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).

  • 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
  • Patent number: 9718277
    Abstract: To solve the problem of a liquid supply unit of the related art in that liquid supply may become difficult. The invention provides a tank capable of supplying a liquid to a liquid ejection head, the tank including: a liquid containing portion capable of containing the liquid; and an atmospheric air introducing portion constituting an atmospheric air flow channel capable of introducing atmospheric air into the liquid containing portion, wherein the atmospheric air introducing portion includes a buffer chamber capable of containing the atmospheric air, a liquid retaining member is housed in the buffer chamber, and in a state in which the liquid retaining member is housed in the buffer chamber, a gap that allows the atmospheric air to move between a first communication port and a second communication port of the atmospheric air flow channel is provided within the buffer chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shoma Kudo, Naomi Kimura
  • Patent number: 9707768
    Abstract: There is provided a plug member that is detachably mounted to a liquid inlet to close the liquid inlet. The plug member comprises a sealing part configured to close the liquid inlet, such that at least part of the sealing part is inserted in the liquid inlet; and a cover part arranged around at least part of circumference of the sealing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Nishimaki, Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Shoichi Ishizawa, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Koji Kawai, Makoto Omuro
  • Publication number: 20170197429
    Abstract: A technique that enables electrical connectivity of a liquid container to a conductive member to be enhanced is provided. A liquid consuming apparatus includes a liquid container in which liquid is contained, a conductive member, at least a part of which is arranged within the liquid container, a circuit board that applies a voltage to the conductive member, a wire that electrically connects the conductive member and the circuit board to each other, and a board holding member that holds the circuit board. The board holding member is provided with a through hole through which the wire is passed, and the wire extends from the through hole and is connected to the circuit board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Publication date: July 13, 2017
    Inventors: Naomi KIMURA, Taisuke HASHIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170182813
    Abstract: A printer includes a printing unit including a printing head configured to eject ink onto a sheet and a sheet ejecting portion configured to eject the sheet after the printing head performs a printing operation, a scanner unit located above the printing unit and configured to read an image on a document, and a tank unit located on a lateral side of the printing unit. The tank unit includes a tank storing the ink to be supplied to the printing head and a housing covering the tank. The housing provides at least a front surface, a lateral surface, a rear surface, and an upper surface of the tank unit. A front surface of the printing unit is flush with the front surface of the tank unit when the printing unit has a front surface on a side of the sheet ejecting portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Hidenao SUZUKI, Naomi KIMURA, Koji KAWAI, Shoma KUDO, Takanori MATSUDA
  • 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
  • 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
  • Patent number: 9586407
    Abstract: A liquid container includes: a container portion that is configured to contain ink; and an ink inlet portion that is connected with the container portion and is configured to pour ink into the container portion. The container portion includes a fifth wall that is arranged to intersect with the ink inlet portion; a third wall that has optical transparency and is arranged to intersect with the fifth wall; and a partition wall that is located between the third wall and an intersecting part at which the ink inlet portion intersects with the fifth wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Munehide Kanaya
  • Publication number: 20170028735
    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: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Publication date: February 2, 2017
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naomi KIMURA, Munehide Kanaya, Shoma Kudo
  • Patent number: 9555639
    Abstract: A liquid supplying apparatus configured to supply a liquid to a liquid ejecting section that is configured to eject the liquid, the liquid supplying apparatus comprising a liquid containing portion configured to contain the liquid, and a fluid communication member in fluid communication with the liquid containing portion and having one end that is exposed to air, the fluid communication member further having a liquid visual recognition portion through which the liquid inside the fluid communication member is visually recognizable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidenao Suzuki, Munehide Kanaya, Naomi Kimura, Koki Hayashi, Koji Nishimaki, Shoma Kudo
  • Publication number: 20170008298
    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: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Publication date: January 12, 2017
    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: D780257
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Koji Nishimaki, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Shoichi Ishizawa, Makoto Omuro, Koji Kawai
  • Patent number: D780258
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Koji Nishimaki, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Shoichi Ishizawa, Makoto Omuro, Koji Kawai
  • Patent number: D780259
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Koji Nishimaki, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Shoichi Ishizawa, Makoto Omuro, Koji Kawai
  • Patent number: D780842
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Koji Nishimaki, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Shoichi Ishizawa, Makoto Omuro, Koji Kawai
  • Patent number: D784444
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Koji Nishimaki, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Shoichi Ishizawa, Makoto Omuro, Koji Kawai
  • Patent number: D786345
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Koji Nishimaki, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Shoichi Ishizawa, Makoto Omuro, Koji Kawai