Patents Examined by Yaovi Ameh
  • Patent number: 9365051
    Abstract: In an embodiment, an ink erasing system includes an erase fluid dispenser to apply erase fluid to a surface of a print medium. The system includes a plurality of nonadjacent pairs of electrodes positioned across a width of the print medium. The system also includes a controller to direct the erase fluid dispenser to apply the erase fluid in an erase region on the print medium, and to alternately electrify the nonadjacent pairs of electrodes to generate a moving electric field through the erase region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Thomas A. Saksa, Raymond Adamic
  • Patent number: 9346289
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: an apparatus main body that has a transportation unit which transports a recording medium and a liquid droplet ejection head which ejects an ink onto the recording medium; a curing unit that has a curing heater which heats and cures the ink on the recording medium; and a support mechanism that connects the apparatus main body and the curing unit, and displaceably supports the curing unit to be in an unfolded state and to be in a folded state where a depth which is the total length of the apparatus main body and the curing unit is shorter than that in the unfolded state in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the apparatus main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji Kumai
  • Patent number: 9340043
    Abstract: A plurality of first contact portions is arranged to face a second supporting member between a nipping position and nozzles in a conveying direction. The first contact portions are spaced away from each other in a width direction, and contact a sheet from a first side. A second contact portion is provided at least between two of the first contact portions in the width direction, and contacts the sheet from a second side. A regulating member is provided at a first supporting member. The regulating member extends to provide an extending end portion that is located at a position closer to a second supporting member than the nozzle surface is in a perpendicular direction. The extending end portion locates the first contact portions at a regulating position that is closer to the second supporting member than the nozzle surface is in the perpendicular direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenji Samoto
  • Patent number: 9340695
    Abstract: Ink for inkjet textile printing of the present invention contains water, a disperse dye, a water-soluble organic solvent and an anionic high-molecular dispersant. The water-soluble organic solvent is a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin. The water-soluble organic solvent is contained in an amount of 25 to 50 mass % with respect to the total mass of the ink. The anionic high-molecular dispersant is a styrene-(meth)acrylic acid-based copolymer having an acid value of 160 to 250 mg KOH/g and a weight-average molecular weight of 8,000 to 20,000. The ink for inkjet textile printing further contains an acetylene glycol-based compound expressed by the following Chemical Formula (I) as a penetrant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Kiwa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Oura, Hiroki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9333758
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid storage container capable of keeping a negative pressure therein more reliably. An ink cartridge includes a negative pressure generation unit configured to generate a negative pressure in an ink storage chamber and a filter attached to an atmosphere communication channel opening and allowing air to pass from the outside to the inside of the liquid storage chamber depending on the negative pressure in the ink storage chamber. The ink cartridge has a capillary groove configured to supply ink from a portion in which ink is stored in the ink storage chamber to the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Koshikawa, Yasuo Kotaki, Kenta Udagawa, Naozumi Nabeshima, Soji Kondo, Masafumi Seki
  • Patent number: 9333776
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a cartridge body for a cartridge for providing media to a printer includes a first part and a complimentary second part, the first part and the second part formed of post-consumer-material; a hinge integrally connected to the first part and the second part and adapted to close the first part and the second part together over the media and contain the media therein; and an opening formed by the closed first part and second part for dispensing the media to the printer. A cartridge is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Esselte IPR AB
    Inventors: David Block, Matthew M. Taylor, J. G. Goldberg, Robert A. Riccomini, Chris Whittall, Ariel D. Turgel, Zachary G. Stephanchick
  • Patent number: 9333777
    Abstract: A label printer includes a receiving area configured for receiving a cartridge that includes a roll of media for printing labels thereon, the receiving area also including features for aligning a plurality of differently sized cartridges with a printing mechanism; and components configured for adjusting label sizing to provide virtual label sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Esselte IPR AB
    Inventors: David Block, Matthew M. Taylor, J. G. Goldberg, Robert A. Riccomini, Hardy S. Shen, Dan Harden, Chris Whittall, Ariel D. Turgel, Zachary G. Stephanchick
  • Patent number: 9327533
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus, including: a carriage configured to reciprocate in main scanning directions composed of a first direction and a second direction; and a lever member having a lever arm; and a first guide member for guiding the lever arm that protrudes into a movement region of the carriage, wherein the first guide member has an elongate hole through which the lever arm passes and which is defined by first and second edge portions extending in the main scanning directions, the second edge portion located more distant from the carriage than the first edge portion extending outward, in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning directions, from a carriage region over which the carriage passes, the second edge portion having a guide portion inclined such that its downstream end in the second direction is closer to the carriage region than its upstream end in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke Wakakusa, Yoichiro Nishimura
  • Patent number: 9327505
    Abstract: A suction device for an ejection head provided with a nozzle includes a cap capable of sealing a nozzle surface provided with the nozzle, a decompression pump serving as a decompression device, and a suction passage provided between the cap and the decompression pump. The negative pressure level of the suction passage set by the decompression pump are controlled on the basis of a volume of the suction passage such that a liquid with which the ejection head has been filled is sucked out from the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Katsumi Shinkai
  • Patent number: 9321260
    Abstract: A method for creating a printed image with sections on an object using at least two inkjet print heads, includes forming the image of first and second image sections, in a y direction at a fixed angle different than 0° and 180° relative to an object conveying direction, printing print dots of the first and second sections using first and second heads having first and second inkjet nozzles with the sections partially overlapping in a region and potentially forming a light or dark line, defining first and second complementary nozzle fields of the first and second heads to be active for each column of dots in the y direction, and placing a joint between the fields in the overlap region in a light or dark area of the column for each column of dots, avoiding potentially disruptive light or dark lines at the joint and keeping the image without defect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Joerg-Achim Fischer, Berthold Giess
  • Patent number: 9321286
    Abstract: A digital printing machine for printing onto a medium, the digital printing machine comprising a chassis, a digital print means, an advancing mechanism for advancing the medium; the machine further comprising a widthwise cutter coupled to the chassis, wherein the digital print means and the widthwise cutter are controlled by a common computer controller, thereby ensuring that the cutting of the cutter is in registration with printing by said digital print means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Inventors: Yaron Bar-Tal, Avi Zahavi, Erez Zimerman, Hanan Yosefi, Ori Avivi
  • Patent number: 9321264
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: a nozzle; a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle; a laminated body including a piezoelectric element, the laminated body covering the pressure chamber, the laminated body defining a communications opening therethrough; a reservoir communicating with the pressure chamber via the communication opening; a wall extending from the laminated body so as to extend around the communication opening, the wall including a conductive portion; a drive contact electrically connected to the piezoelectric element by a conductor including the conductive portion of the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita Hirai, Hirota Atsushi
  • Patent number: 9308720
    Abstract: An ink jet printer has a number of ink discharge nozzles, a number of actuators respectively associated with the nozzles and arranged to create pressure waves in the ink to be discharged from the respective nozzles, and a controller arranged to apply drive signals to the actuators in accordance with print instructions for an image to be printed. The drive signals include print pulses causing ink droplets to be ejected from the nozzles at timings when the respective nozzle faces an image part of a print medium, and spitting pulses causing ink droplets to be ejected from the nozzles at timings when the respective nozzle faces a non-image part of the print medium. The drive signals further include pre-fire pulses which have an amplitude below a threshold at which ink droplets are ejected, and the controller is arranged to apply the spitting pulses in the form of combined pulse sequences that each include a number of pre-fire pulses preceding the spitting pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: OCE-TECHNOLOGIES B.V.
    Inventor: Lambertus M.L. Van Sas
  • Patent number: 9302472
    Abstract: A printer includes a printhead configured to eject high viscosity material and refill a manifold in the printhead with high viscosity material. The printhead includes a layer having an opening to form a reservoir to hold a volume of a high viscosity material and at least one member positioned within the receptacle formed by the opening in the layer. The at least one member has an electroactive element mounted to the member, and an electrical signal generator is electrically connected to the electroactive element. A controller operates the electrical signal generator to activate selectively the electroactive element with a first electrical signal to move the at least one member and thin the high viscosity material adjacent the at least one member to enable the thinned material to move away from the at least one member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: David A. Mantell, Peter J. Nystrom, Peter Gulvin, Andrew W. Hays, Jun Ma, Gary D. Redding
  • Patent number: 9302501
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: a transportation unit that transports a recording medium having flexibility; a head unit that has a liquid droplet ejection head which ejects an ink onto the recording medium transported by operation of the transportation unit, and a carriage which supports the liquid droplet ejection head; a movement unit that moves the head unit in a direction orthogonal to a transportation direction of the recording medium with respect to the recording medium; and a warpage straightening member that straightens a warpage to disappear when the warpage in a degree to interfere with the head unit which is moved by operation of the movement unit, occurs in the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuichiro Nakano, Eiji Kumai, Tsuneyuki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 9289985
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head unit includes: a liquid ejecting head having a liquid ejecting surface in which a nozzle opening for ejecting liquid is formed; a head fixing substrate which holds the surface sides opposite to the liquid ejecting surfaces of a plurality of liquid ejecting heads; and a height changing-fixing section which is provided between the head fixing substrate and the liquid ejecting head and can adjust a distance between the head fixing substrate and the liquid ejecting head, in which the height changing-fixing section is detachably fixed to the surface opposite to the liquid ejecting surface of the liquid ejecting head, and the height changing-fixing section and the head fixing substrate are detachably fixed to each other by screwing from the surface side opposite to a fixing surface of the head fixing substrate, to which the liquid ejecting head is fixed through the height changing-fixing section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Fujio Akahane
  • Patent number: 9289977
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an amplifier that employs a bias current to drive a print nozzle. A current reduction module can be employed to offset the bias current and to reduce a portion of the bias current from appearing in a subsequent stage to the amplifier in order to mitigate power in the subsequent stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Andrew Van Brocklin
  • Patent number: 9290026
    Abstract: A printer includes a printing portion, two plate-shaped first support portions, a moving portion, a restricting portion, and two second support portions. The first support portions are disposed opposite one another and support opposite ends of the roll. The moving portion supports the first support portions movably. The restricting portion restricts movement of the first support portions. The second support portions support the ends of the roll. Each second support portion includes a pivoting portion, a projecting portion, and an energizing portion. The pivoting portion is supported pivotally. The projecting portion projects from the pivoting portion in a direction that intersects an axis parallel to the plane of an associated first support portion. The energizing portion energizes the pivoting portion in a direction in which the pivoting portion pivots such that the projecting portion projects from the side of the first support portion that faces the opposing first support portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuki Nagashima, Takamine Hokazono, Hidenori Jo, Kenji Kurita, Minoru Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9283759
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus of a line head type where a resolution can be changed simply, and locating of nozzles can be performed simply and accurately is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: MIYAKOSHI PRINTING MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideo Izawa, Yuuichi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9283783
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a body, an operation panel provided on a front surface of the body, a feeding cassette that accommodates sheets, removably mounted with respect to the body from the front surface of the body, and is configured such that a part thereof is protruded from body in a state of being mounted on the body, a recording section that is disposed inside the body and performs printing by ejecting ink onto a sheet transported from the feeding cassette, a discharging tray that is disposed on the feeding cassette and supports the sheet after printing is completed, and a body-side cover section that is provided in the body and covers both side surfaces of the feeding cassette.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Yoda, Masanori Nakata, Takeshi Aoki, Toshikazu Kotaka