Patents by Inventor Koichi Toba

Koichi Toba 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: 20070228446
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a non-volatile memory is disclosed, whose disturb defect can be diminished or prevented. A memory cell of the non-volatile memory has a memory gate electrode formed over a main surface of a semiconductor substrate through an insulating film for charge storage. A first side wall is formed on a side face of the memory gate electrode, and at a side face of the first side wall, a second side wall is formed. On an upper surface of an n+-type semiconductor region for source in the memory cell there is formed a silicide layer whose end portion on the memory gate electrode MG side is defined by the second side wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventors: Koichi Toba, Yasushi Ishii, Yoshiyuki Kawashima, Satoru Machida, Munekatsu Nakagawa, Kentaro Saito, Toshikazu Matsui, Takashi Hashimoto, Kosuke Okuyama
  • Publication number: 20070228498
    Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor device having, over a semiconductor substrate, a control gate electrode and a memory gate electrode which are adjacent to each other and constitute a nonvolatile memory. The height of the memory gate electrode is lower than the height of the control gate electrode. A metal silicide film is formed over the upper surface of the control gate electrode, but not formed over the upper surface of the memory gate electrode. The memory gate electrode has, over the upper surface thereof, a sidewall insulating film made of silicon oxide. This sidewall insulating film is formed in the same step as that for the formation of respective sidewall insulating films over the sidewalls of the memory gate electrode and the control gate electrode. The present invention makes it possible to improve the production yield and performance of the semiconductor device having a nonvolatile memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventors: Koichi Toba, Yasushi Ishii, Yoshiyuki Kawashima, Satoru Machida, Munekatsu Nakagawa, Takashi Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 7249821
    Abstract: An ink cartridge which supplies ink to a recording apparatus, comprises an ink cartridge body for storing ink therein, a supply system for supplying the ink stored in the ink cartridge body to the recording apparatus, and an identification system that is provided for the ink cartridge body and includes data regarding the supply system for supplying the ink to the recording apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuto Sakai, Koichi Toba, Satoshi Shinada
  • Patent number: 7195345
    Abstract: An ink cartridge for a printing apparatus providing ink to a print head through a tapered ink supply needle and removably attached to the print head. The ink cartridge comprises an ink chamber for containing ink, an ink supply port, a packing member and a valve device. The ink supply port supplies ink from the ink chamber to the print head of the printing apparatus, the ink supply port comprising an external opening. The packing member is provided in the ink supply port and forms an ink channel for allowing a flow of ink. The packing member seals the ink supply needle of the printing apparatus by fitting therewith. The valve device is contained in the ink supply port and elastically abuts against the packing member. The valve, device selectively opens and closes the ink channel in conjunction with the ink supply needle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Shinada, Takeo Seino, Hisashi Miyazawa, Koichi Toba, Takahiro Naka, Minoru Usui, Atsushi Kobayashi, Hitoshi Hayakawa
  • Publication number: 20070034968
    Abstract: In order to improve the soft error resistance of a memory cell of an SRAM without increasing its chip size in deep through-holes formed by perforating a silicon oxide film, there is a silicon nitride film and a silicon oxide film, a capacitor element having a TIN film serving as a lower electrode. This capacitor element is connected between a storage node and a supply voltage line, between a storage node and a reference voltage line, or between storage nodes of the memory cell of the SRAM.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2006
    Publication date: February 15, 2007
    Inventors: Akio Nishida, Hiraku Chakihara, Koichi Toba
  • Patent number: 7145194
    Abstract: In order to improve the soft error resistance of a memory cell of an SRAM without increasing its chip size, in deep through-holes formed by perforating a silicon oxide film, there is a silicon nitride film and a silicon oxide film, a capacitor element having a TiN film serving as a lower electrode, a silicon nitride film serving as an insulator and a TiN film as an upper electrode. This capacitor element is connected between a storage node and a supply voltage line, between a storage node and a reference voltage line, or between storage nodes of the memory cell of the SRAM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: Renesas Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Akio Nishida, Hiraku Chakihara, Koichi Toba
  • Patent number: 7125108
    Abstract: A liquid cartridge is provided that supplies liquid to a liquid ejecting apparatus by being mounted in the liquid ejecting apparatus. The liquid cartridge includes a cartridge body having a side face in which an opening is formed; and a flexible film for forming an ink accommodating chamber that is a closed space for accommodating the liquid, with the cartridge body by covering the opening of the cartridge body. The flexible film is caused to deform toward the ink accommodating chamber by atmospheric pressure that acts on the flexible film when the liquid cartridge is got out from a vacuum bag in which the liquid cartridge is packaged, thereby increasing the pressure in the ink accommodating chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Toba, Satoshi Shinada, Yasuto Sakai, Kenji Ito, Akira Ichihashi, Yuichi Seki, Akihiko Kitazawa, Taku Ishizawa
  • Patent number: 7090344
    Abstract: An ink cartridge comprising a container body 3 housing an ink absorbing member 6? so as to absorb ink, a lid member 4, and a spacer 30 pressing the ink absorbing member 6? between the lid member 4 and the ink absorbing member 6?. It is possible to decrease the volume of the ink absorbing member 6? without changing structure in the vicinity of an ink supply port by using the same shape of a container body 3 and a lid member 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Shinada, Minoru Usui, Takahiro Naka, Hisashi Koike, Tomio Yokoyama, Yasuhiko Kamijo, Koichi Toba, Takeo Seino, Yasuhiro Ogura, Takayuki Aizawa
  • Publication number: 20060139423
    Abstract: An ink cartridge which supplies ink to a recording apparatus, comprises an ink cartridge body for storing ink therein, a supply system for supplying the ink stored in the ink cartridge body to the recording apparatus, and an identification system that is provided for the ink cartridge body and includes data regarding the supply system for supplying the ink to the recording apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2006
    Publication date: June 29, 2006
    Inventors: Yasuto Sakai, Koichi Toba, Satoshi Shinada
  • Publication number: 20060132555
    Abstract: A method of refilling liquid into a cartridge according to the present invention is a method of liquid refilling, through which liquid is refilled into a used cartridge (1) in a liquid jet apparatus, comprising: a film removing process, in which an injection hole film (90) adhered around an air discharge opening (21), which communicates with the interior of the used cartridge (1), to seal the air discharge opening (21) is removed in order to make the air discharge opening (21) open; a liquid injecting process, in which liquid is injected into the used cartridge (1) through the air discharge opening (21) that has been made open in the injection hole film piercing process; and an injection hole film rewelding process, in which the film is rewelded using a surface other than an originally welded surface as a rewelded surface in order to seal again the air discharge opening (21), through which the liquid is injected in the liquid injecting process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2005
    Publication date: June 22, 2006
    Inventors: Yutaka Uehara, Morio Sato, Hiroshi Yamazaki, Koichi Toba
  • Patent number: 7029104
    Abstract: An ink cartridge which supplies ink to a recording apparatus, comprises an ink cartridge body for storing ink therein, a supply system for supplying the ink stored in the ink cartridge body to the recording apparatus, and an identification system that is provided for the ink cartridge body and includes data regarding the supply system for supplying the ink to the recording apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuto Sakai, Koichi Toba, Satoshi Shinada
  • Patent number: 6986569
    Abstract: An ink cartridge which supplies ink to an ink jet recording apparatus through an ink supply needle of the ink jet recording apparatus, has a container body having a shape of an approximately rectangular parallelepiped including an ink supply surface on which an ink supply passage into which the ink supply needle is inserted is provided, in which the height of a side surface approximately orthogonal to the ink supply surface is larger than at least one width of the ink supply surface, and one of the side surfaces is an opening surface opened in the direction of the width; a lid member, which has the approximately same shape as the opening surface and seals the opening surface of the container body; and a porous member, which has the approximately same shape as the container body and is housed in a space formed by the container body and lid member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Toba, Satoshi Shinada
  • Patent number: 6984020
    Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus which prints in various colors of ink, including: a ink cartridge mounting section which is selectively and detachably equipped with a plurality of separate ink cartridges or an integrated ink cartridge, wherein each of the plurality of separate ink cartridges comprises an ink chamber for storing ink of a color separately and an information storing member for storing information on the ink stored, and the integrated ink cartridge comprises a plurality of ink chambers for respectively storing ink of respective colors and an information storing member for storing information on all of the ink of respective colors; and an information acquiring section for acquiring the information on all of the ink of respective colors from the information storing member formed in the integrated ink cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Shinada, Koichi Toba
  • Patent number: 6938997
    Abstract: An ink cartridge includes: an ink accommodating portion for holding ink; an air passage for making the ink accommodating portion communicate with the atmosphere; and a valve mechanism, provided in the air passage, including an air-releasing valve member for sealing a communication hole provided in a partition wall for separating an ink-accommodating-portion side that is a side close to the ink accommodating portion from an atmosphere side that is a side close to the atmosphere, in a direction from the ink-accommodating-portion side to the atmosphere side, wherein the air-releasing valve member has a contact portion for opening the air passage by receiving an external force from the atmosphere side to the ink-accommodating-portion side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Toba, Satoshi Shinada, Hisashi Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 6929363
    Abstract: Creep is prevented in the ink cartridge engaging member resulting from the ink cartridge being vacuum packaged with unnecessary force applied to the engaging member. The ink cartridge vacuum package includes an ink cartridge and outside packaging. The ink cartridge has an ink cartridge body and a flexible engaging member. The engaging member projects away from the side of the ink cartridge body to which it is disposed. The outside packaging vacuum seals the ink cartridge inside while maintaining the engaging member in the same position as when force is not applied to the engaging member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuto Sakai, Satoshi Shinada, Koichi Toba
  • Publication number: 20050168549
    Abstract: An ink cartridge comprising a container body 3 housing an ink absorbing member 6? so as to absorb ink, a lid member 4, and a spacer 30 pressing the ink absorbing member 6? between the lid member 4 and the ink absorbing member 6?. It is possible to decrease the volume of the ink absorbing member 6? without changing structure in the vicinity of an ink supply port by using the same shape of a container body 3 and a lid member 4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Publication date: August 4, 2005
    Inventors: Satoshi Shinada, Minoru Usui, Takahiro Naka, Hisashi Koike, Tomio Yokoyama, Yasuhiko Kamijo, Koichi Toba, Takeo Seino, Yasuhiro Ogura, Takayuki Aizawa
  • Patent number: 6908184
    Abstract: An ink cartridge for an ink jet printing apparatus having a printhead which ejects ink droplets onto a recording medium and an ink supply needle introducing ink to the printhead, the ink cartridge having a substantially rectangular housing containing ink therein, the housing having a first outer wall and a second outer wall which is substantially perpendicular to the first outer wall; an ink supply port formed in the first wall for directing ink in the housing to the printhead; a valve mechanism arranged in the ink supply port including a valve seat allowing the ink supply needle to pass therethrough; a valve body movable along the axis of the ink supply port; and an elastic member biasing the valve body against the valve seat, and a memory device for storing information relating to ink mounted on the second wall of the housing and substantially in parallel therewith, the memory device being formed in the vicinity of the ink supply port, which wall directing in parallel with a direction along which the ink su
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Shinada, Minoru Usui, Takahiro Naka, Takeo Seino, Koichi Toba
  • Patent number: 6902262
    Abstract: Actuator units independently dedicated to nozzles divided into a plurality of groups are fixed to a common flow path unit having the nozzles formed therein with through holes aligned with one another. Heads of various types can be formed by using the actuator units of the same design only by changing the mode of arrangement of the nozzles in accordance with the purpose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2005
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yuji Tanaka, Koji Watanabe, Tomoaki Abe, Takayuki Ishii, Naomi Shirakawa, Koichi Toba, Minoru Usui, Shinri Sakai, Kohei Kitahara, Hideaki Sonehara
  • Patent number: 6899417
    Abstract: An ink cartridge containing a container body 3 housing an ink absorbing member 6? so as to absorb ink, a lid member 4, and a spacer 30 pressing the ink absorbing member 6? between the lid member 4 and ink absorbing member 6?. It is possible to decrease the volume of the ink absorbing member 6? without changing structure in the vicinity of an ink supply port by using the same shape of a container body 3 and a lid member 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Shinada, Minoru Usui, Takahiro Naka, Hisashi Koike, Tomio Yokoyama, Yasuhiko Kamijo, Koichi Toba, Takeo Seino, Yasuhiro Ogura, Takayuki Aizawa
  • Patent number: 6893117
    Abstract: Actuator units independently dedicated to nozzles divided into a plurality of groups are fixed to a common flow path unit having the nozzles formed therein with through holes aligned with one another. Heads of various types can be formed by using the actuator units of the same design only by changing the mode of arrangement of the nozzles in accordance with the purpose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yuji Tanaka, Koji Watanabe, Tomoaki Abe, Takayuki Ishii, Naomi Shirakawa, Koichi Toba, Minoru Usui, Shinri Sakai, Kohei Kitahara, Hideaki Sonehara