Patents by Inventor Naomi Kimura
Naomi Kimura 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: 10562312Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head which ejects a liquid from a nozzle onto a medium, a liquid storage member which stores the liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejecting head, and a carriage on which the liquid ejecting head and the liquid storage member are installed and which is capable of moving on a movement path. The liquid storage member includes a liquid filling port which is disposed above the liquid ejecting head and is for filling the liquid. The liquid filling port is provided at a position which does not overlap with a nozzle forming surface in which the nozzle is formed in plan view from above.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2018Date of Patent: February 18, 2020Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Izumi Nozawa
-
Patent number: 10500867Abstract: Provided is a technique for reducing the likelihood of air bubbles flowing to a liquid ejection head, in a liquid tank mounted on a carriage. The liquid tank mounted on the carriage movable in a Y direction includes a liquid chamber, a liquid inlet port, an atmospheric air introduction portion, a liquid outlet, and a division wall arranged in the liquid chamber. The division wall has first division walls perpendicular to the Y direction in a mounted state on the carriage, and the liquid chamber includes a plurality of small liquid chambers partitioned by the first division walls, an upper communication portion allowing the small liquid chambers to be in communication with each other, and a lower communication portion positioned below the upper communication, and allowing the small liquid chambers to be in communication with each other.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2018Date of Patent: December 10, 2019Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Makoto Sawadaishi, Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo
-
Publication number: 20190299622Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejection apparatus configured to suppress the occurrence of an inconvenience caused by waves in a liquid. The liquid ejection apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head; a liquid container configured to supply the liquid to the liquid ejection head; and a carriage that is for arranging the liquid ejection head and the liquid container and is configured to perform a reciprocal movement. The liquid container includes: a liquid containing chamber that is configured to contain the liquid; an atmospheric air introduction port that introduces atmospheric air into the liquid containing chamber from outside. The atmospheric air introduction port is arranged at a position higher than the highest level of a wave that occurs due to the reciprocal movement in a full state in which the liquid containing chamber is filled with liquid to the highest level in a predetermined containing range.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2019Publication date: October 3, 2019Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Naomi KIMURA, Makoto SAWADAISHI
-
Publication number: 20190299624Abstract: There are provided an ink refill container configured to appropriately refill an ink tank with ink and an ink refill system including such an ink refill container. An ink refill container 63 includes a container main body 64 provided to include an ink chamber 76; an ink outlet forming portion 66 provided at an edge of the container main body to include an ink outlet 65 configured to allow ink to flow out from the ink chamber; a valve 74 provided in the ink outlet forming portion and configured to seal the ink outlet in an openable and closable manner; and a positioning structure configured to abut on part of the ink tank and position the valve relative to the ink tank when the valve is opened. The positioning structure has a positioning surface 84 that is located on an opposite side to a container main body side where the container main body is located, across the valve and that is extended in a direction intersecting with a center axis 85 of the ink outlet.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 8, 2017Publication date: October 3, 2019Applicant: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Tadahiro MIZUTANI, Taku ISHIZAWA, Noriyuki FUKUSAWA, Naomi KIMURA, Shoma KUDO, Manabu AKAHANE
-
Publication number: 20190299625Abstract: An ink refill container 63 includes a container main body 64 including an ink storage chamber 76, an ink outlet-forming portion 66 provided on an end portion of the container main body forming an ink outlet 65 that allows the ink to flow out from the ink storage chamber, and a valve 74 provided in the ink outlet-forming portion configured to openably seal the ink outlet, in which the ink outlet-forming portion includes a positioning portion 73 on an outer side of the ink outlet-forming portion. in which the positioning portion 73 is closer to the container main body than the valve 74 is to the container main body in a central axis direction of the ink outlet, and in which the positioning portion partially abuts against an ink tank 41-45 when the valve is opened for refilling the ink to the ink tank, to thereby position the valve relative to the ink tank.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 7, 2017Publication date: October 3, 2019Applicant: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Tadahiro MIZUTANI, Ryoichi TANAKA, Manabu AKAHANE, Makoto KOBAYASHI, Naomi KIMURA, Hideki OKUMURA, Shoma KUDO, Tetsuya TAKAMOTO, Hiroaki SAKAI
-
Publication number: 20190299633Abstract: The liquid supply unit includes: a liquid containing body configured to contain the liquid; a housing that covers the liquid containing body; and a lever-shaped plug member configured to seal the liquid injection portion. The plug member includes: a first pivoting portion that is configured to pivot the plug member; and a first protrusion provided so as to be displaceable in order to lock the plug member onto the housing. The housing includes: a second pivoting portion into which the first pivoting portion is to be fit; and a second protrusion configured to come into contact with the first protrusion and displace the first protrusion when the plug member pivots toward the liquid injection portion, the contact with the first protrusion being canceled and the displacement of the first protrusion being returned to normal when the plug member further pivots and is locked onto the housing.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2019Publication date: October 3, 2019Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Shoma KUDO, Naomi KIMURA
-
Publication number: 20190232668Abstract: The liquid container comprises: a first chamber that is surrounded by a plurality of walls and is configured to contain a liquid; a liquid inlet port for pouring the liquid into the first chamber; an air opening port that is opened to air; a liquid lead-out port that leads the liquid out of the first chamber; an air lead-in port that is formed in, out of the plurality of walls surrounding the first chamber, a first wall different from the wall constituting a top surface; and an air communication path that allows the air opening port and the air lead-in port to communicate with each other. The air lead-in port is separated from a corner portion where the first wall crosses with another wall.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2017Publication date: August 1, 2019Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Hidenao SUZUKI, Naomi KIMURA, Shoma KUDO, Takanori MATSUDA, Koji KAWAI
-
Patent number: 10343409Abstract: In conventional liquid jet apparatuses, improvement in usability is desired. A liquid jet apparatus including a liquid jet head, a liquid container that can store liquid, a housing that covers the liquid jet head and the liquid container, and an operation unit can be operated by a user, a liquid injection port that enables liquid to be injected is formed in the liquid container, when the operation unit is viewed from the front, the first liquid container is arranged between the operation unit and one side wall of the housing, and the second liquid container is arranged between the other side wall opposite to the one side wall of the housing and the operation unit, the housing includes a first cover that covers at least a portion of the first liquid container, and a second cover that covers at least a portion of the second liquid container, and the first cover and the second cover are independently configured to be openable/closable relative to the housing.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2016Date of Patent: July 9, 2019Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Tomoyuki Higuchi, Takaaki Ishikawa, Hidenao Suzuki, Naomi Kimura, Koji Kawai, Shoma Kudo, Takanori Matsuda, Ekie Purnomo, Muhamad Gigih Agung Pratomo, Muhamad Auf
-
Patent number: 10336080Abstract: At least some issues such as making it difficult for liquid to leak to the outside, making it easy for liquid contained in a buffer chamber to return to a liquid storage portion, and suppressing an increase in the installation area of the entirety of a printing apparatus is achieved. A liquid supply apparatus includes a liquid tank that contain a liquid, a connection channel member connected to the liquid tank, and a buffer tank that is configured separately from the liquid tank, is connected to the liquid tank via the connection channel member, and is communicated with the atmospheric air. The liquid tank includes a liquid storage chamber provided inside of the liquid tank, and a liquid inlet portion for injecting liquid into the liquid storage chamber. The buffer tank has a buffer chamber, bottom face of the buffer chamber is positioned at a position higher than a maximum liquid level of the liquid tank.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2017Date of Patent: July 2, 2019Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Shoma Kudo, Naomi Kimura
-
Patent number: 10308031Abstract: A technique is provided that can suppress leakage of a liquid from a tank. When an ink tank is in a reference orientation in which ink is injected into the ink tank, an atmospheric air introducing inlet of an atmospheric air communication path is located on an upper end side of the ink containing portion. Also, when the ink tank is in the reference orientation, when the ink tank is in a second orientation in which the ink tank has been rotated by 90° from the reference orientation, and when the ink tank is in a third orientation in which the ink tank has been rotated by 180°, at least a portion of the atmospheric air communication path is located at a height position of an upper end portion of the ink containing portion.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2016Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Shoma Kudo, Naomi Kimura
-
Patent number: 10308029Abstract: A liquid holding unit supplies liquid to a liquid ejector of a liquid ejection device. The liquid holding unit includes a liquid holder, an inlet, a plug, a shaft, and an engagement portion. The liquid holder holds the liquid. The housing accommodates the liquid holder. The inlet is used to fill the liquid holder with the liquid. The plug opens and closes the inlet and includes an elastically deformable plug body that covers the inlet and a holding member that holds the plug body and has higher rigidity than the plug body. The shaft is arranged on one of the housing and the plug. The plug is pivotal about the shaft. The engagement portion arranged on the other one of the housing and the plug and engaged with the shaft.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2017Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Shoma Kudo, Naomi Kimura, Hideki Okumura, Motoyoshi Shirotori, Kazuo Otsuka, Masafumi Furuyama
-
Publication number: 20190160822Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejecting apparatus that can reduce situations where surrounding areas are soiled by spilled liquid. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a liquid tank 47, the liquid tank 47 being mounted in a carriage 20 configured to move back and forth in the X axis direction, and the liquid tank 47 including a liquid resupply unit 23 configured to accept resupply of a liquid from the exterior; and a housing 48 configured to cover the liquid tank 47. The housing 48 includes: an upper wall 49 that covers the liquid tank 47 from the upper side; and a first recess part 61 and a second recess part 62, which are provided in the upper wall 49 to receive a spilled liquid that has spilled to the exterior of the liquid resupply unit 23, and which are recessed downward.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2018Publication date: May 30, 2019Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Shoma KUDO, Naomi Kimura
-
Patent number: 10300703Abstract: Provided is a printer wherein ink can be easily injected and filled into a tank. A printer including: a printing head; a housing; a body cover shiftable between a closed state of closing an opening of the housing and an open state of exposing the opening; a tank including an ink container and an ink inlet port receiving the ink injection into the ink container; and a tank cover shiftable between a closed state of closing the ink inlet port and an open state of exposing the ink inlet port. The body cover in the closed state covers a portion of the tank cover, and the ink inlet port is located outside a region of the body cover. The tank cover changes from the closed state to the open state, triggered by the body cover changing from the closed state to the open state.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2018Date of Patent: May 28, 2019Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Hideki Okumura, Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Motoyoshi Shirotori
-
Publication number: 20190152223Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus has a liquid ejection head that has nozzles for ejecting liquid, a liquid container that has a liquid replenishing port through which the liquid is replenished from the outside, a plug member that can close the liquid replenishing port by being positioned at a closing position and open the liquid replenishing port by being positioned at an open position, a carriage configured to arrange the liquid ejection head and the liquid container, a cap configured to cap the nozzles so as to cover the nozzles, and a control unit, assuming that a state where the nozzles are covered by the cap is a capping state and a state where the nozzles are not covered by the cap is a non-capping state, configured to bring the nozzles and the cap into the non-capping state before removing the external container from the liquid replenishing port.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 19, 2018Publication date: May 23, 2019Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Yusuke Hirasawa, Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo
-
Patent number: 10286676Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a recording head that performs recording; a carriage that has a recording head on the bottom and is movable in a width direction intersecting a medium transport direction; at least one ink tank loaded on the carriage, above the recording head, the ink tank storing ink to be supplied to the recording head and having a filling port from which ink can be poured from a refilling container. The ink tank has, at least in one portion thereof, a level checking portion formed of a transparent material through which the liquid level in the liquid container can be viewed. The carriage has a first viewing portion through which the level checking portion of the ink tank can be viewed.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2018Date of Patent: May 14, 2019Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Takashi Koase
-
Publication number: 20190126629Abstract: A plug member is a plug member for covering a liquid injection port for injecting liquid to a liquid container portion of a liquid ejecting apparatus. The plug member includes an elastically deformable plug body, and a holding member that has a higher rigidity than the plug body and is for holding the plug body. The plug body includes a lid part for covering the liquid injection port and a barrel part extending from the lid part to the liquid container portion. The barrel part includes an end portion forming an opening at a side opposite to the lid part, and the holding member includes an engaging portion engageable with a shaft portion for rotating the holding member and a support portion that is provided at an engaging portion side of the end portion and is for supporting the end portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 29, 2018Publication date: May 2, 2019Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Shoma KUDO, Naomi KIMURA
-
Patent number: 10259229Abstract: An ink container comprises an ink chamber configured to contain ink that is supplied to an ink ejection head; and an ink inlet flow path portion arranged to connect a first end portion that is open to outside of the ink chamber with a second end portion that is open to inside of the ink chamber and configured to inject the ink into the ink chamber. At least part of the ink inlet flow path portion is formed by sealing a groove that is defined by flow path walls with a first film and a second film attached to the flow path walls.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2017Date of Patent: April 16, 2019Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo
-
Publication number: 20190105903Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head which ejects a liquid from a nozzle onto a medium, a liquid storage member which stores the liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejecting head, and a carriage on which the liquid ejecting head and the liquid storage member are installed and which is capable of moving on a movement path. The liquid storage member includes a liquid filling port which is disposed above the liquid ejecting head and is for filling the liquid. The liquid filling port is provided at a position which does not overlap with a nozzle forming surface in which the nozzle is formed in plan view from above.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 5, 2018Publication date: April 11, 2019Inventors: Naomi KIMURA, Shoma KUDO, Izumi NOZAWA
-
Patent number: 10245865Abstract: An object of the invention is, in a recording-apparatus liquid container having a viewing portion through which the ink level can be viewed. A printer 1 includes a carriage 11 having a recording head 10. The carriage 11 carries at least one ink tank 13 that stores the ink to be supplied to the recording head 10 and that has a filling port 15 through which the ink is poured from a refilling container 14. The ink tank 13 has a level checking portion 13a that is formed of a transparent material through which the liquid level can be viewed. The carriage 11 has a first viewing portion 16 through which the level checking portion 13a of the ink tank 13 can be viewed and a cleaning mechanism 30 that wipes off the ink deposited on the level checking portion 13a.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2018Date of Patent: April 2, 2019Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Shoma Kudo, Naomi Kimura
-
Publication number: 20190061363Abstract: Provided is a technique for reducing the likelihood of air bubbles flowing to a liquid ejection head, in a liquid tank mounted on a carriage. The liquid tank mounted on the carriage movable in a Y direction includes a liquid chamber, a liquid inlet port, an atmospheric air introduction portion, a liquid outlet, and a division wall arranged in the liquid chamber. The division wall has first division walls perpendicular to the Y direction in a mounted state on the carriage, and the liquid chamber includes a plurality of small liquid chambers partitioned by the first division walls, an upper communication portion allowing the small liquid chambers to be in communication with each other, and a lower communication portion positioned below the upper communication, and allowing the small liquid chambers to be in communication with each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2018Publication date: February 28, 2019Applicant: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Makoto Sawadaishi, Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo