Patents Examined by Stephen Meier
  • Patent number: 9403653
    Abstract: The present invention provides a conveying apparatus includes a supporting unit rotatably supporting a roll of a sheet, a conveying unit conveying the sheet pulled out from the roll, a detection unit detecting a rotation amount of the roll, a driving unit giving a rotational driving force to the roll supported by the supporting unit, and a control unit controlling the driving unit based on the detection result of the detection unit. The control unit sets a control amount for the driving unit in accordance with a rotation phase of the roll, in order to adjust a tension of the sheet between the roll and the conveying unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideaki Matsumura
  • Patent number: 9403368
    Abstract: In a case in which a cumulative value ?Nure of wetting coefficients is less than a wetting threshold value THNure, printing is carried out on a unit area through a print mode in which an image is completed through a first number of instances of a scan, and in a case in which the cumulative value ?Nure is equal to or greater than the wetting threshold value THNure, printing is carried out on a unit area through a print mode in which an image is completed through a second number of instances of the scan, where the second number is greater than the first number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Toshiyuki Chikuma, Satoshi Seki, Kenichi Oonuki
  • Patent number: 9403379
    Abstract: For each of a plurality of areas in at least one of a sheet width direction and a sheet conveying direction included in a sheet trailing edge area during printing on a first surface, information regarding an ink application amount to the area is acquired. According to a combination of acquired pieces of information regarding the ink application amounts to the plurality of areas, waiting time until a printing start on a second surface from an end of printing in the sheet trailing edge area is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Kohnotoh, Kazuo Ohyama
  • Patent number: 9403371
    Abstract: A liquid storage container includes a liquid storage section configured to store a liquid, a liquid injection section connected to the liquid storage section and configured to inject the liquid into the liquid storage section, an air chamber communicated with air, an air introduction section communicated to the air chamber and configured to introduce the air to the air chamber, a communicating passage through which the liquid storage section and the air chamber are communicated to each other, a liquid injection port defined as an intersection at which the liquid injection section and the liquid storage section intersect each other, and a connecting port defined between the liquid storage section and the communicating passage and located above the liquid injection port in a posture where the liquid injection port is oriented upward in a direction intersecting with a horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yasunori Koike, Takashi Mano
  • Patent number: 9393814
    Abstract: A printing unit, comprising: a main body frame; a platen roller removably mounted on the main body frame; a lock mechanism supported on the main body frame so as to be pivotable between a locking position where the platen roller is held on the main body frame in a rotatable manner and an unlocking position where the platen roller is detachable from the main body frame; a thermal head held in press contact with an outer peripheral surface of the platen roller; a pivot shaft provided to one of the main body frame and the lock mechanism and inserted through shaft holes formed in another of the main body frame and the lock mechanism, the pivot shaft being configured to pivot the lock mechanism relative to the main body frame about the pivot shaft; and biasing members configured to bias the lock mechanism toward the locking position and bring the pivot shaft and opening edges of the shaft holes into abutment against each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Aizawa
  • Patent number: 9393819
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording section that performs recording on a recording medium, a rotation section that sends out the recording medium by rotating a roll of the recording medium or rolls up the recording medium into a roll, and a roll diameter estimation section that estimates the roll diameter of the recording medium present in the rotation section. The roll diameter estimation section is capable of estimating the roll diameter during the recording performed by the recording section. The thus-configured recording apparatus estimates the roll diameter of the recording medium in real time during recording.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Hamano, Toru Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9394409
    Abstract: Provided is an ink jet recording head, including a member provided with an ejection orifice for ejecting ink, in which the ink jet recording head further includes a water-repellent layer including a cured product of a condensed product obtained by condensation of a hydrolyzable silane compound having an epoxy group and a hydrolyzable silane compound having a perfluoropolyether group on a surface of the member on a side on which the ejection orifice opens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Etsuko Sawada, Hiroaki Mihara, Ken Ikegame, Satoshi Tsutsui, Yohei Hamade
  • Patent number: 9387685
    Abstract: There are provided an image formation device, an image formation method, a program, and an image forming product capable of preventing noise and granularity of an image from deteriorating even when dots with a plurality of dot sizes are arranged to be aggregated. When a continuous tone image signal is a signal which indicates a tint image, at least one of dot aggregation portions 16, 18, 68, and 72 is formed through arrangement for aggregation of dots 14 (dots 14L and 14S) with two or more dot sizes, on a part of dot images 10, 12, 66, and 70 which are indicated by dot image signals. In addition, the dot aggregation portions 16, 18, 68, and 72 are formed through arrangement for non-aggregation of the dots 14 (dots 14L) with at least one dot size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Wakui
  • Patent number: 9387679
    Abstract: An ink jet recording method for recording an image onto a recording medium by ejecting an aqueous ink containing a resin from an ejection orifice through use of an ink jet recording apparatus including a recording head having a water-repellent face subjected to water-repellent treatment as an ejection orifice face provided with an ejection orifice; a wiping unit configured to wipe the water-repellent face; and a heating unit configured to heat the water-repellent face, the ink jet recording method including a heating step of wiping the water-repellent face with the wiping unit after heating the water-repellent face with the heating unit and continuously heating the water-repellent face until after the wiping of the water-repellent face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenichi Shiiba, Masashi Ogasawara, Daiji Okamura, Kousuke Yamasaki, Atsushi Takahashi, Tomoyuki Tenkawa
  • Patent number: 9390595
    Abstract: A computer network system and method for printing purchase transaction receipts includes a novel printer physical structure, data structure, and control logic for printing on both sides of a register receipt, business rules designed to facilitate the two sided printing, and print paper designed to facilitate two sided printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
    Inventors: Baxter Byerly, Jeffrey R. Mount
  • Patent number: 9387686
    Abstract: A control device may specify a target transportation pathway to be used for transporting a target print medium, select one type of printing control in accordance with the specified target transportation pathway, and control a print performing unit in accordance with the selected one type of printing control. In each of a first type of printing control and a second type of printing control, when a central image is to be printed, the target print medium is transported by a first transportation amount. In the first type of printing control, when an edge image is to be printed, the target print medium is not transported by a transportation amount greater than the first transportation amount. In the second type of printing control, when the edge image is to be printed, the target print medium is transported by a second transportation amount greater than the first transportation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasunari Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9387683
    Abstract: A liquid storage container supplies ink to a printer which consumes the ink, and includes a liquid storage body which includes a liquid lead-out port communicating with the printer and a filler port formed to pour the liquid to the liquid storage container, an auxiliary holding member which is mounted to be slidable to a side in which the filler port is formed, and a memory unit holding member which is detachably configured to the auxiliary holding member and includes a memory unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Iwamuro, Hidetoshi Kodama
  • Patent number: 9387670
    Abstract: A method for adjusting an encoder pulse count delay in a printing system for printing on a continuous web of print media using first and second printheads. First and second encoders are provided at different positions along the media transport path. An initial encoder pulse count delay is provided for use in printing with the second printhead. An initial ratio of the first encoder pulse rate to the second encoder pulse rate is determined. At a subsequent time a subsequent ratio of the first encoder pulse rate to the second encoder pulse rate is determined. An adjusted encoder pulse count delay is determined by adjusting the initial encoder pulse count delay responsive to the initial ratio and the subsequent ratio and used to control printing by the second printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Gerald L. Kelly, III, Rodney Gene Mader, Brian L. Travis, Timothy John Young
  • Patent number: 9381752
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a display unit, a storage unit, a display controller, an instruction receiver, and an instruction output unit. The storage unit stores coloring states of a laser irradiation target with respect to combinations of a plurality of conditions for laser irradiation, the coloring states being obtained when laser irradiation is executed under the conditions. The display controller causes the display unit to display the coloring states with respect to the combinations of the plurality of conditions. The instruction receiver receives, from an operator, a designation instruction for designating any of display portions of each of the coloring states displayed as for the display unit. The instruction output unit outputs, to the laser irradiation apparatus, a laser irradiation execution instruction for executing laser irradiation on the display portion, the designation instruction of which is received by the instruction receiver, in line with the plurality of conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Setoue
  • Patent number: 9381762
    Abstract: A control device may create and supply print data. The print data may include first edge print data and first central print data. The first edge print data may include data for causing a print performing unit to perform printing which satisfies: a print medium is transported along a first direction by a first transportation amount; a first type of main-scanning action is performed; a number of nozzles of a usage nozzle group is maintained to n; and the usage nozzle group is shifted toward an upstream side along the first direction. The first central print data may include data for causing the print performing unit to perform printing which satisfies: the print medium is transported along the first direction by a second transportation amount; a second type of main-scanning action is performed; and the number of nozzles of the usage nozzle group is maintained to n.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasunari Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9381758
    Abstract: A carrier device includes a medium accommodating section configured to accommodate a roll medium, a carrying section configured to carry a medium in a secondary scanning direction, a re-rolling section configured to re-roll the medium having been carried, a dancer roller configured to apply a predetermined tension on the medium being carried from the carrying section toward the re-rolling section, a first bar-shaped member disposed between the medium accommodating section and the carrying section configured to press the medium so as to alter the carrying path of the medium; and a second bar-shaped member disposed between the carrying section and the re-rolling section configured to press the medium so as to alter the carrying path of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: ROLAND DG CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ippei Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9381755
    Abstract: In one example, a platen for supporting a print substrate includes multiple support surfaces that together define the full extent of a substrate support area of the platen. Each support surface is oriented parallel to other support surfaces along a line that is oblique to a direction the print substrate is to pass over the support surfaces when the platen is in use in a printer or other liquid dispenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Jesus Garcia Maza, David Claramunt Morera, Antonio Hinojosa Trigo, Daniel Gutierrez Garcia
  • Patent number: 9375960
    Abstract: A coil spring fixing member includes: a mount member having an arrangement surface on which an end portion of the coil spring is disposed; a boss provided on the arrangement surface, on which boss the coil spring is fitted; and a protrusion provided at a site on a side surface of the boss, the site being apart from the arrangement surface by at least a wire diameter of the coil spring, wherein the protrusion is engaged with winding of the coil spring disposed between the arrangement surface and the protrusion, and a portion of the boss ranging includes a first region having a first diameter, and a second region which is nearer to the end portion than the first region and has a diameter smaller than the first diameter, and a step intervenes between the first region and the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoshi Kimura
  • Patent number: 9372127
    Abstract: A printing system is used printing an image on a web of media that is photoelastic and at least partially transparent. A web advance system advances the web of media supplied from an input roll in an in-track direction along a web transport path. At least one printing station is disposed along the web transport path for printing on the web of media. One or more photoelastic measurement devices disposed along the web transport path for characterizing stress in the web of media, and a controller that controls at least one aspect of the printing system responsive to signals received from the one or more photoelastic measurement devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: James A. Katerberg, Gary Alan Kneezel
  • Patent number: 9370936
    Abstract: A printing method includes a step of supplying a first aggregating agent that induces an aggregation reaction of the white particles contained in the white particle ink, to the colored printing medium; a step of supplying, by the inkjet method, the white particle ink onto the colored printing medium having been supplied with the first aggregating agent such that aggregation of the white particles brings about increase in optical reflectance in a printing area; a step of supplying a second aggregating agent that is charged with same charge as that for the first aggregating agent and that induces an aggregation reaction of dye contained in dye ink, to the white particles aggregated; and a step of supplying, by the inkjet method, the dye ink to the white particles aggregated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Shuichi Ohtsuka