Patents Examined by Stephen D. Meier
  • Patent number: 7852362
    Abstract: An image-data transfer controller divides one line of image data for each of a plurality of light-emitting-element array units, transfers the divided image data to respective light-emitting-element array units, to drive light-emitting elements in the light-emitting-element array units for an exposure in a main-scanning direction. The image-data transfer controller performs a plurality of data transfers during one-line interval in the main-scanning direction, while performing a data processing of the one line of image data in the respective light-emitting-element array units, to drive a light-emitting element array formed with the light-emitting elements arranged in one direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Naoichi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7850275
    Abstract: A printing method includes performing correction of an ink ejection amount for a certain area based on a correction value for a first type row region, and performing correction of an ink ejection amount for another area based on another correction value. The certain area includes a plurality of the first type row regions adjacent to each other in a transport direction of a medium. The other area is located on the downstream side in the transport direction from the certain area, and includes a plurality of second type row regions and a plurality of the first type row regions in the transport direction. The other correction value is obtained by increasing a degree of the correction based on the correction value for the first type row region as a distance from the certain area decreases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko Yoshida, Tatsuya Nakano, Bunji Ishimoto, Toru Miyamoto, Hirokazu Nunokawa, Yoichi Kakehashi
  • Patent number: 7850294
    Abstract: An ink-cartridge accommodation device including: a case which has a front opening and which accommodates an ink cartridge storing ink so as to permit the ink cartridge to be inserted into and withdrawn from the case through the front opening; and a connector which is disposed in a rear portion of the case so as to be opposed to the front opening, which is to be connected to an ink supply portion of the ink cartridge, and which includes (a) an ink introducing pipe portion projecting toward the front opening, (b) a guide rib portion provided around the ink introducing pipe portion so as to project toward the front opening for guiding the ink supply portion, and (c) a drain hole provided between the ink introducing pipe portion and the guide rib portion to drain the ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroyasu Yano
  • Patent number: 7850267
    Abstract: In a method of controlling drive of a function liquid droplet ejection head in which a plurality of nozzle arrays are arranged, the nozzle arrays have function liquid droplet ejection amounts which are different from each other per unit nozzle. The drive of the plurality of nozzle arrays is controlled by using a single drive signal having a plurality of ejection pulses corresponding to the plurality of nozzle arrays in one print cycle. Thus, even if a plurality of nozzle arrays having function liquid droplet ejection amounts which are different from each other per unit nozzle are disposed in one function liquid droplet ejection head, easy drive control is possible without lowering printing throughput.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hidenori Usuda
  • Patent number: 7845769
    Abstract: An ink jet printhead which includes a line of nozzles arranged with a uniform first pitch in a line direction X, a plurality of parallel ink channels having an axial direction normal to said line direction X and arranged in groups within which they have a uniform second pitch, each ink channel being connected to one of said nozzles, and a plurality of actuators arranged in groups corresponding to those of the ink channels, each actuator being associated with one of the ink channels for pressurizing ink contained therein for expelling an ink droplet through the associated nozzle, wherein the ink channels are connected to their associated nozzles by flow passages which all have a substantially equal length and are inclined relative to said axial direction with varying angles in both, said line direction X and a scan direction Z being orthogonal to the line direction and the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: OCÉ-Technologies B.V.
    Inventor: Peter J. Hollands
  • Patent number: 7847812
    Abstract: A label pattern can be created on a label side of an optical disc under well focus control. An optical disc is first loaded in an optical disc drive with the label side thereof facing to an optical head of the optical disc drive. Then, the optical head is actuated along a focusing direction. Meanwhile, a light intensity addition signal is generated in response to optical signals reflected from the optical disc and received by the optical head. A closed-loop control operation of the optical head is performed according to the light intensity addition signal after the light intensity addition signal up-crosses a threshold. Then, a label pattern can be defined on the label side of the optical disc with the closed-loop control operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Lite-On It Corp.
    Inventors: Tao-Yen Wei, Chi-Yuan Liu
  • Patent number: 7845792
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet guide that guides a sheet carried by a carrier mechanism in a first casing, a second casing that is mounted rotatably via a support shaft on the first casing and that is opened and closed about the support shaft, and a recording head that is provided in this second casing and that ejects ink to the sheet guided by the sheet guide while moving along a moving path orthogonal to a direction of carrying the sheet and thus records an image thereon, and that, after the end of this recording operation, moves to a standby position on one end side of the moving path and waits there.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masashi Hiroki, Satoshi Kaiho
  • Patent number: 7845786
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus comprises: an ink ejection device which ejects ink through nozzles, the ink containing coloring material; a treatment liquid ejection device which ejects treatment liquid through nozzles, the treatment liquid being a colorless transparent liquid containing infrared-absorbing material and having at least one of an action of insolubilizing the coloring material, an action of aggregating the coloring material, and an action of preventing dispersion of the coloring material; an infrared irradiating device which irradiates infrared light onto the treatment liquid having been ejected from the treatment liquid ejection device; and a treatment liquid determination device which includes a photoelectric transducer having sensitivity to the infrared light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: FujiFilm Corporation
    Inventor: Masaaki Konno
  • Patent number: 7845775
    Abstract: An ink tank which includes a plurality of ink chambers and a plurality of supply ports is provided. The plurality of supply ports are provided for the respective ink chambers. Each of the supply ports communicates an outside with each of the ink chambers. Ink stored in the each of the ink chambers is supplied through the each of the supply ports to the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shohei Koide
  • Patent number: 7845749
    Abstract: In a liquid-ejecting method for ejecting liquid contained in a liquid chamber from a nozzle as a liquid droplet group, the ejection amount of each liquid droplet of the continuously ejected liquid-droplet group can be stabilized corresponding to a wide frequency band of a pulse signal. Also, when one pixel is formed with a plurality of liquid droplets using a head capable of deflecting the ejecting direction of the liquid droplet, the image quality is improved by reducing the landing positional displacement between plural liquid droplets for forming the one pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Soichi Kuwahara, Minoru Kohno, Masato Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7845746
    Abstract: An ink container which includes an ink supply port for supplying ink to a recording head, and is formed with a flexible member shaped like a bag, which deforms in accordance with an amount of remaining ink contained therein, the ink container including: a sensor module serving as vibration activating and detecting unit, provided on one of the surfaces of the ink container, for emitting a vibration to the ink; and a rigid member provided on a location of the other surface of the ink container, which is opposed to the sensor module; wherein an amount of remaining ink is detected based on a vibration characteristic of the vibration activating and detecting unit which depends on a distance between the vibration activating and detecting unit and the rigid member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeo Seino, Munehide Kanaya, Atsushi Kobayashi, Takahiro Katakura
  • Patent number: 7845770
    Abstract: A liquid droplet ejecting head including a plurality of pressure chambers; nozzles communicating respectively with the plurality of pressure chambers; a vibrating plate that forms portions of the plurality of pressure chambers; a piezoelectric body disposed above the vibrating plate; individual electrodes formed respectively for each of the plurality of pressure chambers at one of a bottom surface and a top surface of the piezoelectric body, the individual electrodes being one polarity of the piezoelectric body; a common electrode, formed at the other surface of the one of a bottom surface and a top surface of the piezoelectric body, so as to extend over the plurality of pressure chambers, the common electrode being the other polarity of the piezoelectric body; electrical connecting portions electrically connected to the individual electrodes; and first electrode members electrically isolated from the common electrode, is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinji Seto
  • Patent number: 7841713
    Abstract: A mobile telecommunications device including: a transceiver for sending and receiving signals via a wireless telecommunications network; a processor for processing schedule data to generate dot data representing a visual layout of the schedule data; and a printer configured to receive the dot data and print it onto a print medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 7841708
    Abstract: An inkjet printer that has a printhead IC with and array of ink ejection nozzles, an ink manifold for distributing ink to the printhead IC, the ink manifold having an ink inlet and an ink outlet, an accumulator, and a downstream pump in fluid communication with the ink outlet. The downstream pump is independently operable. This allows the printhead to be primed or deprimed for storage and transport and it allows the printhead IC to be cleaned by a foam formed by air forced through the ink election nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventors: John Douglas Peter Morgan, Kia Silverbrook, Vesa Karppinen, David John Worboys, Patrick John McAuliffe, Norman Micheal Berry, David William Jensen
  • Patent number: 7841709
    Abstract: An ink cartridge holder includes: a peripheral wall portion which allows ink cartridges to be inserted thereinto and withdrawn therefrom through an opening formed at one of opposite ends thereof; a partition wall portion which is formed integrally with the peripheral wall portion and is positioned in a position distant from the opening, the partition wall portion interconnecting two portions of the peripheral wall portion that are opposed to each other, and partitioning an inner space of the peripheral wall portion into sections whose number corresponds to the number of the ink cartridges; and an extension wall portion which extends continuously from the partition wall portion along one of the two opposed portions of the peripheral wall portion toward the opening, and which is formed integrally with the partition wall portion and the peripheral wall portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroki Kawamura
  • Patent number: 7843484
    Abstract: A mobile telecommunications device including: a transceiver for sending and receiving signals via a wireless telecommunications network; processing means for processing connection history information relating to communications sent to or from the mobile telecommunications device via the transceiver, to generate dot data representing a visual layout of the connection history information; and a integral printer configured to receive the dot data and print it onto a print medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 7841691
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus equipped with a maintenance mechanism that is divided into a plurality of ink pans, which are connected to each other at an edge of each of which by means of pins, on a bottom surface of each of which a plurality of caps are arranged, which at the time of storage, are stored from guide rails so as to be stored at a position beneath a conveyance path in a V-shaped state, the caps in the ink pans being opposed to each other in a V-shaped state, which are drawn out horizontally along the guide rails to a position beneath the recording head group, and in each of which the caps are allocated to the nozzle surfaces of the recording heads by a hoisting and lowering operation of a belt conveying unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Takahisa Yamada
  • Patent number: 7837302
    Abstract: An inkjet nozzle array includes a plurality of nozzles. Each nozzle includes a chamber having an input aperture adapted to receive ink into the chamber and an output aperture through which ink is ejected from the chamber. Each chamber further includes a window adapted to receive electromagnetic radiation and operable to heat ink in the chamber responsive to the electromagnetic radiation and eject an ink droplet through the output aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Marvell International Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Gregory Frank Carlson, Ronald Gregory Paul, Steven Michael Goss, Todd Alan McClelland
  • Patent number: 7837315
    Abstract: A cavity unit for use in an ink jet recording head, including plate members which stacked on each other and having an ink-introducing passage, a filter portion which removes foreign matters from introduced ink, two communication chambers which communicate with each other through the filter portion, and nozzles each of which ejects a droplet of the ink. The plate members include a filter plate including the filter portion, and a guide-passage plate which is provided adjacent the filter plate and which has, on an upstream side of an upstream-side one of the two communication chambers with respect to an ink-flow path, a guide passage which causes the introduced ink to flow, before the ink flows into the upstream-side communication chamber, in a direction along one surface of the filter plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Mizutani, Atsushi Ito
  • Patent number: 7837320
    Abstract: A liquid droplet ejection apparatus comprising a liquid droplet ejection head that ejects liquid droplets, a conveyor belt that retains and conveys a recording medium while causing the recording medium to face the liquid droplet ejection head, and a charge roll that causes the recording medium to be electrostatically attracted to the conveyor belt. The charge roll and the conveyor belt are configured not to contact each other, and a gap between the charge roll and the conveyor belt is less than the thickness of the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Mohri, Hiroaki Satoh, Koichi Saitoh