Patents by Inventor Satoshi Shinada

Satoshi Shinada 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: 7934794
    Abstract: An ink cartridge having a container for storing ink therein and having an ink supply port formed at a leading end side in an insertion direction of the container, a memory device disposed on a first of two opposite surfaces parallel to the insertion direction of the container, the memory device having an electrode for electrical connection to the recording device; a retaining member disposed on the first surface and located at a trailing end side relative to the memory device in the insertion direction, the retaining member serving to selectively engage with the recording device; and another retaining member disposed on the second surface and which also serves to selectively engage with the recording device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hisashi Miyazawa, Munehide Kanaya, Yasuto Sakai, Masaki Shimomura, Satoshi Nakata, Yoshihiro Koizumi, Hiroshige Owaki, Takeo Seino, Satoshi Shinada
  • Patent number: 7926926
    Abstract: A liquid container includes: a liquid containing chamber for containing a liquid therein; a liquid supply port for connecting to a liquid receiving portion of an apparatus and supplying the liquid to the apparatus; an atmosphere opening port for introducing external air into the liquid containing chamber through an atmosphere opening flow passage as the liquid is consumed, the atmosphere opening port being provided to be located at a lower surface of the liquid container in a gravity direction when the liquid container is mounted on the apparatus; a sealing film that is adhered to close the atmosphere opening port and is removable before the liquid container is connected to the apparatus; and a liquid trap chamber that is provided in the atmosphere opening flow passage to prevent liquid leakage from the atmosphere opening port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Taku Ishizawa, Satoshi Shinada
  • Patent number: 7909440
    Abstract: A liquid container of the invention has a container body including a storage space and a liquid feed port and a liquid injection port which are installed on the container body. The liquid feed port is structured so as to interconnect the storage space and the liquid ejecting head with each other, when the liquid container is mounted on a liquid ejecting unit. The liquid injection port is structured so as to interconnect the storage space of the container body and a liquid tank of a stationary unit with each other, when the liquid ejecting unit is united with the stationary unit. The invention provides a liquid container effective in realization of a liquid ejecting apparatus which can meet two needs for executing a large amount of printing and transporting when necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshio Kumagai, Atsushi Kobayashi, Satoshi Shinada
  • Publication number: 20110019199
    Abstract: Problem An object is to provide a method for evaluating characteristics of individual Mach-Zehnder (MZ) interferometers in an optical modulator which includes a plurality of MZ interferometers. Means for Solving Problems The method comprises a step for adjusting a bias voltage of the MZ interferometer, a step for eliminating zero-order components, a step for measuring an output intensity and a step for evaluating characteristics. An optical modulator (1) includes the first MZ interferometer (2) and the second MZ interferometer (3). The first MZ interferometer (2) includes wave-branching section (5). Two arms (6,7), wave coupling section (8) and electrodes which is not shown in figures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2008
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Tetsuya Kawanishi, Shinya Nakajima, Satoshi Shinada
  • Patent number: 7871156
    Abstract: An ink cartridge for an ink jet printer having a housing having at least one wall. The ink cartridge further has at least two ink chambers for containing different ink accommodated in the housing. Ink supply ports are formed in one wall of the housing within each of the ink chambers. Each of the ink supply ports has an inner opening and an outer opening. The distance from the inner opening of a first ink supply port to that of a second ink supply port adjacent to the first ink supply port is different from a second distance from the outer opening of the first ink supply opening to that of the second ink supply port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Usui, Satoshi Shinada, Takahiro Naka, Hisashi Miyazawa, Takeo Seino, Hisashi Koike, Takao Kobayashi, Masahiro Kanai, Yasuko Hirano, Yasushi Akatsuka, Takayuki Iijima, Noriaki Okazawa, Hitoshi Matsumoto, Yasuhiro Ogura
  • Patent number: 7866801
    Abstract: A high-performance liquid-supplying system is provided in which cost reduction can be achieved with a simple system configuration and accuracy in detecting the residual amount of liquid is high. An ink-supplying system 1 supplies liquid reserved in a main tank 14 to a recording head 3 through a subtank 16 mounted on a carriage 6. The main tank 14 has a structure opened to the atmosphere, and the subtank 16 has a sealed structure. The subtank 16 has liquid-detecting means 21 including a vibrating plate 31 as a part of a liquid supply channel 18 or a temporary reservoir 16a and a piezoelectric actuator 32 provided on the vibrating plate 31.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Taku Ishizawa, Satoshi Shinada
  • Patent number: 7850263
    Abstract: The invention provides a liquid consumption apparatus including a liquid consumption unit, a counting unit that counts the amount of the liquid consumed by the liquid consumption unit as a liquid consumption amount, a reception unit that receives a detection signal indicating that the amount of the liquid contained in the liquid container is not more than a predetermined amount; a detection-time liquid amount memory unit that memorizes the liquid consumption amount at the time of reception of the detection signal as a detection-time liquid consumption amount, and a judgment unit that judges that the liquid container is empty when the amount of difference between the liquid consumption amount and the detection-time liquid consumption amount is not more than a specified amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Shinada, Taku Ishizawa, Masayoshi Katayama, Noboru Asauchi, Hideki Okumura
  • Publication number: 20100289847
    Abstract: A circuit board of an ink cartridge is provided with a plurality of terminals, with the contact portions of the plurality of terminals forming a plurality of lines. The contact portions of two terminals used for detecting installation are positioned in a first line, and the contact portion of a power terminal is positioned between the two terminals. The first line may be positioned to a leading side when the ink cartridge is moved in a prescribed direction to effect installation in a printer. Alternatively, the first line may be the line closest to an opening of an ink delivery port. Alternatively, the first line may be the line closest to an ink delivery needle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2010
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Taku ISHIZAWA, Satoshi Shinada, Izumi Nozawa, Yuji Aoki, Hiroyuki Kawate, Takakazu Fukano, Noboru Asauchi, Yasuhiko Kosugi
  • Patent number: 7832849
    Abstract: A liquid container that comprises a first member and a second member fixed to the first member and is detachably mounted on a liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein a first shape corresponding to a liquid capacity is integrally formed in the first member, a second shape corresponding to a liquid kind is integrally formed in the second member, and an erroneous insertion prevention mechanism for preventing an erroneous insertion into a container mounting portion includes the first shape and the second shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Taku Ishizawa, Satoshi Shinada
  • Patent number: 7815298
    Abstract: An ink cartridge for an ink jet recording device, includes: a container having an ink supply port; at least two ink chambers partitioned in the container, one being located substantially in an upper section and the other being located substantially in a lower section; an ink suction passage connecting a bottom region of the lower section ink chamber to a bottom region of the upper section ink chamber; and a negative pressure generating mechanism provided to a flow passage connecting the upper section ink chamber to the ink supply port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hisashi Miyazawa, Yasuto Sakai, Satoshi Shinada, Atsushi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 7802877
    Abstract: The ink cartridge includes an ink supply port formed at a position, offset to one side, of a wall configuring an ink container body; a positioning projecting portion, formed on one wall out of two opposing walls adjacent the wall, whose upper surface and side portion are regulated in position when the cartridge has been mounted on a recording apparatus; a lever, formed on the other wall out of the two walls, maintaining a normal hinged-open state and having a projection that is forcibly displaced outward when the cartridge is mounted on the recording apparatus; and electrodes that are connected to a memory unit storing information on the ink in an ink container and formed on the positioning projecting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Hashii, Satoshi Shinada, Yasuto Sakai, Kazumasa Harada, Kazuaki Aoki
  • Publication number: 20100231620
    Abstract: A liquid holding container that supplies liquid to a liquid ejecting apparatus, includes: a liquid containing section which contains the liquid; a liquid supply port for supplying the liquid to the liquid ejecting apparatus; and a supply pump which supplies the liquid contained in the liquid containing section to the liquid ejecting apparatus through the liquid supply port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2010
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satoshi SHINADA
  • Patent number: 7794067
    Abstract: In an ink cartridge, a negative pressure generating mechanism is disposed between an ink storage region and an ink supply port, and has a wall surface having two through-holes for ink flow, and a valve member contacted with and separated from the through-hole by receiving a pressure in an ink supply port side. Ink flowing via the through-hole is supplied via the through-hole to the ink supply port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hisashi Miyazawa, Atsushi Kobayashi, Satoshi Shinada
  • Patent number: 7788807
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a liquid container, the liquid container including a liquid containing chamber in which a liquid can be contained, an air communicating passage allowing the liquid containing chamber to communicate with air, a liquid supply port for supplying the liquid contained in the liquid container to an outside, a valve mechanism disposed in the liquid supply port, a liquid flow passage allowing the liquid container and the liquid supply port to communicate with each other, and a differential pressure valve which is disposed in the liquid flow passage, which is normally urged to be a closed state, and which is changed from the closed state to an opened state when a differential pressure between a side of the liquid supply port and a side of the liquid containing chamber is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the method includes: removing at least a part of the valve mechanism; inserting a jig from the liquid supply port; forcibly opening the differential pressure valve using the jig ag
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Chiaki Miyajima, Masahide Matsuyama, Yuichi Seki, Satoshi Shinada, Hisashi Koike
  • Patent number: 7784930
    Abstract: An ink cartridge for an ink jet recording device, includes: a container having an ink supply port; at least two ink chambers partitioned in the container, one being located substantially in an upper section and the other being located substantially in a lower section; an ink suction passage connecting a bottom region of the lower section ink chamber to a bottom region of the upper section ink chamber; and a negative pressure generating mechanism provided to a flow passage connecting the upper section ink chamber to the ink supply port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hisashi Miyazawa, Yasuto Sakai, Satoshi Shinada, Atsushi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 7775650
    Abstract: A liquid container includes: a container body attachable to a container attachment portion of an apparatus side; a liquid chamber, provided in the container body, for accommodating a liquid therein; a liquid supply hole connectable to a liquid receiving portion of the apparatus side; a liquid leading path for leading the liquid stored in the liquid chamber to the liquid supply hole; an air open hole for introducing outside air into the liquid chamber as the liquid in the liquid chamber is consumed; pressure regulating means, provided in a portion of the liquid leading path, for regulating a pressure of the liquid to be supplied to the liquid receiving portion through the liquid supply hole and hindering a reverse flow of the liquid from the liquid supply hole to the liquid chamber; a first bypass path for causing first and second liquid leading passages of the liquid leading path, provided respectively before and after the pressure regulating means, to communicate with each other; and a first bypass blocking
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Taku Ishizawa, Satoshi Shinada, Akira Ichihashi, Minoru Yajima
  • Publication number: 20100201762
    Abstract: An attachment is mountable on a carriage in place of a liquid container that contains liquid and that is mounted on the carriage having a liquid jet head for jetting liquid, so that the attachment can supply liquid introduced from outside to the liquid jet head. The attachment has a pressure control means provided in a flow passage which is formed in an attachment body and through which the liquid introduced from the outside is supplied to the liquid jet head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Inventors: Takeo Seino, Takahiro Naka, Satoshi Shinada, Hitotoshi Kimura
  • Patent number: 7748835
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording device for supplying ink to a recording head from at least one ink cartridge having a bottom wall, and first and second side walls connected to each other through the bottom wall and facing each other, the ink cartridge further having an ink supply port at the bottom wall, a first retaining member extending from the first side wall and a recess provided in the vicinity of the second side wall, the retaining member having a first engagement portion displaceable toward and away from the first side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hisashi Miyazawa, Satoshi Shinada, Yasuto Sakai
  • Patent number: 7699453
    Abstract: To provide a liquid storage container that can prevent false detection of a liquid remaining-amount sensor by preventing air bubbles from reaching a detection position of the liquid remaining-amount sensor as long as a usable amount of liquid remains in liquid storage chambers even when the air bubbles enter liquid guide paths from the liquid storage chambers. The liquid storage container has a cartridge main body 10 that includes an upper ink storage chamber 370, a lower ink storage chamber 390, and a buffer chamber 430. The upper ink storage chamber 370 and the lower ink storage chamber 390 are connected to each other with an ink guide path 380 which provides a descending connection so that ink I descends downward therethrough. The lower ink storage chamber 390 and the buffer chamber 430 are connected to each other with an ink guide path 420 which provides an ascending connection so that the ink I ascends upward therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Taku Ishizawa, Satoshi Shinada
  • Patent number: RE41601
    Abstract: An ink cartridge is composed of the body of a container provided with an ink supply port for discharging ink into a print head for housing ink and a lid for sealing the body of the container so that the container can communicate with the air. A semiconductor memory device storing information related to ink is mounted on the surface of the body of the container or the cap and is coated with a removable film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Matsuzaki, Satoshi Shinada