Patents by Inventor Masataka Kato

Masataka Kato 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: 20170282554
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a plurality of recording element substrates each having an energy generating element configured to generate energy for discharging liquid from a discharge port, and a sealing member with which a surround of each of the plurality of recording element substrates is filled. Each of the plurality of recording element substrates includes a recessed portion formed on an end surface facing a neighboring recording element substrate, and in the recessed portion, a gap between neighboring recording element substrates is wider than a gap between element surfaces on which the energy generating element is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Masataka Kato, Tomohiro Takahashi, Shimpei Otaka
  • Patent number: 9738085
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a first ink tank that contains ink, a second ink tank that contains ink supplied from the first ink tank, a communication unit, having conductivity, communicates between the first ink tank and the second ink tank, an opening provided at one end of the communication unit connected to the second ink tank and opening to the second ink tank, an electrode portion provided in the second ink tank, of which a lower end position is located at or above a lower end position of the one end of the communication unit and at or below a highest position of the opening, and a detecting unit that detects an ink amount in the second ink tank in accordance with electrical properties between the electrode portion and the communication unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshimitsu Danzuka, Masaya Uetsuki, Kazuo Suzuki, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Asako Tomida, Shin Genta
  • Patent number: 9738087
    Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes a printhead, a subtank for storing ink to be supplied to the printhead, a maintank for storing ink to be supplied to the subtank, a valve that can be switched between an open state in which the printhead communicates with the subtank and a closed state in which the printhead does not communicate with the subtank, a cap for covering an discharging port surface of the printhead, a pump for generating a negative pressure in an inside of the cap with the cap covering the discharging port surface, and an internal pressure changing member for changing an internal pressure of the subtank to perform a subtank filling operation in which ink is supplied from maintank to the subtank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masataka Kato, Kazuo Suzuki, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Shin Genta, Tomoki Yamamuro
  • Patent number: 9707763
    Abstract: A printing apparatus performs a printing operation where mist that is generated in inkjet printing is efficiently collected. Specifically, a fan is rotated during a mist collection operation at a maintenance operation with a rotating speed that is greater than the rotating speed of the fan during printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Nakagawa, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Kazuo Suzuki, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Shin Genta, Tomoki Yamamuro
  • Patent number: 9676193
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes forming a first hole in a first surface of a silicon substrate to have a depth that it does not extend through the substrate and forming a second hole in a second surface to make the second hole to communicate with the first hole, so that a through hole formed of the first and second holes is formed in the substrate. The process of forming the second hole includes forming a communication portion wider than an opening of the first hole between the first and second holes after the second hole has been made to communicate with the first hole by dry etching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masataka Kato, Hiroshi Higuchi, Yoshinao Ogata, Seiko Minami, Masaya Uyama, Toshiyasu Sakai
  • Patent number: 9669642
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head ejecting ink; a buffer tank temporarily storing the ink; a mounting unit to which a main tank that stores the ink is capable of being mounted, the main tank having a first supply port from which the ink is supplied to the recording head and a second supply port from which the ink is supplied to the buffer tank; a first detecting unit detecting an ink volume in the main tank; and a control unit performing a discharge operation to discharge the ink in the buffer tank from the recording head via the main tank in a pre-transportation process in the ink jet recording apparatus. The control unit prompts a user to replace the main tank without performing the discharge operation if the ink volume detected by the first detecting unit is smaller than a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshimitsu Danzuka, Masaya Uetsuki, Kazuo Suzuki, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Shin Genta, Tomoki Yamamuro
  • Patent number: 9662886
    Abstract: A printer according to this invention includes a print head, a carriage, a recovery unit, and a controller. The controller causes a recovery operation to be performed based on a total value of two values. Assuming that front and rear arrays of discharge port arrays during outbound movement of the carriage are defined as first and second arrays, respectively, the first value is obtained by multiplying a sum of an amount of ink discharged from the first array during outbound movement of the carriage and an amount of ink discharged from the second array during homebound movement of the carriage by a first coefficient, and the second value is obtained by multiplying a sum of an amount of ink discharged from the second array during outbound movement of the carriage and an amount of ink discharged from the first array during homebound movement of the carriage by a second coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shin Genta, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Kazuo Suzuki, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Asako Tomida
  • Patent number: 9604465
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head, a sub tank, an ink tank containing ink supplied to the sub tank, a detector that detects an amount of ink contained in the sub tank, a variable volume member provided between the recording head and the sub tank and having variable inner volume, and a controller that repeatedly performs first and second operations, thereby supplying ink from the ink tank to the sub tank. In the first operation, the member is caused to switch from a first state to a second state, while in the second operation, the member is caused to switch from the second state to the first state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuo Suzuki, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Asako Tomida, Shin Genta
  • Patent number: 9586398
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus is capable of suppressing an increase of waste ink while solving an increase in density of ink within a supply tube. An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording head configured to discharge ink, a tank configured to store ink, a supply tube configured to supply ink to the recording head from the tank, a discharge unit configured to execute a discharge operation for discharging ink within the supply tuber a control unit configured to make the discharge unit execute a discharge operation when an elapsed time from a previous discharge operation is greater than a predetermined time, and a changing unit configured to change at least any one of the elapsed time or the predetermined time based on an ink consumption amount consumed through the recording head after the previous discharge operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masataka Kato, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Kazuo Suzuki, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Shin Genta, Asako Tomida
  • Patent number: 9586400
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head including a substrate, and an energy-generating element. The substrate is provided with a flow path that penetrates through the substrate from the first surface to a second surface, the flow path supplying the liquid from the second surface side to the first surface side. The flow path includes a plurality of first flow paths and a second flow path that is positioned on the second surface side with respect to the first flow paths. The plurality of first flow paths are open on a bottom portion of the second flow path, and the plurality of first flow paths include a long flow path relatively long in a direction perpendicular to the first surface, and a relatively short flow path. The long flow path has a flow path resistance per unit length that is smaller than that of the short flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masataka Kato, Yoshinao Ogata, Toshiyasu Sakai, Takayuki Kamimura, Hiroshi Higuchi
  • Patent number: 9561658
    Abstract: The present invention provided a printing apparatus including: an ink storage section; a detection unit detecting an ink remaining amount of the section; a printhead; an air communication section communicating with the section and air; a suction unit; and a control unit. When a predetermined transport-preparation condition regarding transport of the printing apparatus is satisfied, the control unit saves information about the ink remaining amount detected by the detection unit and controls the suction unit to drain ink in the air communication section through the printhead. When a predetermined start-up condition is satisfied, the control unit controls, based on the information, the suction unit to suck ink from the printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshimitsu Danzuka, Masaya Uetsuki, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Asako Tomida, Hiroaki Komatsu
  • Patent number: 9548207
    Abstract: A method of etching a silicon substrate, in which a depressed portion is formed by etching a first surface of the silicon substrate with ions generated in plasma, the method including introducing a rare gas into a reaction system to ionize the rare gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinao Ogata, Masataka Kato, Masaya Uyama
  • Patent number: 9511588
    Abstract: A method for processing a silicon substrate, comprising the steps of providing a silicon substrate having a first surface and a second surface, forming a non-penetrated hole extending from the first surface toward the second surface side in the silicon substrate, sticking a sealing tape comprising a support member and an adhesive layer on the first surface and filling at least part of the non-penetrated hole with the adhesive layer, performing reactive ion etching from the second surface toward the first surface side to allow the reactive ion etching to reach the adhesive layer filled in the non-penetrated hole and to expose the adhesive layer, and peeling the sealing tape from the silicon substrate to form a through hole in the silicon substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Seiko Minami, Toshiyasu Sakai, Masataka Kato, Masaya Uyama, Hiroshi Higuchi, Yoshinao Ogata
  • Publication number: 20160347079
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head, a sub tank, an ink tank containing ink supplied to the sub tank, a detector that detects an amount of ink contained in the sub tank, a variable volume member provided between the recording head and the sub tank and having variable inner volume, and a controller that repeatedly performs first and second operations, thereby supplying ink from the ink tank to the sub tank. In the first operation, the member is caused to switch from a first state to a second state, while in the second operation, the member is caused to switch from the second state to the first state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Kazuo Suzuki, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Asako Tomida, Shin Genta
  • Publication number: 20160347078
    Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes a printhead, a subtank for storing ink to be supplied to the printhead, a maintank for storing ink to be supplied to the subtank, a valve that can be switched between an open state in which the printhead communicates with the subtank and a closed state in which the printhead does not communicate with the subtank, a cap for covering an discharging port surface of the printhead, a pump for generating a negative pressure in an inside of the cap with the cap covering the discharging port surface, and an internal pressure changing member for changing an internal pressure of the subtank to perform a subtank filling operation in which ink is supplied from maintank to the subtank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Masataka Kato, Kazuo Suzuki, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Shin Genta, Tomoki Yamamuro
  • Publication number: 20160347069
    Abstract: Provided is an inkjet printing apparatus capable of performing preliminary discharge without the influence of mist while suppressing degradation in throughput regardless of a preliminary discharge time. Specifically, an inkjet printing apparatus that performs a wiping operation on a nozzle arrangement surface provided with nozzles discharging an ink in a print head includes a wiping determination unit that determines whether to perform the wiping operation before preliminary discharge based on the amount of the preliminary discharge to be performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Shin Genta, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Kazuo Suzuki, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Tomoki Yamamuro
  • Publication number: 20160339708
    Abstract: A recording device including a recording head, a tank, a valve capable of being switched between an open state where ink is supplied from the tank to the recording head and a closed state where the ink is not supplied, a cap covering a discharge port surface, a pump configured to make a pressure of an inside of the cap negative, an acquiring unit configured to acquire information on an atmospheric pressure of an environment where the recording device is placed, and a control unit configured to perform a suction operation of sucking the ink from the discharge port surface by driving the pump when the valve is in the closed state, making the pressure of the inside of the cap negative, and then switching the valve to the open state and to control the suction operation based on the acquired information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2016
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Inventors: Shin Genta, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Kazuo Suzuki, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Tomoki Yamamuro
  • Publication number: 20160339727
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head ejecting ink; a buffer tank temporarily storing the ink; a mounting unit to which a main tank that stores the ink is capable of being mounted, the main tank having a first supply port from which the ink is supplied to the recording head and a second supply port from which the ink is supplied to the buffer tank; a first detecting unit detecting an ink volume in the main tank; and a control unit performing a discharge operation to discharge the ink in the buffer tank from the recording head via the main tank in a pre-transportation process in the ink jet recording apparatus. The control unit prompts a user to replace the main tank without performing the discharge operation if the ink volume detected by the first detecting unit is smaller than a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2016
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Inventors: Toshimitsu Danzuka, Masaya Uetsuki, Kazuo Suzuki, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Shin Genta, Tomoki Yamamuro
  • Publication number: 20160303857
    Abstract: A printer according to this invention includes a print head, a carriage, a recovery unit, and a controller. The controller causes a recovery operation to be performed based on a total value of two values. Assuming that front and rear arrays of discharge port arrays during outbound movement of the carriage are defined as first and second arrays, respectively, the first value is obtained by multiplying a sum of an amount of ink discharged from the first array during outbound movement of the carriage and an amount of ink discharged from the second array during homebound movement of the carriage by a first coefficient, and the second value is obtained by multiplying a sum of an amount of ink discharged from the second array during outbound movement of the carriage and an amount of ink discharged from the first array during homebound movement of the carriage by a second coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Inventors: Shin Genta, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Kazuo Suzuki, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Asako Tomida
  • Publication number: 20160288519
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a first ink tank that contains ink, a second ink tank that contains ink supplied from the first ink tank, a communication unit, having conductivity, communicates between the first ink tank and the second ink tank, an opening provided at one end of the communication unit connected to the second ink tank and opening to the second ink tank, an electrode portion provided in the second ink tank, of which a lower end position is located at or above a lower end position of the one end of the communication unit and at or below a highest position of the opening, and a detecting unit that detects an ink amount in the second ink tank in accordance with electrical properties between the electrode portion and the communication unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: Toshimitsu Danzuka, Masaya Uetsuki, Kazuo Suzuki, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Asako Tomida, Shin Genta