Patents Examined by Thinh Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9417552
    Abstract: A light-emitting element array module, image forming apparatus and method are provided. The light-emitting element array module includes a control driver configured to receive print data and operate according to the received print data, and light-emitting element array chips configured to receive a signal from the control driver and operate according to the received signal, wherein the control driver applies a start signal to a transfer element array by using a signal applied to a light-emitting element array of the light-emitting element array chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Su-whan Kim
  • Patent number: 9415604
    Abstract: An image to be printed on a surface of a substrate that forms, or will be used in, a personalized security document is generated. The image to be printed is then sliced, divided, separated, etc. into a plurality of separate image portions. Each of the separate image portions is then printed onto the substrate. Together, the separate printed image portions form the desired image on the substrate. Each image portion contains only a portion of any confidential or personal information. Each separate image portion is printed using separate sections of a single print ribbon. Since each image portion is printed using a different section of the print ribbon, each ribbon section contains only a portion of any confidential or personal information. This makes it difficult for someone to obtain the confidential or personal information from just a brief or casual glance at the used print ribbon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: ENTRUST DATACARD CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ken C. Fischer
  • Patent number: 9415606
    Abstract: An infrared image pattern and a gloss effect image pattern are created on a recording medium by electronically creating a first electronic pattern ink, the first electronic pattern ink including a first color and including holes, the holes representing areas in the first electronic pattern ink wherein the first color is absent; electronically creating a second electronic pattern ink using the first color and including filled holes, the filled holes of the second electronic pattern ink representing areas in the second electronic pattern ink filled with a second color, the second color having infrared properties opposite of infrared properties of the recording medium; electronically creating an electronic image region; electronically painting, using the first electronic pattern ink, a background of the electronic image region; electronically painting, using the second electronic pattern ink, a foreground of the electronic image region; and rendering, using marking materials, the electronic image region on the r
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Edward N. Chapman
  • Patent number: 9415608
    Abstract: A method of creating a label to be printed on a label printing apparatus comprising: determining at least one option to be made available to a user relating to a label-creating process; displaying said at least one option on a display; and enabling a user to select said at least one option; wherein said determination of the at least one option to be made available to the user is based upon at least one parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: SANFORD L.P.
    Inventors: Bram Boot, Stephen Charles Gohde, Stephen Spencer, Stefaan Van Den Broecke
  • Patent number: 9409410
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a head tank, a main tank, and a controller. The recording head includes nozzles to discharge liquid droplets. The head tank includes a liquid containing part to contain liquid supplied to the recording head. The main tank contains the liquid supplied to the head tank. The controller controls, after detection of an end state of the main tank, post-end printing using the liquid remaining in the head tank corresponding to the main tank in the end state. The controller permits the post-end printing when an amount of the liquid remaining in the head tank to which the liquid is supplied from the main tank in the end state is a predetermined threshold remaining amount or greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Sawase
  • Patent number: 9409389
    Abstract: Devices and methods load a firing distance into a distance counter of a printing device. The firing distance is the distance from the current position of a printhead of the printing device to a marking location on a substrate. These devices and methods count the firing distance in discrete distance increments using the distance counter, based on relative movement of the substrate and printhead. When the distance counter reaches the last discrete distance increment of the firing distance, these devices and methods load the fractional remaining distance of the firing distance into a time counter of the printing device. Then, such devices and methods count the fractional remaining distance in velocity-based distance increments at regular time intervals using the time counter. When the time counter reaches the last velocity-based distance increment of the fractional remaining distance, these devices and methods transfer the marking material from the printhead to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Patricia J. Donaldson, Michael B. Monahan, Joseph L. Filion
  • Patent number: 9403374
    Abstract: A recording apparatus records an image onto a recording medium by repeating processes of: ejecting liquid from a nozzle in a liquid ejecting head while the liquid ejecting head is scanning the recording medium in a first direction; and transporting the recording medium in a second direction intersecting the first direction. This recording apparatus includes: an inclination acquisition section that acquires an inclination of the liquid ejecting head; and a recording controller that records a first image and a second image onto the recording medium through a first scan and a second scan independent of the first scan, respectively. The recording controller corrects a connection misalignment between the first and second images by displacing a recorded location of the second image in the first direction in accordance with the inclination, and reduces the displacement when a non-recorded region is present between the first and second images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masato Suzuki, Naoki Sudo
  • Patent number: 9400443
    Abstract: In an image forming method for forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image pattern including an image portion and a non-image portion by exposing a surface of an image bearer with light based on the image pattern, the image portion has a plurality of pixels, the pixels constituting the image portion but not adjacent to at least a non-image portion are exposed with a first optical output that is higher than a given optical output obtained when the entire pixels corresponding to the image portion are exposed over a given time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Suhara
  • Patent number: 9399360
    Abstract: A printing device includes a housing unit configured to be withdrawn from a device main unit and mounted in the device main unit, a specification operating unit provided on the housing unit and operated so as to specify a type of a medium, and a control device configured to implement control according to the type of the medium specified by the specification operating unit. The control device implements a warning process when the type of the medium specified by the specification operating unit when the housing unit is withdrawn from the device main unit is the same as the type of the medium specified by the specification operating unit when the housing unit is mounted in the device main unit after that.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhito Gassho
  • Patent number: 9387676
    Abstract: A fluid ejection device includes first and second nozzles arranged at a pitch. The pitch for example is based on a substrate advance distance associated with a complete turn of a rotating body for advancing a substrate or a substrate advance distance associated with a period of a periodic error function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Alberto Borrego Lebrato, David Chanclón Fernández, Martin Urrutia Nebreda
  • Patent number: 9381757
    Abstract: A rotation shaft configured to rotate in a direction in which a sheet is fed in and in a direction in which the sheet is wound while supporting the sheet, a control unit configured to apply tension to the sheet by the rotation shaft by controlling torque applied to the rotation shaft, an ejection unit configured to eject light-curable liquid onto the sheet, and an irradiation device configured to irradiate light onto the liquid ejected onto the sheet by the ejection unit are provided. The tension applied to the sheet by the rotation shaft when the rotation shaft rotates in the direction in which the sheet is wounded is smaller than the tension applied to the sheet by the rotation shaft when the rotation shaft rotate in the direction in which the sheet is fed in.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Hori, Masashi Oba
  • Patent number: 9381759
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method of printing lines. A method may include positioning a plurality of print units according to a predefined spacing parameter. A method may include depositing material on a substrate by a plurality of print units to form a respective plurality of parallel lines according to a predefined spacing parameter. A printing unit may be positioned at an angle with respect to a predefined scan direction such that a predefined width of a printed line is achieved. A substrate may be rotated between scans such that a plurality of lines in a respective plurality of directions is printed in a scan direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: XJET LTD
    Inventors: Michael Dovrat, Ran Asher Peleg, Amir Hadar, Hanan Gothait
  • Patent number: 9375934
    Abstract: A supporting section is disposed to confront an ejection surface and supports a recording medium. A first tank is mounted on a first-tank mount section. A liquid conveying section conveys liquid to a liquid ejecting head. A receiving section receives liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head. A waste-liquid conveying section conveys liquid to the waste-liquid tank. A first casing holds the liquid ejecting head, the first-tank mount section, and the liquid conveying section. A second casing holds the supporting section, the receiving section, the waste-liquid tank, and the waste-liquid conveying section. The first casing is connected with the second casing such that the first casing is movable relative to the second casing. The first casing takes a first position at which the ejection surface confronts the supporting section and a second position at which the ejection surface is farther away from the supporting section than at the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9375919
    Abstract: The inkjet printing apparatus uses a different scanning condition in printing for a unit region on the back side of a printing medium corresponding to a unit region on the front side of the printing medium where cockling is estimated to occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuya Edamura, Tsukasa Doi, Katsuya Ogawa
  • Patent number: 9371464
    Abstract: An aqueous ink composition including water; a co-solvent; an encapsulated resinous pigment; a polymer latex; and a low molecular weight humectant solute; wherein the total solids content of the aqueous ink is from about 2 to about 25 percent by weight based on the total weight of the aqueous ink composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Marcel P. Breton, Valerie M. Farrugia, James D. Mayo, Biby Esther Abraham, Gabriel Iftime, Adela Goredema, Jenny Eliyahu
  • Patent number: 9370932
    Abstract: A printer may include a printer housing, a service station in the printer housing, an automated carriage assembly, and a print cartridge storage compartment. The service station defines an area for servicing one or more print cartridges. The automated carriage assembly is configured to carry the particular print cartridge through a printing area during a printing operation of the printer, and to carry the particular print cartridge to the service station area for servicing. The print cartridge storage compartment is defined by the printer housing and configured to store a spare print cartridge, the print cartridge storage compartment being separate from the service station and inaccessible to the carriage assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
    Inventors: Wai Kong Fong, Surendran Ramachanthiran
  • Patent number: 9365033
    Abstract: A method is provided for controlling the ejection of ink drops from an inkjet printhead. The printhead comprises an array of ink chambers with nozzles arranged for applying a row of ink dots on a receiving medium using a control signal. The method comprises the steps of labeling a nozzle as a functioning nozzle if the nozzle, upon activation by a control signal, ejects an ink drop within predefined specifications, otherwise labeling the nozzle as a failing nozzle, and distributing a control signal associated with a failing nozzle to a neighboring nozzle to maintain a local optical density, wherein said control signal associated with a failing nozzle is not distributed to a neighboring nozzle, if a neighboring nozzle of said failing nozzle is also labeled as a failing nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: OCE-TECHNOLOGIES B.V.
    Inventors: Koen J. Klein Koerkamp, Franciscus J. M. Van Galen, Albert G. M. Van Welie
  • Patent number: 9365068
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image processing apparatus includes an image processing unit and a control unit. The image processing unit acquires information of a printing rate representing a ratio of an image printed on a sheet from the sheet. The control unit determines a decoloring temperature used for a decoloring process based on the acquired information of the printing rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshikatsu Numakura
  • Patent number: 9365670
    Abstract: A copolymer includes structural units having the following formulae (1) and (2): wherein each of R1 and R2 independently represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; X represents a hydrogen atom or a cationic ion; and L represents a single bond or —(CH2)n—O—, the oxygen atom of which is bonded with the biphenyl; and n represents an integer of from 2 to 18.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Harada, Yoshiki Yanagawa, Keita Katoh, Masayuki Fukuoka, Kazukiyo Nagai, Yuusuke Koizuka, Tomoyuki Shimada, Akiyoshi Sabu
  • Patent number: 9365049
    Abstract: An improved print head for use by a magnetic printer consists of multiple flat metal layers that form a flat metal inductor coil about a hole having a first diameter on a first side of the print head and having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter on a second side of the print head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Correlated Magnetics Research, LLC
    Inventor: Larry W. Fullerton