Patents by Inventor Mitsuru Kurata

Mitsuru Kurata 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: 5992963
    Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus for industrial use, which is provided with a comparatively large number of nozzles arranged for high duty recording, particularly an ink jet textile printing apparatus, and an ink jet printing apparatus suitably used for printing on a large-sized medium, are provided together with a method for controlling the temperature of the printing head of such high duty printing apparatuses, and various other types of printing apparatuses reliably. To the large number of heaters used for recording in a printing step, driving signals are applied to cause them to discharge ink for recording and, to the discharge heaters that are not to perform recording, secondary driving signals that do not allow ink to discharge are applied. These secondary driving signals cause the heaters not used in recording to generate heat, so as to reduce unevenness in the intensities of heat generation among the many discharge heaters of the printing head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Miyake, Mitsuru Kurata, Tokihide Ebata, Hiroyuki Kuriyama, Yasushi Miura, Takeshi Irizawa
  • Patent number: 5943078
    Abstract: Upon adjustment of an ink level of an air buffer in an ink supply system supplying an ink to a printing head via the air buffer from a sub-tank, by driving a pressuring motor of the sub-tank, the ink is fed under pressure. When the ink is reached at the position of a connection opening of the air buffer, the excess amount of ink is discharged for adjustment of the ink level. At this time, the ink discharged through the connecting opening is returned to the sub-tank via the ink tube. Thus, the ink consumed during the ink level adjustment can be avoided. With a construction set forth above, the shown case, the in the ink-jet cloth printing apparatus, in which the ink is supplied to the printing head via the air buffer, the ink amount to be consumed during the ink level adjustment of the air buffer is eliminated so that the ink consumption of the overall can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazunari Nishimoto, Mitsuru Kurata
  • Patent number: 5808647
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet conveying apparatus comprising a sheet supply device which supplies a sheet, a guide member which guides the sheet delivered by the sheet supplying device, a hold down member which presses the sheet against the guide member, a release device which releases the pressure of the hold down member, and a control device which controls the sheet supply device in connection with pressure releasing operation of the release device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuru Kurata, Shigeyoshi Onoda
  • Patent number: 5798775
    Abstract: An ink jet recording device includes a recording head unit having discharge ports for discharging ink, ink channels communicating to the discharge ports and leading the ink thereto, and an ink tank unit for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head unit. The recording head unit consists of a device for storing parameter information concerning the ink discharge characteristics, and a protective member disposed on a side face area adjacent to the discharge port formation face for preventing the ink from flowing around.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Takahashi, Kazuaki Masuda, Yoshiaki Takayanagi, Akio Suzuki, Mitsuru Kurata, Tsutomu Abe, Seiichiro Karita, Hiroshi Tajika, Noribumi Koitabashi, Haruo Uchida, Kentaro Yano, Hitoshi Sugimoto, Miyuki Matsubara
  • Patent number: 5579039
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus wherein recording is effected by ejecting ink to a recording material from a recording head cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of the apparatus includes a carriage, movable in a main scan direction, for mounting thereon the recording head cartridge; mounting and demounting mechanism for controlling mounting and demounting of the recording head cartridge on the carriage; a controlling member for controlling operation of the mounting and demounting mechanism to permit mounting or demounting of the recording head cartridge only when the carriage is disposed outside a position where it is faced to the recording material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuru Kurata, Yasuo Miyauchi, Takayuki Matsuo
  • Patent number: 5557310
    Abstract: An ink jet head cartridge includes a recording head for ejecting ink; an ink container for containing the ink to be supplied to the recording head; an ink supply port for supplying the ink from the container to the head; a porous ink absorbing material disposed in the container and having a ring shape with a central opening; and an engaging portion engaging with the central opening wherein the absorbing material has a higher density proximate to the supply port than proximate to the engaging portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1996
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuru Kurata, Tokihide Ebata, Noribumi Koitabashi, Hiromitsu Hirabayashi, Hitoshi Sugimoto, Haruo Uchida
  • Patent number: 5552811
    Abstract: To rinse a cleaning member, a rinsing liquid is discharged from a nozzle onto the cleaning member to wipe the discharging port surface of the liquid discharging apparatus. The foregoing cleaning member is thus maintained in a rinsed condition at all times, thereby obtaining high cleaning performance of the liquid discharging port surface and long-term, stable liquid discharge from the liquid discharging head. A liquid suction force is also created in the cleaning member to draw the viscous ink from the nozzles when the liquid discharging port surface of the liquid discharging head is wiped, thereby further enhancing the cleaning performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1996
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuru Kurata, Hiroyuki Miyake, Tokihide Ebata
  • Patent number: 5550570
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises a mounting portion on which an ink jet cartridge is detachably mounted, the cartridge having a connector and a recording head portion for discharging ink to perform image recording. The mounting portion has a body connector associated therewith for electrically connecting the connector of the cartridge to the apparatus. A recording head positioner positions the recording head portion of the cartridge on the mounting portion. An operation device displaces the cartridge and the body connector relative to each other to connect the body connector to the cartridge connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1996
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuru Kurata, Shinji Kanemitsu, Akihiro Nomura, Tokihide Ebata, Akio Takeda, Yasuo Miyauchi, Haruo Uchida, Shigeyoshi Onoda
  • Patent number: 5289213
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a cartridge having a liquid discharger removably mounted onto a main body of a liquid jet recording apparatus. The cartridge comprises a humidifier for humidifying a liquid discharging portion of the liquid discharger, an input member for receiving delivery of an actuating force for actuating the humidifier, an electric contact member for receiving an electric signal actuating the liquid discharger, and a box member for containing the humidifier, input member and electric member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 22, 1994
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiichi Murai, Hiroshi Sugitani, Masami Ikeda, Mitsuru Kurata, Hiromitsu Hirabayashi, Akihiro Nomura, Noribumi Koitabashi
  • Patent number: 5220623
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a read unit for reading image information from an original text, a detection unit for detecting position information of the image information, and a conversion unit for converting the position information in accordance with the output of the detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiaki Yagasaki, Shunji Nakamura, Kimio Nakahata, Mitsuru Kurata, Kazuotshi Shimada, Toshiro Matsui
  • Patent number: 5182581
    Abstract: An ink tank for storing recording ink comprises an ink storage section including an ink holding member for holding ink and substantially entirely occupying an ink storage space and a ventilation section having a vent hole communicating with the interior of the ink tank with atmosphere, the ventilation section including an ink-repellent member having an ink-repellent character. The ink holding member can be formed of one porous member or two porous members, one of high and one of low porosity. The member with high porosity is provided adjacent an ink supply port. An ink jet recording head also comprises the same ink tank and an ink jet recording head section including an ink discharge port for discharging ink, an ink passage communicating with the ink discharge port and an energy generation element for generating energy utilized for ink discharged. Further an ink jet recording apparatus includes the same ink jet recording head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1993
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Kashimura, Hiroshi Nakagomi, Seiichiro Karita, Tsuguhiro Fukuda, Tetsuo Kimura, Hirofumi Hirano, Mitsuru Kurata
  • Patent number: 5177547
    Abstract: The present invention provides a recording apparatus with a supply roller for supplying a sheet, a sheet directing path for directing the sheet supplied by the supply roller to a recording portion, a sheet ejection path for directing the sheet recorded at the recording portion to an ejection outlet, a guide for guiding a sheet to be introduced from the ejection outlet, and sheet feeding rollers and detectors for directing the introduced sheet to the recording portion through the sheet ejection path and thereafter for returning the sheet to the ejection outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1993
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinji Kanemitsu, Yasuo Miyauchi, Tokihide Ebata, Akihiro Nomura, Akio Takeda, Haruo Uchida, Mitsuru Kurata, Shigeyoshi Onoda
  • Patent number: 5138342
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises a mounting portion on which an ink jet cartridge is detachably mounted, the cartridge having a connector and a recording head portion for discharging ink to perform image recording. The mounting portion has a body connector associated therewith for electrically connecting the connector of the cartridge to the apparatus. A recording head positioner positions the recording head portion of the cartridge on the mounting portion. An operation device displaces the cartridge and the body connector relative to each other to connect the body connector to the cartridge connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1992
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuru Kurata, Shinji Kanemitsu, Akihiro Nomura, Tokihide Ebata, Akio Takeda, Yasuo Miyauchi, Haruo Uchida, Shigeyoshi Onoda
  • Patent number: 4862215
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having an intermediate guide device which is disposed at an intermediate portion between a transfer section and a fixing section for the purpose of guiding a transfer medium while imparting breadthwise tension thereto. This intermediate guide device prevents any wrinkle occurring in the transfer medium near the fixing section from being moved toward the transfer section. In addition, the toner on the transfer medium is prevented from being transferred onto upper-surface rollers of the guide device when the electric charge of the toner leaks to the rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 29, 1989
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Nomura, Kiyokazu Namekata, Mitsuru Kurata, Takuji Niizawa, Tokihide Ebata, Shinichi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 4714940
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus which has a function of simultaneously or selectively copy an image displayed on a display screen and an image on an original at an arbitrary location is disclosed. This apparatus includes a display unit which can be used as an original and be simultaneously used with the original and further can display at an arbitrary location on a placing unit for placing the original.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1987
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Inoue, Mitsuru Kurata, Nobuhiro Kasama, Masao Hosaka, Toshiaki Yagasaki, Hiroshi Tanioka, Tadashi Yamakawa
  • Patent number: 4646249
    Abstract: There is disclosed an image processing system, particularly, for use in a copying machine with a display. This apparatus comprises a liquid crystal display panel on an original presser plate; a panel copy mode to perform the image processing with respect to the screen display; an ordinary copy mode to perform the image processing with respect to an ordinary original; a high gradient processor to perform the image processing of high gradient; a low gradient processor to perform the image processing of low gradient; and a switching circuit to switch the high gradient processor and low gradient processor in accordance with the panel copy mode and ordinary copy mode. The image processings with different gradients can be executed depending upon the states and kinds of originals, so that an appropriate copy of the display panel or ordinary original can be always provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 24, 1987
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tanioka, Tadashi Yamakawa, Yutaka Inoue, Masao Hosaka, Toshiaki Yagasaki, Nobuhiro Kasama, Mitsuru Kurata
  • Patent number: 4589758
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a first housing supporting the entire apparatus, a second housing openable relative to the first housing, image forming means for forming on an image bearing member a toner image corresponding to image information to be recorded, a first and a second rotatable member for holding the image bearing member therebetween and conveying the same to fix the toner image formed by the image forming means on the image bearing member, and resilient means acting to open the second housing relative to the first housing and acting for the pressing between the first rotatable member and the second rotatable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1986
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kasama, Mitsuru Kurata
  • Patent number: 4571053
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a light source, a photosensitive member adopted to be illuminated by a light from the light source, a liquid crystal for controlling illumination and non-illumination of the light to the photosensitive member to form an image on the photosensitive member, a detector for detecting an image reproduction ability of the photosensitive member to set an image forming condition on the photosensitive member, and setting means for setting the liquid crystal to a predetermined state to allow the detection by the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1986
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kasama, Mitsuru Kurata, Hiroshi Tanioka, Tadashi Yamakawa, Yutaka Inoue, Masao Hosaka, Toshiaki Yagasaki
  • Patent number: 4543491
    Abstract: Disclosed is an original reading device in which, of first and second areas of the portion to be read of an original to be read which adjoin each other with a boundary therebetween, the first area is projected upon a first image pick-up element by a first lens and the second area is projected upon a second image pick-up element by a second lens, whereby the first area and the second area are read by the first element and the second element, respectively. The first and second lenses are disposed at positions corresponding to positions more toward the boundary between the first and second areas than the centers of the first and second areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1985
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masamichi Tateoka, Junichi Asano, Mitsuru Kurata, Yoshikazu Yokomizo
  • Patent number: D338235
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1993
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Komada, Mitsuru Kurata, Tsutomu Abe