Patents Examined by Stephen Meier
  • Patent number: 9862209
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a belt mover for an endless belt which carries out a line feed of a recording medium, a feed amount calculator that calculates an amount of belt feed of the belt mover, and a movement amount measurer that measures actual amount of movement of the endless belt by image processing. The feed amount calculator calculates the amount of belt feed by which the endless belt is to be fed, on the basis of the amount of belt feed by which the endless belt has been fed and the actual amount of movement of the endless belt measured by the movement amount measurer. The belt mover moves the endless belt by the amount of belt feed calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kentaro Tanabe, Kenji Kojima, Masaru Jingushi
  • Patent number: 9862191
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid holding container in which waste liquid leakage is not caused even when the container is turned upside down. For this purpose, a surface of an absorber facing the rear face of a cover part is disposed apart from the cover part so as to form a space between the cover part and the absorber of a waste liquid holding container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryohei Maruyama, Noriyuki Aoki, Shigeru Watanabe, Toshiro Sugiyama, Tsutomu Obata, Naoaki Wada, Ryuichi Kato, Kouhei Tokuda
  • Patent number: 9855756
    Abstract: During attachment or detachment of an article to or from an attaching portion, a coded vibration pattern is generated by contact between the attaching portion and the article. Information about attachment or detachment of an article is acquired by detection of a vibration pattern using a vibration sensor and analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideyuki Ueki
  • Patent number: 9855769
    Abstract: Curing apparatus, image forming apparatus and articles of manufacture are disclosed. An example curing apparatus includes a curing unit to heat an area adjacent a substrate travel path, the curing unit having a width less than a width of the substrate travel path, and a controller to reciprocate the curing unit within the substrate width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Francisco Javier Perez Gellida, Luis Fernando Martinez Nieto, Francisco Javier Rodriguez Escanuela
  • Patent number: 9851559
    Abstract: An optical scanning unit includes a rotatable multi-faceted mirror having a plurality of faces reflecting light flux emitted from a light source to scan a scanning area in a main scanning direction. A width of the light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is smaller than a length of a face of the rotatable multi-faceted mirror. The entire of light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is reflected at a first face when the light flux reflected by the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is directed to the center portion of the scanning area. A part of the light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is reflected at the first face while the remaining of the light flux is reflected at a second face when the light flux reflected by the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is directed to a least one of the two end portions of the scanning area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Itami, Yoshinori Hayashi, Naoki Miyatake, Yukihisa Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 9847792
    Abstract: A communication apparatus includes a serializer configured to convert parallel data into serial data and output the serial data; and a deserializer configured to convert the serial data output from the serializer into parallel data and output the parallel data. The serializer is configured to add first data used for detecting unique data in the parallel data before the unique data, add second data used for detecting the unique data after the unique data, and add third data whose length is variable to each of the first data and the second data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miyadera, Satoshi Ohmiya, Tatsuo Ohyama, Masahiko Oikawa, Yuichiro Shukuya, Makoto Higashiyama, Yasuhiro Abe
  • Patent number: 9840082
    Abstract: To provide an ink cartridge capable of accomplishing satisfactory electrical connection relative to a printer main assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tatsuo Nanjo, Yasuo Kotaki, Kenta Udagawa, Hiroshi Koshikawa, Wataru Takahashi, Koichi Kubo, Shigeki Fukui, Naozumi Nabeshima, Soji Kondo, Masafumi Seki, Kazuya Yoshii, Satoshi Kimura, Kyosuke Toda
  • Patent number: 9827790
    Abstract: A system for printing at least one stretchable ink on a thermoformable substrate including an unwinder arranged to feed the thermoformable substrate from a first roll into a web drive subsystem, a surface energy modification device arranged to alter a substrate surface energy to enhance wetting and adhesion of the at least one stretchable ink to the thermoformable substrate, at least one full width printhead array arranged to deposit the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate, at least one radiation curing device arranged to cure the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate, a full width array sensor arranged to monitor the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate, and a rewinder arranged to receive the thermoformable substrate and to form the thermoformable substrate into a second roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Steven R. Moore, Xin Yang, Alexander J. Fiorvanti, Paul J. McConville, Vincent M. Williams, David P. Lomenzo, Michael F. Leo, Jason O'Neil, Wayne A. Buchar
  • Patent number: 9827780
    Abstract: A color discriminating apparatus reads a plurality of colored dots placed on computer readable media. The plurality of colored dots represents encoded data that has a plurality of non-binary digits where each non-binary digit has at least three possible digit values. Each non-binary digit is represented by a single colored dot from the plurality of colored dots, and each possible digit value is represented by a different color so that a color of each colored dot indicates a digital value represented by the colored dot. The color discriminating apparatus detects a color of each colored dot in the plurality of colored dots. A module correlates the color of each colored dot in the plurality of colored dots detected by the color discriminating apparatus to recover an original digital value represented by each colored dot in the plurality of colored dots and to recover the encoded data that is represented by the plurality of non-binary digits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Inventor: Hao-Jan Chang
  • Patent number: 9821577
    Abstract: A method for producing scratch-off lottery tickets in a high speed printing line is provided, wherein the printing line includes one or more inkjet printing machines that print lottery tickets on a continuously running paper stock. One or more primer layers are applied to a surface of the paper stock in a defined game play area on each lottery ticket. With the inkjet printing machines game play indicia is printed over the primer layers in the game play area on each lottery ticket at a resolution of at least 600 dpi. The running paper stock is conveyed through the inkjet printing machines at a rate of at least 950 ft./min. The ink jet printing machines use a specially formulated dye-based ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Scientific Games International, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth A. Stephens
  • Patent number: 9824784
    Abstract: To provide a protection barrier, which includes an inlet from which laser light emitted from a laser device enters; an outlet from which the laser light is output towards an irradiation target; and a unit configured to prevent a leakage, where the unit is configured to reduce an intensity of the laser light leaked from the protection barrier, wherein the protection barrier is configured to surround a light path of the laser light emitted from the laser device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Kazutaka Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9821582
    Abstract: A tape cartridge includes a printing tape, an ink ribbon, a platen roller, a cartridge casing, an insertion opening, and a facing portion. The platen roller receives power from a tape feeding mechanism portion and faces a printing head portion so that the printing tape and the ink ribbon are provided between a platen roller and a printing head at a printing position. The cartridge casing accommodates the printing tape, the ink ribbon, and the platen roller. The insertion opening is provided on the cartridge casing and in which a head cover is inserted when the tape cartridge is installed on the cartridge installation portion. The facing portion is provided on an opening peripheral wall portion of the insertion opening and receives a convex portion to restrict a displacement of the tape cartridge in the cartridge installation portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Sakano, Hideo Sodeyama
  • Patent number: 9822270
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides binary ink sets and related methods. In one example, a binary ink set for printing a non-Newtonian inkjet image can comprise a gelator inkjet ink comprising a gelator in an amount ranging from 0.1% to 10% by weight based on the total weight of the gelator ink and an organic solvent; and a colorant inkjet ink comprising a colorant and an organic solvent. The gelator inkjet ink and the colorant inkjet ink can be configured to form a structured network upon printing where the non-Newtonian inkjet ink has a first dynamic viscosity ranging from 25 cps to 10,000 cps at a first state and a second dynamic viscosity ranging from 1 cps to 50 cps at a second state, measured at 25° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Raymond Adamic, Vladek Kasperchik
  • Patent number: 9815310
    Abstract: A tape cartridge to be installed in a tape printing apparatus by which a printing tape is fed out to perform printing on the printing tape. The tape cartridge includes the printing tape, a cartridge casing in which the printing tape is accommodated, and an elastic portion by which a reaction force is generated when the elastic portion is deformed by a pressing force of a pressing portion of the tape printing apparatus. The elastic portion is provided on a front surface of the cartridge casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Sakano, Hideo Sodeyama
  • Patent number: 9815301
    Abstract: An inkjet printer includes: a printing unit including an inkjet head and configured to eject an ink from the inkjet head while conveying a sheet in a conveying direction along a printing route to perform printing on the sheet; and a downstream side conveyor arranged downstream of the printing unit in the conveying direction and including a guide defining a downstream conveyance route being a space for the sheet to be conveyed. The downstream side conveyor is configured to convey the sheet along the downstream conveyance route. The downstream side conveyor includes an adjustment member narrowing a flow passage of air in the downstream conveyance route. The guide includes communication holes communicating the downstream conveyance route with a space outside the printing route and outside the downstream conveyance route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshihide Maesaka
  • Patent number: 9815993
    Abstract: An active energy ray curable composition including a polymerizable compound is provided. When a three-layer cured product of the active energy ray composition is obtained by a specific procedure, the three-layer cured product has (1) a stretchability of 1.1 or more and (2) a glass transition temperature of 50° C. or more. The stretchability is defined by a ratio L2/L1, wherein L1 represents a first length of the cured product before a tensile test and L2 represents a second length of the cured product after the tensile test. The tensile test includes stretching the cured product along with the substrate with a tensile tester at a stretching speed of 20 mm/min and a temperature of 180° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shizuka Kohzuki, Mie Yoshino, Manabu Arita, Hiroki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9815991
    Abstract: An ink composition for inkjet recording, including: a color material, a binder resin, and an organic solvent, wherein the binder resin contains at least an acrylic-based resin (A), and a copolymer (B) having a constitutional unit derived from a hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate, a constitutional unit represented by the formula (I), and a constitutional unit represented by the formula (II), a content ratio by mass of the resin (A) to copolymer (B) is 25/75 to 70/30, and wherein the solvent contains at least a polyalkylene glycol dialkyl ether and a cyclic ester, a content ratio of the cyclic ester is 3 parts by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the ink composition, and a content ratio of the ethylene glycol alkyl ether acetate is 5 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the ink composition:
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: DNP FINE CHEMICALS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Megumi Oogaki, Shinichi Yoshimitsu, Katsumi Watanabe, Ryohei Oka, Yukiko Ishima, Karuna Iwasawa
  • Patent number: 9802426
    Abstract: A platen includes: a plurality of supporting portions capable of supporting a sheet; negative pressure chambers, to which a negative pressure is supplied, so as to suck a sheet facing the supporting portions to the supporting portions; and ink receiver and that receive ink ejected from a printhead to the outside of the sheet supported by the supporting portions. The plurality of supporting portions are arranged in a sheet width direction (i.e., an X direction) transverse a sheet conveyance direction. The plurality of negative pressure chambers are disposed in a manner corresponding to the plurality of supporting portions, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahide Onuma, Tetsuji Kurata, Seiji Ogasawara, Masakazu Tsukuda, Yasunori Saito
  • Patent number: 9789718
    Abstract: When performing printing for every M columns, a print buffer stores printing data by dividing the data into M groups. When data is multilevel data or when performing no column thinning printing, the print buffer stores the data without dividing it. When data to be stored in the print buffer is binary data and printing is to be performed for every M columns, printing data is stored as it is divided into M groups, and these data groups are read out as they are switched for each scan of the printhead. When data to be stored in the print buffer is multilevel data or when performing no column thinning printing, data is read out without switching readout regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hisanori Inayoshi
  • Patent number: 9794448
    Abstract: This invention refers to a data encoding system, a software basis, a data recording medium, a data read/write system, and methods and apparatus to make them thereof, all of which are based on a Multiple Codes System of more than two colors dots. The Multiple Codes system of more than two colors dots comprises more than two distinct colors as multiple codes for directly representing bits of bytes of data encoded by the system. The visible multiple colors may comprise bytes of data written in a software language for being read by an operating system or a program. The system also includes a bit/byte system with a format and rules of using a group of specific number of bits per byte including 8 bit/byte, 16 bit/byte, 32 bit/byte, 64 bit/byte, 128 bit/byte . . . or other higher numbers of bit/byte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Inventor: Hao-Jan Chang