Patents by Inventor Akihiro Toya

Akihiro Toya has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20140009548
    Abstract: There is provided a recording apparatus. The recording apparatus includes: a support member which supports a recording medium; a recording head which applies a recording material to one surface of the recording medium supported on the support member; and a fixing unit which fixes the recording material adhered to the one surface of the recording medium transported from the support member, wherein the support member and the fixing unit are arranged to be partly overlapped with each other in an up and down direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Toya, Seigo Mizutani
  • Publication number: 20130321511
    Abstract: A recording device includes a conveying part that conveys roll paper, a support part that supports the roll paper, a suction part that holds the roll paper to the support part by suction, a recording part that ejects liquid and records an image on the roll paper, a heating part that heats the support part to dry the liquid, and a controller that causes the suction part to use a first suction force to hold the roll paper to the support part by suction when the recording part performs a recording action for recording the image, and causes the suction part to use a second suction force, which is weaker than the first suction force, to hold the roll paper to the support part by suction when the recording part is not performing the recording action for recording the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2013
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiro TOYA
  • Patent number: 8556371
    Abstract: A recording device includes a conveying part that conveys roll paper, a support part that supports the roll paper, a recording part that that ejects liquid and records an image on the roll paper; a heating part that heats the support part to dry the liquid discharged on the roll paper, a cleaning part that cleans the recording part, and a controller that causes the conveying part to convey the roll paper at a first speed when the recording part performs a recording action for recording the image, and causes the conveying part to convey the roll paper at a second speed, which is slower than the first speed, after the cleaning part performs a cleaning action for cleaning the recording part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiro Toya
  • Patent number: 8556407
    Abstract: There is provided a recording apparatus. The recording apparatus includes: a support member which supports a recording medium; a recording head which applies a recording material to one surface of the recording medium supported on the support member; and a fixing unit which fixes the recording material adhered to the one surface of the recording medium transported from the support member, wherein the support member and the fixing unit are arranged to be partly overlapped with each other in an up and down direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Toya, Seigo Mizutani
  • Publication number: 20130265362
    Abstract: A liquid discharge device includes a head, a carriage, an optical sensor and an outlet port. The head is configured and arranged to discharge liquid. The carriage is configured and arranged to move the head in a prescribed direction. The optical sensor is provided on the carriage further to an edge part side in the prescribed direction than the head, and configured and arranged to detect presence or absence of foreign matter when the carriage is moving in the prescribed direction. The outlet port is provided on the carriage so that air is blown through the outlet port from behind a surface of the optical sensor toward a front.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiro TOYA
  • Publication number: 20130257942
    Abstract: A printing device has a support and heating unit for supporting and heating a medium, a head for discharging color image ink and background image ink on the medium supported by the support and heating unit, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform a color image printing process for executing a plurality of color image recording passes by which the head is moved relative to the medium in a moving direction, and a background image printing process. The controller is configured to execute a wait process of evacuating the head from above the support and heating unit and moving it to an evacuation position to have the head wait at the evacuation position for at least one of between the color image recording passes and between the background image recording passes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro TOYA, Kazuaki SAKURADA
  • Publication number: 20130257943
    Abstract: A printing device has a support and heating unit, a head for discharging color image ink and background image ink on a medium supported by the support and heating unit, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform one of a color image printing process for discharging the color image ink and printing a color image on the medium, and a background image printing process for discharging the background image ink and printing a background image that is a background of the color image on the medium, and to perform the other one of the processes subsequent to the one of the process. The controller is further configured to execute a wait process of evacuating the head to an evacuation position from above the support and heating unit to have the head wait at the evacuation position between the color image printing process and the background image printing process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro TOYA, Kazuaki SAKURADA
  • Publication number: 20130249992
    Abstract: An image recording device includes a support member, a recording head, a surface modifying apparatus, a conveyor unit, and a control unit. The surface modifying apparatus executes surface modification processing to modify a surface of the recording medium at a processing position disposed on an upstream side of the support member. The conveyor unit intermittently passes the recording medium through the processing position at a prescribed passage velocity by feeding the recording medium from the upstream side of the conveyance path to the processing position. The control unit is capable of providing a processing execution signal to the surface modifying apparatus, and provides the processing execution signal to the surface modifying apparatus for a prescribed time within a wait time from when passage of the recording medium through the processing position stops until the recording medium starts passing through the processing position at the prescribed passage velocity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoru KATAGAMI, Akihiro TOYA, Hiroyuki SANTO, Hideyuki NAGASAWA
  • Publication number: 20130242017
    Abstract: There is provided a recording apparatus. The recording apparatus includes: a support member which supports a recording medium; a recording head which applies a recording material to one surface of the recording medium supported on the support member; and a fixing unit which fixes the recording material adhered to the one surface of the recording medium transported from the support member, wherein the support member and the fixing unit are arranged to be partly overlapped with each other in an up and down direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Toya, Seigo Mizutani
  • Patent number: 8534823
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a transport unit that intermittently transports an elongated recording medium from an upstream side to a downstream side as the lengthwise direction of the recording medium moves along a transport path. A recording unit adheres a recording material to the recording medium when the recording medium is stopped in a midstream position of the transport path. A drying unit downstream from the recording unit heats and dries the recording material. A contact member has a contact surface continuous contact with the surface of the recording medium opposite the surface thereof to which the recording material is adhered, from the time when the recording medium enters into the drying unit to the time when the recording medium is discharged from the drying unit. The contact member forms the transport path with the contact surface having at least one bent section in the drying unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Toya, Shinji Kawakami
  • Publication number: 20130235111
    Abstract: An image recording device includes a conveying part that conveys a portion of a medium to an image recording area, a recording part that records an image on the medium positioned in the image recording area, a medium support part that supports the medium positioned in the image recording area on a support surface provided with openings of suction holes and that heats the medium, a suction part that suctions the medium supported on the medium support part via the suction holes, and a control part that repeatedly performs a conveying action and a recording action, and that suctions the medium supported on the medium support part after the next conveying action and before the recording action when a period from the previous conveying action until the next conveying action is equal to or greater than a predetermined period that is longer than the period required by the recording action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiro TOYA
  • Patent number: 8529010
    Abstract: A recording device includes a conveying part that conveys roll paper, a support part that supports the roll paper, a suction part that holds the roll paper to the support part by suction, a recording part that ejects liquid and records an image on the roll paper, a heating part that heats the support part to dry the liquid, a cleaning part that cleans the recording part, and a controller that causes the suction part to use a first suction force to hold the roll paper to the support part by suction when the recording part performs a recording action for recording the image, and causes the suction part to use a second suction force, which is weaker than the first suction force, to hold the roll paper to the support part by suction when the cleaning part performs a cleaning action for cleaning the recording part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiro Toya
  • Patent number: 8505890
    Abstract: A medium suction support device includes a medium support table, a suction unit, a plurality of flexible tube members and a sliding member. Through-holes are formed in the medium support table to pass through the medium support table. The suction unit is disposed on a side of the back surface to suction the recording medium disposed on the medium support surface via the through-holes. One opening end of each of the flexible tube members surrounds a corresponding one of the through-holes on the back surface. The sliding member is configured to move in parallel along the back surface. The sliding member has openings formed in an opposing surface facing the back surface with each of the openings being configured to respectively accommodate the other opening end of a corresponding one of the flexible tube members. The openings have different lengths in a parallel movement direction of the sliding member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiro Toya
  • Patent number: 8449106
    Abstract: An image recording device includes a conveying part that conveys a portion of a medium to an image recording area, a recording part that records an image on the medium positioned in the image recording area, a medium support part that supports the medium positioned in the image recording area on a support surface provided with openings of suction holes and that heats the medium, a suction part that suctions the medium supported on the medium support part via the suction holes, and a control part that repeatedly performs a conveying action and a recording action, and that suctions the medium supported on the medium support part after the next conveying action and before the recording action when a period from the previous conveying action until the next conveying action is equal to or greater than a predetermined period that is longer than the period required by the recording action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiro Toya
  • Patent number: 8322844
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head for performing a recording operation by ejecting ink onto a recording surface of a recording medium while moving; a transport section for transporting the recording medium along a transporting path that passes through a recording region in which the recording head performs the recording operation; a platen located in the recording region for supporting a surface opposite the recording surface of the recording medium; and pressing members located in the recording region and being in contact with outer edge portions in a width direction of the recording surface of the recording medium; wherein the pressing members move so as to press the recording medium at an upstream side and at a downstream side of the recording head, with a movement of the recording head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiro Toya
  • Publication number: 20120281037
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: a printing unit that applies a liquid to a printing medium to perform printing; a support member that supports the printing medium; a drying device that dries the liquid applied onto the printing medium in a drying space; and a control device that is connected to the drying device, wherein the drying device includes an air supply port for supplying a drying gas to the drying space, and an air supply position changing mechanism that changes a position of the air supply port for the drying space with respect to the printing medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2012
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiro Toya
  • Publication number: 20120236100
    Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a platen in which a plurality of plate members configuring a support surface supporting a roll paper are disposed at a predetermined interval so that suction grooves are formed between the plate members, a recording unit for performing a recording process on the roll paper placed on the support surface, a pressure chamber disposed at the back side of the platen and communicating with the suction grooves, and a suction mechanism for sucking up the roll paper disposed on the support surface through the suction grooves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiro TOYA
  • Publication number: 20120236101
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a platen in which first suction holes passing through from a medium support surface to a rear surface are formed; first pressure chambers provided to communicate with the first suction holes; a second pressure chamber disposed on the side opposite to the platen and communicating with the first pressure chambers; a wall section which is disposed between the first pressure chambers and the second pressure chamber and in which second suction holes each making the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber communicate with each other are formed; a suction mechanism which suctions rolled paper on the medium support surface through the first and second suction holes; and a slide plate movable in a parallel fashion along the wall section and provided with blocking portions having different lengths in a direction of parallel movement and capable of blocking the second suction holes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeki Kato, Jun Yamada, Akihiro Toya
  • Publication number: 20120236059
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a medium support section which supports a recording medium by a medium support surface having a penetration portion; a recording process section which performs a recording process on the recording medium; a suction device which is connected to the medium support section and makes suction power act on the recording medium through the penetration portion; and a control section which controls driving of the suction device, wherein a mesh member of a convex shape which is provided so as to be related to the penetration portion and protrudes farther than the medium support surface is provided at the medium support section, and the mesh member is configured so as to be able to be elastically deformed when the suction power acts on the recording medium of the suction device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiro TOYA
  • Patent number: 8177355
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a recording head that executes recording by ejecting ink onto a recording surface of a recording material; a platen that supports a face opposite the recording surface of the recording material positioned on a recording execution region by the recording head; and a plurality of suction hole sections provided in the platen. The platen is configured so that both side edge sections in a width direction provided with the suction hole sections are retractable with respect to the recording head, and both side edge sections of the platen are advanced towards the recording head and are retracted after attaching by suction of a curling section of the right and left side edges of the recording material and then after retraction, recording is executed on the recording material by the recording head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiro Toya