie D Larson