Patents by Inventor Shigeyoshi Hirashima

Shigeyoshi Hirashima 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: 8256873
    Abstract: An apparatus including nozzles that discharge liquid; a liquid discharge head including nozzle arrays where the nozzles are arranged in one direction; a liquid adsorbent that adsorbs liquid attached to a portion of the liquid discharge head where the nozzle arrays are formed; a moving unit that relatively moves the liquid adsorbent in an arrangement direction of the nozzles; support rollers that support the liquid adsorbent so as to allow the liquid adsorbent to rotate; a rotating shaft corresponding to the axis of rotation of the support roller and rotated in a normal or reverse direction using the relative movement of the liquid adsorbent, which is caused by the moving unit, as a source of power, and a reverse rotation preventing unit that transmits the normal rotation of the rotating shaft to the support roller and does not transmit the reverse rotation of the rotating shaft to the support roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Yamaguchi, Shigeyoshi Hirashima
  • Patent number: 8210666
    Abstract: A liquid supplying device includes a liquid tank storing liquid that is supplied to a consumption object that consumes the liquid, a transfer pump for transferring the liquid stored in the liquid tank, an auxiliary tank temporarily storing the liquid transferred by the transfer pump before supplying the liquid to the consumption object, and a return pipe disposed so as to return the liquid to the liquid tank from the auxiliary tank when an amount of the liquid stored in the auxiliary tank becomes greater than or equal to a certain amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeyoshi Hirashima
  • Patent number: 8210641
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes an energy-generating element arranged on a semiconductor substrate, a barrier layer deposited on the semiconductor substrate for forming a liquid chamber in the periphery of the energy-generating element, and a nozzle sheet bonded on the barrier layer and having a nozzle formed at a position opposing the energy-generating element, in which the liquid ejection head ejects liquid contained in the liquid chamber from the nozzle as liquid droplets by the energy-generating element, and the barrier layer is provided with a plurality of depressions, each having an independent contour, arranged within a range, which is separated from the border of the barrier layer, on an adhesive region adhering to the nozzle sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeo Eguchi, Shogo Ono, Kazuyasu Takenaka, Atsushi Nakamura, Yuichiro Ikemoto, Shigeyoshi Hirashima, Atsushi Nakayama, Shota Nishi, Yuji Yakura, Shigeyoshi Fujiki, Manabu Matsuda
  • Patent number: 8201920
    Abstract: A head cartridge and a liquid ejection apparatus in which cleaning is performed using a liquid absorbing force of a wiping member produced along with restoration of temporarily increased elastic displacement of the wiping member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Nakamura, Shota Nishi, Masato Nakamura, Toshio Fukuda, Yuji Yakura, Shigeyoshi Hirashima, Shinichi Horii
  • Patent number: 8182067
    Abstract: A droplet discharge head includes: a liquid reservoir which holds a liquid; a channel through which the liquid is guided to the liquid reservoir; and a driving element which changes the pressure in the liquid reservoir so as to discharge droplets of the liquid contained in the liquid reservoir through a nozzle, in which wall surfaces of the liquid reservoir and of the nozzle are arranged in a continuous line at a side opposite the channel with respect to the center of the nozzle as seen in a cross-sectional view through a central axis of the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kamoda, Manabu Tomita, Iwao Ushinohama, Soichi Kuwahara, Shigeyoshi Hirashima
  • Publication number: 20120050409
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes a liquid discharging head that has a nozzle surface formed with nozzles discharging liquid, and a surrounding portion that is protruded from the nozzle surface and surrounds the nozzles; and a support member that is moved between a contact position coming into contact with the surrounding portion and a separation position separated from the surrounding portion, when being situated in the separation position, the support member supporting a medium on which liquid discharged from the nozzles is landed, and when being situated in the contact position, the support member sealing the nozzles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Inventors: Shunji Yamaguchi, Hitoshi Kamoda, Shigeyoshi Hirashima
  • Patent number: 8109584
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes an energy-generating element arranged on a semiconductor substrate, a barrier layer deposited on the semiconductor substrate for forming a liquid chamber in the periphery of the energy-generating element, and a nozzle sheet bonded on the barrier layer and having a nozzle formed at a position opposing the energy-generating element, in which the liquid ejection head ejects liquid contained in the liquid chamber from the nozzle as liquid droplets by the energy-generating element, and the barrier layer is provided with a plurality of depressions, each having an independent contour, arranged within a range, which is separated from the border of the barrier layer, on an adhesive region adhering to the nozzle sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeo Eguchi, Shogo Ono, Kazuyasu Takenaka, Atsushi Nakamura, Yuichiro Ikemoto, Shigeyoshi Hirashima, Atsushi Nakayama, Shota Nishi, Yuji Yakura, Shigeyoshi Fujiki, Manabu Matsuda
  • Patent number: 8100519
    Abstract: A liquid discharging head includes a head chip including a plurality of energy generating elements configured to discharge liquid, and liquid chambers provided around the energy generating elements, and a common passage member configured to define a common passage communicating with all the liquid chambers. Liquid is discharged from the liquid chambers by driving the energy generating elements so as to apply a discharging force to the liquid. N-number of common passage members (N?2) are provided, and each includes an inlet for supplying the liquid to the common passage and an outlet for ejecting the liquid from the common passage. The inlet of the first common passage member is connected to a liquid supply member. The inlet of the N-th common passage member is connected to the liquid supply member via an opening-closing valve and to the outlet of the (N?1)-th common passage member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeyoshi Hirashima
  • Patent number: 8066362
    Abstract: A liquid discharging head includes a head chip including a plurality of energy generating elements configured to discharge liquid and liquid chambers provided around the corresponding energy generating elements, and a common passage member configured to define a common passage communicating with all the liquid chambers in the head chip. the liquid is discharged from the liquid chambers by driving the energy generating elements so as to apply a discharging force to the liquid. The common passage member includes an inlet through which the liquid is supplied to the common passage, and an outlet through which the liquid is ejected from the common passage. The common passage includes a ceiling surface having a groove extending from the inlet toward the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeyoshi Hirashima, Akiko Harada, Shunji Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20100201724
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes: a plurality of nozzles that discharges liquid; a liquid discharge head that includes nozzle arrays where the respective nozzles are arranged in one direction; a liquid adsorbent that adsorbs liquid attached to a portion of the liquid discharge head where the nozzle arrays are formed; a moving means for relatively moving the liquid adsorbent in an arrangement direction of the nozzles; and a liquid suction means for sucking liquid adsorbed in the liquid adsorbent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji YAMAGUCHI, Hitoshi KAMODA, Shigeyoshi HIRASHIMA
  • Publication number: 20100201738
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes: nozzles discharging liquid; a liquid discharge head including nozzle arrays where the nozzles are arranged in one direction; a liquid adsorbent adsorbing liquid attached to a portion of the liquid discharge head where the nozzle arrays are formed; a moving means for relatively moving the liquid adsorbent in an arrangement direction of the nozzles; support rollers supporting the liquid adsorbent so as to allow the liquid adsorbent to rotate; a rotating shaft corresponding to the axis of rotation of the support roller and being rotated in a normal or reverse direction by using the relative movement of the liquid adsorbent, which is caused by the moving means, as a source of power; and a reverse rotation preventing means for transmitting the normal rotation of the rotating shaft to the support roller and not transmitting the reverse rotation of the rotating shaft to the support roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji YAMAGUCHI, Shigeyoshi Hirashima
  • Patent number: 7735960
    Abstract: A head cartridge and a liquid ejection apparatus are provided in which cleaning performance of cleaning means is improved using a liquid absorbing force of a wiping member produced along with restoration of temporarily increased elastic displacement of the wiping member. An elastic displacement h (height of a projection) of a cleaning roller temporarily produced by the projection arranged at a position in the foreground of ink ejection nozzles in the cleaning direction of a nozzle surface is established to satisfy the following condition: h>(Vu/Vr)(L+n/2??/2), where the restoring speed of the elastic deformation of the cleaning roller is denoted as Vu; the moving speed of the cleaning roller is denoted as Vr; the movement distance of the cleaning roller from a restoring initiation point of the elastic deformation to the center of the liquid ejection nozzles is L; the contact width between the cleaning roller and the nozzle surface is n; and the diameter of the ink ejection nozzle is ?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Nakamura, Shoto Nishi, Masato Nakamura, Toshio Fukuda, Yuji Yakura, Shigeyoshi Hirashima, Shinichi Horii
  • Publication number: 20100140862
    Abstract: A second driven roller that is rotated by following a second driving roller has a larger outer diameter than a first driven roller. A front edge of a recording sheet being lifted up from a first nip contacts the second driven roller, and hence the front edge does not directly hit the first driven roller. The second driven roller rotates at a higher rotational speed than a rotational speed of the first driven roller. The second driven roller gently flips the front edge of the recording sheet which has contacted the second driven roller, and leads the front edge quickly to the first nip. The front edge of the recording sheet is smoothly led to the nip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji Yamaguchi, Shigeyoshi Hirashima
  • Publication number: 20100026764
    Abstract: A droplet discharge head includes: a liquid reservoir which holds a liquid; a channel through which the liquid is guided to the liquid reservoir; and a driving element which changes the pressure in the liquid reservoir so as to discharge droplets of the liquid contained in the liquid reservoir through a nozzle, in which wall surfaces of the liquid reservoir and of the nozzle are arranged in a continuous line at a side opposite the channel with respect to the center of the nozzle as seen in a cross-sectional view through a central axis of the nozzle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kamoda, Manabu Tomita, Iwao Ushinohama, Soichi Kuwahara, Shigeyoshi Hirashima
  • Publication number: 20100026739
    Abstract: A liquid supplying device includes a liquid tank storing liquid that is supplied to a consumption object that consumes the liquid, a transfer pump for transferring the liquid stored in the liquid tank, an auxiliary tank temporarily storing the liquid transferred by the transfer pump before supplying the liquid to the consumption object, and a return pipe disposed so as to return the liquid to the liquid tank from the auxiliary tank when an amount of the liquid stored in the auxiliary tank becomes greater than or equal to a certain amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shigeyoshi Hirashima
  • Patent number: 7581809
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes an energy-generating element arranged on a semiconductor substrate, a barrier layer deposited on the semiconductor substrate for forming a liquid chamber in the periphery of the energy-generating element, and a nozzle sheet bonded on the barrier layer and having a nozzle formed at a position opposing the energy-generating element, in which the liquid ejection head ejects liquid contained in the liquid chamber from the nozzle as liquid droplets by the energy-generating element, and the barrier layer is provided with a plurality of depressions, each having an independent contour, arranged within a range, which is separated from the border of the barrier layer, on an adhesive region adhering to the nozzle sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeo Eguchi, Shogo Ono, Kazuyasu Takenaka, Atsushi Nakamura, Yuichiro Ikemoto, Shigeyoshi Hirashima, Atsushi Nakayama, Shota Nishi, Yuji Yakura, Shigeyoshi Fujiki, Manabu Matsuda
  • Publication number: 20090085955
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes an energy-generating element arranged on a semiconductor substrate, a barrier layer deposited on the semiconductor substrate for forming a liquid chamber in the periphery of the energy-generating element, and a nozzle sheet bonded on the barrier layer and having a nozzle formed at a position opposing the energy-generating element, in which the liquid ejection head ejects liquid contained in the liquid chamber from the nozzle as liquid droplets by the energy-generating element, and the barrier layer is provided with a plurality of depressions, each having an independent contour, arranged within a range, which is separated from the border of the barrier layer, on an adhesive region adhering to the nozzle sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeo EGUCHI, Shogo Ono, Kazuyasu Takenaka, Atsushi Nakamura, Yuichiro Ikemoto, Shigeyoshi Hirashima, Atsushi Nakayama, Shota Nishi, Yuji Yakura, Shigeyoshi Fujiki, Manabu Matsuda
  • Publication number: 20090056768
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes an energy-generating element arranged on a semiconductor substrate, a barrier layer deposited on the semiconductor substrate for forming a liquid chamber in the periphery of the energy-generating element, and a nozzle sheet bonded on the barrier layer and having a nozzle formed at a position opposing the energy-generating element, in which the liquid ejection head ejects liquid contained in the liquid chamber from the nozzle as liquid droplets by the energy-generating element, and the barrier layer is provided with a plurality of depressions, each having an independent contour, arranged within a range, which is separated from the border of the barrier layer, on an adhesive region adhering to the nozzle sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeo EGUCHI, Shogo Ono, Kazuyasu Takenaka, Atsushi Nakamura, Yuichiro Ikemoto, Shigeyoshi Hirashima, Atsushi Nakayama, Shota Nishi, Yuji Yakura, Shigeyoshi Fujiki, Manabu Matsuda
  • Patent number: 7474435
    Abstract: A connection apparatus is disclosed which includes a connection source and a connection destination. The connection source includes information about a predetermined connection destination; and a connecting element for making a connection request to the predetermined connection destination based on the information about the connection destination and, given a permission, for automatically connecting to the connection destination. The predetermined connection destination includes a receiving element for receiving the connection request from the connection source, a judging element which, upon interpreting the connection request, judges whether the connection source is a predetermined connection source or not, and a permission granting element which, if the judging element judges the connection source to be a predetermined connection source, then grants connection permission to the connection source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeyoshi Hirashima, Shinichi Horii, Hiroshi Tokunaga, Masato Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20080239014
    Abstract: A liquid discharging head includes a head chip including a plurality of energy generating elements configured to discharge liquid and liquid chambers provided around the corresponding energy generating elements, and a common passage member configured to define a common passage communicating with all the liquid chambers in the head chip. the liquid is discharged from the liquid chambers by driving the energy generating elements so as to apply a discharging force to the liquid. The common passage member includes an inlet through which the liquid is supplied to the common passage, and an outlet through which the liquid is ejected from the common passage. The common passage includes a ceiling surface having a groove extending from the inlet toward the outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Inventors: Shigeyoshi Hirashima, Akiko Harada, Shunji Yamaguchi