Patents by Inventor Hitoshi Tsuboi

Hitoshi Tsuboi 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: 6916092
    Abstract: A recording method includes a step of ejecting onto a recording material ink having a Ka value of not more than 3 (ml.m?2.msec?1/2), applying to the ink deposited on the recording material processing liquid having a Ka value of not less than 5 (ml.m?2.msec?1/2) to insolubilized a coloring material in the ink inside the recording material; wherein the processing liquid is applied to the ink after rapid swell start point to after penetration of the ink into the medium passes after the ink is deposited on the recording material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noribumi Koitabashi, Hitoshi Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 6860593
    Abstract: An ink which includes a first pigment, a second pigment, a polymer dispersant and an aqueous medium; wherein the first pigment is a self-dispersing pigment having on its surface at least one anionic group bonded to the surface directly or via an atomic group, the second pigment is dispersed in the aqueous medium by the polymer dispersant, and the polymer dispersant contains benzylmethacrylate as a monomer unit. Diffusion of this ink in the printing medium is suppressed in the cross-sectional direction but not horizontal direction. Thus, the ink can form an ink dot that has a proper dot size, uniform and high density in the dot, with little feathering or blur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akio Kashiwazaki, Katsuhiro Shirota, Akihiro Mouri, Noribumi Koitabashi, Hitoshi Tsuboi, Yasunori Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 6834927
    Abstract: An image correcting method for an ink jet recording apparatus for recording an image by ejecting ink onto a recording material using a recording head having an array of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting the ink, the method includes the steps of an outputting step of outputting at least two kinds of uniform patterns for detection of a recording property of a recording head; a measuring step of measuring a density distribution of the patterns outputted by the outputting step; a calculation step of calculating, for each of the kinds of patterns, data for correction for respective one of the plurality of nozzles on the basis of a result of the measuring step: an image correcting step of comparing data corresponding to the at least two kinds of patterns, classifying states of the plurality of nozzles, and correcting images corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of nozzles, wherein the correcting step effects correction processes which are different from depending on the classification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masataka Yashima, Noribumi Koitabashi, Tsuyoshi Shibata, Hitoshi Tsuboi, Yasunori Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20040201656
    Abstract: A recording method includes a step of ejecting onto a recording material ink having a Ka value of not more than 3 (ml.m−2.msec−1/2), applying to the ink deposited on the recording material processing liquid having a Ka value of not less than 5 (ml.m−2.msec−1/2) to insolubilized a coloring material in the ink inside the recording material; wherein the processing liquid is applied to the ink after rapid swell start point to after penetration of the ink into the medium passes after the ink is deposited on the recording material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 1998
    Publication date: October 14, 2004
    Inventors: NORIBUMI KOITABASHI, HITOSHI TSUBOI
  • Patent number: 6779865
    Abstract: An ink jet printing method and apparatus using a color ink and a print performance improving ink which minimizes an image quality degradation due to blank lines formed by failed or faulty nozzles. This system enables the use of a print head even with failed or faulty nozzles by minimizing the image quality degradation and extends the life of the print head before replacement. The print performance improving ink is deliberately ejected onto a blank line or its vicinity to produce the so-called primer effect, thereby inducing the color ink dots on the lines adjoining the non-ejecting nozzle line to spread into the blank line to make the blank line undistinguishable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Shibata, Noribumi Koitabashi, Masataka Yashima, Hitoshi Tsuboi
  • Publication number: 20040119766
    Abstract: The present invention makes it possible to print a good quality image even if ink is ejected abnormally from a nozzle. To attain this, when there is an abnormal nozzle (N) exhibiting an abnormal ink ejection state, the printing data corresponding to the abnormal nozzle (N) is added to the printing data corresponding to neighboring nozzles (N−1) and (N+1) arranged in the neighborhood of the abnormal nozzle (N). In this way, the printing data corresponding to the abnormal nozzle (N) can be compensated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2003
    Publication date: June 24, 2004
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Shibata, Kazuyuki Maeda, Hitoshi Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 6612691
    Abstract: An ink jet recording method using a recording device including a recording head provided with an ejection outlet for ejecting ink and heating means for heating at least a part of a recording material; the method includes a recording step of recording by ejecting ink to a predetermined region on a recording material, using a recording head; a heating step of heating said region by heating means; and wherein the ink has an ink absorption coefficient Ka (ml.m−2.msec−½) relative to a plain paper, defined by Bristow method, is 1.0-5.0 and satisfies 0<ts≦200 msec where ts is a rapid expansion start point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noribumi Koitabashi, Hitoshi Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 6613259
    Abstract: A process for preparing polyester pellets which involves blending polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene isophthalate copolymer before solid state polymerization, the polyethylene isophthalate copolymer being composed of dicarboxylic acid constituent units derived from dicarboxylic acids containing terephthalic acid and isophthalic acid and diol constituent units derived from diols containing ethylene glycol and 1,3-bis(2-hydroxyethoxy)benzene, palletizing the blend and crystallizing the pellets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Takahashi, Koji Nakamachi, Hiroji Niimi, Shoji Hiraoka, Masayuki Sakai, Hitoshi Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 6585815
    Abstract: High quality images showing an excellent fixation are formed by an ink-jet recording method using pigment inks. An ink set for the ink jet-recording method comprises a first ink containing an anionic dye in an aqueous medium, a second ink containing an anionic dye and having a lower coloring material content than the first ink and a dispersion destabilizing substance, and a third ink containing a self-dispersible first pigment, a second pigment and a polymeric dispersant for dispersing the second pigment in an aqueous medium. The dispersion destabilizing substance destabilizes the dispersion stability of at least either the first pigment or the second pigment in the third ink when the second ink and the third ink are brought into contact with each other. The second ink and the third ink are applied onto a printing medium one after another or substantially simultaneously so that they are brought into contact with each other in a liquid state on the printing medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noribumi Koitabashi, Hitoshi Tsuboi, Yasunori Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 6582065
    Abstract: A liquid ejection method including the steps of preparing a head comprising an ejection outlet, a bubble generation region, a movable member faced to the bubble generation region and displaceable from a first position to a second position further from the bubble generation region than the first position; displacing the movable member from the first position to the second position by pressure produced by the generation of the bubble to permit greater expansion of the bubble downstream as compared to upstream; and supplying a driving pulse to generate each bubble, wherein the pulse is divided into a first pulse for pre-heating the liquid and a second pulse for ejecting the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Okazaki, Toshio Kashino, Hiroshi Tajika, Kouichi Omata, Aya Yoshihira, Kiyomitsu Kudo, Masao Kato, Yoshie Asakawa, Hitoshi Tsuboi
  • Publication number: 20030103098
    Abstract: An image correcting method for an ink jet recording apparatus for recording an image by ejecting ink onto a recording material using a recording head having an array of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting the ink, the method includes the steps of an outputting step of outputting at least two kinds of uniform patterns for detection of a recording property of a recording head; a measuring step of measuring a density distribution of the patterns outputted by the outputting step; a calculation step of calculating, for each of the kinds of patterns, data for correction for respective one of the plurality of nozzles on the basis of a result of the measuring step: an image correcting step of comparing data corresponding to the at least two kinds of patterns, classifying states of the plurality of nozzles, and correcting images corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of nozzles, wherein the correcting step effects correction processes which are different from depending on the classification.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2002
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masataka Yashima, Noribumi Koitabashi, Tsuyoshi Shibata, Hitoshi Tsuboi, Yasunori Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 6557991
    Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus and an ink jet printing method for obtaining higher-quality printing with a pigment ink and a treating liquid, characterized in that the ink jet printing apparatus includes an ink ejection portion, a treating liquid ejection portion, and a control device for controlling the above ink ejection portion and the above treating liquid ejection portion so as to provide the treating liquid onto the printing medium only after the ink was provided thereon, and the control device controls in such a manner that the application of the treating liquid is carried out during in the recording operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noribumi Koitabashi, Hitoshi Tsuboi, Yasunori Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 6550882
    Abstract: In an ink jet printing apparatus that performs printing by using an ink and a processing liquid that renders the ink insoluble, an effect the mist of the processing liquid or substances insolubilized by it has on the ejection performance of the ink head or processing liquid head is reduced. The distance between the processing liquid head 101S and the print paper 103 carried by the belt 111 is set larger than the head-to-paper distances of other heads 101Bk, 101C, 101M, 101Y. As a result, the mist generated by the ejection of the processing liquid from the head 101S diffuses in a recessed space formed by the heads 101Bk and 101C on both sides of the head 101S and thus hardly reaches the ink nozzle surfaces of these heads on both sides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noribumi Koitabashi, Tsutomu Kawai, Tadashi Matsumoto, Hitoshi Tsuboi, Haruhiko Koto, Yasunori Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 6550904
    Abstract: There are provided a plain paper mode in which printing is performed on a plain paper and a special medium mode in which printing is performed on a special printing medium having a coat layer formed thereon. In the plain paper mode, Bk ink using both self-dispersing type pigment and dye as coloring materials is ejected from a Bk head, then a processing liquid with a high penetrability which insolubilizes the above coloring materials is ejected from a S head. On the other hand, in the special medium mode, the above Bk ink is ejected from the Bk head, but no processing liquid is ejected from the S head. As a result, this enables the improvement in a print quality, such as OD level, and a high-speed fixing in ink-jet printing in either case where a printing medium having a coat layer formed thereon is used or where the plain paper is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noribumi Koitabashi, Hitoshi Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 6540344
    Abstract: An ink which includes a first pigment, a second pigment, a polymer dispersant and an aqueous medium; wherein the first pigment is a self-dispersing pigment having on its surface at least one anionic group bonded to the surface directly or via an atomic group, the second pigment is dispersed in the aqueous medium by the polymer dispersant, and the polymer dispersant contains benzylmethacrylate as a monomer unit, or the polymer dispersant contains benzylmethacrylate as a monomer unit. Diffusion of this ink in the printing medium is suppressed in the cross-sectional direction but not horizontal direction. Thus, the ink can form an ink dot that has a proper dot size, uniform and high density in the dot, with little feathering or blur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akio Kashiwazaki, Katsuhiro Shirota, Akihiro Mouri, Noribumi Koitabashi, Hitoshi Tsuboi, Yasunori Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20030048342
    Abstract: An ink which comprises a first pigment, a second pigment, a polymer dispersant and an aqueous medium; wherein the first pigment is a self-dispersing pigment having on its surface at least one anionic group bonded to the surface directly or via an atomic group, the second pigment is dispersed in the aqueous medium by the polymer dispersant, and the polymer dispersant contains benzylmethacrylate as a monomer unit, or the polymer dispersant contains benzylmethacrylate as a monomer unit. Diffusion of this ink in the printing medium is suppressed in the cross-sectional direction but not horizontal direction. Thus, the ink can form an ink dot that has a proper dot size, uniform and high density in the dot, with little feathering or blur.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2002
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akio Kashiwazaki, Katsuhiro Shirota, Akihiro Mouri, Noribumi Koitabashi, Hitoshi Tsuboi, Yasunori Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 6530638
    Abstract: In an image printed by a printing apparatus, graininess particularly in a light part of the printed image is reduced by relatively simple structure by using a second color. To do so, magenta and cyan color component data in image data is subjected to under color removal to generate image data of a blue ink being the secondary color. On the basis of the data of the blue ink replaced for magenta and cyan, printing is performed by forming dots of the blue ink. At this time, black data is distributed into dark black and light black by density distribution, and the light black is substituted by the blue and yellow inks, whereby it is possible by the simple structure to prevent the graininess appeared when the cyan and magenta dots mutually appear biasedly and the graininess due to the black ink dots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Shibata, Noribumi Koitabashi, Masataka Yashima, Hitoshi Tsuboi
  • Publication number: 20030043230
    Abstract: In an ink jet printing apparatus that performs printing by using an ink and a processing liquid that renders the ink insoluble, an effect the mist of the processing liquid or substances insolubilized by it has on the ejection performance of the ink head or processing liquid head is reduced. The distance between the processing liquid head 101S and the print paper 103 carried by the belt 111 is set larger than the head-to-paper distances of other heads 101Bk, 101C, 101M, 101Y. As a result, the mist generated by the ejection of the processing liquid from the head 101S diffuses in a recessed space formed by the heads 101Bk and 101C on both sides of the head 101S and thus hardly reaches the ink nozzle surfaces of these heads on both sides.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noribumi Koitabashi, Tsutomu Kawai, Tadashi Matsumoto, Hitoshi Tsuboi, Haruhiko Koto, Yasunori Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 6527385
    Abstract: An ink-jet printing process which includes the steps of applying one or two inks on a recording medium, and applying a treating liquid reactive with the ink prior to the ink application, wherein the ink contains a first pigment and a second pigment dispersed in an aqueous medium, or two inks each contains the first pigment and the second pigment respectively, wherein the first pigment is a self-dispersing pigment having anionic groups or cationic groups bonded directly or through another atomic group to the surface of the pigment; and the second pigment can be dispersed in an aqueous medium by a polymer dispersant, the ink further contains a dispersant for disperse the second ink where the dispersant is a nonionic dispersant or a dispersant having the same polarity as that of the group bonded to the surface of the first pigment, and the treating liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noribumi Koitabashi, Hitoshi Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 6511145
    Abstract: A method for adjusting an amount of discharge is to adjust the amount of liquid between liquid discharge units to discharge the liquid by driving a plurality of electrothermal transducing elements, which uses a plurality of liquid discharge units arranged corresponding to each liquid path for the creation of air bubbles for discharging the liquid, at the same time, being arranged to be capable of being driven individually. This method comprises the step of variably controlling the starting time of driving signal applied to each of the electrothermal transducing elements for the creation of air bubbles in each of the discharge units. The variable control thereof makes it possible to suppress the variation of discharge amount of liquid between the liquid discharge units, hence maintaining the amount of liquid discharged from each of the discharging units at a constant level to obtain printed images of higher quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hitoshi Tsuboi, Noribumi Koitabashi