Patents Examined by Shelby l Fidler
  • Patent number: 11602936
    Abstract: A controller extracts an image resolution in a first direction of image data stored in a memory; determines, based on the image data, whether a code image is included in an image to be printed on a recording medium, the code image being formed with a plurality of print regions and a plurality of non-print regions; in response to determining that the code image is included, determines whether a print resolution in the first direction is lower than the extracted image resolution in the first direction; in response to determining that the print resolution is lower than the extracted image resolution, updates the print resolution in the first direction with a value equal to or higher than the extracted image resolution in the first direction; and controls a print engine to perform printing on the recording medium with the updated print resolution in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masatomo Yamaguchi, Shoko Kodama
  • Patent number: 11602933
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a liquid ejection head includes a pressure chamber that contains a liquid, an actuator to change the pressure in the pressure chamber according to an applied drive signal, and a drive circuit to apply a first drive signal to the actuator when a single droplet is to be ejected from the pressure chamber and a second drive signal to the actuator when two or more droplets are to be ejected in series from the pressure chamber. The first drive signal has a first auxiliary pulse before a first ejection pulse. The second drive signal has a second auxiliary pulse before the first ejection pulse. A pulse width of the first auxiliary pulse is greater than a pulse width of the second auxiliary pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mengfei Wong, Ryutaro Kusunoki
  • Patent number: 11602932
    Abstract: In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a fluidic die is described. The fluidic die includes a number of zones. Each zone includes a number of sets of fluidic devices. Each fluidic device includes a fluid chamber and a fluid actuator disposed in the chamber. Each fluidic device also includes a sensor to sense a characteristic of the zone and an adjustment device. The adjustment device 1) delays a firing signal received from a previous zone as it passes by each set of fluidic devices and 2) adjusts the firing signal as it enters the zone based on a sensed characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Eric Martin, Daryl E. Anderson, James Michael Gardner
  • Patent number: 11590754
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus includes a controller for controlling an imprint process and a supply device for supplying an imprint material. The supply device includes discharge devices to discharge an imprint material, and a discharge controller to control the discharge devices under the control of the controller. The discharge controller includes a buffer memory to temporarily store driving waveform data. Each of the discharge devices includes a discharge element and a driver for driving the discharge element based on the driving waveform data stored in the buffer memory. While a supply step of supplying an imprint material for a first shot region is performed, the controller transfers the driving waveform data for the supply step of a second shot region to a storage area of the buffer memory which is not used in the supply step of the first shot region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yousuke Kondo
  • Patent number: 11584124
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a plurality of ejection heads, each including a nozzle array in which a plurality of nozzles, each configured to eject a droplet, are arranged in an array; and an ejection receiver configured to receive the droplet from the plurality of ejection heads. A conveying direction in which an ejection target medium is conveyed and an arrangement direction in which the nozzle array is arranged are parallel to each other, and at a predetermined timing, at least one ejection head among the plurality of ejection heads moves to a position facing the ejection target medium and ejects the droplet toward the ejection target medium, and, simultaneously, a remaining ejection head among the plurality of ejection heads other than the at least one ejection head moves to be withdrawn from the position facing the ejection target medium and ejects the droplet toward the ejection receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kohhei Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11584125
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: a conveyer; head chips; a circulation channel; and a controller. Each head chip includes a manifold; a nozzle group, and actuators. Each head chip is configured to execute discharge drive and non-discharge vibration drive. The head chips include: an end head chip; a facing head chip facing the recording medium; and a non-facing head chip not facing the recording medium. The controller is configured to make at least one of a circulation flowing amount of a liquid in the circulation channel in the facing head chip and a frequency of the non-discharge vibration drive by an actuator included in the actuators in the facing head chip larger than those of the non-facing head chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nodsu, Yuichi Ito
  • Patent number: 11577509
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes: a pressure chamber substrate; and a communication plate, in which the pressure chamber substrate includes a first pressure chamber that extends in a first direction and applies pressure to a liquid, and a first supply channel, and the communication plate includes a first communication channel that extends in a second direction intersecting with the first direction and communicates with the first supply channel, and a second supply channel that communicates with the first supply channel and the first pressure chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shotaro Tamai, Yuma Fukuzawa, Shohei Mizuta
  • Patent number: 11577505
    Abstract: A print head drive circuit drives a print head including an ejecting portion ejecting a liquid in response to a drive signal propagating through a drive signal line and a storage portion storing ejecting portion-related information changing in accordance with use of the ejecting portion, in which processing of reading the ejecting portion-related information changing in accordance with the use from the storage portion is performed before the drive signal for ejecting the liquid from the ejecting portion is supplied to the print head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Inventors: Eiji Takagi, Masanori Koizumi, Shunya Komatsu, Shuichi Nakano, Masashi Kamiyanagi, Toru Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 11565519
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a head and a switching device. The head includes a piezoelectric element and a pressure chamber configured to discharge liquid. The switching device is configured to select application or non-application of a drive voltage waveform to the piezoelectric element. The drive voltage waveform includes a discharge waveform to pressurize and discharge the liquid in the pressure chamber and a damping waveform to suppress residual vibration in the pressure chamber. The damping waveform is disposed after the discharge waveform in time series. The switching device includes a switch and a diode. The switch is configured to be turned on in a falling waveform element of each of the discharge waveform and the damping waveform. The diode is connected in parallel with the switch in a direction opposite to the falling waveform element of each of the discharge waveform and the damping waveform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hitoshi Kida
  • Patent number: 11559987
    Abstract: One example provides a fluidic die including a nozzle layer disposed on a substrate, the nozzle layer having an upper surface opposite the substrate and including a plurality of nozzles formed therein, each nozzle including a fluid chamber and a nozzle orifice extending through the nozzle layer from the upper surface to the fluid chamber. A conductive trace is exposed to the upper surface of the nozzle layer and extends proximate to a portion of the nozzle orifices, an impedance of the conductive trace indicative of a surface condition of the upper surface of the nozzle layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Eric Martin, Daryl E. Anderson, James R. Przybyla, Chien-Hua Chen, Diane R. Hammerstad
  • Patent number: 11559986
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a drive element, and a drive circuit that outputs a drive signal that drives the drive element, wherein the drive circuit includes a modulation circuit that modulates a base drive signal to output a modulation signal, an amplifier circuit that amplifies the modulation signal to output an amplified modulation signal, a demodulation circuit that demodulates the amplified modulation signal to output the drive signal, and a substrate on which the modulation circuit, the amplifier circuit, and the demodulation circuit are provided, wherein the substrate includes a base material includes a metal and a first layer laminated on the base material, wherein the first layer includes a first propagation wire through which at least one of the amplified modulation signal and the drive signal propagates, and wherein the base material has a thickness greater than a thickness of the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Dai Nozawa, Yoichiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 11554584
    Abstract: a first sloped portion that is provided between the first wall surface and the third wall surface includes a first constituting surface that extends in a third direction between the first direction and the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Naganuma, Yuma Fukuzawa, Hitoshi Takaai, Shotaro Tamai
  • Patent number: 11548275
    Abstract: Methods for printing using printing systems comprising a flexible intermediate transfer member (ITM) disposed around a plurality of guide rollers at which encoders are installed, and an image-forming station at which ink images are formed by droplet deposition by print bars onto the ITM, can include measuring a local velocity of the ITM under one of the print bars, determining a stretch factor for a portion of the ITM based on a relationship between an estimated stretched length fixed physical distance between print bars, controlling an ink deposition parameter according to the stretch factor so as to compensate for stretching of the reference portion of the ITM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: LANDA CORPORATION LTD.
    Inventor: Vitaly Burkatovsky
  • Patent number: 11548277
    Abstract: A printer is configured to provide a jet of extraction gas that extracts a printing fluid from a printing nozzle in the presence of an electric field that accelerates the extracted printing fluid toward a printing substrate. The printer is also configured to selectively turn the electric field and the jet of extraction gas off and on to enable printing in gas-extraction mode, an e-assisted gas-extraction mode, or an e-jet mode. The jet of gas can be provided by a second nozzle concentric with the printing nozzle. A third nozzle can discharge a focusing gas around the extracted printing fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: Lai Yu Leo Tse, Ethan John McMillan, Kira Barton
  • Patent number: 11541656
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a liquid ejection head, where the liquid ejection head includes: an ejection port, a first substrate, and a temperature detection element. The ejection port ejects liquid and includes a protrusion extending toward an ejection port inside. The first substrate includes a heating element that ejects liquid from the ejection port using heat. The temperature detection element detects temperature of the first substrate. Driving of the heating element is controlled based on whether a difference between a voltage value Vp1 measured by the temperature detection element and a preset voltage value Vp01 has a positive value within or outside a predetermined range or a negative value outside the predetermined range. The voltage value Vp1 is measured when a temperature change amount becomes maximum in a temperature falling process of a second substrate located, after the heating element is driven, at a position corresponding to the heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoki Ishiwata, Takatsugu Moriya, Nobuyuki Hirayama
  • Patent number: 11535031
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus is provided that includes a plurality of liquid ejection head units that are configured to eject liquid onto a conveyed object being conveyed; a detection unit that is provided with respect to each liquid ejection head unit of the plurality of liquid ejection head units and is configured to output a detection result indicating at least one of a position, a moving speed, and an amount of movement of the conveyed object with respect to a conveying direction of the conveyed object; and a control unit configured to control each liquid ejection head unit among the plurality of liquid ejection head units to eject liquid at a timing based on a plurality of the detection results of a plurality of the detection units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsunobu Gohda, Tsuyoshi Nagasu, Koichi Kudo, Tomoaki Hayashi, Masayuki Sunaoshi, Masahiro Mizuno
  • Patent number: 11535030
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: a liquid discharge head; a relative movement mechanism performing relative movement between the liquid discharge head and a medium; a velocity signal output circuit; and a controller performing a constant velocity discharge operation and an acceleration/deceleration discharge operation. In the constant velocity discharge operation, the controller determines a discharge timing based on information about a representative value of relative velocity obtained based on a plurality of pieces of preceding velocity information. Further, in the acceleration/deceleration discharge operation, the controller obtains approximate information in which a change in the relative velocity is approximated based on distribution of the relative velocity, and the controller determines a discharge timing based on the approximate information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shoji Sato, Satoru Arakane
  • Patent number: 11529807
    Abstract: A print head drive circuit that drives a print head including an ejection portion having a piezoelectric element and a changeover switch, with a selection signal including a first information block and a second information block for selecting whether or not to drive the piezoelectric element, and a switching timing signal for changing a logic level to control a switching timing of the changeover switch, outputs the first information block in which a logic level of the selection signal changes without changing a logic level of the switching timing signal in a first period, changes the logic level of the switching timing signal, and does not change the logic level of the selection signal in a second period, and outputs the second information block in which the logic level of the selection signal changes without changing the logic level of the switching timing signal in a third period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Orii, Toru Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 11529806
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a drive circuit that outputs a drive signal, wherein the drive circuit includes a modulation circuit that modulates a base drive signal to output a modulation signal, an amplifier circuit that amplifies the modulation signal to output an amplified modulation signal, a demodulation circuit that demodulates the amplified modulation signal to output the drive signal, and a substrate on which the modulation circuit, the amplifier circuit, and the demodulation circuit are provided, wherein the substrate includes a first face and a second face opposite to the first face, wherein the demodulation circuit includes a first coil and a second coil electrically coupled in parallel with the first coil, and wherein the first coil is positioned so as to overlap at least part of the second coil in a direction normal to the first face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Dai Nozawa
  • Patent number: 11524500
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejection apparatus, including: a head; a signal output circuit; a discharge mechanism; a controller; and a memory in which association information is stored. The controller is configured to: diagnose a degree of defectiveness of the head based on a signal from the signal output circuit; and receive, from a user, an input of discharge amount information. In response to the input of the discharge amount information, the controller is configured to: control the discharge mechanism to discharge a liquid by a discharge amount corresponding to the discharge amount information; and change the association in the association information based on the discharge amount corresponding to the discharge amount information and a discharge amount that corresponds to the degree of the defectiveness of the head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Nakano, Yuta Toda, Zenichiro Sasaki