Patents by Inventor Kouichi Toba

Kouichi 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).

  • Patent number: 7086723
    Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder has a container having exterior walls, a porous member is stored in the container, an ink supply port that extends through one of the exterior walls of the body to supply ink to the exterior of the cartridge, and a packing member, disposed within the ink supply port and having an opening therethrough and a rib formed on a upper surface. A pressing member may be provided to bias the packing member against an inner surface of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge can be assembled to limit the occurrence of air bubbles in the tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Hara, Minoru Usui, Kouichi Toba, Takao Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6929359
    Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder has a container having exterior walls, a porous member is stored in the container, an ink supply port that extends through one of the exterior walls of the body to supply ink to the exterior of the cartridge, and a packing member, disposed within the ink supply port and having an opening therethrough and a rib formed on a upper surface. A pressing member may be provided to bias the packing member against an inner surface of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge can be assembled to limit the occurrence of air bubbles in the ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Hara, Minoru Usui, Kouichi Toba, Takao Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6854834
    Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder has a container having exterior walls, a porous member is stored in the container, an ink supply port that extends through one of the exterior walls of the body to supply ink to the exterior of the cartridge, and a packing member, disposed within the ink supply port and having an opening therethrough and a rib formed on a upper surface. A pressing member may be provided to bias the packing member against an inner surface of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge can be assembled to limit the occurrence of air bubbles in the ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Hara, Minoru Usui, Kouichi Toba, Takao Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20040263591
    Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder has a container having exterior walls, a porous member is stored in the container, an ink supply port that extends through one of the exterior walls of the body to supply ink to the exterior of the cartridge, and a packing member, disposed within the ink supply port and having an opening therethrough and a rib formed on a upper surface. A pressing member may be provided to bias the packing member against an inner surface of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge can be assembled to limit the occurrence of air bubbles in the tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Publication date: December 30, 2004
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Hara, Minoru Usui, Kouichi Toba, Takao Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20040239737
    Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder has a container having exterior walls, a porous member is stored in the container, an ink supply port that extends through one of the exterior walls of the body to supply ink to the exterior of the cartridge, and a packing member, disposed within the ink supply port and having an opening therethrough and a rib formed on a upper surface. A pressing member may be provided to bias the packing member against an inner surface of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge can be assembled to limit the occurrence of air bubbles in the ink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2004
    Publication date: December 2, 2004
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Hara, Minoru Usui, Kouichi Toba, Takao Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20010048457
    Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder has a container having exterior walls, a porous member is stored in the container, an ink supply port that extends through one of the exterior walls of the body to supply ink to the exterior of the cartridge, and a packing member, disposed within the ink supply port and having an opening therethrough and a rib formed on a upper surface. A pressing member may be provided to bias the packing member against an inner surface of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge can be assembled to limit the occurrence of air bubbles in the ink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2001
    Publication date: December 6, 2001
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Hara, Minoru Usui, Kouichi Toba, Takao Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6312115
    Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder has a container having exterior walls, a porous member is stored in the container, an ink supply port that extends through one of the exterior walls of the body to supply ink to the exterior of the cartridge, and a packing member, disposed within the ink supply port and having an opening therethrough and a rib formed on a upper surface. A pressing member may be provided to bias the packing member against an inner surface of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge can be assembled to limit the occurrence of air bubbles in the ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Hara, Minoru Usui, Kouichi Toba, Takao Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6170941
    Abstract: Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, an ink cartridge for an ink-jet recording apparatus can include a container formed by a plurality of walls, an ink supply port extending through at least one of said walls of the container to permit ink to pass out of the container, a porous member disposed within the container for transferring ink to the ink supply port, and a projecting member that projects into the container and is formed with an inlet of the ink supply port. The projecting member can engage against and locally compress a portion of the porous member in the region of the inlet of the ink supply port. The projecting member can be formed so that a first region of the container proximal the front wall of the container is shallower than a second region of the container proximal the back wall of the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Hara, Kouichi Toba, Atsushi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5889539
    Abstract: An ink jet print head includes first terminals 22 and 22', which are located at the side ends of a cover member 2 as a vibrating plate, and are connected to discrete electrodes 6 and 6' for selectively applying signals to piezoelectric vibrators 5 and 5'. A semiconductor integrated circuit 30 includes second terminals 31 and 31' that are arrayed corresponding in position to the first terminals 22 and 22' and generates a drive signal in response to an external signal. The first terminals 22 and 22' are connected to the second terminals 31 and 31' such that a gap of H in height is formed between the semiconductor integrated circuit 30 and the piezoelectric vibrators 5 and 5'.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazumi Kamoi, Minoru Usui, Takahiro Katakura, Satoshi Shinada, Kouichi Toba