Patents by Inventor Masao Mitani

Masao Mitani 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: 7043837
    Abstract: The inkjet recording head includes a head body and a metallic film is provided at least on a part of at least one side of the head body. The head body includes a plurality of orifices, an ink ejection unit arranged so as to correspond to each of the orifices, an independent ink flow path for supplying ink to each of the orifices and a common ink flow path for supplying ink to the independent ink flow path. The manufacturing method of the inkjet recording head forms the metallic film at least on a part of an opposite surface of a substrate to the individual ink flow paths, before adhering the orifice plate in which the orifices are formed. The inkjet printer uses the inkjet recording head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryoichi Yamamoto, Masao Mitani
  • Patent number: 6962407
    Abstract: The inkjet recording head includes a head body and a metallic film is provided at least on a part of at least one side of the head body. The head body includes a plurality of orifices, an ink ejection unit arranged so as to correspond to each of the orifices, an independent ink flow path for supplying ink to each of the orifices and a common ink flow path for supplying ink to the independent ink flow path. The manufacturing method of the inkjet recording head forms the metallic film at least on a part of an opposite surface of a substrate to the individual ink flow paths, before adhering the orifice plate in which the orifices are formed. The inkjet printer uses the inkjet recording head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryoichi Yamamoto, Masao Mitani
  • Patent number: 6786576
    Abstract: An inkjet recording head and an apparatus including the inkjet recording head are provided for expelling a fine ink drop which is less than or equal to 1 pico-liter (pl). The inkjet recording head has a substrate having a heater for ejecting an ink drop, and an ink feed inlet formed thereon; a barrier layer having an ink passage which communicates the ink feed inlet with the heater; and an orifice plate having an ink nozzle formed facing the heater, the ink nozzle communicating with the ink passage. The barrier layer is made from a negative photosensitive resin. The orifice plate includes a metallic thin film having a thickness in a range of about 0.1 to 2.0 &mgr;m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Inventor: Masao Mitani
  • Patent number: 6749289
    Abstract: The liquid ejection apparatus includes nozzles formed in a member provided on one side of a substrate, droplet ejection units each of which corresponds to one of the nozzles, and which are formed on a surface of the one side of the substrate, individual flow paths each of which feeds liquid to one of the nozzles, and which are formed on the one side of the substrate, one or more front surface feed paths for feeding liquid correspondingly to the individual flow paths and one or more back surface feed paths communicating with the one or more front surface feed paths. The one or more front surface feed paths are formed by etching process from the surface of the one side of the substrate and the one or more back surface feed paths are formed by sandblast process from a surface of another side of the substrate. The inkjet printer includes the liquid ejection apparatus as the inkjet print head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuo Matsumoto, Masao Mitani
  • Patent number: 6663227
    Abstract: The semiconductor device is in the form of a semiconductor chip formed as a recording head of an ink-jet printer or in the form of a semiconductor wafer having at least two semiconductor chips. The semiconductor chip has at least an ink ejection unit, an integrated circuit composed of a drive circuit for driving the ink ejection unit, bonding pads and a metal film covering at least part of an upper layer of the integrated circuit. The metal film is formed to extend from the integrated circuit to an edge of the semiconductor chip. The semiconductor wafer further has at least one grounding pad being formed of the metal film in a region peripheral to the semiconductor wafer and which is outside the semiconductor chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryoichi Yamamoto, Masao Mitani
  • Patent number: 6598957
    Abstract: The recording head of an ink-jet printer includes a main body having ink ejection devices and a device for driving the ink ejection devices independently and an orifice plate attached to the main body having ink ejection orifices opened in positions corresponding to the ink ejection devices. At least one side of the orifice plate is made of fluoroplastic, a surface of one side of the orifice plate made of the fluoroplastic has been treated to become more water-repellent than a bulk material of the fluoroplastic itself and a surface of the other side of the orifice plate attached to the main body is more hydrophilic than the bulk material. The surface of one side of the orifice plate made of the fluoroplastic and treated to become more water-repellent contains more fluorine atoms than are inherently present in the fluoroplastic in an untreated state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryoichi Yamamoto, Masao Mitani
  • Publication number: 20030132990
    Abstract: An inkjet recording head and an apparatus including the inkjet recording head are provided for expelling a fine ink drop which is less than or equal to 1 pico-liter (pl). The inkjet recording head has a substrate having a heater for ejecting an ink drop, and an ink feed inlet formed thereon; a barrier layer having an ink passage which communicates the ink feed inlet with the heater; and an orifice plate having an ink nozzle formed facing the heater, the ink nozzle communicating with the ink passage. The barrier layer is made from a negative photosensitive resin. The orifice plate includes a metallic thin film having a thickness in a range of about 0.1 to 2.0 &mgr;m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2003
    Publication date: July 17, 2003
    Inventor: Masao Mitani
  • Publication number: 20030038857
    Abstract: The inkjet recording head includes a head body and a metallic film is provided at least on a part of at least one side of the head body. The head body includes a plurality of orifices, an ink ejection unit arranged so as to correspond to each of the orifices, an independent ink flow path for supplying ink to each of the orifices and a common ink flow path for supplying ink to the independent ink flow path. The manufacturing method of the inkjet recording head forms the metallic film at least on a part of an opposite surface of a substrate to the individual ink flow paths, before adhering the orifice plate in which the orifices are formed. The inkjet printer uses the inkjet recording head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2002
    Publication date: February 27, 2003
    Inventors: Ryoichi Yamamoto, Masao Mitani
  • Publication number: 20020186281
    Abstract: The inkjet recording head includes a head body and a metallic film is provided at least on a part of at least one side of the head body. The head body includes a plurality of orifices, an ink ejection unit arranged so as to correspond to each of the orifices, an independent ink flow path for supplying ink to each of the orifices and a common ink flow path for supplying ink to the independent ink flow path. The manufacturing method of the inkjet recording head forms the metallic film at least on a part of an opposite surface of a substrate to the individual ink flow paths, before adhering the orifice plate in which the orifices are formed. The inkjet printer uses the inkjet recording head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2001
    Publication date: December 12, 2002
    Inventors: Ryoichi Yamamoto, Masao Mitani
  • Publication number: 20020180840
    Abstract: The liquid ejection apparatus includes nozzles formed in a member provided on one side of a substrate, droplet ejection units each of which corresponds to one of the nozzles, and which are formed on a surface of the one side of the substrate, individual flow paths each of which feeds liquid to one of the nozzles, and which are formed on the one side of the substrate, one or more front surface feed paths for feeding liquid correspondingly to the individual flow paths and one or more back surface feed paths communicating with the one or more front surface feed paths. The one or more front surface feed paths are formed by etching process from the surface of the one side of the substrate and the one or more back surface feed paths are formed by sandblast process from a surface of another side of the substrate. The inkjet printer includes the liquid ejection apparatus as the inkjet print head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2002
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Nobuo Matsumoto, Masao Mitani
  • Publication number: 20020101483
    Abstract: The semiconductor device is in the form of a semiconductor chip formed as a recording head of an ink-jet printer or in the form of a semiconductor wafer having at least two semiconductor chips. The semiconductor chip has at least an ink ejection unit, an integrated circuit composed of a drive circuit for driving the ink ejection unit, bonding pads and a metal film covering at least part of an upper layer of the integrated circuit. The metal film is formed to extend from the integrated circuit to an edge of the semiconductor chip. The semiconductor wafer further has at least one grounding pad being formed of the metal film in a region peripheral to the semiconductor wafer and which is outside the semiconductor chips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2002
    Publication date: August 1, 2002
    Inventors: Ryoichi Yamamoto, Masao Mitani
  • Publication number: 20020097296
    Abstract: The recording head of an ink-jet printer includes a main body having ink ejection devices and a device for driving the ink ejection devices independently and an orifice plate attached to the main body having ink ejection orifices opened in positions corresponding to the ink ejection devices. At least one side of the orifice plate is made of fluoroplastic, a surface of one side of the orifice plate made of the fluoroplatic has been treated to become more water-replellent than a bulk material of the fluoroplastic itself and a surface of the other side of the orifice plate attached to the main body is more hydrophilic than the bulk material. The surface of one side of the orifice plate made of the fluoroplastic and treated to become more water-repellent contains more fluorine atoms than are inherently present in the fluoroplastic in an untreated state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2002
    Publication date: July 25, 2002
    Inventors: Ryoichi Yamamoto, Masao Mitani
  • Patent number: 6403476
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is forming a concave portion (including a penetration hole) in a semiconductor substrate by a sandblast method without causing a defect such as a chip or a crack in processing ends of the concave portion. In order to achieve the object, in a semiconductor wafer in which a plurality of semiconductor chips are formed, a metal film is formed on the semiconductor substrate at least in a region of a predetermined range in an inside and an outside of an circumferential portion except for a central portion and its vicinity of a region in that the concave portion (including the penetration hole) of the respective semiconductor chips is to be formed. Then, the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer including the metal film is masked except for the region in that the concave portion of the respective semiconductor chips is to be formed. With this state, the concave portion is formed in the respective semiconductor chips formed on the semiconductor wafer by the sandblast method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin Murayama, Masao Mitani
  • Publication number: 20020013012
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is forming a concave portion (including a penetration hole) in a semiconductor substrate by a sandblast method without causing a defect such as a chip or a crack in processing ends of the concave portion. In order to achieve the object, in a semiconductor wafer in which a plurality of semiconductor chips are formed, a metal film is formed on the semiconductor substrate at least in a region of a predetermined range in an inside and an outside of an circumferential portion except for a central portion and its vicinity of a region in that the concave portion (including the penetration hole) of the respective semiconductor chips is to be formed. Then, the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer including the metal film is masked except for the region in that the concave portion of the respective semiconductor chips is to be formed. With this state, the concave portion is formed in the respective semiconductor chips formed on the semiconductor wafer by the sandblast method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2001
    Publication date: January 31, 2002
    Inventors: Jin Murayama, Masao Mitani
  • Patent number: 6161924
    Abstract: In an ink jet recording head, the thin-film thermal resistor is covered by an electrically-insulating oxidation film. An inorganic insulation layer is formed over a part of the thin-film thermal resistor and the thin-film conductor. An organic insulation layer is formed over at least a part of the inorganic insulation layer that covers the connecting edge of the connection portion between the thin-film thermal resistor and the thin-film conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Mitani, Kenji Yamada, Osamu Machida, Kazuo Shimizu, Katsunori Kawasumi
  • Patent number: 6012804
    Abstract: In an ink jet recording head of the type in which a bubble generated in ink filling an ink channel ejects an ink droplet, a thin-film resistor that generates the bubble is protected from cavitation damage. To this effect, a particular portion of the resistor is covered with a tantalum layer. The thickness of the tantalum layer is from 0.1 to 0.2 microns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Inventor: Masao Mitani
  • Patent number: 5980024
    Abstract: In an ink ejection type recording device in which expansion of bubble ejects an ink droplet from a nozzle toward a recording medium, a heater formed in an ink channel is applied with a pulse of voltage by a driver circuit. The pulse of voltage is determined so that the surface of the heater in direct contact with the water-based ink is rapidly heated to a temperature causing to invoke caviar-wise nucleation of the ink that is in direct contact with the surface of the heater. Expanding bubbles resulting from the caviar-wise nucleation ejects an ink droplet from the nozzle, wherein the heater is heated at a heating speed in a range from 1.times.10.sup.8 .degree. C./sec to 5.times.10.sup.8 .degree.C./sec, and the surface of the heater is heated up from a room temperature to a temperature substantially equal to 320 C within a period of time ranging from 0.6 to 3 .mu.sec.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Mitani, Kenji Yamada, Katsunori Kawasumi, Osamu Machida, Kazuo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 5966153
    Abstract: An ink jet printing device including an ink channel wall defining an ink chamber; a nozzle portion formed with a nozzle connecting the ink chamber with atmosphere; and a thermal heater formed to the ink channel wall adjacent to the nozzle portion, the thermal heater including a Ta--Si--O ternary alloy thin film resistor having a composition of 64% .ltoreq.Ta.ltoreq.85%, 5%.ltoreq.Si.ltoreq.26%, and 6%.ltoreq.O.ltoreq.15% and a nickel film conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1999
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Mitani, Kenji Yamada, Katsunori Kawasumi, Osamu Machida, Kazuo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 5896154
    Abstract: In an ink jet printer, a belt-type preheating unit 2 pressingly heats a recording sheet 6 while transporting the recording sheet in a transport direction B on a belt. A suction transport device 3 is positioned downstream of the belt-type preheating unit 2 in the transport direction B. The suction transport means transports, on its transport belt, the recording sheet 6 heated by the belt-type preheating unit 2 in the transport direction B while fixing the recording sheet onto the transport belt by a vacuum suction. An ink jet print head, positioned confronting the suction transport device 3, records images by ejecting water-based ink onto the recording sheet which is being transported by the suction transport device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Mitani, Kenji Yamada, Osamu Machida
  • Patent number: 5831648
    Abstract: A plurality of heaters are provided on a silicon substrate in a plurality of individual ink channels. Each heater is constructed from a thin-film resistor and a thin-film conductor. The thin-film resistor is formed with an electrical insulation layer at its upper surface. The electrical insulation layer is formed through subjecting the thin-film resistor to a high-temperature thermal oxidation process. The thin-film resistor formed with the electrical insulation layer may be covered with an additional insulation layer of a thickness substantially equal to the thin-film resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Mitani, Kenji Yamada, Katsunori Kawasumi, Kazuo Shimizu, Osamu Machida