Patents by Inventor Nobuaki Oku

Nobuaki Oku 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: 7306318
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing device, which is provided with an inkjet head and an ejection restoring system configured to restore ejection performance of the inkjet head. The ejection restoring system includes a wiping member used to wipe residual ink off a nozzle surface of the inkjet head, a wiper driving system that moves the wiping member relative to the nozzle surface, and a wiper maintenance unit that removes ink adhered to the wiping member. The wiper maintenance unit includes a cassette having an absorbent member therein. The absorbent member absorbs ink adhered to the wiping member. The wiper maintenance unit further includes a cassette holder to which the cassette is detachably attached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuaki Oku
  • Patent number: 6959977
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing device, which is provided with an inkjet head and an ejection restoring system. The ejection restoring system includes a sucking device, a sucking device moving mechanism, a wiping member, a wiping member moving mechanism, and a driving system that drives the sucking device and the wiping member through the sucking device moving mechanism and the wiping member moving mechanism so that one of the sucking device and the wiping member is not driven if the sucking device and the wiping member interfere with each other. The driving system includes a first position detecting system that outputs a first state signal indicating that the sucking device and the wiping member interfere with each other and outputs a second state signal indicating that the sucking device and the wiping member do not interfere with each other, and a controller that controls at least one of the sucking device and the wiping member based on an output of the first position detecting system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuaki Oku, Toshinobu Ozawa
  • Publication number: 20050151781
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing device, which is provided with an inkjet head and an ejection restoring system configured to restore ejection performance of the inkjet head. The ejection restoring system includes a wiping member used to wipe residual ink off a nozzle surface of the inkjet head, a wiper driving system that moves the wiping member relative to the nozzle surface, and a wiper maintenance unit that removes ink adhered to the wiping member. The wiper maintenance unit includes a cassette having an absorbent member therein. The absorbent member absorbs ink adhered to the wiping member. The wiper maintenance unit further includes a cassette holder to which the cassette is detachably attached.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Publication date: July 14, 2005
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nobuaki Oku
  • Publication number: 20050151780
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing device, which is provided with an inkjet head and an ejection restoring system. The ejection restoring system includes a sucking device, a sucking device moving mechanism, a wiping member, a wiping member moving mechanism, and a driving system that drives the sucking device and the wiping member through the sucking device moving mechanism and the wiping member moving mechanism so that one of the sucking device and the wiping member is not driven if the sucking device and the wiping member interfere with each other. The driving system includes a first position detecting system that outputs a first state signal indicating that the sucking device and the wiping member interfere with each other and outputs a second state signal indicating that the sucking device and the wiping member do not interfere with each other, and a controller that controls at least one of the sucking device and the wiping member based on an output of the first position detecting system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2005
    Publication date: July 14, 2005
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobuaki Oku, Toshinobu Ozawa
  • Patent number: 6866363
    Abstract: A waste ink collecting device has an ink tank accommodating an ink absorber that absorbs unnecessary ink discharged from a printhead of an ink-jet printer. The discharged ink is dropped onto the ink tank. An inlet of the dropped ink is formed on a top plate of the ink tank, and the dropped ink enters the ink tank through the inlet. The ink tank has a partition wall that defines, inside the partition wall, a passage of the ink entered through the inlet to an inner bottom surface of the ink tank. The partition wall prevents the dropped ink from directly striking the ink absorber. The ink dropped on the inner bottom surface of the ink tank is absorbed by the ink absorber through a bottom surface thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuaki Oku
  • Publication number: 20030202038
    Abstract: A waste ink collecting device has an ink tank accommodating an ink absorber that absorbs unnecessary ink discharged from a printhead of an ink-jet printer. The discharged ink is dropped onto the ink tank. An inlet of the dropped ink is formed on a top plate of the ink tank, and the dropped ink enters the ink tank through the inlet. The ink tank has a partition wall that defines, inside the partition wall, a passage of the ink entered through the inlet to an inner bottom surface of the ink tank. The partition wall prevents the dropped ink from directly striking the ink absorber. The ink dropped on the inner bottom surface of the ink tank is absorbed by the ink absorber through a bottom surface thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2003
    Publication date: October 30, 2003
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nobuaki Oku
  • Patent number: 4981376
    Abstract: A printing apparatus employing a print ribbon provided with at least two print zones divided in width direction thereof wherein the print zones are cyclically located opposedly to a print position on a platen.A single drive power source is used to drive a ribbon holder rocking mechanism and a ribbon winding mechanism. The drive force of the drive power source to rock the ribbon holder is transmitted to the ribbon winding mechanism through a gear train. The gear train is arranged such that the drive force is transmitted therethrough only during a predetermined range of the stroke of the rocking motion of the ribbon holder.The rocking motion of the ribbon holder is controlled to vary the amount thereof depending upon the width of characater or symbol to be printed so as to vary the winding volume of the ribbon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 1, 1991
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuaki Oku
  • Patent number: 4795120
    Abstract: A supporting apparatus for moving an attachment apparatus, such as a display apparatus, relative to a basic apparatus, such as a printing apparatus, to a desired position for an operator. A vertical shaft for supporting the display apparatus can be shifted from an engaging position to a release position by the rocking operation of an operation member around its supporting shaft through a pivot pin projecting from the bottom portion of the vertical shaft. At the release position, the vertical shaft is allowed free rotation, which in turn sets the display apparatus to the desired swivel position. At the engaging position, a swivel positioning means is enabled so as to prevent the rotation of the vertical shaft, thus fixing the display apparatus at the set swivel position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1989
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Susumu Kuzuya, Minoru Sakanobe, Yukihito Takagi, Nobuaki Oku, Toyonori Sasaki, Kazuyoshi Sagawa