Patents Examined by Sharon A. Polk
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Patent number: 11919310Abstract: Some embodiments of a device comprise a cleaning-fluid-supply reservoir; a cleaning-fluid-supply conduit; one or more electrical connectors that are configured to be attached to a printhead and supply electrical signals to the printhead; one or more memories; and one or more processors that are in communication with the one or more memories. Also, the one or more processors cooperate with the one or more memories to cause the device to perform operations that include supplying cleaning fluid from the cleaning-fluid-supply reservoir, through the cleaning-fluid-supply conduit, to the printhead, and while supplying the cleaning fluid to the printhead, sending a signal to the printhead, through the one or more electrical connectors, to activate one or more piezo-electric actuators of the printhead.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2020Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: Canon Solutions America, Inc.Inventors: Michael Laubenberger, Jeffrey David Kane
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Patent number: 11919295Abstract: A medium processing apparatus includes an intermediate stacker on which media recorded by a recording apparatus are stacked, the recording apparatus including a liquid ejection head which performs recording by ejecting liquid to media and a maintenance apparatus which performs maintenance of the liquid ejection head, and a processor which executes a process on the media received by the intermediate stacker. The medium processing apparatus executes the process after a medium which is last recorded before the maintenance is stacked on the intermediate stacker.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2022Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Atsushi Nakazawa
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Patent number: 11912036Abstract: An ink tank that enables to check whether a cover of an ink tank is normally bonded to the ink tank includes a first chamber having a supply port for supplying ink to a printing head that ejects ink, a second chamber having an external air introduction port capable of introducing external air, a partition wall configured to separate the first chamber and the second chamber, a communication path provided in the partition wall and configured to place the first chamber and the second chamber in communication with each other, a first cover member configured to cover an opening of the first chamber without extending over an opening of the second chamber, and a second cover member configured to cover the opening of the second chamber without extending over the opening of the first chamber.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2021Date of Patent: February 27, 2024Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Koki Shimada, Hideaki Matsumura, Masaya Shimmachi, Yukimichi Kimura, Junichi Kubokawa, Takahiro Kiuchi, Yusuke Tanaka, Kyohei Sato
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Patent number: 11904610Abstract: A fluid ejector includes a nozzle layer, a body, an actuator and a membrane. The body includes a pumping chamber, a return channel, and a first passage fluidically connecting the pumping chamber to an entrance of the nozzle. A second passage fluidically connects the entrance of the nozzle to the return channel. The actuator is configured to cause fluid to flow out of the pumping chamber such that actuation of the actuator causes fluid to be ejected from the nozzle. The membrane is formed across and partially blocks at least one of the first passage, the second passage or the entrance of the nozzle. The membrane has at least one hole therethrough such that in operation of the fluid ejector fluid flows through the at least one hole in the membrane.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2021Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignee: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.Inventors: Christoph Menzel, Darren Imai
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Patent number: 11884076Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide for a fluid management system and a method of utilizing the fluid management system. The fluid management system includes a servicing fluid management system and an ink management system. The servicing fluid management system and the ink management system run in parallel within an inkjet chamber. The ink management system supports the flow of inkjet materials between a waste tank, one or more inkjet material supply tanks, an ink management module, and the inkjet printer. The servicing fluid management system supports the flow of servicing fluids between the waste tank, one or more servicing fluid supply tanks, a servicing fluid management module, and the inkjet printer.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2022Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Daihua Zhang, Kazuya Daito, Kang Luo, Elsa Massonneau, Alexey Stepanov, Ludovic Godet
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Patent number: 11884075Abstract: A nozzle cleaning apparatus includes a body part, a brush part formed on a first surface of the body part and having a size such that the brush part is inserted into a nozzle to remove foreign substances, and a drive unit for lifting the body part so that the brush part is inserted into the nozzle.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2022Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: SEMES CO., LTD.Inventors: Sung Ho Kim, Gyeong Seok Hwang
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Patent number: 11878530Abstract: A method of inkjet printer operation indicates a need for printhead purging without requiring analysis of printed images to detect streakiness in the images. The method compares terms of a histogram of a filtered response of an inkjet status vector to a streakiness metric to determine whether the distribution of inoperative inkjets in a printhead enables missing ink techniques to be used to compensate for inoperative inkjets in the printhead.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2022Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: Xerox CorporationInventor: Stuart A Schweid
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Patent number: 11878538Abstract: A cover opening and closing device (100) includes a cover section (110), a rotary shaft (X), and a plurality of locking sections (120). The cover section (110) covers an opening (23) of a main body section (2). The rotary shaft (X) connects the cover section (110) to the main body section (2) in a manner that the cover section (110) is pivotal between a first position and a second position. The locking sections (120) lock the cover section (110) in the first position. The first position is a position in which the cover section (110) covers the opening (23). The second position is a position in which the cover section (110) does not cover the opening (23). When at least one of the locking sections (120) is not locking the cover section (110), the cover section (110) pivots from the first position to the second position.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2019Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventor: Takashi Morita
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Patent number: 11872815Abstract: Systems and methods for industrial printing, e.g., using drop-on-demand (DOD) inkjet print heads, include, in at least one aspect, a printing device including: a print head including a print engine, including multiple nozzles, and circuitry to selectively eject ink through the multiple nozzles to form an image on a moving substrate, and to purge the ink through the multiple nozzles; and a printhead enclosure having an opening in front of the multiple nozzles to allow the selectively ejected ink to pass through the opening when the selectively ejected ink is ejected toward the moving substrate; wherein the printhead enclosure includes a hole placed away from the multiple nozzles; and wherein the printhead enclosure is configured to direct the ink that is purged through the multiple nozzles along an inside surface of the printhead enclosure to the hole through which the ink flows and exits the printhead enclosure.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2020Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: Markem-Imaje CorporationInventors: Frances H. Benton, Richard A. Gardner, Arjun Venkataramanan, Jose Raul Ramirez
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Patent number: 11872820Abstract: A liquid leakage detection device includes a first absorption layer, a second absorption layer, and a pair of terminals. The first absorption layer absorbs liquid. The second absorption layer is stacked on the first absorption layer, and absorbs the liquid. The pair of terminals are in contact only with the second absorption layer.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2022Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Masanobu Maeshima, Yasuyuki Fukunaga, Kuniaki Araishi, Noriaki Furukawa, Haruki Sayama
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Patent number: 11872816Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a recording section that is configured to move between a first position at which a liquid ejecting section performs recording on a medium transported on a transport path and a second position at which the recording section is retreated from the transport path; a wiper that wipes a liquid ejection surface of the liquid ejecting section by moving in a direction extending along the liquid ejection surface in a state in which the recording section is at the second position; and a regulating unit that is configured to switch between a regulating state in which regulating of movement of the recording section in the first direction is performed and a non-regulating state in which the regulating is not performed and that has the regulating state when the recording section is at the second position.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2022Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Nobutaka Suzuki
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Patent number: 11872818Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a container body, and an electrostatic capacitance sensor. The container body contains a liquid and is placed on a ground surface which is a part of the housing. The electrostatic capacitance sensor detects a change in capacitance between a side surface of the container body and the ground surface to determine a change in quantity of the liquid in the container body. The top surface of the container body is a part of the housing. The top surface and the ground surface are in electrically conductive state, a distance between the top surface and the electrostatic capacitance sensor is longer than a distance between the ground surface and the electrostatic capacitance sensor, or the top surface and the ground surface are electrically insulated, or the top surface is opened.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2022Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Masaki Murashima, Mitsuhiro Goda
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Patent number: 11858271Abstract: A liquid discharge device includes a liquid discharge unit that discharges a liquid and a cleaner. The liquid discharge unit has a first end, a second end, and a third end extending in a direction intersecting the first end and the second end. The cleaner moves relative to the liquid discharge unit in a movement direction from the first end toward the second end while contacting the liquid discharge unit with a contact force and a contact pressure. The contact force of the cleaner contacting one of the first end and the second end is smaller than the contact force of the cleaner contacting a portion of the liquid discharge unit other than the first end and the second end.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2022Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventor: Hiroyuki Yamashita
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Patent number: 11850862Abstract: A determination signal indicates whether each of a plurality of nozzles of a liquid ejection head is an abnormal nozzle. A controller stores, in a memory, information on a nozzle determined to be the abnormal nozzle among the plurality of nozzles; in response to receiving a particular signal and determining that the memory does not store abnormality flag information and that the number of the abnormal nozzle stored in the memory is larger than a first threshold value, control a recovery device to perform a recovery operation; and in response to receiving the particular signal and determining that the memory stores the abnormality flag information and that the number of the abnormal nozzle is larger than a second threshold value, control the recovery device to perform the recovery operation. The second threshold value is smaller than the first threshold value.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2022Date of Patent: December 26, 2023Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Kenta Horade
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Patent number: 11850860Abstract: A cleaning device includes a plurality of cleaning members that come into contact with an ejection surface of a droplet ejector that ejects droplets to clean the ejection surface, in which the plurality of cleaning members are in a wet state.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2021Date of Patent: December 26, 2023Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventors: Hajime Kawakami, Hiroaki Umemoto
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Patent number: 11845285Abstract: Aspects of a disclosure relates to a liquid discharge device enables previously disabled liquid discharge through a head after a cartridge including a first liquid chamber is replaced and before the liquid level in a second liquid chamber of a tank reaches a predetermined level or higher. Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a liquid discharge device that deactivates an alarm after a cartridge including a first liquid chamber is replaced and before the liquid level in a second liquid reaches a predetermined level or higher.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2023Date of Patent: December 19, 2023Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kenta Horade, Mikio Ogawa, Toshiro Ueda
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Patent number: 11845282Abstract: A liquid accommodating body is detachably mounted on a mounting portion having a waste liquid flow-out portion for discharging a waste liquid, and a liquid flow-in portion. The liquid accommodating body includes a waste liquid flow-in portion that is coupled to the waste liquid flow-out portion when the liquid accommodating body is mounted on the mounting portion, and a waste liquid accommodating portion configured to accommodate the waste liquid discharged from the waste liquid flow-out portion. Further, the liquid accommodating body includes a liquid flow-out portion that is coupled to the liquid flow-in portion when the liquid accommodating body is mounted on the mounting portion, and an adjusting water accommodating portion configured to accommodate adjusting water.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2022Date of Patent: December 19, 2023Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Yuta Komatsu
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Patent number: 11840089Abstract: An inkjet head cleaning device includes a body; an ejection part formed in the body, and configured to eject a cleaning liquid to a nozzle surface of a head; and a suction part formed in the body, and configured to suck the cleaning liquid ejected from the ejection part and used for cleaning the nozzle surface of the head, and foreign substances separated from the nozzle surface of the head; and the ejection part includes a vertical passage through which the cleaning liquid flows and a discharge end at the end of the vertical passage and configured to guide the cleaning liquid to eject toward the suction part.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2021Date of Patent: December 12, 2023Assignee: SEMES CO., LTD.Inventors: Jae Hyun You, Hun Sub Lim
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Patent number: 11840086Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head having discharge ports for discharging a liquid, a cap configured to cap the discharge ports, a switching unit configured to switch between a communication state where an inside of the cap communicates with the atmosphere and a non-communication state where the inside of the cap does not communicate with the atmosphere, and a depressurization unit configured to depressurize the inside of the cap. After driving of the depressurization unit is started while the cap is at a capping position for capping the discharge ports and is in the non-communication state, the switching unit switches the cap to the communication state and then the driving of the depressurization unit is stopped. Idle suction is performed by driving the depressurization unit while the cap is at the capping position and is in the communication state.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2021Date of Patent: December 12, 2023Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Kazuki Narumi
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Patent number: 11840083Abstract: A single pass inkjet printer that utilizes a modular printing system with one or more self-contained printing modules, where each printing module is easy to remove and replace from a large printing machine, thus resulting in an overall system that is easy to service and maintain. Each module is a self-contained printer including an ink supply, printhead drive electronics, and printhead assembly in order to provide one color or fluid of inkjet printing capability. Each module includes a precise three-point compliant self-aligning mount system to obtain accurate printhead positioning, and a unique integrated printhead tending system that includes a compact movable vacuum knife for cleaning the printheads, and a printhead capping station for sealing and protecting the printheads from the ambient environment when not in use.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2019Date of Patent: December 12, 2023Assignee: Prototype and Production Systems, Inc.Inventors: Willard Charles Raymond, Charles Carlson Langford, Nathan Albert Bergman, Michael Laurence Beauchene, Anthony David Kaufhold, Richard Charles Raymond, Nicholas Todd Mann