Patents by Inventor Shoma Kudo

Shoma Kudo 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: 9409407
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a tank; a liquid ejection head; and a casing configured to integrally cover the tank and the liquid ejection head. The tank includes a container portion configured to contain a liquid, an air introducing path arranged to introduce the air into the container portion, an inlet port configured to pour the liquid into the container portion, and an outlet port formed to supply the liquid into the liquid ejection head. In an attitude that the liquid is ejectable from the liquid ejection head, the liquid is contained in the container portion such that a liquid level of the liquid in the container portion is located at a higher position than a nozzle of the liquid ejection head in a vertical direction. In the attitude that the liquid is ejectable from the liquid election head, the inlet port is covered by the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shoma Kudo, Naomi Kimura, Hidenao Suzuki, Munehide Kanaya
  • Publication number: 20160221347
    Abstract: There is provided a recording apparatus that can easily set a state in which liquid accommodation units are filled with a liquid for recording while suppressing increases in an installation area. A recording apparatus including a liquid ejecting head 16 that performs recording by ejecting ink onto sheets of paper P, a discharge unit 20 in which a discharge opening 25 that includes a discharge region at which the sheets of paper, on which recording was performed by the liquid ejecting head, are discharged, is formed, and liquid accommodation units 30 that are capable of accommodating the liquid that is supplied to the liquid ejecting head, in an apparatus main body 12, in which the liquid accommodation units are provided with injection openings through which it is possible to inject ink into the liquid accommodation units, which are provided in a positions that are below the discharge unit in a perpendicular direction (?Z direction) and overlaps with the discharge unit in the perpendicular direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Inventors: Munehide KANAYA, Shoma KUDO, Hidenao SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 9399350
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting system includes a liquid ejecting apparatus, a containing unit configured to contain a liquid, and a liquid supply tube configured to supply the liquid from the containing unit to the liquid ejecting apparatus. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a first casing and a second casing that opposes the first casing. The containing unit includes a third casing and a fourth casing that opposes the third casing. The first casing has a first penetration hole. The second casing has a second penetration hole that overlaps with the first penetration hole. The fourth casing has a first protruding section. The containing unit is fixed to the liquid ejecting apparatus in a state where the first protruding section is inserted into the first penetration hole and the second penetration hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Hidenao Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20160207335
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a carriage which is capable of moving along a first direction, a first sliding section that is provided in the carriage, on one side in a second direction, which intersects the first direction, a second sliding section that is provided, in an arm section, which extends from the other side, protruding in the second direction, a tube that supplies the liquid, which is delivered from a liquid accommodation section, to the carriage, extends in a direction that intersects the second direction by extending out from the carriage, and extends in an opposite direction by turning back in a vertical direction, in which the tube extends in the direction that intersects the second direction by passing at least one of above and below the arm section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: Takumi KOBAYASHI, Soshi OKAWA, Shoma KUDO, Naomi KIMURA
  • Publication number: 20160200111
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a housing body, an opening/closing member, attached to the housing body via a pivot shaft so as to be capable of rotating freely, that covers the surface of the housing body on one side thereof, and an ink tank having an injection port for filling an ink holding chamber with ink used in recording. Here, the ink tank is disposed so that one end thereof is positioned within the housing body on the opposite side of the housing body as the side in which the pivot shaft is provided, and has a stepped shape including a step portion, the step portion being provided on a side of the ink tank that is further from the pivot shaft. The injection port is provided in the step portion, and when the opening/closing member is opened and the ink is to be filled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Publication date: July 14, 2016
    Inventors: Naomi KIMURA, Shoma KUDO, Hidenao SUZUKI, Munehide KANAYA
  • Publication number: 20160193847
    Abstract: A liquid supplying apparatus, configured to supply a liquid to a liquid ejecting section that is configured to eject the liquid, includes a tank configured to contain the liquid, the tank including a liquid containing section, and a container section connected to the tank. The container section is exposed to air through the tank, and the container section is connected to the liquid containing section of the tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Publication date: July 7, 2016
    Inventors: Hidenao SUZUKI, Munehide KANAYA, Naomi KIMURA, Koki HAYASHI, Koji NISHIMAKI, Shoma KUDO
  • Patent number: 9381748
    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: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Munehide Kanaya, Hidenao Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20160159099
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus comprises a liquid jet head, a carriage carrying the liquid jet head in a side-to-side direction, a liquid flow channel, and a liquid container in fluid communication with the liquid jet head through the liquid flow channel. The liquid container includes a liquid containing chamber arranged along a front/back direction orthogonal to the side-to-side direction; a liquid outlet port, from which the liquid contained in the liquid containing chamber flows to the liquid flow channel; and a liquid inlet port, through which the liquid is injected into the liquid containing chamber. The liquid inlet port has an end surface that does not face in a vertical direction relative to a normal posture of the apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Shoma Kudo, Takashi Koase, Toshiya Okada, Yasunori Koike, Tetsuya Takamoto, Nobutaka Suzuki, Satoshi Tamai, Toru Nakazawa, Katsutomo Tsukahara, Masayuki Kanazawa, Naofumi Mimura, Keigo Iizawa, Yutaka Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9332661
    Abstract: A printer includes a body case and an interface connector unit that is movable between a hidden position where the interface connector unit is hidden by the body case and an exposed position where the interface connector unit is exposed from the body case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shoma Kudo, Shigeto Omatsu, Hideki Kato
  • Patent number: 9290001
    Abstract: A liquid container includes an ink chamber containing an ink to be supplied via a tube to a liquid ejecting head consuming the ink; an outlet port from which the ink contained in the ink chamber flows to the tube side; an injection port through which the ink can be injected into the ink chamber; and an air intake port taking air into the ink chamber from a further vertically upper position than a liquid level of the ink when the ink is contained in the ink chamber. If the ink equal to 5% of containing capacity containable in the ink chamber flows from the outlet port, the liquid container has an area where a fluctuation range of the liquid level of the ink inside the ink chamber becomes 5% or less of the cubic root of the containing capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shoma Kudo, Takashi Koase, Toshiya Okada, Yasunori Koike, Tetsuya Takamoto, Nobutaka Suzuki, Satoshi Tamai, Toru Nakazawa, Katsutomo Tsukahara, Masayuki Kanazawa, Naofumi Mimura, Keigo Iizawa, Yutaka Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20160052286
    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: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Inventors: Naomi KIMURA, Shoma KUDO, Munehide KANAYA
  • Patent number: 9254666
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejecting apparatus which includes a carriage which reciprocates in a state where a liquid ejecting head is mounted thereon, a tank unit which is provided outside the carriage and accommodates ink, four liquid supply tubes which communicate with the liquid ejecting head and the tank unit, and a tube support portion which supports the liquid supply tubes in a state where the liquid supply tubes are aligned in a horizontal direction, in which, in a case main body, the liquid supply tubes extend further to the tank unit side than a portion in which the liquid supply tubes are supported by the tube support portion, in a state where a parallel alignment direction of the four liquid supply tubes changes from the horizontal direction (a transporting direction) to a vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Koki Hayashi, Hidenao Suzuki, Shoma Kudo
  • Publication number: 20160016409
    Abstract: A liquid container is mountable on a mount portion in a state of being engaged into a first engaging portion with respect to a supporting portion. The liquid container includes a first wall including a first section mountable on the mount portion; a second wall facing the first wall; a third wall intersecting with the first wall and the second wall; a fourth wall which faces the third wall, and intersects with the first wall and the second wall; and a first engaged portion capable of being engaged into the first engaging portion, in which when a direction from the first wall to the second wall is defined as a Z-axis direction, the first engaged portion is projected to the side opposite to the second wall side from the first wall, and is capable of coming in contact with the first engaging portion in the Z-axis direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Inventors: Naomi KIMURA, Shoma KUDO, Hidenao SUZUKI, Koji NISHIMAKI
  • Publication number: 20160009100
    Abstract: A liquid container includes a container portion configured to contain ink; an air chamber configured to contain the air that is introduced into the container portion; a first air introducing path configured to introduce the outside air into the air chamber; and a second air introducing path configured to introduce the air contained in the air chamber into the container portion. The first introducing port is located vertically above a liquid level in the air chamber of the ink flowing from the container portion into the air chamber, in a first attitude that the container portion and the air chamber are aligned in a direction intersecting with a vertical direction and that a first introducing port of the first air introducing path is located vertically above a delivery port of the second air introducing path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Shoma KUDO, Naomi KIMURA, Hidenao SUZUKI, Munehide KANAYA, Yasunori KOIKE, Tokujiro OKUNO
  • Publication number: 20160009096
    Abstract: An ink tank unit includes: an ink tank that is able to contain ink; an ink filling unit that is provided in a case of the ink tank and has an opening which enables the ink tank to be filled with the ink; and a second case that covers at least a part of a peripheral section of the ink filling unit, of a fifth wall of the case on which the ink filling unit is provided. A recessed section and a side wall which enables the ink to be guided to the recessed section are provided on at least one section of the peripheral section of the fifth wall and a section of the second case, which faces the peripheral section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    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
  • Publication number: 20150367648
    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: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Munehide Kanaya, Hidenao Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20150352853
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a tank; a liquid ejection head; and a casing configured to integrally cover the tank and the liquid ejection head. The tank includes a container portion configured to contain a liquid, an air introducing path arranged to introduce the air into the container portion, an inlet port configured to pour the liquid into the container portion, and an outlet port formed to supply the liquid into the liquid ejection head. In an attitude that the liquid is ejectable from the liquid ejection head, the liquid is contained in the container portion such that a liquid level of the liquid in the container portion is located at a higher position than a nozzle of the liquid ejection head in a vertical direction. In the attitude that the liquid is ejectable from the liquid election head, the inlet port is covered by the casing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2014
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Shoma KUDO, Naomi KIMURA, Hidenao SUZUKI, Munehide KANAYA
  • Publication number: 20150306882
    Abstract: A liquid container includes an ink chamber containing an ink to be supplied via a tube to a liquid ejecting head consuming the ink; an outlet port from which the ink contained in the ink chamber flows to the tube side; an injection port through which the ink can be injected into the ink chamber; and an air intake port taking air into the ink chamber from a further vertically upper position than a liquid level of the ink when the ink is contained in the ink chamber. If the ink equal to 5% of containing capacity containable in the ink chamber flows from the outlet port, the liquid container has an area where a fluctuation range of the liquid level of the ink inside the ink chamber becomes 5% or less of the cubic root of the containing capacity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Inventors: Shoma Kudo, Takashi Koase, Toshiya Okada, Yasunori Koike, Tetsuya Takamoto, Nobutaka Suzuki, Satoshi Tamai, Toru Nakazawa, Katsutomo Tsukahara, Masayuki Kanazawa, Naofumi Mimura, Keigo Iizawa, Yutaka Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20150283816
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a housing body, an opening/closing member, attached to the housing body via a pivot shaft so as to be capable of rotating freely, that covers the surface of the housing body on one side thereof, and an ink tank having an injection port for filling an ink holding chamber with ink used in recording. Here, the ink tank is disposed so that one end thereof is positioned within the housing body on the opposite side of the housing body as the side in which the pivot shaft is provided, and has a stepped shape including a step portion, the step portion being provided on a side of the ink tank that is further from the pivot shaft. The injection port is provided in the step portion, and when the opening/closing member is opened and the ink is to be filled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2015
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Inventors: Naomi KIMURA, Shoma Kudo, Hidenao Suzuki, Munehide Kanaya
  • Patent number: D751613
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shoichi Ishizawa, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Makoto Omuro, Koji Kawai, Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Koji Nishimaki