Patents by Inventor Masaaki Ando

Masaaki Ando 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: 20200130355
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejector having a nozzle surface having nozzles, a cap configured to perform capping when coming into contact with the nozzle surface, a capping mechanism configured to move the cap between a capping position for the capping and a separated position separated from the nozzle surface, a cleaning-liquid supply mechanism configured to supply a cleaning liquid into the cap, and a facing portion configured to face a lip portion of the cap coming into contact with the nozzle surface in the capping, in which the lip portion and the facing portion are made to face each other and a predetermined space is provided between the lip portion and the facing portion for the cleaning liquid supplied in the cap to come into contact with the facing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Yuji KANAZAWA, Masaaki ANDO
  • Patent number: 10625519
    Abstract: An ink jet recording method includes ejecting an ultraviolet-ray curable ink of which a viscosity at 28° C. is 8 mPa·s or more from a head to a recording medium, and curing the ultraviolet-ray curable ink attached to the recording medium, wherein, in the ejecting of the ultraviolet-ray curable ink, the ultraviolet-ray curable ink is heated such that a temperature of the ejected ultraviolet-ray curable ink becomes 28° C. to 40° C., and a viscosity of the ultraviolet-ray curable ink at the temperature is 15 mPa·s or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kobayashi, Yusuke Mizutaki, Toshio Kumagai, Masaaki Ando, Hiroaki Kida, Kaoru Koike, Mitsuaki Yoshizawa
  • Publication number: 20200070521
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting portion configured to eject a first liquid from a nozzle, a liquid receiving portion configured to receive, in a state where a second liquid is accommodated in the liquid receiving portion, for a purpose of maintenance of the liquid ejecting portion, the first liquid discharged from the nozzle, a maintenance portion that maintains a liquid surface of a liquid accommodated in the liquid receiving portion at an upper limit position, and a discharge portion configured to discharge, from a discharge port open to the liquid receiving portion, the liquid accommodated in the liquid receiving portion. The discharge port is positioned below the upper limit position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Inventors: Toshio ARIMURA, Yuji KANAZAWA, Masaaki ANDO, Noritaka MITSUO
  • Patent number: 10404151
    Abstract: A planetary gear speed reduction device may include a magnetic sun gear; a plurality of magnetic planetary gears which each revolve around the magnetic sun gear while rotating; and a magnetic internal gear arranged surrounding the multiple magnetic planetary gears from an outer circumferential side. An outside diameter of the magnetic sun gear and an outside diameter of the magnetic planetary gears may be equal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaaki Ando, Tadashi Takeda, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Toshifumi Tsuruta
  • Patent number: 10298093
    Abstract: A tubular motor may include a tubular case, a motor unit provided inside the case, and a first planetary gear unit placed inside the case at an output side in the motor shaft direction with respect to the motor unit. On the motor unit, a concave part may be formed in an output side end surface of an output side end plate section that supports a rotor, at an output side of the rotor. On the first planetary gear unit, a planetary carrier may include a supporting plate that overlaps with planetary gears at an counter-output side in order to support the planetary gears from the counter-output side. The first planetary gear unit may be immediately adjacent to the output side end plate section at an output side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaaki Ando, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Goro Nakamura, Hironori Kurosawa, Yuu Akuzawa, Tadashi Takeda, Noburu Ashibe
  • Patent number: 10259235
    Abstract: An ink jet method includes a dissolved gas amount control step of controlling a dissolved gas amount of a radiation curable ink jet composition by a dissolved gas amount control unit at least a part of a flow path connecting a container receiving the ink jet composition and an outlet of an ink jet head to which the ink jet composition is supplied from the container; and an ejection step of ejecting the ink jet composition from the outlet of the ink jet head. The ink jet composition contains a polymerizable compound and a polymerization initiator, the dissolved gas amount control unit includes a member formed from an adhesive, and an absolute value (|(?1)?(?2)|) of the difference between a mass average SP value (?1) of the polymerizable compound and a SP value (?2) of the adhesive, each of which is calculated by Small's formula, is 1.0 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Keitaro Nakano, Masaaki Ando, Toru Saito, Hitoshi Tsuchiya, Toshiyuki Yoda
  • Publication number: 20180326751
    Abstract: A liquid droplet discharging apparatus includes a head, a temporary curing irradiating unit as an irradiating unit, a maintenance unit, and a controller, in which the controller sets a cleaning interval of the nozzle surface by the maintenance unit as a first interval when a first mode, in which an irradiation amount of the ultraviolet rays of the temporary curing irradiating unit with respect to a unit printing area is set as a first amount, is performed, and sets the cleaning interval of the nozzle surface by the maintenance unit as a second interval which is longer than the first interval when a second mode, in which the irradiation amount of the ultraviolet rays of the temporary curing irradiating unit with respect to the unit printing area is set as a second amount which is smaller than the first amount, is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventors: Masaaki ANDO, Shinya KOMATSU, Nobuaki KAMIYAMA, Kazuhito HORI
  • Patent number: 10112406
    Abstract: A gear pump includes a pump casing and a gear assembly. The gear assembly includes a driving gear, a driven gear, a driving gear shaft, a driven gear shaft, and a bearing frame. The bearing frame includes a frame main body, a pair of driving side bearing portions, and a pair of driven side bearing portions. The frame main body has a pair of bearing support portions, in which the driving side bearing portion and the driven side bearing portion are provided, and a connecting portion which connects the bearing support portions. The bearing support portions and the connecting portion are integrated together as a one-piece member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Ando, Noritaka Mitsuo, Norihiro Maruyama
  • Publication number: 20180257387
    Abstract: An ink jet method includes a dissolved gas amount control step of controlling a dissolved gas amount of a radiation curable ink jet composition by a dissolved gas amount control unit at least a part of a flow path connecting a container receiving the ink jet composition and an outlet of an ink jet head to which the ink jet composition is supplied from the container; and an ejection step of ejecting the ink jet composition from the outlet of the ink jet head. The ink jet composition contains a polymerizable compound and a polymerization initiator, the dissolved gas amount control unit includes a member formed from an adhesive, and an absolute value (|(?1)?(?2)|) of the difference between a mass average SP value (?1) of the polymerizable compound and a SP value (?2) of the adhesive, each of which is calculated by Small's formula, is 1.0 or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Publication date: September 13, 2018
    Inventors: Keitaro NAKANO, Masaaki ANDO, Toru SAITO, Hitoshi TSUCHIYA, Toshiyuki YODA
  • Patent number: 10059124
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an ink ejecting head which ejects an ultraviolet curing ink, a supply flow path and a circulation outgoing path in which the ultraviolet curing ink which is supplied from an ink cartridge which stores the ultraviolet curing ink to the ink ejecting head flows, a circulation pump which is provided in the circulation outgoing path and emits heat, and a gas supplying module which is provided closer to an upstream side than the circulation pump in the supply flow path and the circulation outgoing path and supplies air to the ultraviolet curing ink which flows in the supply flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masaaki Ando
  • Patent number: 10029483
    Abstract: An ink jet recording method includes ejecting an ultraviolet-ray curable ink of which a viscosity at 28° C. is 8 mPa·s or more from a head to a recording medium, and curing the ultraviolet-ray curable ink attached to the recording medium, wherein, in the ejecting of the ultraviolet-ray curable ink, the ultraviolet-ray curable ink is heated such that a temperature of the ejected ultraviolet-ray curable ink becomes 28° C. to 40° C., and a viscosity of the ultraviolet-ray curable ink at the temperature is 15 mPa·s or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kobayashi, Yusuke Mizutaki, Toshio Kumagai, Masaaki Ando, Hiroaki Kida, Kaoru Koike, Mitsuaki Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 10022977
    Abstract: To reduce frictional heat generated between a rotation shaft and a bearing portion in a gear pump in which the rotation shaft having a gear mounted thereon is received by the bearing portion and an image recording apparatus having the gear pump. Provided is a gear pump which has a rotation shaft, a bearing portion which receives the rotation shaft, and a gear which is mounted on the rotation shaft and rotates with the rotation shaft, in such a manner that the gear feeds liquid. Furthermore, at least either a concave portion or a convex portion is provided in at least either the rotation shaft or the bearing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noritaka Mitsuo, Masaaki Ando
  • Publication number: 20180154658
    Abstract: An ink jet recording method includes ejecting an ultraviolet-ray curable ink of which a viscosity at 28° C. is 8 mPa·s or more from a head to a recording medium, and curing the ultraviolet-ray curable ink attached to the recording medium, wherein, in the ejecting of the ultraviolet-ray curable ink, the ultraviolet-ray curable ink is heated such that a temperature of the ejected ultraviolet-ray curable ink becomes 28° C. to 40° C., and a viscosity of the ultraviolet-ray curable ink at the temperature is 15 mPa·s or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2018
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kobayashi, Yusuke Mizutaki, Toshio Kumagai, Masaaki Ando, Hiroaki Kida, Kaoru Koike, Mitsuaki Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 9925803
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: an ejection head that prints an image on a recording medium supported by a support member by ejecting liquid from a nozzle formed in a portion facing the support member; and an irradiation section that includes a housing which is open toward the support member, and a light emitting section housed in the housing and emitting light to cure the liquid, the irradiation section being configured such that light emitted from the light emitting section is irradiated onto the recording medium supported by the support member via the opening, wherein the housing includes an inclined section which extends from the opening toward the ejection head such that a distance from the inclined section to the support member decreases toward the ejection head, and the inclined section is provided so that ?2>?1 is established.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhito Hori, Masaaki Ando, Toshio Kumagai
  • Patent number: 9884487
    Abstract: An ink jet recording method includes ejecting an ultraviolet-ray curable ink of which a viscosity at 28° C. is 8 mPa·s or more from a head to a recording medium, and curing the ultraviolet-ray curable ink attached to the recording medium, wherein, in the ejecting of the ultraviolet-ray curable ink, the ultraviolet-ray curable ink is heated such that a temperature of the ejected ultraviolet-ray curable ink becomes 28° C. to 40° C., and a viscosity of the ultraviolet-ray curable ink at the temperature is 15 mPa·s or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kobayashi, Yusuke Mizutaki, Toshio Kumagai, Masaaki Ando, Hiroaki Kida, Kaoru Koike, Mitsuaki Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 9885207
    Abstract: An automatic open-close device for use with a fitting, the device may include a rack secured to the fitting; a pinion structured to mesh with the rack; a turn-driving mechanism structured to drive the pinion to turn; and a holding member structured to rotatably hold the pinion. The holding member may be movable between a meshing position in which the rack and the pinion are engaged and a disengaging position in which the rack and the pinion are disengaged. The rack and the pinion may be configured such that, when the holding member is in the meshing position and the driving mechanism drives the pinion to turn, the fitting opens and closes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaaki Ando, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Goro Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9862201
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: an ink discharge head that discharges UV ink; a sub-tank that stores the UV ink; a forward circulation path through which the UV ink flowing out from the sub-tank to the ink discharge head flows; an inflow path through which the UV ink flowing into the sub-tank flows; and a receptacle that is provided inside the sub-tank and blocks bubbles contained in the UV ink flowing into the sub-tank from the inflow path, from entering the forward circulation path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masaaki Ando
  • Patent number: 9844948
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an ink ejecting head which ejects a UV ink, a sub-tank which reserves the UV ink, an ink circulation flow path which includes a circulation outgoing path in which the UV ink which is supplied to the ink ejecting head from the sub-tank flows and a circulation return path in which the UV ink which returns to sub-tank from the ink ejecting head flows, and a check valve which is provided in the circulation return path and is capable of opening and closing the circulation return path, in which the circulation return path is opened by the check valve when the UV ink flows in the circulation return path in a forward direction, and the circulation return path is closed by the check valve when the UV ink flows in the circulation return path in a reverse direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masaaki Ando
  • Patent number: 9827779
    Abstract: There are provided a head ejecting a liquid, a retaining section retaining the liquid, a degassing section with a degassing unit, a first supply flow path flowing the liquid from the retaining section to the degassing section, and a second supply flow path flowing the liquid degassed in the degassing section to the head. The degassing section further includes a degassing flow path having the degassing unit to flow the liquid while reducing pressure, a bypass flow path flowing the liquid without reducing the pressure, a branching section dividing the liquid flowing in the first supply flow path into the degassing flow path and the bypass flow path, and a joining section joining the liquid flowing in the degassing flow path and the liquid flowing in the bypass flow path to flow in the second supply flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Ando, Jun Shimazaki
  • Publication number: 20170334212
    Abstract: A gear pump includes a pump casing and a gear assembly. The gear assembly includes a driving gear, a driven gear, a driving gear shaft, a driven gear shaft, and a bearing frame. The bearing frame includes a frame main body, a pair of driving side bearing portions, and a pair of driven side bearing portions. The frame main body has a pair of bearing support potions, in which the driving side bearing portion and the driven side bearing portion are provided, and a connecting portion which connects the bearing support portions. The bearing support portions and the connecting portion are integrated together as a one-piece member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2017
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Inventors: Masaaki ANDO, Noritaka MITSUO, Norihiro MARUYAMA