Patents Examined by Tracey McMillion
  • Patent number: 9254694
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a first transporting path which is a transporting path that transports a medium, passes along a recording portion that performs recording on the medium, and extends to an upstream side and a downstream side of the recording portion; a second transporting path which is a transporting path that is connected to the first transporting path, and switches back and transports the medium in a direction reverse to a feeding direction after the medium which passes along the recording portion is fed; and a third transporting path which is a transporting path that is connected to the second transporting path, makes the medium transported in the reverse direction detour an upper side of the recording portion, reverses the medium, and makes the medium merge at a position on the upstream side of the recording portion in the first transporting path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Tanjo, Toshikazu Kotaka
  • Patent number: 9238379
    Abstract: A printer takes up slack in media while suppressing excessive rewinding, and can check the movement of a movable member that moves following change in tension on the media. The printer drives the supply motor in a first operating mode in a slack removal operation that rewinds the recording paper (media) onto a paper roll 2, and stops driving the supply motor when the tension lever (movable member) moves from a slack-side first position toward a second position. In the movement checking operation, the supply motor is driven in a second operating mode with greater output than the first operating mode, rewinds the recording paper on the paper roll, and sets the tension lever to the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuki Takizawa
  • Patent number: 9227420
    Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes a control unit which, in order to reduce a failure of an air pump, when starting ink circulation, executes preparatory processing of feeding ink from the pressurizing tank toward the inkjet head by applying a positive pressure to a pressurizing tank by an air pump in a state in which the pressurizing tank is sealed by a pressurizing-side atmospheric air opening valve and a negative-pressure tank is opened to the atmosphere by a negative-pressure side atmospheric air opening valve; and feeding ink from the negative-pressure tank to the pressurizing tank by the ink pump until the liquid level height of the negative-pressure tank reaches less than a reference height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9221279
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image recording apparatus and method, and a varnish application device and method, which can ensure the adhesiveness of the varnish that has been applied onto the surface of the image. An image recording method according to an aspect of the present invention includes: comparing an attained temperature T1 (attained temperature T1 when ink has been dried) of the surface of the image on the medium when the ink has been dried, with a melting point TW of the wax component contained in the ink; and heating the surface of the image before the varnish that has been applied in the varnish application step is cured in the varnish curing step, when T1?TW holds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Houjou
  • Patent number: 9211735
    Abstract: A tray includes a main body having a setting surface to set a material to be textile-printed, a frame portion that is fit in the main body in a state of setting the material to be textile-printed on the setting surface, and maintains the setting state of the material to be textile-printed, and a setting guide display that is provided in the frame portion and used as a criterion at the time of determining a setting position of the material to be textile-printed on the main body. A plurality of setting guide displays are provided in the frame portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Yangishita, Hideyuki Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 9205647
    Abstract: An inkjet head includes a plurality of pressure chambers, each in communication with an ink supply, a plurality of piezoelectric members configured to deform to vary the volume of the pressure chambers, and drive unit that applies a driving signal to each of the piezoelectric members. The driving signal includes, in order, a first negative voltage over a first period having a predetermined length, a first positive voltage followed by a zero voltage over a second period having the same length, a second positive voltage over a third period having the same length, the zero voltage followed by a second negative voltage over a fourth period having the same length, and the zero voltage over a fifth period having the same length. The predetermined length is a half of an inherent vibration cycle of ink that is within the pressure chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaya Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 9205658
    Abstract: An ink cartridge includes a cartridge body defining an ink chamber, an ink supply portion provided at the cartridge body, an air flow path provided in the cartridge body, a cover, and a memory chip disposed on the cover. The cartridge body has an outer surface oriented in a first direction and an air communication port opened on the outer surface. The air flow path communicates with the ink chamber through a communication hole and with ambient air through the air communication port to permit communication between the ink chamber and ambient air. The cover covers the outer surface of the cartridge body and has an opening at a position aligned with the air communication port in the first direction. The memory chip closes the opening and stores information. External access to the memory chip permits information to be electrically retrieved therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoya Okazaki
  • Patent number: 9186891
    Abstract: A driving device of an inkjet head including a pressure chamber for accommodating ink, a nozzle that communicates with the pressure chamber to eject the ink in the pressure chamber, and an actuator for expanding or contracting a volume of the pressure chamber, is provided with a drive circuit that applies a driving signal to the inkjet head. The driving signal includes: a first contracting pulse, a first expanding pulse following the first contracting pulse, a second contracting pulse following the first expanding pulse, a second expanding pulse following the second contracting pulse, and a third contracting pulse following the second expanding pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Norigoe
  • Patent number: 9162476
    Abstract: Upon determination that a paper to be printed is a first type of paper, a controller deletes pixels at least in one line from one side end of a pattern image forming a black information code in an information recording direction, and drives a printing unit to eject an ink of at least one color other than black in addition to an ink of black to pixels at least in one line at each of two side ends in the information recording direction of the pattern image with the pixels at least in the one line being deleted such that the pattern image is printed with a same width in the information recording direction as a width of the black information code included in an image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenji Shimomura
  • Patent number: 9162506
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an ejection unit including a piezoelectric element that is displaced according to a driving signal, and a nozzle capable of ejecting the liquid; a driving signal supply unit that supplies the driving signal; a detection unit that detects change of an electromotive force of the piezoelectric element; a determination unit that determines an ejection state of the liquid in the ejection unit based on the detection result of the detection unit; and a decision unit that is capable of performing a first process of deciding a waveform of the driving signal for inspection such that the liquid is not ejected from the nozzle when the driving signal for inspection is supplied to the piezoelectric element and a second process of correcting the waveform decided in the first process and deciding the corrected waveform as a waveform of the driving signal for inspection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Osamu Shinkawa
  • Patent number: 9156296
    Abstract: An image processing device allows for easy removal of a process medium stuck in the conveyance path while protecting the image processing unit from the outside. In many embodiments, the device includes a conveyance path for conveying process media in a specific conveyance direction, an image processing unit having an ejection surface (process surface) disposed facing the conveyance path, and a first cover and a second cover disposed along the conveyance path and covering the conveyance path. Typically, the first and second covers open and close by pivoting on first and second pivot pins disposed in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction, and the first and second pivot pins are disposed adjacent the conveyance path upstream and downstream of the portion of the conveyance path facing the ejection surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 9156285
    Abstract: A printing system for printing on a print medium is disclosed. A first linehead is disposed opposite a first side of the print medium. The first linehead defines print zones where a liquid is deposited onto the first side of the print medium. A plurality of transport rollers are disposed adjacent to the second side of the print medium. At least one transport roller is aligned with one of the one or more print zones of the first linehead. A vacuum manifold is disposed opposite the second side of the print medium. The vacuum manifold is aligned with the aligned transport roller and outputs a vacuum force that operates on the second side of the print medium to deflect the print medium causing an increase in the wrap angle of the print medium around the aligned transport roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Michael J. Piatt, James A. Katerberg, Randy D. Vandagriff
  • Patent number: 9138996
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a flow channel-forming substrate in which a pressure generating chamber that communicates with a nozzle opening is provided; and a piezoelectric element that includes a first electrode provided on one surface side of the flow channel-forming substrate corresponding to the pressure generating chamber, a piezoelectric layer provided on the first electrode, and a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer, in which the first electrode configures a separate electrode that is independent for each active portion that is a substantial driving portion of the piezoelectric element, the second electrode configures a common electrode shared with the active portion, the piezoelectric element extends up to the outer side of the pressure generating chamber in at least one end of the pressure generating chamber, and the piezoelectric element includes a weighting film provided to overlap to one end of the pressure generating chamber on the second electrode in a region extended up to
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Chikara Kojima
  • Patent number: 9132667
    Abstract: A printing method and system include a printhead configured to eject a fixer fluid. A controller is operatively connected to the printhead and configured to control the printhead so as to apply the fixer fluid to a print area in a pattern to form cells having a predetermined area without the fixer fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Eduardo Amela Conesa, Jaime Fernandez, Jacint Humet, Marc Serra
  • Patent number: 9126430
    Abstract: An inkjet printer applies a layer of a hydrophilic composition, which includes a liquid carrier and an absorption agent, to an image receiving surface of an indirect image receiving member. A dryer in the printer removes a portion of the liquid carrier from the layer of hydrophilic composition to form a dried layer of an absorption agent on the image receiving surface and an aqueous ink image is formed on the dried layer. The aqueous ink image and at least a portion of the dried layer are transferred to a surface of a print medium as the aqueous ink image and print medium move through a transfix nip formed between the indirect image receiving member and a transfix member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Chu-Heng Liu
  • Patent number: 9126431
    Abstract: An ink jet recording method uses an ink jet recording apparatus including a plurality of heads arranged in parallel in a first direction, each of which ejects droplets of a different radiation-curable ink composition onto a recording medium, and first light sources provided for corresponding heads so as to be disposed at a predetermined side of the corresponding heads. The first light sources emit active radiation to irradiate the droplets on the recording medium. The method includes ejecting droplets of the ink compositions from the heads onto the recording medium, and performing a first irradiation by irradiating the droplets of each ink composition with the active radiation from the corresponding first light source at an irradiation energy within 500 ms after the droplets have landed. The irradiation energy is in the range of 5% to 10% of the energy E90 at which the ink composition is 90% cured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Taketoshi Kagose, Satoru Miura
  • Patent number: 9120338
    Abstract: A liquid ejection device includes a first rolled medium accommodation unit, a second rolled medium accommodation unit and a liquid ejection head. The first rolled medium accommodation unit is configured to accommodate a rolled medium. The second rolled medium accommodation unit is configured to accommodate the rolled medium, the second rolled medium accommodation unit being movable. The liquid ejection head is configured to eject an ink as a liquid onto a medium supplied by unwound from the rolled medium accommodated in one of the first rolled medium accommodation unit and the second rolled medium accommodation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Keisuke Yamaya
  • Patent number: 9120307
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a power supply potential output section that outputs a first power supply potential, a first and a second switch drive section that generate a first and a second switch drive signal according to a modulation signal of an original drive signal, a first and a second switch that operate according to the first and the second switch drive signal, a rectifying device that is arranged between an output terminal of the power supply potential output section and a terminal of the first switch drive section, a connection node that is electrically connected to the first switch and the second switch, a capacitance element that is arranged between the terminal and the connection node, a signal conversion section that converts a signal which is generated at the connection node, into a drive signal, and a piezoelectric element that is transformed by the drive signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Abe
  • Patent number: 9114636
    Abstract: The invention relates to a printing machine having at least one printer unit comprising at least one inkjet printhead, a central printing cylinder, and a drive motor of its own dedicated to the central printing cylinder. A conveying path of a printing material web through the printing machine has at least one first section and one second section, each defined by contact points of the printing material, which have motor-powered rotation bodies. At least the first section has a dedicated first measuring device for measuring a web tension of the printing material web in the first section. At least the second section has a dedicated second measuring device for measuring the web tension of the printing material web in the second section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Christoph Alban Häcker, Frank Eberhard Huppmann, Stefan Wander
  • Patent number: 9114642
    Abstract: A plurality of suction holes are formed in a conveyance belt of a conveyor device. A suction unit is arranged on one of surfaces of the conveyance belt. The suction unit includes a unit case in which cells adjacent in a paper conveyance direction are formed and defined by a partition wall extending in a width direction of the conveyance belt, a ceiling wall interposed between the unit case and the conveyance belt, and a fan provided in each of the adjacent cells. The ceiling wall includes a slit group which communicates the respective adjacent cells with the plurality of suction holes. The slit group includes a plurality of slits formed across the partition wall. The plurality of slits formed across the partition wall include slits in communication with one of the adjacent cells and slits in communication with the other of the adjacent cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Kenichi Satake