Patents Examined by Shelby l Fidler
  • Patent number: 12043031
    Abstract: A computing device for a printing device may include a first transducer for generating a first clock frequency and a second transducer for generating a second clock frequency. The computing device may determine the timing signal for clocking the printing operation of the printing device on the basis of the first clock frequency and/or on the basis of the second clock frequency, in particular to increase the uniformity of the timing signal and/or in order to enable a dynamic adaptation of the timing signal to a changing property of the printing device and/or of the recording medium to be printed to.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Production Printing Holding B.V.
    Inventor: Hubert Drexler
  • Patent number: 12043044
    Abstract: A three-dimensional object printing apparatus includes: a head having a nozzle surface; a robot that has a base portion that supports the head, and changes a position of the head with respect to the base portion; and a cap portion having a fixed position to the base portion to cover the nozzle surface, in which the three-dimensional object printing apparatus is configured to execute: a capping operation of causing the robot to locate the head at a position at which the nozzle surface is covered with the cap portion, and a printing operation of causing the head to eject the liquid to a work with respect to the work, and a yaw angle of the head during the execution of the capping operation and a yaw angle of the head during the execution of the printing operation are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichi Nakamura, Yuta Abe, Yuichiro Matsuura, Yuki Ishii
  • Patent number: 12017450
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head having nozzles; a signal output device; a recovery device configured to perform a first recovery operation or a second recovery operation, to discharge liquid from the nozzles; and a controller configured to: in response to receiving a second signal, activate the signal output device, and drive the liquid ejection head in a check mode for ejecting liquid from the nozzles, the second signal instructing to record a check pattern on a recording medium; in response to receiving a first signal indicating that a first nozzle being one of the nozzles is in failure in liquid ejection when the liquid ejection head in driven in the check mode, activate the recovery device to perform the first recovery operation; and subsequent to the first recovery operation, drive the liquid ejection head to record the check pattern on the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tatsuya Shindo
  • Patent number: 12011923
    Abstract: A controller for a print head of an inkjet printing device is described that is configured to generate a virtual timing signal during a printing pause of the printing device, and to use the virtual timing signal for the generation of pre-ejection pulses in order to produce a reliable regeneration of the nozzles of the print head during the printing pause.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Production Printing Hodling B.V.
    Inventors: Markus Keller, Martin Wilhelm, Martin Stockmar, Florian Hitzlsperger, Christoph Rummelsberger
  • Patent number: 12011922
    Abstract: A print element substrate, comprising a base, a heater provided on the base and configured to generate heat used to discharge ink, a flow path member, which forms an ink flow path, configured to form, together with the base, a bubbling chamber in which the ink is bubbled by the heat of the heater provided in a bottom surface of the bubbling chamber, and a temperature sensor capable of detecting a temperature of the bubbling chamber, the temperature sensor being formed of the same material as the heater and provided in the same layer as the heater on the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyasu Nomura, Mineo Shimotsusa
  • Patent number: 12011924
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes a first piezoelectric element that is supplied with a first drive signal, and a second piezoelectric element that is supplied with a second drive signal, wherein the first drive signal transitions from a first potential to a second potential in a first period, maintains the second potential during a second period, and transitions from the second potential to the first potential in a third period, wherein the second drive signal transitions from a third potential to a fourth potential in a fourth period, maintains the fourth potential during a fifth period, and transitions from the fourth potential to the third potential in a sixth period, wherein the first period and the fourth period overlap, wherein the third period and the sixth period overlap, wherein the second potential is higher than the first potential, and wherein the fourth potential is lower than the third potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Noriaki Saito, Masashi Kamiyanagi
  • Patent number: 12011931
    Abstract: A fluid supply device includes a variable fluid volume to contain a supply of fluid and a variable gas volume to receive pressurized gas to pressurize the supply of fluid. A method of monitoring the fluid supply device may include controlling a gas pressure of the pressurized gas to feed the fluid from the fluid volume, the gas pressure varying in a plurality of pressurization cycles; monitoring a parameter of the pressurization cycles; and determining a change in fill state of the fluid volume as a function of the monitored parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Carlos Chover Lopez, Oriol Parera Fiestas, Albert Ruzafa Villaret
  • Patent number: 11993079
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: an ejection section ejecting a liquid; a state detection section detecting a state of the ejection section; a determination section determining whether or not the ejection section has an abnormality; a recording section recording a determination result of the determination section; a temperature detection section detecting a temperature of the ejection section; and a maintenance section executing maintenance processing on the ejection section, in which when the recording section records abnormality information indicating the abnormality of the ejection section as the determination result by determining that the abnormality occurred in the ejection section by the determination section, and the temperature detection section detects a temperature that is out of an inspection temperature range in which the state detection section detects the state of the ejection section, the abnormality information recorded in the recording section is reset if the maintenance section execute
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Daichi Orihara, Masashi Kamiyanagi
  • Patent number: 11981138
    Abstract: An information processing system includes a storage portion that stores a learned model obtained by performing machine learning on a maintenance condition for a print head based on a data set in which nozzle surface image information obtained by photographing a nozzle plate surface of the print head and maintenance information representing necessity of maintenance of the print head or a recommended execution timing of the maintenance are associated with each other, an acquisition portion that acquires the nozzle surface image information, and a processing portion that outputs the maintenance information based on the nozzle surface image information and the learned model at a timing before a discharge defect of the print head occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kazunaga Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11975536
    Abstract: An element substrate including a liquid discharge element, comprising a memory element capable of storing individual information of the element substrate by a write, the memory element being configured to change an impedance value by the write, a plurality of current supply elements capable of supplying a current to the memory element, and a determination unit configured to determine presence/absence of the write based on a voltage generated in the memory element by the current selectively supplied from the plurality of current supply elements, wherein the plurality of current supply elements constitute a part of a current mirror circuit and each supply the current in an amount according to a size ratio to the memory element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Negishi, Yasuhiro Soeda
  • Patent number: 11975542
    Abstract: A liquid absorber of the present disclosure includes: a first base material; a second base material; and an absorption layer provided between the first base material and the second base material, in which the first base material and the second base material both contain a flame-retardant filament nonwoven fabric, and a content of a flame retardant in the absorption layer is less than 10% by mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hidehiro Takano
  • Patent number: 11970000
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes liquid discharge units, a first image capturing unit, a second image capturing unit, a detection unit, and a discharge determination unit. The liquid discharge units include a first liquid discharge unit and a second liquid discharge unit downstream from the first discharge unit in a moving direction of a recording medium. The first capturing unit captures a first image of the medium at a position corresponding to the first discharge unit. The second capturing unit captures a second image of the medium at a position corresponding to the second discharge unit. The detection unit detects a movement amount of the medium in the moving direction, based on the first image and the second image. The discharge determination unit determines a discharge timing of the second discharge unit with respect to discharge of the first discharge unit, based on the movement amount and a clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Mizuno, Mitsunobu Gohda
  • Patent number: 11970001
    Abstract: A driving waveform determining method with which a waveform of a driving pulse applied to a driving element provided in a liquid ejecting head that ejects a liquid is determined includes: a first step of determining a waveform candidate of the driving pulse; a second step of notifying a user of candidate information of the waveform candidate; a third step of receiving an instruction issued by the user in accordance with the candidate information; and a fourth step of determining the waveform of the driving pulse in accordance with the instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Toyofuku, Toshiro Murayama, Takahiro Katakura
  • Patent number: 11945221
    Abstract: According to one or more embodiments, a liquid ejection head includes an actuator and a driver. The actuator has a piezoelectric element made of a lead-free piezoelectric material. The driver applies a voltage to the actuator to vibrate the piezoelectric element in a first direction with a first electric field in a first polarization direction of the piezoelectric element and a second electric field in a direction opposite to the first polarization direction. The second electric field is controlled to be equal to or less than a coercive electric field of the piezoelectric element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masashi Shimosato
  • Patent number: 11945214
    Abstract: A processing device includes a first light source and a second light source configured to emit light having a peak wavelength from 900 nm to 2,100 nm, a first light receiving portion, a second light receiving portion, and a processing portion configured to subject a medium to processing of increasing or reducing an amount of moisture contained in the medium. the first light source and the first light receiving portion are positioned upstream of the processing portion in a transport direction of the medium, the first light source irradiates, with light, the medium, the first light receiving portion receives light reflected by the medium, the second light source and the second light receiving portion are positioned downstream of the processing portion in the transport direction, the second light source irradiates, with light, the medium, and the second light receiving portion receives light reflected by the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tsuneyuki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11938729
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes a base plate and at least two device chips in which ejection ports for ejecting a liquid are formed and which are disposed on the base plate. At least one first reference mark is provided on the base plate. A second reference mark is provided on each of the device chips. At least one space is formed between adjacent device chips. The second reference marks and the first reference mark present in the space are disposed on an array axis along which the device chips are arrayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Asai, Koji Sasaki, Jun Yamamuro, Shingo Nagata
  • Patent number: 11938738
    Abstract: In some examples, an apparatus can include a syringe body including an electrical interface at a side surface of the syringe body, an interface at an end of the syringe body including an output at a distal surface of the syringe body, a print material particles reservoir located in the syringe body, and a structure to adapt a volume of the print material particles reservoir to move print material particles out of the print material particles reservoir through the output, where in response to the volume adapting structure moving from a first position to a second position, a signal is transmitted by the electrical interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Andrew P. Chick, Kenneth K. Smith, Jiwon Moon, Minul Lee, Matthew James Storey, An Tran, Bennett Alexander Nadeau, Zackary Thomas Hickman
  • Patent number: 11938726
    Abstract: A droplet jetting device comprising a membrane layer defining a pressure chamber that is in fluid communication with a nozzle, the membrane layer carrying, on a membrane that covers the pressure chamber, an actuator for generating pressure waves in a liquid in the pressure chamber, the device further comprising a distribution layer bonded to the membrane layer on the side of the membrane and defining a supply line for supplying the liquid to the pressure chamber, the supply line being connected to the pressure chamber via a restrictor passage extending through the distribution layer in the thickness direction of that layer, and via a window formed in the membrane, characterized in that the restrictor passage has a uniform cross-section, and the membrane window is delimited by a contour that is inwardly offset from the contour of the restrictor passage on the entire periphery of the restrictor passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Igor Shklyarevskiy, Martijn Goedbloed, Youri De Loore, Patrick Brandts, Takahiro Peter Terayama, Sandor Joppen, Bram Pape
  • Patent number: 11932015
    Abstract: A print head includes a generation portion that amplifies an input signal to generate a drive signal, an ejection portion that includes a first driving element driven by a drive signal, and ejects a liquid in response to the drive of the first driving element, a supply portion that includes a first switch for switching between supply and non-supply of the drive signal to the first driving element, and a sound emitting portion that includes a second driving element driven by the drive signal, and a second switch for switching between supply and non-supply of the drive signal to the second driving element, and emits sound in response to the drive of the second driving element, in which the first switch and the second switch are turned on exclusively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuichi Nakano, Masahiro Toki, Tatsuya Sato, Shunsuke Kasai
  • Patent number: 11919302
    Abstract: There is provided a print apparatus including: a piezoelectric member; an individual electrode formed in the piezoelectric member; a first common electrode formed in the piezoelectric member so that the first common electrode is opposed to the individual electrode; a second common electrode formed in the piezoelectric member so that the second common electrode is opposed to the individual electrode, a voltage to be applied to the second common electrode being different from a voltage to be applied to the first common electrode; and a detection circuit configured to detect a capacitance of a first capacitor configured by the piezoelectric member, the individual electrode, and the first common electrode and a second capacitor configured by the piezoelectric member, the individual electrode, and the second common electrode. The detection circuit includes an oscillation circuit configured to be connected to the individual electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shuhei Hiwada