Patents by Inventor Atsuo Sakaida

Atsuo Sakaida 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: 20140168318
    Abstract: A printhead module includes a plurality of rows of printhead nozzles, at least some of the rows including at least one displaced row portion, the displacement of the row portion including a component in a direction normal to that of a pagewidth to be printed, wherein the displaced row portions of at least some of the rows are different in length than the displaced row portions of at least some of the other rows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsuo SAKAIDA, Takeshi ASANO, Atsushi HIROTA
  • Patent number: 8684496
    Abstract: A printhead module includes a plurality of rows of printhead nozzles, at least some of the rows including at least one displaced row portion, the displacement of the row portion including a component in a direction normal to that of a pagewidth to be printed, wherein the displaced row portions of at least some of the rows are different in length than the displaced row portions of at least some of the other rows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsuo Sakaida, Takeshi Asano, Atsushi Hirota
  • Patent number: 8393711
    Abstract: An ink-jet head having a passage unit including pressure chambers each having one end coupled to a nozzle and the other end to be coupled to an ink supply source. The pressure chambers are arranged along a plane to neighbor each other. The ink-jet head further includes actuator units attached to a surface of the passage unit for changing the volume of each pressure chamber. Each actuator unit includes pressure generation portions respectively corresponding to pressure chambers, and is formed to extend over the pressure chambers. The actuator units are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the passage unit so that each neighboring actuator units partially overlap each other in the lateral direction of the passage unit. Each actuator unit has a basic region where many pressure generation portions are formed in a matrix, and an additional region neighboring the basic region in the lateral direction of the passage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsuo Sakaida, Takeshi Asano, Atsushi Hirota
  • Publication number: 20120105544
    Abstract: A printhead module includes a plurality of rows of printhead nozzles, at least some of the rows including at least one displaced row portion, the displacement of the row portion including a component in a direction normal to that of a pagewidth to be printed, wherein the displaced row portions of at least some of the rows are different in length than the displaced row portions of at least some of the other rows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2012
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsuo SAKAIDA, Takeshi Asano, Atsushi Hirota
  • Patent number: 8118402
    Abstract: A printhead module includes a plurality of rows of printhead nozzles, at least some of the rows including at least one displaced row portion, the displacement of the row portion including a component in a direction normal to that of a pagewidth to be printed, wherein the displaced row portions of at least some of the rows are different in length than the displaced row portions of at least some of the other rows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsuo Sakaida, Takeshi Asano, Atsushi Hirota
  • Patent number: 8042907
    Abstract: A liquid ejection device with a plurality of liquid ejection heads each having a liquid ejection surface that is elongated in a main scanning direction and is formed with a plurality of liquid ejection ports. Additionally, the device may have a maintenance unit, including a first maintenance tray, a second maintenance tray and a maintenance tray moving mechanism configured to move the first maintenance tray and the second maintenance tray in a predetermined direction. The device may also include a maintenance tray movement control portion configured to control the maintenance tray movement mechanism to move the first maintenance tray and the second maintenance tray wherein the first maintenance tray located at the first non-maintenance position and the second maintenance tray located at the second non-maintenance position at least partially overlap each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsuo Sakaida
  • Patent number: 8038259
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus of one aspect of the invention comprises nozzles are arranged on an ink ejection surface in a matrix in a first direction in which a recording medium is conveyed and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The plurality of nozzles are grouped into a plurality of nozzle sets, each of the plurality of nozzle sets includes nozzles arranged along the second direction. The plurality of nozzle sets are spaced from one another in the first direction by first distances, each of the first distances is an integral multiple of a distance that is obtained by multiplying a unit distance by 2n-1. The unit distance corresponds to a highest resolution among first resolutions with respect to the first direction of an image to be formed on the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsuo Sakaida, Atsushi Hirota, Naoto Iwao, Tatsuo Oishi
  • Patent number: 8025369
    Abstract: An inkjet head comprises a plurality of individual electrodes each of which includes a first part and a second part connected to an end portion B of the first part. The end portion B is one of the end portions of a first part in a longitudinal direction of a pressure chamber. The second part of each of the individual electrodes corresponding to a first pressure chamber line is positioned between two first parts corresponding to two respective pressure chambers neighboring each other in a second pressure chamber line, so that an end portion C of the second part crosses over a line connecting each end portion D of the two first parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsuo Sakaida, Takeshi Asano, Atsushi Hirota
  • Patent number: 8020961
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes an ink-jet head formed with an ejection face, and an ejection control board fixed to the ink-jet head. A head cover forms a container space that contains therein the ejection control board. The container space has an air inflow port and an air outflow port. An airflow generator generates an airflow that goes into the container space through the inflow port and out of the container space through the outflow port. Through the outflow port, an airflow filtered by the filter goes out of the container space across a plane including the ejection face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Watanabe, Atsuo Sakaida
  • Patent number: 7922311
    Abstract: An ink-jet head has a passage component made of resin and a filter plate through which ink is filtered. The filter plate is fixed to the passage component and has a melting point higher than that of the passage component. The filter plate has an annular region and an inner region, and holes are formed through the filter plate in the annular and inner regions. The passage component has a filter support face that is in contact with the annular region but out of contact with the inner region. A holder is formed on the filter support face. The holder penetrates through at least one of the holes formed in the annular region and covers the other face of the filter plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadanobu Chikamoto, Atsuo Sakaida
  • Patent number: 7909430
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus has liquid ejection heads. Each liquid ejection head has a liquid ejection surface, including nozzles, and a gap is formed between the liquid ejection heads. A sealing member is positioned in the gap, and the sealing member forms a surface. The sealing member joins the liquid ejection surface of a liquid ejection head to an adjacent liquid ejection surface of another liquid ejection head. A wiper wipes each liquid ejection surface and the surface formed by the sealing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsuo Sakaida
  • Patent number: 7901059
    Abstract: An inkjet head comprises a plurality of individual electrodes each of which includes a first part and a second part connected to an end portion B of the first part. The end portion B is one of the end portions of a first part in a longitudinal direction of a pressure chamber. The second part of each of the individual electrodes corresponding to a first pressure chamber line is positioned between two first parts corresponding to two respective pressure chambers neighboring each other in a second pressure chamber line, so that an end portion C of the second part crosses over a line connecting each end portion D of the two first parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsuo Sakaida, Takeshi Asano, Atsushi Hirota
  • Patent number: 7891781
    Abstract: An ink-jet head having a passage unit including pressure chambers each having one end coupled to a nozzle and the other end to be coupled to an ink supply source. The pressure chambers are arranged along a plane to neighbor each other. The ink-jet head further includes actuator units attached to a surface of the passage unit for changing the volume of each pressure chamber. Each actuator unit includes pressure generation portions respectively corresponding to pressure chambers, and is formed to extend over the pressure chambers. The actuator units are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the passage unit so that each neighboring actuator units partially overlap each other in the lateral direction of the passage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsuo Sakaida, Takeshi Asano, Atsushi Hirota
  • Patent number: 7871149
    Abstract: A head unit comprises: first and second heads, each having an ink ejecting face including a nozzle group, the nozzle group including plural nozzle rows extending in a first direction and arranged in a second direction orthogonal, each nozzle row including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink arranged along the first direction at a predetermined interval; and a holder for holding the first and second heads. Each of the nozzle groups of the first and second heads includes a rectangular region in which the plurality of nozzles are arranged apart at a predetermined distance in the first direction to form a rectangular shape. The first and second heads are held by the holder in parallel with each other so that the plurality of nozzles included in the rectangular regions of the first and second heads, respectively, are arranged apart at the predetermined distance in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadanobu Chikamoto, Atsuo Sakaida
  • Patent number: 7828410
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a brush, a suction unit, and a wiper. The brush brushes off matters adhering to an ink ejection face of an ink-jet head. The suction unit sucks the matters brushed off by the brush. The wiper has a contact face to be brought into contact with the ink ejection face to remove matters adhering to the ink ejection face. A brush moving mechanism is provided for moving the brush in parallel with the ink ejection face. A wiper moving mechanism is provided for moving the wiper in parallel with the ink ejection face. The wiper moving mechanism can move the wiper with bringing the contact face of the wiper into contact with the ink ejection face. A controller of the ink-jet recording apparatus controls the brush, the suction unit, and the wiper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Watanabe, Atsuo Sakaida
  • Patent number: 7802876
    Abstract: An actuator unit for applying pressure to liquid in each of pressure chambers formed in a passage unit includes a piezoelectric layer; a common electrode formed on one surface of the piezoelectric layer to be positioned over the pressure chambers; and electric field blocking layers formed on an opposite surface of the piezoelectric layer from the one surface to be opposed to the common electrode and outside regions of the respective pressure chambers. Each electric field blocking layer is porous and lower in dielectric constant than the piezoelectric layer. The actuator unit further includes lands each positioned to sandwich an electric field blocking layer between the land and the piezoelectric layer; and individual electrodes formed on the opposite surface to be opposed to the respective pressure chambers and the common electrode and neighbor the respective electric field blocking layers. Each individual electrode is electrically connected to the corresponding land.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuo Okawa, Atsuo Sakaida
  • Patent number: 7789498
    Abstract: An inkjet head includes a passage unit having a pressure chamber which is in communication with a nozzle and which is defined by a recessed portion provided in one surface of the passage unit; and an actuator unit including: (a) an oscillating plate fixed to the one surface of the passage unit so as to close the recessed portion defining the pressure chamber; (b) a piezoelectric layer disposed on the oscillating plate so that the piezoelectric layer and the oscillating plate cooperate with each other to constitute a piezoelectric unimorph; (c) a first electrode provided on a side of one surface of the piezoelectric layer so as to correspond to the pressure chamber; and (d) a second electrode provided on a side of an other surface of the piezoelectric layer and opposed to the first electrode in a direction of thickness of the piezoelectric layer. The pressure chamber has an elongate shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsuo Sakaida
  • Patent number: 7695086
    Abstract: An ink jet printer is provided with a passage unit, an actuator, and a pulse applying device. The passage unit comprises a nozzle, a pressure chamber, and an ink passage located between the nozzle and the pressure chamber. The actuator faces the pressure chamber and comprises a first electrode, a second electrode to which a reference potential can be applied, and a piezoelectric element located between the first electrode and the second electrode. The pulse applying device is capable of applying a first voltage pulse to the first electrode such that the nozzle discharges an ink droplet, and a second voltage pulse to the first electrode such that the nozzle does not discharge the ink droplet. A voltage change on a leading edge and/or a trailing edge of the second voltage pulse is greater than a voltage change on a leading edge and/or a trailing edge of the first voltage pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Iwao, Atsuo Sakaida
  • Patent number: 7585057
    Abstract: There is provided a method of manufacturing an ink-jet head comprising a passage unit, a piezoelectric actuator, and a wire member. The passage unit has a surface on which a pressure chamber is provided in a form of a recess. The piezoelectric actuator includes a piezoelectric body that closes the recess, an electrode that is formed on the piezoelectric body, and a conductive land that is formed on the electrode. The wire member includes a wiring provided thereon with a terminal electrically connected to the land. The method comprises the steps of forming on the electrode a land made of a resin paste, bonding the passage unit and the piezoelectric actuator to each other by pressing the land except a part thereof in a state where the electrode is opposed to the pressure chamber, and electrically connecting the land to the terminal by bringing the part of the land not pressed in the step of bonding into contact with the wire member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Hirota, Atsuo Sakaida
  • Publication number: 20090189959
    Abstract: An inkjet head comprises a plurality of individual electrodes each of which includes a first part and a second part connected to an end portion B of the first part. The end portion B is one of the end portions of a first part in a longitudinal direction of a pressure chamber. The second part of each of the individual electrodes corresponding to a first pressure chamber line is positioned between two first parts corresponding to two respective pressure chambers neighboring each other in a second pressure chamber line, so that an end portion C of the second part crosses over a line connecting each end portion D of the two first parts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsuo Sakaida, Takeshi Asano, Atsushi Hirota