Patents by Inventor Masayuki Mutoh

Masayuki Mutoh 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: 6247800
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus with ink drop registration control adjusts the timing of the ink drop or drops that form each pixel to compensate for time-of-flight differences that are a function of the number of ink drops that form a pixel and as a function of the ink drops that constitute one or more immediately preceding pixels. A pixel buffer stores successive pixel data in a first-in first-out (FIFO) manner so that the timing of the ink drop for a current pixel can be adjusted, in part, as a function of the number of ink drops of at least one next successive pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Silver Seiko Ltd.
    Inventor: Masayuki Mutoh
  • Patent number: 5940101
    Abstract: The optimum excitation frequency for forming successive ink drops in an ink jet printer is determined by forming a sequence of ink drops at a plurality of different drop-formation frequencies and phases thereof and integrating a detected current representative of the value of the charge on the ink drops as a function of time for each the plural frequencies and phases thereof to create a corresponding plurality of waveforms. The frequency of the optimum waveform, which minimizes the undesired formation of satellite ink drops and undesired drop dispersion, is then selected for use during the next print mode. The optimum waveform is characterized by a single maxima and minima separated in phase by a value no greater than a predetermined maximum value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Silver Seiko, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masayuki Mutoh
  • Patent number: 5583552
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus wherein ink drops can be controlled individually to assure high quality printing and adjustment in registration of ink nozzles in a drum circumferential direction can be performed at a sufficiently high resolution. The ink jet recording apparatus has a plurality of nozzles arranged such that drops of ink may impinge in an overlapping relationship at a location on a record medium supported on a rotary drum, and adjustment in registration of the nozzles in a drum circumferential direction is performed by a registration adjusting system by which such adjustment is performed using a registration adjusting clock signal having a frequency higher than a picture element recording signal. An optimum phase between disintegration of an ink jet and a recording pulse signal is determined in accordance with current values detected by a current detector connected to an electrically isolated conductive drop catcher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Silver Seiko Ltd.
    Inventor: Masayuki Mutoh
  • Patent number: 5450111
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus wherein ink drops can be controlled individually to assure high quality printing and adjustment in registration of ink nozzles in a drum circumferential direction can be performed at a sufficiently high resolution. The ink jet recording apparatus includes a plurality of nozzles arranged such that drops of ink may impinge in an overlapping relationship at a location on a record medium supported on a rotary drum, and adjustment in registration of the nozzles in a drum circumferential direction is performed by a registration adjusting system by which such adjustment is performed using a registration adjusting clock signal having a frequency higher than a picture element recording signal. An optimum phase between disintegration of an ink jet and a recording pulse signal is determined in accordance with current values detected by a current detector connected to an electrically isolated conductive drop catcher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1995
    Assignee: SR Technos Ltd.
    Inventor: Masayuki Mutoh
  • Patent number: 5402164
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus of the continuous jet type wherein the position of an ink jet jetting axis or nozzle axis can be detected readily with a simplified construction. The ink jet recording apparatus comprises test signal generating means which generates a controlling signal which varies continuously. Switch means selectively couples one of recording signal generating means and the test signal generating means to a controlling electrode of charging means provided for charging an ink drop. An electrically isolated conductive drop catcher catches an ink drop which has passed by separating means for forming an ink jet, and current detecting means detects electric charge carried to the conductive drop catcher by charged ink drops as an electric current. Relative position detecting means measures a relative positional relationship between an ink jet flying axis and the separating means from a controlling voltage outputted from the test signal generating means and an output of the current detecting means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: S.R. Technos Ltd.
    Inventor: Masayuki Mutoh
  • Patent number: 5381170
    Abstract: A continuous ink jet recording apparatus which can record an image always with an appropriate density on any of various record media. A vibrating element driver drives a piezoelectric vibrating element in response to a disintegrating frequency signal from an oscillator to disintegrate a jet of ink from a nozzle. A multiplier multiplies picture element data of a line buffer by a density coefficient, and a pulse width modulator converts the picture element data from the multiplier into a charging controlling signal of the pulse width which increases in proportion to the number of ink drops per picture element. The charging controlling signal is applied via a high voltage switch to a controlling electrode, by which the in drops are charged in accordance with the charging controlling signal. A deflecting electrode deflects the charged ink drops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1995
    Assignee: SR Technos Ltd.
    Inventor: Masayuki Mutoh
  • Patent number: 4851860
    Abstract: An ink jet printer in which a plurality of ink jet generators are moved in unison with one another and relative to a record medium for recording.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1989
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masayuki Mutoh
  • Patent number: 4673951
    Abstract: There is disclosed an ink jet printer of Hertz type. An ink jet is continuously forced out from a nozzle and broken into minute droplets. The droplets are selectively charged by applying pulse voltage. A row of charged droplets is removed and a row of uncharged droplets proceeds to the record medium and forms a dot thereon. The pulse width is controlled in order to allow a number of droplets included in one row of droplets, so that the diameter of dot is altered. The ink jet printer is able to produce high degree of tones by alteration of number of uncharged droplets in combination of the dot pattern moduration method or the dither method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1987
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayuki Mutoh, Shinji Kamiyama
  • Patent number: 4630758
    Abstract: A liquid tank structure for reducing hydrostatic pressure at an outlet thereof. The structure has a liquid container having an outlet at its lower portion, and a capillary member within the liquid container for exerting a force on a liquid therein in a direction opposite to the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid at the outlet for reducing the hydrostatic pressure at the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1986
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masayuki Mutoh
  • Patent number: 4443820
    Abstract: In order to take advantage of an ink jet generating unit for preparing hectographic printing masters, solid ink is proposed. The solid ink is prepared by dispersing dye stuff of more than 10 percent by weight in a hydrocarbon of the thermally dissoluble type. Various types of apparatuses each incorporating the ink jet generating unit are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1980
    Date of Patent: April 17, 1984
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayuki Mutoh, Takanobu Ishidoh, Toshihiro Hayashi
  • Patent number: 4183030
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus which effects non-impact recording by the application of a jet of ink to a recording medium while the amount of ink to be jetted towards the recording medium is controlled to render it proportional to the recording velocity. For this purpose, the ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a feed-back loop system through which an electrical signal indicative of the pressure acting on the ink within an ink tank is fed back to a comparator to control operation of a compressed air source from which the pressure is applied to compensate for reduction in static pressure of the ink within the ink tank resulting from consumption of the ink. For maintaining the amount of the ink jetted proportional to the recording velocity, various arrangements are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1980
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shozo Kaieda, Masayuki Mutoh, Kuniaki Kamimura