Patents Examined by Shelby l Fidler
  • Patent number: 11241880
    Abstract: A drive circuit that drives a piezoelectric device including a drive signal selection control circuit which controls supply of the drive signal to the piezoelectric element, the drive circuit including a drive signal output circuit that outputs the drive signal, a power supply voltage signal output circuit that outputs a power supply voltage signal, and a power supply voltage control circuit that controls supply of the power supply voltage signal to the drive signal selection control circuit, in which the drive signal output circuit includes a modulation circuit, an amplification circuit, a demodulation circuit, a feedback circuit, and a discharge circuit, a first wiring electrically couples the drive signal selection control circuit and the power supply voltage control circuit to each other, and the discharge circuit is electrically coupled to a second wiring through which the drive signal output from the demodulation circuit propagates, through the feedback circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Inventor: Yoichiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 11220104
    Abstract: In an example implementation, a method of reducing inkjet aerosol in a fluid drop ejection system includes imaging fluid drops from an ejection event as the drops travel from an ejection nozzle toward a substrate, determining the momentum of each fluid drop from the imaging, comparing the momentum of each fluid drop with a threshold momentum, and determining that a fluid drop will become aerosol when its momentum does not exceed the threshold momentum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Steven Michael Krause, James Feinn, Hector Jose Lebron
  • Patent number: 11214057
    Abstract: An ejection apparatus includes: a first ejection unit configured to eject droplets on a recording medium conveyed in a conveyance direction to form an image for detection; a first detection unit disposed downstream of the first ejection unit and configured to detect the image for detection; a second ejection unit disposed downstream of the detection unit and configured to eject droplets on the recording medium; and a control unit configured to: predict a first elongation amount of the recording medium based on a first difference between a first set time period and a first detection time period from a reference time point to a first detection time point when the image for detection is detected by the first detection unit; and perform delay control on the second ejection unit for delaying an ejection timing of the second ejection unit based on the predicted elongation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: FUIFIIM Business Imovation Corp.
    Inventors: Masato Matsuzuki, Yoshiyuki Taguchi, Chikara Manabe, Kunio Miyakoshi, Maki Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 11214076
    Abstract: A processing system including an inkjet printer that performs printing on a workpiece according to print data associated with a jig ID that indicates the type of jig, and a jig having a jig ID indicating its type that supports the workpiece and is set in the inkjet printer acquires the jig ID from the jig (S61), and notifies incompatibility between the print data and the jig when the jig ID associated with the print data, and the jig ID acquired from the jig in S61 do not match (NO in S63) (S64).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuaki Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 11214055
    Abstract: A drive circuit (100) for driving actuators of a printhead (97) from a common drive waveform has a switching circuit (32) for coupling the common drive waveform to an actuator (1,2), and a timing circuit (10) to control the switching circuit to form a drive pulse from the common drive waveform. The drive pulse is trimmed by controlling a duration (TTRIM) of a step at an intermediate level (VHOLD) in the drive pulse. This can improve the trade-off between available range of trimming and thermal efficiency because the voltage drop across the switching circuit can be reduced, compared to trimming only the height. Decoupling during a flat portion of the common drive waveform can enable the timing of the decoupling to be more relaxed compared to decoupling during a slope. Such relaxing can enable costs, complexity and thermal loading to be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Xaar Technology Limited
    Inventors: Anirban Lahiri, Mujahid-ul Islam, Mario Massucci, Ian Anthony Hurst, Stephen Mark Jeapes, Neil Christopher Bird, Anthony Saugey
  • Patent number: 11207883
    Abstract: A liquid jet device includes a head that discharges liquid to an object; a moving mechanism that moves at least one of the object and the head; and a controller that causes the head to discharge the liquid while moving the at least one of the object and the head in a first direction to form a first row of dots, and causes the head to discharge the liquid while moving the at least one of the object and the head in a second direction opposite the first direction to form a second row of dots that overlaps the first row of dots. The controller causes the center of the first dot in the second row of dots to be shifted from the center of the last dot in the first row of dots by a distance greater than or equal to a distance d.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Kaiba, Shuusei Murai
  • Patent number: 11207896
    Abstract: A system and method for printing an image on a surface using a printing robot, wherein data from an internal position determination system of the robot as well as data from a reference system comprising a stationary reference external to the robot are used to calculate an estimate of position, velocity and acceleration of the print head relative to the surface. As print head is moved along the surface during printing, i.e. as the print head is moved while ink is ejected from nozzles of the print head, the positioning of the print head and activation of nozzles of the print head are controlled based on the estimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Xyrec IP B.V.
    Inventors: Christopher L. Lewis, Matthew M. Robinson, Paul T. Evans, Peter Boeijink, Branson P. Brockschmidt
  • Patent number: 11192361
    Abstract: A liquid-discharging-head includes a nozzle having a first-nozzle-portion having a first-sectional-area and a second-nozzle-portion having a second-sectional-area larger than the first-sectional-area, a liquid chamber which communicates with the nozzle, and a piezoelectric-element which changes a pressure inside the liquid chamber, in which the piezoelectric-element is driven from the control section, and the liquid-discharging-head executes a first control in which an apex of a liquid surface is drawn into the second-nozzle-portion in a state in which an inner wall surface of the first-nozzle-portion is covered by a liquid film by decreasing the pressure inside the liquid chamber, and a second control in which a shape of the apex of the liquid surface is inverted to a protruding shape towed the opening and the droplet is discharged from the nozzle by increasing the pressure inside the liquid chamber in a state in which the inner wall surface is covered by the liquid film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Katakura, Hirofumi Sakai, Keigo Sugai, Shinichi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11186090
    Abstract: Examples include a fluid ejection die embedded in a molded panel. The fluid ejection die comprises a substrate, and the substrate includes an army of nozzles extending therethrough. The substrate has a first surface in which nozzle orifices are formed and a second surface, opposite the first surface, in which nozzle inlet openings are formed. The fluid ejection die is embedded in the molded panel such that the first surface of the substrate is approximately planar with a top surface of the molded panel. The molded panel has a fluid channel formed therethrough in fluid communication with the nozzle inlet openings of the array of nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Chien-Hua Chen, Michael W. Cumbie, Erik D Torniainen
  • Patent number: 11179933
    Abstract: A method may include positioning first and second printhead die within a die carrier, using a registration pin of the die carrier to align the first and second printhead die and fixing the position of the first and second printhead die within the die carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: HP SCITEX LTD.
    Inventors: Ken Vandenberghe, Alon Navon, Ronny Tuttnauer
  • Patent number: 11179948
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes, on an element substrate, an ejection orifice line formed of a plurality of ejection orifices, a plurality of pressure chambers that communicates with the ejection orifices, respectively, a first flow passage and a second flow passage that extend along the ejection orifice line and communicate with the plurality of pressure chambers, respectively, and a plurality of first openings that communicates with the first flow passage and a plurality of second openings that communicates with the second flow passage. The number of the first openings and the number of the second openings are equal to each other and even numbers. Out of the plurality of first openings and the plurality of second openings, openings positioned at both ends in an ejection orifice line direction are either the first openings or the second openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akiko Hammura, Yoshiyuki Nakagawa, Yasuhiko Osaki
  • Patent number: 11179930
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus has: a discharging section that discharges a liquid by being driven by a driving signal; a detecting section that detects vibration caused in the discharging section; and an inspecting section that inspects the discharging state of the liquid in the discharging section according to the result of detection by the detecting section. In a first period, the potential of the driving signal is changed from a first reference potential to another potential and back to the first reference potential. In a second period, the potential of the driving signal is changed from the first reference potential to a second reference potential. In a third period, the detecting section detects vibration caused in the discharging section. In a fourth period, the potential of the driving signal is changed from the second reference potential to another potential and back to the second reference potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Shinkawa, Masashi Kamiyanagi, Toshiyuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11167569
    Abstract: A dye printing method and an ink capable of performing printing on more types of media than in the related art are shown. A dye printing method using ink 10 containing a solvent 11, and particles 12 of a thermoplastic resin dispersed in the solvent 11 and containing a dye 13 is characterized by including a printing process of performing a printing on a medium 20 with the ink 10, a particle fixing process of fixing the particles 12 to the medium 20 by drying the solvent 11 of the ink 10 ejected to the medium 20 by the printing process, and a resin fixing process of fixing the thermoplastic resin to the medium 20 by heating the particles 12 fixed to the medium 20 by the particle fixing process, at least at a glass-transition temperature or higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 11167557
    Abstract: An agitation device includes: a first container configured to house a liquid; a second container configured to house the liquid transferred from the first container; a transfer agitation unit configured to selectively execute a transfer operation of transferring the liquid from the first container to the second container and an agitation operation of agitating the liquid in the second container by using a common drive source; and a controller configured to control the transfer agitation unit to alternately execute the transfer operation and the agitation operation upon transferring the liquid from the first container to the second container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshihiro Bansyo, Takehiro Yamori
  • Patent number: 11167555
    Abstract: When one of directions in which a carriage moves is a first scanning direction, and the other one of the directions is a second scanning direction, a tube extends in the first scanning direction, is bent in the second scanning direction with a curved portion, and is coupled to the carriage. The tube has a first portion, which is an immovable portion that does not move as the carriage reciprocates, and a second portion, which is a movable portion that moves as the carriage reciprocates. The first portion is fixed to a mounting plate, which is an example of a fixing section, the tube and a supporting member are held together by a holding member, and the mounting plate has a stepped portion, which is an example of a contact preventing portion configured to prevent contact with the holding member holding the movable portion of the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Miyagawa, Shota Mizuno
  • Patent number: 11161349
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a carriage having a recording head and an ink tank that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, which are mounted on the carriage, wherein the ink tank has an inlet port provided in an upper part of the ink tank, and a prism provided in a lower part of the ink tank, the recording apparatus includes a sensor located under the carriage and having a light-emitting portion that emits light toward the prism and a light-receiving portion that receives light reflected by the prism, and, when the carriage is located at an ink replenishment position where the ink in the ink tank is replenished via the inlet port, the sensor is disposed at a position hidden by the carriage in plan view of the carriage as viewed from above the carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Katsunari Kumagai, Takayuki Yazawa, Norihide Hashimoto, Katsumi Yamada
  • Patent number: 11155083
    Abstract: A member transfer method includes sticking a member supported at a support to an object, thinning the support after the sticking of the member to the object, and removing the support from the member after the thinning of the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruo Ozaki, Masaki Ohsumi, Tomohiko Nakano, Seiichiro Yaginuma, Keiji Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 11155085
    Abstract: A thermal fluid ejection heating element may include a first conductive trace, and an at least partially perforated resistive thin film material electrically coupling the first conductive trace to a second conductive trace. The perforations within the perforated resistive thin film material defines a resistance of the thermal fluid ejection heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Stanley J Wang, Erik D Torniainen, Vincent C Korthuis
  • Patent number: 11141759
    Abstract: A method for producing a decorative surface having different gloss levels preferably comprising the following steps: (C) feeding of a workpiece (1.0), which is coated with at least a first lacquer layer (1.4) to a digital printing station; (D) provision of digital control data for the digital printing station; (E) digital spraying of droplets on partial areas of the first lacquer layer (1.4) on the workpiece (1.0) with an at least partially transparent lacquer in order to apply a second lacquer layer (1.5) on the first lacquer layer (1.4), wherein after curing the second lacquer layer (1.5) has a different gloss level than the first lacquer layer (1.4). Further disclosed is an apparatus for carrying out this method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Hymmen GmbH Maschinen- und Anlagesbas
    Inventor: René Pankoke
  • Patent number: 11141977
    Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a first ink head, an ink collector, and an intermittent flushing controller. The first ink head includes a first sub-head that includes a first nozzle to discharge first ink, a second sub-head that includes a second nozzle to discharge second ink different from the first ink, and a nozzle surface provided with the first nozzle and the second nozzle. The ink collector collects the ink discharged from the first ink head. The intermittent flushing controller performs an intermittent flushing operation for at least the first sub-head. The intermittent flushing operation involves repeating a first operation and a second operation for a predetermined number of iterations. The first operation involves discharging the first ink into the ink collector from the first nozzle a predetermined number of times. The second operation involves being on standby for a predetermined time without discharging the first ink from the first nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: ROLAND DG CORPORATION
    Inventors: Teppei Sawada, Akifumi Arai