Patents by Inventor Shuichi Koganehira

Shuichi Koganehira 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: 11505710
    Abstract: A ink-jet ink composition according to the present disclosure contains a colorant, water, a 1,2-alkanediol, and a water-soluble 1,3-dioxolane compound represented by the following formula: where R1 and R2 are independently selected from linear or branched alkyl groups containing one to four carbon atoms and R3 is a hydrogen atom or at least one selected from the group consisting of an ethylene oxide adduct, a propylene oxide adduct, and a butylene oxide adduct and is terminated with a hydrogen atom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Inventors: Shuichi Koganehira, Keigo Ando, Yoshitaka Miyajima
  • Patent number: 11485867
    Abstract: An ink composition includes water, a resin, a coloring material, an alcohol (A) and a solvent (B). The alcohol (A) has a vapor pressure at 25° C. of 0.050 mmHg or greater and a solubility at 25° C. in 100 g of water of less than 3 g. The solvent (B) includes at least one selected from the group consisting of glycol ethers having a vapor pressure at 25° C. of less than 0.050 mmHg and a solubility at 25° C. in 100 g of water of 3 g or greater and alkanediols having a vapor pressure at 25° C. of less than 0.050 mmHg and a solubility at 25° C. in 100 g of water of 3 g or greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Inventors: Shuichi Koganehira, Yoshitaka Miyajima, Keigo Ando
  • Patent number: 11440329
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting system includes a specific liquid ejecting apparatus having a first identifier indicative of coverage by a specific service plan, and a specific liquid container having a second identifier indicative of coverage by the specific service plan. The specific liquid ejecting apparatus includes an acquisition section that acquires the second identifier, and a determination section that compares the first identifier with the acquired second identifier and determines whether the specific liquid container is usable for the specific liquid ejecting apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Taku Ishizawa, Shuichi Koganehira
  • Patent number: 11347982
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid container and a control unit. The liquid container has an upper limit mark. The upper limit mark is arranged so that in a first case where an entire amount of liquid stored in a refilling container is injected into a storage portion when a notification unit notifies of a first state, a liquid level of the liquid in the storage portion is located between an inlet port and the upper limit mark, and in a second case where the entire amount of liquid stored in the refilling container is injected into the storage portion when the notification unit notifies of a second state, the liquid level overlaps with the upper limit mark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuichi Koganehira, Tomoyuki Hirano
  • Patent number: 11235584
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a liquid accommodation body into which liquid contained in a liquid container is configured to be poured, a printing section that performs printing by discharge of liquid supplied from the liquid accommodation body, a counting section that performs counting relating to an amount of consumption of liquid with which a liquid container was contained and counting relating to an amount of consumption of liquid per predetermined period of time, and a delivery request section that, based on a counting result yielded by the counting section, sends the server apparatus a delivery request for a liquid container by a time that is earlier by a delivery period of a liquid container than an estimated timing of completion of consumption of liquid with which a liquid container was contained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuaki Hirai, Ryo Oguchi, Shunichi Hizawa, Shuichi Koganehira
  • Patent number: 11084291
    Abstract: A control unit of a liquid consumption apparatus performs determination processing that determines whether or not each of a first housing container and a second housing container is an unsuitable container that does not satisfy a use condition, performs switching decision that decides switching of a supply source that supplies a liquid composition to a liquid consumption unit to the second housing container when the first housing container is determined to be the unsuitable container while the liquid composition is being supplied from the first housing container to the liquid consumption unit, and continues supply of the liquid composition from the first housing container to the liquid consumption unit regardless of whether or not the second housing container is the unsuitable container until when the switching decision is performed while the liquid composition is being supplied from the first housing container to the liquid consumption unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuichi Koganehira, Noriyuki Inukai, Shigeki Fukushima, Yasuhiko Kosugi
  • Publication number: 20210070060
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting system includes a specific liquid ejecting apparatus having a first identifier indicative of coverage by a specific service plan, and a specific liquid container having a second identifier indicative of coverage by the specific service plan. The specific liquid ejecting apparatus includes an acquisition section that acquires the second identifier, and a determination section that compares the first identifier with the acquired second identifier and determines whether the specific liquid container is usable for the specific liquid ejecting apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Taku ISHIZAWA, Shuichi KOGANEHIRA
  • Publication number: 20210046762
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a liquid accommodation body into which liquid contained in a liquid container is configured to be poured, a printing section that performs printing by discharge of liquid supplied from the liquid accommodation body, a counting section that performs counting relating to an amount of consumption of liquid with which a liquid container was contained and counting relating to an amount of consumption of liquid per predetermined period of time, and a delivery request section that, based on a counting result yielded by the counting section, sends the server apparatus a delivery request for a liquid container by a time that is earlier by a delivery period of a liquid container than an estimated timing of completion of consumption of liquid with which a liquid container was contained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Inventors: Yasuaki HIRAI, Ryo OGUCHI, Shunichi HIZAWA, Shuichi KOGANEHIRA
  • Patent number: 10894422
    Abstract: A consumables consumption apparatus includes a cartridge determination section that determines one of a specified cartridge and an unspecified cartridge which is attached to the consumables consumption apparatus in accordance with maintenance subject information indicating a subject of a maintenance contract and a notification section that requests a selection of one of use agreement of the unspecified cartridge and replacement of the unspecified cartridge by the specified cartridge when the cartridge determination section determines that the unspecified cartridge is attached and that makes a notification indicating at least one of information on cancellation of the maintenance contract and information on replacement by the specified cartridge when the use agreement is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shuichi Koganehira
  • Publication number: 20200410311
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid container and a control unit. The liquid container has an upper limit mark. The upper limit mark is arranged so that in a first case where an entire amount of liquid stored in a refilling container is injected into a storage portion when a notification unit notifies of a first state, a liquid level of the liquid in the storage portion is located between an inlet port and the upper limit mark, and in a second case where the entire amount of liquid stored in the refilling container is injected into the storage portion when the notification unit notifies of a second state, the liquid level overlaps with the upper limit mark.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuichi KOGANEHIRA, Tomoyuki HIRANO
  • Publication number: 20200399489
    Abstract: A ink-jet ink composition according to the present disclosure contains a colorant, water, a 1,2-alkanediol, and a water-soluble 1,3-dioxolane compound represented by the following formula: where R1 and R2 are independently selected from linear or branched alkyl groups containing one to four carbon atoms and R3 is a hydrogen atom or at least one selected from the group consisting of an ethylene oxide adduct, a propylene oxide adduct, and a butylene oxide adduct and is terminated with a hydrogen atom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Inventors: Shuichi KOGANEHIRA, Keigo ANDO, Yoshitaka MIYAJIMA
  • Publication number: 20200290360
    Abstract: A control unit of a liquid consumption apparatus performs determination processing that determines whether or not each of a first housing container and a second housing container is an unsuitable container that does not satisfy a use condition, performs switching decision that decides switching of a supply source that supplies a liquid composition to a liquid consumption unit to the second housing container when the first housing container is determined to be the unsuitable container while the liquid composition is being supplied from the first housing container to the liquid consumption unit, and continues supply of the liquid composition from the first housing container to the liquid consumption unit regardless of whether or not the second housing container is the unsuitable container until when the switching decision is performed while the liquid composition is being supplied from the first housing container to the liquid consumption unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuichi KOGANEHIRA, Noriyuki INUKAI, Shigeki FUKUSHIMA, Yasuhiko KOSUGI
  • Publication number: 20200283650
    Abstract: An ink composition includes water, a resin, a coloring material, an alcohol (A) and a solvent (B). The alcohol (A) has a vapor pressure at 25° C. of 0.050 mmHg or greater and a solubility at 25° C. in 100 g of water of less than 3 g. The solvent (B) includes at least one selected from the group consisting of glycol ethers having a vapor pressure at 25° C. of less than 0.050 mmHg and a solubility at 25° C. in 100 g of water of 3 g or greater and alkanediols having a vapor pressure at 25° C. of less than 0.050 mmHg and a solubility at 25° C. in 100 g of water of 3 g or greater.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Inventors: Shuichi KOGANEHIRA, Yoshitaka MIYAJIMA, Keigo ANDO
  • Patent number: 10759179
    Abstract: Provided is a technique that can reduce at least one of various inconveniences in a sub-tank, such as stock management being complicated. The sub-tank includes: a consumable article containing portion; a sub-tank-side storage unit; and a case that can be detachably attached to multiple slots in a consumable article consumption apparatus and contains the consumable article containing portion. In a state before the sub-tank is first mounted in the slot, the sub-tank-side storage unit stores a sub-tank-side identifier configured to distinguish from another sub-tank, and in a state after the sub-tank is first mounted in the slot, the sub-tank-side storage unit further stores sub-tank-side consumable article information relating to an attribute of the consumable article replenished in a consumable article containing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuichi Koganehira, Shigeki Fukushima, Yasuhiko Kosugi, Takahiro Imai, Katsutoshi Ozawa, Tsuyoshi Hayashi, Noriyuki Inukai
  • Patent number: 10744780
    Abstract: A printer has a recording head, a relay container from which ink is supplied to the recording head, and to which the ink is supplied from a terminal container, a pressurizing pump and a depressurizing pump for supplying the ink from the terminal container to the relay container, and a control unit. The control unit calculates an estimated consumption amount of the relay container based on the amount of the ink supplied from the relay container to the recording head, and consumed and the amount of the ink supplied from the terminal container to the relay container, and calculates the amount of the ink supplied from the terminal container to the relay container using the minimum value of tolerance of a supply amount of the depressurizing pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuichi Koganehira, Yasuhiko Kosugi, Tsuyoshi Hayashi, Toshihiro Shinbara, Kaoru Koike, Ryoji Fujimori
  • Publication number: 20200094568
    Abstract: A consumables consumption apparatus includes a cartridge determination section that determines one of a specified cartridge and an unspecified cartridge which is attached to the consumables consumption apparatus in accordance with maintenance subject information indicating a subject of a maintenance contract and a notification section that requests a selection of one of use agreement of the unspecified cartridge and replacement of the unspecified cartridge by the specified cartridge when the cartridge determination section determines that the unspecified cartridge is attached and that makes a notification indicating at least one of information on cancellation of the maintenance contract and information on replacement by the specified cartridge when the use agreement is selected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shuichi KOGANEHIRA
  • Publication number: 20200070534
    Abstract: A liquid container is used in a liquid consumption device including a mounting unit to which a liquid container provided with a prism at a predetermined site, and a liquid container not provided with a prism at the predetermined site are replaceably mounted; a light emitting unit that emits light to the predetermined site of the liquid container; and a light receiving unit that receives light reflected from the predetermined site. The liquid container is not provided with the prism, and is provided with a reflection reduction unit that reduces reflection of light to the light receiving unit, at the predetermined site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Taku ISHIZAWA, Noriyuki FUKASAWA, Shuichi KOGANEHIRA, Takayuki YAZAWA
  • Patent number: 10532578
    Abstract: A printing apparatus (200) includes a slot (230) to and from which a memory unit (100) storing permitted usage amount information can be attached and removed, and a processing unit (210) that carries out a process for updating estimated ink amount information. The processing unit (210) carries out a charging process using a first memory unit (100-1), and in the case where a second memory unit (100-2) has been attached to the slot (230) after the charging process, the processing unit (210) does not carry out a charging process using the second memory unit (100-2) until a consumed ink amount expressed by the estimated ink amount information exceeds a prescribed threshold (WTH). The processing unit (210) carries out the charging process using the second memory unit (100-2) in the case where the consumed ink amount has exceeded the prescribed threshold (WTH).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuichi Koganehira, Yasuhiko Kosugi
  • Patent number: 10525499
    Abstract: The control unit, when a first condition in which a minimum value of a suppliable time that is a time it takes for an amount of liquid contained in each supply-side sub tank to reach an amount corresponding to a switching preparation time necessary for switching between the refill-side sub tank and the supply-side sub tank is less than or equal to a maximum value of a full refill refilling time that is a period from when refill processing for performing refilling of the liquid from the main tank is started in each of the plurality of refill-side sub tanks until a state is achieved in which the refill-side sub tank is fully re-filled with liquid and can supply the liquid is satisfied, the refill processing is performed on the plurality of refill-side sub tanks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuichi Koganehira, Tsuyoshi Hayashi, Yasuhiko Kosugi
  • Patent number: 10464332
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a slot to and from which a memory unit storing permitted usage amount information can be attached and removed, and a processing unit that carries out a process for updating estimated ink amount information that is information for estimating an amount of the ink in an ink holding unit. When the memory unit is attached to the slot, the processing unit carries out a charging process that updates the estimated ink amount information using the permitted usage amount information in the memory unit, on the basis of a process for determining whether or not consumed ink amount expressed by the estimated ink amount information exceeds a prescribed threshold (WTH). The processing unit executes forced charging process that executes the charging process in the case where there is an instruction from an operator of the printing apparatus before the prescribed threshold WTH is exceeded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuichi Koganehira, Yasuhiko Kosugi