Patents by Inventor Bunji Ishimoto

Bunji Ishimoto 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).

  • Patent number: 8511775
    Abstract: To provide a technique for largely preventing conspicuous banding from appearing in printed images, a print head is provided with three nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arrayed in a sub-scanning direction, the nozzle rows being spaced apart in a main scanning direction. In two nozzle rows among the three nozzle rows, the positions of the nozzles in the sub-scanning direction are mutually the same, and in one nozzle row among the three nozzle rows, the positions of the nozzles the sub-scanning direction lie between nozzles of the two nozzle rows in the sub-scanning direction. The three nozzle rows can eject ink of the same hue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masato Suzuki, Naoki Sudo, Bunji Ishimoto
  • Patent number: 8465117
    Abstract: A fluid ejecting apparatus includes a head that is provided with a first-nozzle-row and a second-nozzle-row, a platen that is provided with a plurality of convex-portions, and a control unit repeats an operation of ejecting fluid from the nozzles moving in two directions of a forward-path and a backward-path. The control unit adjusts the ejecting time such that, at the medium of the convex-portions, an amount-of-deviation in the movement-direction of the dots formed on the forward-path and the backward-path by the first-nozzle-row is less than an amount-of-deviation of the dots formed on the forward-path and backward-path by the second-nozzle-row. In the ejection operation, and such that the position in the movement-direction of the dots formed by the second-nozzle-row is a position opposite to the side on which the head moves in the movement-direction with respect to the position in the movement-direction of the dots formed by the first-nozzle-row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akito Sato, Tomohiro Yuda, Takahide Miyashita, Naoki Sudo, Mai Kubota, Bunji Ishimoto
  • Patent number: 8439466
    Abstract: A fluid ejecting apparatus includes: a first nozzle group from which a first fluid including white ink is ejected; a second nozzle group located downstream of the first nozzle group and from which a second fluid excluding white ink is ejected; a third nozzle group located between the first and second nozzle groups in a predetermined direction that does not eject any fluid; a movement mechanism that moves the first and second nozzle groups relative to a target medium in a movement direction; a transportation mechanism that transports the target medium relative to the first and second nozzle groups in the predetermined direction; and a controlling section that controls forming first and second layered images using the first and second nozzle groups respectively. The length of an area where the third nozzle group is located in the predetermined direction is an integral multiple of the predetermined transportation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Tanoue, Bunji Ishimoto
  • Patent number: 8403442
    Abstract: A printing device is configured to print a first band in a first pass and to print a second band in a second pass so that the second band partially overlaps the first band for from an overlap printed area. The overlap printed area is divided by a single continuous boundary line into a first area that is printed during the first pass and a second area that is printed during the second pass. The boundary line includes a first boundary line portion where a parallel line extending parallel to a sub-scanning direction crosses the boundary line from the first area into the second area and a second boundary line portion where the parallel line crosses from the second area into the first area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takahide Miyashita, Bunji Ishimoto, Tatsuo Furuta, Akito Sato
  • Publication number: 20130016160
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a first nozzle row in which first nozzles ejecting a first liquid are arranged in a predetermined direction; a second nozzle row in which second nozzles ejecting a second liquid are arranged in the predetermined direction; a movement mechanism moving the first and second nozzle rows in a movement direction intersecting the predetermined direction relative to a medium; a transport mechanism transporting the medium in the predetermined direction relative to the first and second nozzle rows; and a control unit repeating an image forming operation of ejecting the liquids from the first and second nozzles while moving the first and second nozzle rows in the movement direction by the movement mechanism and a transport operation of transporting the medium in the predetermined direction relative to the first and second nozzle rows by the transport mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2012
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bunji Ishimoto, Yumiko Takeda
  • Patent number: 8313158
    Abstract: A printing apparatus including: first nozzles which discharge a dye ink; second nozzles which discharge a pigment ink of the same color as the dye ink; and a controller which controls the discharge of the inks from the first nozzles and the second nozzles, wherein the controller executes a first discharging operation for discharging the dye ink from the first nozzles and then discharging the pigment ink from the second nozzles at predetermined positions on a medium and executes a second discharging operation for discharging the pigment ink from the second nozzles and then discharging the dye ink from the first nozzles at positions different from the predetermined positions on the medium, and wherein a ratio of the dye ink to the pigment ink in the amount of ink discharged in the second discharging operation per unit area is less than that in the first discharging operation per unit area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Mai Kubota, Tomohiro Yuda, Takahide Miyashita, Naoki Sudo, Akito Sato, Bunji Ishimoto
  • Patent number: 8303063
    Abstract: A printing apparatus including a first nozzle that ejects dye ink; a second nozzle that ejects pigment ink of a color that is the same as the dye ink; and a controller that controls ejection of ink from the first nozzle and the second nozzle. The controller performs a first ejection operation, in which the pigment ink is ejected from the second nozzle after the dye ink is ejected from the first nozzle, for a predetermined position on a medium and performs a second ejection operation, in which the dye ink is ejected from the first nozzle after the pigment ink is ejected from the second nozzle, for a second position on the medium. An amount of the pigment ink per unit area that is ejected in the second ejection operation is made smaller than an amount of the pigment ink per the unit area in the first ejection operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Mai Kubota, Bunji Ishimoto, Akito Sato, Tomohiro Yuda, Naoki Sudo, Takahide Miyashita
  • Patent number: 8292391
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a first nozzle row in which first nozzles ejecting a first liquid are arranged in a predetermined direction; a second nozzle row in which second nozzles ejecting a second liquid are arranged in the predetermined direction; a movement mechanism moving the first and second nozzle rows in a movement direction intersecting the predetermined direction relative to a medium; a transport mechanism transporting the medium in the predetermined direction relative to the first and second nozzle rows; and a control unit repeating an image forming operation of ejecting the liquids from the first and second nozzles while moving the first and second nozzle rows in the movement direction by the movement mechanism and a transport operation of transporting the medium in the predetermined direction relative to the first and second nozzle rows by the transport mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Bunji Ishimoto, Yumiko Takeda
  • Patent number: 8292393
    Abstract: A recording apparatus of this invention includes a head; a transport mechanism that transports a medium in a transport direction with respect to the head, according to a target transport amount to be targeted; a memory that stores a plurality of correction values associated with a relative position of the head and the medium; and a controller that controls the transport mechanism based on the target transport amount that has been corrected, after correcting the target transport amount based on correction values, which are in number according to a size of the target transport amount, and which include the correction value according to the relative position when transporting by the target transport amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko Yoshida, Tatsuya Nakano, Hirokazu Nunokawa, Bunji Ishimoto, Toru Miyamoto, Yoichi Kakehashi
  • Publication number: 20120223990
    Abstract: A fluid ejecting apparatus includes: a first nozzle group from which a first fluid including white ink is ejected; a second nozzle group located downstream of the first nozzle group and from which a second fluid excluding white ink is ejected; a third nozzle group located between the first and second nozzle groups in a predetermined direction that does not eject any fluid; a movement mechanism that moves the first and second nozzle groups relative to a target medium in a movement direction; a transportation mechanism that transports the target medium relative to the first and second nozzle groups in the predetermined direction; and a controlling section that controls forming first and second layered images using the first and second nozzle groups respectively. The length of an area where the third nozzle group is located in the predetermined direction is an integral multiple of the predetermined transportation amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi Tanoue, Bunji Ishimoto
  • Patent number: 8201908
    Abstract: A fluid ejecting apparatus includes: a first nozzle line that includes a plurality of first nozzles that are aligned in a predetermined direction, first fluid being ejected from the first nozzles; a second nozzle line that includes a plurality of second nozzles that are aligned in the predetermined direction, second fluid being ejected from the second nozzles; a movement mechanism that moves the first nozzle line and the second nozzle line relative to a target medium in a movement direction, the movement direction being orthogonal to the predetermined direction; a transportation mechanism that transports the target medium relative to the first nozzle line and the second nozzle line in the predetermined direction; a controlling section that performs control for repeating image formation operation and transportation operation; and a group of nozzles that are not the first nozzles nor the second nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Tanoue, Bunji Ishimoto
  • Publication number: 20120120152
    Abstract: There is provided a printing device for carrying out printing with ink supplied from L ink cartridges in which ink of the same hue is accommodated. The printing device includes a print head with a plurality of nozzle rows spaced apart in a main scanning direction, and includes a first nozzle group of L×a nozzle rows, in which the positions of the nozzles in the sub-scanning direction are mutually the same and which receive a supply of the ink from each of the L cartridges in sets of a rows, and a second nozzle group of L×b nozzle rows, in which the positions of the nozzles in the sub-scanning direction differ from those of the nozzles of the first nozzle row and which receive a supply of the ink from each of the L cartridges in sets of b rows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Inventors: Masami OGURA, Naoki SUDO, Bunji ISHIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20120120135
    Abstract: To provide a technique for largely preventing conspicuous banding from appearing in printed images, a print head is provided with three nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arrayed in a sub-scanning direction, the nozzle rows being spaced apart in a main scanning direction. In two nozzle rows among the three nozzle rows, the positions of the nozzles in the sub-scanning direction are mutually the same, and in one nozzle row among the three nozzle rows, the positions of the nozzles the sub-scanning direction lie between nozzles of the two nozzle rows in the sub-scanning direction. The three nozzle rows can eject ink of the same hue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2011
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masato SUZUKI, Naoki SUDO, Bunji ISHIMOTO
  • Patent number: 8075085
    Abstract: A correction of density is effectively performed. The printing method includes the following steps. A step of performing correction of density for only a predetermined color, among a plurality of colors, for each dot row region so as to suppress the unevenness in density between rows of dots on a medium formed with the rows of dots arranged along a movement direction by each of the nozzles, when a plurality of the nozzles, that ejects a plurality of colors of different ink and that are arranged along a predetermined direction for each color of ink, ejects ink while being moved in a movement direction that intersects a predetermined direction. A step of printing by ejecting ink while a plurality the nozzles are moved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Bunji Ishimoto, Hirokazu Nunokawa
  • Publication number: 20110261100
    Abstract: A first pseudo band is printed, a second pseudo band is printed so as to partially overlap the first pseudo band, and the overlap printed area is divided by a single continuously boundary line into a first area first area printed by the first pseudo band, and a second area printed by the second pseudo band.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahide MIYASHITA, Bunji ISHIMOTO, Tatsuo FURUTA, Akito SATO
  • Publication number: 20110261099
    Abstract: A printing device is configured to print a first band in a first pass and to print a second band in a second pass so that the second band partially overlaps the first band for from an overlap printed area. The overlap printed area is divided by a single continuous boundary line into a first area that is printed during the first pass and a second area that is printed during the second pass. The boundary line includes a first boundary line portion where a parallel line extending parallel to a sub-scanning direction crosses the boundary line from the first area into the second area and a second boundary line portion where the parallel line crosses from the second area into the first area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahide MIYASHITA, Bunji ISHIMOTO, Tatsuo FURUTA, Akito SATO
  • Publication number: 20110242177
    Abstract: A printing device includes a nozzle row for chromatic ink comprising K nozzles and a nozzle row for achromatic ink comprising (n·K) nozzles. In a color region, an image-forming operation is performed m times in which the movement direction of the nozzle rows switches alternately between forward and reverse directions, whereby a region of the image having a predetermined width is foamed along a first direction of an image. The image-forming operation performed m times includes the image-forming operation performed once in which both of the nozzle rows for chromatic ink and for achromatic ink are used, and the image-forming operation performed (m?1) times in which only the nozzle row for chromatic ink is used. In a monochrome region, the image-forming operation is performed once in which only the nozzle row for achromatic ink is used, whereby a region of the image having a predetermined width is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akito SATO, Bunji ISHIMOTO, Takahide MIYASHITA, Katsuhiko SUGIYAMA, Yasuhiro TAKEUCHI
  • Patent number: 8029085
    Abstract: A transport mechanism transports a medium in a transport direction based on a target transport amount and has a first roller provided on an upstream side in the transport direction and a second roller provided on a downstream side in the transport direction. Correction values are calculated based on an interval between the lines in the transport direction. The transport mechanism is controlled based on a corrected target transport amount after correcting the target transport amount based on the correction values. Lines are formed by ejecting ink from a first nozzle when the first roller is in contact with the medium, and ejecting ink from a second nozzle on a downstream side from the first nozzle in the transport direction when the first roller is not in contact with the medium and the second roller is in contact with the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko Yoshida, Tatsuya Nakano, Bunji Ishimoto, Toru Miyamoto, Hirokazu Nunokawa, Yoichi Kakehashi
  • Publication number: 20110216115
    Abstract: In the printing method, on a medium transported in a transport direction, while nozzle rows including a plurality of nozzles move in a scanning direction intersecting the transport direction, ink is ejected from the nozzles, and dots are formed to print an image. Coordinates of dots formed by nozzles of a nozzle row center portion and coordinates of dots formed by nozzles of nozzle row end portions are measured with respect to a ruled line printed in advance along the transport direction by ejecting ink from the plurality of nozzles, and an amount of deviation in the scanning direction among the coordinates is calculated. Pixel data corresponding to the dots formed by the nozzles of the nozzle row end portions among pixel data indicating unit elements forming an image are shifted in the scanning direction according to the amount of deviation, to perform printing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2011
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akito Sato, Bunji Ishimoto
  • Patent number: 8013881
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus for forming a multicolored image on a recording medium includes: a printing head for ejecting a plurality of colors; a head driving section that performs a main scanning for moving the printing head in a main scanning direction; a transporting section that transports the recording medium in a sub-scanning direction crossing the main scanning direction; and a dot control section that controls the head driving section and the transporting section so as to form an image on the recording medium by ejecting the liquids on the recording medium from the nozzle while repeatedly performing the main scanning for moving the printing head in the main scanning direction and a sub-scanning for transporting the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Yuda, Bunji Ishimoto, Akito Sato, Takeshi Tanoue, Naoki Sudo