Patents by Inventor Munehide Kanaya

Munehide Kanaya 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: 9908352
    Abstract: A liquid ejection system includes a liquid ejection head configured to ejecting liquid, a liquid storage container that includes a liquid storage portion capable of storing the liquid that is to be supplied to the liquid ejection head, and a ventilation unit that constitutes at least a portion of an air introduction portion that is in communication with the liquid storage portion and is configured to introducing air into the liquid storage portion, and is detachable from the liquid storage container. The ventilation unit includes an introduction passage that constitutes at least a portion of a path of air flowing toward the liquid storage portion in the air introduction portion, and an air chamber that constitutes at least a portion of the introduction passage. The ventilation unit is arranged in the periphery of the liquid storage container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Munehide Kanaya, Shoma Kudo
  • Patent number: 9868290
    Abstract: With a conventional liquid container, it is difficult to reduce the possibility of soiling with liquid caused by liquid leakage. Provided is a liquid container including a liquid containing portion containing liquid, a liquid inlet portion receiving injection of the liquid into the liquid containing portion, an open air port that communicates with the liquid containing portion and is introducing the atmospheric air into the liquid containing portion, and a liquid absorbent material that is arranged at least in a portion of the periphery of the open air port and that is absorbing the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takanori Matsuda, Shoma Kudo, Hidenao Suzuki, Naomi Kimura, Munehide Kanaya
  • Patent number: 9855761
    Abstract: An ink tank includes a tank main body that is able to contain ink, an ink filling unit that is provided in the tank main body and has an opening which enables the tank main body to be filled with the ink, and a plurality of ribs that are provided around the ink filling unit of the tank main body and protrude from the tank main body. A clearance in which the ink is held due to a capillary force between the ribs is provided between two adjacent ribs among the plurality of ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidenao Suzuki, Shoma Kudo, Naomi Kimura, Keigo Iizawa, Masayuki Kanazawa, Naofumi Mimura, Keisuke Akimoto, Ryusuke Takakura, Soshi Okawa, Munehide Kanaya, Nobuyuki Nishi, Satoshi Kawamura
  • Patent number: 9815295
    Abstract: A tank includes a liquid containing portion, an air introduction portion that enables the air to be introduced into the liquid containing portion, a liquid injection portion that enables the liquid to be injected into the liquid containing portion. The air introduction portion includes a first air introduction portion that is in communication with the liquid containing portion, and a second air introduction portion. The first air introduction portion includes a first air introduction port and a first air flow path. The second air introduction portion includes a second air introduction port and a second air flow path. A first member that is configured to pass the air through the inside and is configured to block the liquid through the inside. A second member that is configured to pass the air through the inside and is configured to block the liquid through the inside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shoma Kudo, Soshi Okawa, Munehide Kanaya
  • Patent number: 9809033
    Abstract: A liquid container including: a liquid container part; a liquid injection part; an air introduction part; and a buffer part that is in communication with the liquid container part via a first communication path, and in communication with the air introduction part via a second communication path. the buffer part, when the liquid container is in a second orientation that is rotated from the first orientation by 180°, is configured to store the liquid having a volume that is equal to or larger than a volume of the liquid in the liquid container part such that a surface of the liquid is located below a second opening end of the first communication path in the buffer part and a third opening end of the second communication path in the buffer part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takanori Matsuda, Shoma Kudo, Munehide Kanaya
  • Patent number: 9802417
    Abstract: Leakage of liquid from a liquid container is reduced. A liquid container capable of containing liquid has: a liquid containing portion capable of containing the liquid; a liquid inlet port receiving injection of the liquid into the liquid containing portion; an atmosphere opening port communicating with the liquid containing portion and introducing atmosphere into the liquid containing portion; an atmosphere communicating portion leading to the liquid containing portion from the atmosphere opening port; a first face oriented outward; and a second face oriented outward in a direction that is different from a direction of the first face. The atmosphere communicating portion includes a plurality of atmosphere chambers, and the plurality of atmosphere chambers include a first atmosphere chamber provided in the first face, and a second atmosphere chamber provided in the second face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Munehide Kanaya, Shoma Kudo
  • Publication number: 20170274663
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting system has a liquid ejecting apparatus, a liquid storing container, and a conduit. When the liquid storing container is pulled out from the case of the liquid ejecting apparatus, the visual recognition portion provided on the liquid storing container is exposed from the case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Munehide KANAYA, Tokujiro OKUNO, Hideo SHIMAMURA
  • Publication number: 20170246879
    Abstract: A technique of reducing the possibility that a liquid remains in a buffer chamber is provided. There is provided a liquid supply device configured to supply a liquid to a liquid ejection head. The liquid supply device comprises a liquid containing chamber configured to contain the liquid; an air communication path configured to include a first connection portion at one end that is connected with the liquid containing chamber and an air outlet port at the other end that is open to the atmosphere; and a buffer chamber provided in the middle of the air communication path. The air communication path includes a connection path that is located on a downstream side of the buffer chamber in the air communication path in a flow direction of a fluid from the air outlet port toward the liquid containing chamber and is configured to include a second connection portion at an upstream end connected with the buffer chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2017
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shoma KUDO, Munehide KANAYA, Naomi KIMURA
  • Publication number: 20170246878
    Abstract: A liquid supply device that supplies a liquid to a head that ejects the liquid to an object includes a liquid storage chamber, an air introduction port, an atmospheric release flow path where one end is in communication with the air introduction port and another end is open to the atmosphere, and an air storage chamber configured to store air and provided in a portion of the atmospheric release flow path. A liquid supply flow path that supplies the liquid from the liquid storage chamber to the head is formed in a wall defining the air storage chamber. Thus, the size of a liquid ejection system is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2017
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shoma KUDO, Munehide Kanaya, Naomi Kimura
  • Publication number: 20170232754
    Abstract: There is provided a recording apparatus that can easily set a state in which liquid accommodation units are filled with a liquid for recording while suppressing increases in an installation area. A recording apparatus including a liquid ejecting head that performs recording by ejecting ink onto sheets of paper, a discharge unit in which a discharge opening that includes a discharge region at which the sheets of paper, on which recording was performed by the liquid ejecting head, are discharged, is formed, and liquid accommodation units that are capable of accommodating the liquid that is supplied to the liquid ejecting head, in an apparatus main body, in which the liquid accommodation units are provided with injection openings through which it is possible to inject ink into the liquid accommodation units, which are provided in a positions that are below the discharge unit in a perpendicular direction (?Z direction) and overlaps with the discharge unit in the perpendicular direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Inventors: Munehide KANAYA, Shoma KUDO, Hidenao SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20170225478
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid supply apparatus and a liquid ejection apparatus according to which liquid injected through a liquid injection portion can be supplied stably. The liquid supply apparatus includes: a liquid containing chamber capable of containing a liquid to be supplied to a liquid ejection portion; an air chamber in communication with the atmosphere; a communication path that allows an air introduction port for introducing air into the liquid containing chamber and an air chamber to be in communication, and a liquid injection portion through which the liquid can be injected into the liquid containing chamber. The liquid containing chamber is fixed such that the air introduction port is located at a bottom portion of the liquid containing chamber. The volume of the communication path is smaller than the volume of the air chamber. The uppermost portion of the communication path is located above the uppermost portion of the liquid containing chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naomi KIMURA, Munehide KANAYA
  • Publication number: 20170217194
    Abstract: An recording device includes a recording head that performs recording using ink; a liquid containing body that is capable of accommodating ink; a casing of which at least the recording portion and the liquid containing body are provided on an inside portion; a tube that connects the liquid containing body and the recording head with each other; and a operating panel that constitutes a portion of an outer covering of the recording device and operates the recording device. The operating panel is provided to be capable of performing an opening/closing operation with respect to the casing between two positions which are an opened position which exposes and a closed position which does not expose an inside of the casing, and at least a portion of the liquid containing body is exposed, by an opening operation of the operating panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Soshi OKAWA, Shoma KUDO, Nobuyuki NISHI, Munehide KANAYA
  • Patent number: 9649846
    Abstract: An ink tank 25A includes an ink containing portion 120, an ink injection portion 113, an ink supply portion 117, and a pair of electrode pins 140a and 140b. The ink containing portion 120 has a visual check portion 114 that enables the position of the liquid surface of ink contained in the ink containing portion 120 to be visually checked from the outside in a reference posture, which is a posture at the time when the ink is supplied from the ink tank 25 to the print head portion 32. The ink supply portion 117 is connected to a lower portion 122A located below a lower end of the visual check portion 114 in the reference posture. Leading end portions 143a and 143b of the electrode pins 140a and 140b are arranged in the lower portion 122A.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Munehide Kanaya, Yuichi Nishihara, Masaki Tsukida
  • Publication number: 20170129246
    Abstract: A liquid container includes a liquid container portion and a liquid inlet portion. The liquid inlet portion is connected with the liquid container portion and configured to pour liquid into the liquid container portion. The liquid container portion includes a bottom wall, a liquid inlet portion-forming wall that is located above the bottom wall and at which the liquid inlet portion is arranged, a visual recognition wall, an opposite wall opposite the visual recognition wall, and a partition wall. The visual recognition wall is a wall that extends in a direction intersecting the bottom wall and the liquid inlet portion-forming wall and through which the liquid in the liquid container portion is visible from outside. At least a part of the partition wall is located between the visual recognition wall. The opening is an intersecting part at which the liquid inlet portion intersects with the liquid inlet portion-forming wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Naomi KIMURA, Shoma KUDO, Munehide KANAYA
  • Patent number: 9643423
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid container including a casing that has a side wall surrounding a container portion configured to contain a liquid; a projecting portion that is provided inside of the container portion to be protruded from a fourth wall corresponding to a bottom of the container portion; and a supply port that is provided in the casing to communicate with outside of the casing through an outer area outside of an overlapping area which overlaps the projecting portion in the container portion in a planar view of the fourth wall and discharge the liquid from the container portion. At least part of a second wall provided to face the projecting portion across a first liquid reservoir has optical transparency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Munehide Kanaya, Hidenao Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9643421
    Abstract: There is provided a recording apparatus that can easily set a state in which liquid accommodation units are filled with a liquid for recording while suppressing increases in an installation area. A recording apparatus including a liquid ejecting head 16 that performs recording by ejecting ink onto sheets of paper P, a discharge unit 20 in which a discharge opening 25 that includes a discharge region at which the sheets of paper, on which recording was performed by the liquid ejecting head, are discharged, is formed, and liquid accommodation units 30 that are capable of accommodating the liquid that is supplied to the liquid ejecting head, in an apparatus main body 12, in which the liquid accommodation units are provided with injection openings through which it is possible to inject ink into the liquid accommodation units, which are provided in a positions that are below the discharge unit in a perpendicular direction (?Z direction) and overlaps with the discharge unit in the perpendicular direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Munehide Kanaya, Shoma Kudo, Hidenao Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20170113467
    Abstract: A liquid container including: a liquid container part; a liquid injection part; an air introduction part; and a buffer part that is in communication with the liquid container part via a first communication path, and in communication with the air introduction part via a second communication path. the buffer part, when the liquid container is in a second orientation that is rotated from the first orientation by 180°, is configured to store the liquid having a volume that is equal to or larger than a volume of the liquid in the liquid container part such that a surface of the liquid is located below a second opening end of the first communication path in the buffer part and a third opening end of the second communication path in the buffer part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Publication date: April 27, 2017
    Inventors: Takanori MATSUDA, Shoma KUDO, Munehide KANAYA
  • Publication number: 20170106664
    Abstract: A tank includes a liquid containing portion, an air introduction portion that enables the air to be introduced into the liquid containing portion, a liquid injection portion that enables the liquid to be injected into the liquid containing portion. The air introduction portion includes a first air introduction portion that is in communication with the liquid containing portion, and a second air introduction portion. The first air introduction portion includes a first air introduction port and a first air flow path. The second air introduction portion includes a second air introduction port and a second air flow path. A first member that is configured to pass the air through the inside and is configured to block the liquid through the inside. A second member that is configured to pass the air through the inside and is configured to block the liquid through the inside.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Inventors: Shoma KUDO, Soshi OKAWA, Munehide KANAYA
  • Publication number: 20170096024
    Abstract: A liquid ejection system includes a liquid ejection head configured to ejecting liquid, a liquid storage container that includes a liquid storage portion capable of storing the liquid that is to be supplied to the liquid ejection head, and a ventilation unit that constitutes at least a portion of an air introduction portion that is in communication with the liquid storage portion and is configured to introducing air into the liquid storage portion, and is detachable from the liquid storage container. The ventilation unit includes an introduction passage that constitutes at least a portion of a path of air flowing toward the liquid storage portion in the air introduction portion, and an air chamber that constitutes at least a portion of the introduction passage. The ventilation unit is arranged in the periphery of the liquid storage container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Inventors: Naomi KIMURA, Munehide KANAYA, Shoma KUDO
  • Patent number: 9586408
    Abstract: A liquid ejection device provided by the invention can be easily transported in a stable orientation in which the weight balance is kept. A printer of the invention includes a liquid ejection head for ejecting ink onto a sheet, ink tanks for storing ink to be supplied to the liquid ejection head, and tubes that connect the ink tanks to the liquid ejection head. An ink injection opening that enables the injection of ink is formed on the upper side of the ink tanks in the vertical direction, and one portion of the ink tanks and another portion of the ink tanks are respectively arranged on one side and another side that face each other across a sheet conveying region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Munehide Kanaya, Hidenao Suzuki