Patents by Inventor Sean R. Keyes

Sean R. Keyes 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: 11851281
    Abstract: A tensioner assembly for a belt of a device useful in printing, the tensioner assembly including a bracket, including a first plate including at least one slot, and a second plate, a third plate slidably connected to the first plate, a connector engaged with the at least one slot and connected to the third plate, and a resilient member including a first end engaged with the third plate and a second end engaged with the second plate, wherein the resilient member is operatively arranged to bias the third plate away from the second plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Sean R. Keyes
  • Publication number: 20230183017
    Abstract: A tensioner assembly for a belt of a device useful in printing, the tensioner assembly including a bracket, including a first plate including at least one slot, and a second plate, a third plate slidably connected to the first plate, a connector engaged with the at least one slot and connected to the third plate, and a resilient member including a first end engaged with the third plate and a second end engaged with the second plate, wherein the resilient member is operatively arranged to bias the third plate away from the second plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventor: Sean R. Keyes
  • Patent number: 10889117
    Abstract: A capping station is configured for storing printheads during printer inactivity to preserve the viscosity of the ink in the nozzles of the printheads. Each capping station has a receptacle, a vacuum source, a transducer, and a valve in an opening in a floor of the receptacle. A controller is operatively connected to actuators to move the receptacle so a seal on an upper wall of the receptacle engages a printhead housing. The controller also operates the valve to close the opening in the receptacle floor and then operates the vacuum source to establish a negative pressure in the volume within the receptacle. The transducer is then operated by the controller to fluctuate ink menisci in the nozzles of the printheads to prevent the ink from drying in the nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Piotr Sokolowski, Timothy G. Shelhart, Sean R. Keyes, Ana R. Fietz-Bogota
  • Publication number: 20200307219
    Abstract: A capping station is configured for storing printheads during printer inactivity to preserve the viscosity of the ink in the nozzles of the printheads. Each capping station has a receptacle, a vacuum source, a transducer, and a valve in an opening in a floor of the receptacle. A controller is operatively connected to actuators to move the receptacle so a seal on an upper wall of the receptacle engages a printhead housing. The controller also operates the valve to close the opening in the receptacle floor and then operates the vacuum source to establish a negative pressure in the volume within the receptacle. The transducer is then operated by the controller to fluctuate ink menisci in the nozzles of the printheads to prevent the ink from drying in the nozzles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Piotr Sokolowski, Timothy G. Shelhart, Sean R. Keyes, Ana R. Fietz-Bogota
  • Patent number: 10717284
    Abstract: A capping station is configured for storing printheads during printer inactivity to preserve the viscosity of the ink in the nozzles of the printheads. Each capping station has a receptacle, a planar member having a shaft that moves bidirectionally within an opening in a floor of the receptacle, a source of cleaning fluid, and a vacuum source. A controller is operatively connected to actuators to move the receptacle so a seal on an upper wall of the receptacle engages a printhead housing and to move the planar member within the receptacle. The controller also operates a pump to move cleaning fluid through the receptacle and to operate the vacuum source to pull ink from the nozzles of a printhead to the faceplate of the printhead. The planar member is moved proximate the faceplate so the ink forms a film that preserves the viscosity of the ink in the nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy G. Shelhart, Piotr Sokolowski, Sean R. Keyes, Ana R. Fietz-Bogota