Patents by Inventor Masaki Shimomura

Masaki Shimomura 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: 20020067940
    Abstract: A transferring tray for a printing apparatus for printing on one major surface of a recording media having disc shape, wherein the printing apparatus includes, a carriage having a printing head, reciprocating in a main scanning direction, a transferring unit transferring the recording media in a sub scanning direction, a detecting unit detecting the recording media being transferred by the transferring unit, and a recording unit printing on the one major surface of the recording media, the transferring tray including: a tray body having a rectangular plate shape made of a material which is not detected by the detecting unit; a detected portion formed on either one of two major surfaces of the tray body, being detectable by the detecting unit; and a mounting portion having a mounting recess such that the one major surface of the recording media comes up to substantially same level as one of the major surfaces of the tray body when the recording media is mounted on the transferring tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2001
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Inventors: Yoji Sasai, Masaki Shimomura, Masahiro Isono, Mamoru Ukita, Hiroshi Asawa, Kenjiro Ishihara, Koji Hashiuchi, Kazuo Otsuka, Hiroyuki Tajima
  • Publication number: 20020057302
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a paper gap switching portion for switching paper gaps by moving a recording head, a pressing-force adjustment portion for applying a pressure to a following roller or release the pressure from the following roller so as to adjust a pressing force applied to a recording medium, and an operation member for operating in series two series of driving operations including a driving operation for the paper gap switching portion and a driving operation for the pressing-force adjustment portion. Thus, the switching of the paper gaps and the adjustment of the pressing force can be performed only by operating the operation member, and therefore they can be smoothly performed without fail, improving user's operability. Also, the adjustments of the recording head and the following roller can be performed simply and uniquely.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Publication date: May 16, 2002
    Inventors: Masaki Shimomura, Hiroshi Asawa, Masahiro Isono, Yoichi Kobayashi, Koji Hashiuchi, Hiroyuki Tajima, Kenjiro Ishihara
  • Patent number: 6007194
    Abstract: An ink jet recording method ejecting already printed sheets stacked one on top of another, wherein: a period T, necessary for ink printed on a former sheet to be fixed enough that it does not adhere to a successive sheet stacked on top of the former sheet is set; an elapsed period tn is measured from a point in time when printing of the former sheet is completed; the elapsed period is compared with a set period when the successive sheet is ejected; and if the elapsed period has not reached the set period, the successive sheet is ejected by an intermittent feeding operation in which the successive sheet slidingly contacts the former sheet at a point in time when the elapsed period exceeds the set period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kouichirou Yokoyama, Toshikazu Kotaka, Masaki Shimomura, Kazutoshi Kashiwabara, Takuya Yasue
  • Patent number: 5997198
    Abstract: A sheet feeder, or a printer incorporating the sheet feeder, has separation pads for separating a sheet to be fed by sheet feed rollers from the next sheet and a roller spring which produce urging force smaller than that produced by a spring of the separation pad. Idle rollers are brought into contact with the separation pads by means of the roller spring, thereby preventing the lowering of the next sheet. A sheet reset lever is pivoted so as to return the next sheet to a hopper. As a result, the sheet sheets stacked on the hopper in an inclined state is fed one by one through use of a separation pad method without increasing force for driving rollers and a back tension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Susumu Murayama, Atsushi Nishizawa, Masaki Shimomura, Narihiro Oki, Tsuyoshi Tomii, Toshikazu Kotaka
  • Patent number: 5934664
    Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus and a printer wherein an idle roller is brought into contact with a separation pad by a roller spring for generating urging force smaller than that of a separation pad for separating a paper sheet to be fed by a paper feeding roller having a D-shape side cross section from a next paper sheet; a restraining pin for restraining movement of the separation pad toward the paper feeding roller when the paper sheet is not held between the separation pad and the paper feeding roller is provided; a pair of conveying rollers are temporarily and inversely rotated after the leading end of the paper sheet has passed through a nipping portion between the pair of the conveying rollers and in a state where the paper sheet is not held between the separation pad and a circular-arc portion of the paper feeding roller so as to arrange the leading end of the paper sheet along the nipping portion so that diagonal conveyance of the paper sheet is smoothly prevented and the load acting on the fed paper shee
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Susumu Murayama, Atsushi Nishizawa, Masaki Shimomura, Kenjiro Ishihara
  • Patent number: 5921691
    Abstract: A paper discharge section for a printer having a printer body includes first and second support portions mounted on the printer body. At least one of the support portions is slidable towards and away from the other support portion. A paper pushing down portion is mounted on the printer body and positioned intermediate the support portions. The first support portion can rotate between at least a first position at which the first support portion supports a first bottom side portion of the sheet of paper and at least a second position in which the first support portion does not support the first bottom side portion of a sheet of paper. A slidable edge guide for guiding a first side edge of a sheet of paper is provided and slidable towards the other edge guide. A linkage mechanism links the slidable edge guide to the first support portion to cause the first edge guide and first support portion to slide together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Kobayashi, Takashi Akahane, Tsuyoshi Tomii, Masaki Shimomura, Koichiro Yokoyama, Toshikazu Kotaka, Kazutoshi Kashiwabara, Takuya Yasue
  • Patent number: 5915863
    Abstract: A paper discharge section for a printer having a printer body includes first and second support portions mounted on the printer body. At least one of the support portions is slidable towards and away from the other support portion. A paper pushing down portion is mounted on the printer body and positioned intermediate the support portions. The first support portion can rotate between at least a first position at which the first support portion supports a first bottom side portion of the sheet of paper and at least a second position in which the first support portion does not support the first bottom side portion of a sheet of paper. A slidable edge guide for guiding a first side edge of a sheet of paper is provided and slidable towards the other edge guide. A linkage mechanism links the slidable edge guide to the first support portion to cause the first edge guide and first support portion to slide together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Kobayashi, Takashi Akahane, Tsuyoshi Tomii, Masaki Shimomura, Koichiro Yokoyama, Toshikazu Kotaka, Kazutoshi Kashiwabara, Takuya Yasue
  • Patent number: 5785441
    Abstract: A paper discharge section for a printer having a printer body includes first and second support portions mounted on the printer body. At least one of the support portions is slidable towards and away from the other support portion. A paper pushing down portion is mounted on the printer body and positioned intermediate the support portions. The first support portion can rotate between at least a first position at which the first support portion supports a first bottom side portion of the sheet of paper and at least a second position in which the first support portion does not support the first bottom side portion of a sheet of paper. A slidable edge guide for guiding a first side edge of a sheet of paper is provided and slidable towards the other edge guide. A linkage mechanism links the slidable edge guide to the first support portion to cause the first edge guide and first support portion to slide together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1998
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Kobayashi, Takashi Akahane, Tsuyoshi Tomii, Masaki Shimomura, Koichiro Yokoyama, Toshikazu Kotaka, Kazutoshi Kashiwabara, Takuya Yasue
  • Patent number: 5738348
    Abstract: A sheet feeder assembly including and a sheet feed roller for feeding a sheet of paper in a sheet feeding direction. A sheet support is spaced apart from the sheet feed roller for supporting the sheet of paper thereon. A retaining plate is mounted on the sheet support. A hopper is displaceable between a first position spaced apart from the sheet feed roller so that the paper supported on the hopper cannot contact the sheet feed roller and at least a second position where the leading edge of the sheet of paper can contact the sheet feed roller so that the paper is urged towards the sheet feed roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Yasue, Koichiro Yokoyama, Masaki Shimomura, Toshikazu Kotaka, Kazutoshi Kashiwabara, Takeo Kishida
  • Patent number: 5527118
    Abstract: An improved wire dot print head for increased integrated density is provided. The wire dot print head includes a frame. A plurality of drive coils are mounted within the frame. A lever for driving print wires has a print wire mounted at one end and its other end formed as a hook to act as a rotation support member. When an excitement current flows through the coil, the lever is caused to move so that the print wires rotate about the rotation support member causing the print wires to strike a platen. The wires guided by guide holes which form a circular array at one armature end, and a row or rows at the printing end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1996
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Asada, Osamu Koshiishi, Yasuhiko Nakazawa, Masaki Shimomura
  • Patent number: 5449239
    Abstract: Disclosed is an impact dot head and an impact dot printer provided as not causing wire breakage by supporting a wire performing a printing operation so as to be resiliently oscillatable in a printing digit direction even if the impact dot head starts printing from a position outside a printing sheet due to erroneous setting of a printing area and therefore passes an end of the printing sheet while performing the printing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1995
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Koshiishi, Takashi Asada, Masaki Shimomura, Minoru Tanaka
  • Patent number: 5368401
    Abstract: An improved wire dot print head for increased integrated density is provided. The wire dot print head includes a frame. A plurality of drive coils are mounted within the frame. A lever for driving print wires has a print wire mounted at one end and its other end formed as a hook to act as a rotation support member. A yoke has salients formed thereon equal in number to that of the levers disposed on its end surface. The rotation support member of each lever is retained with a recess formed within a respective yoke and an end surface of the frame and is affixed in place by a retainer spring. When an excitement current flows through the coil, the lever is caused to move so that the print wires rotate about the rotation support member causing the print wires to strike a platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Asada, Osamu Koshiishi, Yasuhiko Nakazawa, Masaki Shimomura
  • Patent number: 5340222
    Abstract: The present invention provides an impact dot printer free from the missing of dots.An impact dot printer for recording dots on a recording medium comprises a printer wire having a printer end, a guide member for supporting the printing wire, an ink ribbon which contains an ink composition comprising a dye and a solvent and is positioned between the printing end of the printing wire and the recording medium. The printer also has a lubricant containg an oil component in the guide member for permitting the printing wire to be easily moved. The solubility of the solvent for the dye in the oil component of the lubricant is more than 400 g/100 g of oil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Tanaka, Shigeki Mizuno, Masaki Shimomura
  • Patent number: 5281037
    Abstract: An improved wire dot print head for increased integrated density is provided. The wire dot print head includes a frame. A plurality of drive coils are mounted within the frame. A lever for driving print wires has a print wire mounted at one end and its other end formed as a hook to act as a rotation support member. A yoke has salients formed thereon equal in number to that of the levers disposed on its end surface. The rotation support member of each lever is retained with a recess formed within a respective yoke and an end surface of the frame and is affixed in place by a retainer spring. When an excitement current flows through the coil, the lever is caused to move so that the print wires rotate about the rotation support member causing the print wires to strike a platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 25, 1994
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Asada, Osamu Koshiishi, Yasuhiko Nakazawa, Masaki Shimomura
  • Patent number: 5190382
    Abstract: A serial printer having a dot type printing head for printing on a paper. The printer includes 2N columns of dot forming elements where N is a positive integer equal to 2 or more and a carriage supported on the printer for reciprocal movement across the paper in a carriage direction. The columns of dot forming elements are supported on the carriage for selectively printing dots on a paper. Each column of the dot forming elements is spaced a predetermined distance from adjacent columns of the dot forming elements in the carriage direction. Each dot forming element column includes a plurality of dot forming elements arranged in a line and spaced apart from one another in the column direction by a dot pitch substantially equal to N. A drive system selectively drives selected dot forming elements in each column of dot forming elements by one of an even number timing and an odd number timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1993
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Koshiishi, Takashi Asada, Kiyofumi Koike, Masaki Shimomura
  • Patent number: 5174663
    Abstract: An improved wire dot print head for increased integrated density is provided. The wire dot print head includes a frame. A plurality of drive coils are mounted within the frame. A lever for driving print wires has a print wire mounted at one end and its other end formed as a hook to act as a rotation support member. A yoke has salients formed thereon equal in number to that of the levers disposed on its end surface. The rotation support member of each lever is retained with a recess formed within a respective yoke and an end surface of the frame and is affixed in place by a retainer spring. When an excitement current flows through the coil, the lever is caused to move so that the print wire rotate about the rotation support member causing the print wires to strike a platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Asada, Osamu Koshiishi, Yasuhiko Nakazawa, Masaki Shimomura