Patents by Inventor Toshihiro SHINBARA

Toshihiro SHINBARA 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: 9925779
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting unit having nozzles able to eject a first liquid to a medium; and a fluid ejecting device having ejection ports able to eject a fluid including a second liquid to the liquid ejecting unit, in which the fluid ejecting device performs, as a maintenance operation of the liquid ejecting unit, a first fluid ejection of ejecting a fluid including small droplets of the second liquid that are smaller than a nozzle opening to an opening region in which the nozzles of the liquid ejecting unit open, and a second fluid ejection of ejecting a fluid including droplets of the second liquid in which the smallest droplets are larger than the small droplets to the liquid ejecting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiro Shinbara, Kazuhiko Hara, Takayuki Kawakami, Kazuyuki Fujioka, Hitotoshi Kimura
  • Publication number: 20180056664
    Abstract: A liquid supplying device includes a first intermediate storage and a second intermediate storage that store liquid and are provided such that the liquid can be supplied from a liquid ejecting unit which ejects the liquid, a liquid supply source holding unit that holds a liquid supply source which accommodates the liquid and that can supply the liquid accommodated in the liquid supply source to the first intermediate storage and the second intermediate storage, and a pressure regulating mechanism that can regulate pressures inside the first intermediate storage and inside the second intermediate storage. In the liquid supplying device, the inside of one intermediate storage, out of the first intermediate storage and the second intermediate storage, is depressurized, and the liquid is supplied from the liquid supply source to the one intermediate storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventors: Kaoru KOIKE, Ryoji FUJIMORI, Hiroki MATSUOKA, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Tsuyoshi HAYASHI
  • Patent number: 9447296
    Abstract: An ink set includes a recording ink and a displacement ink. The recording ink contains a pigment, a resin, water, and a first surfactant and is substantially free of alkyl polyols with a normal boiling point of 280° C. or more. The displacement ink contains water, a second surfactant, an aprotic polar solvent, and an alkyl polyol with a normal boiling point of 280° C. or more. Each of the first surfactant and the second surfactant includes a silicone surfactant and/or a fluorosurfactant. The resin includes a water-soluble resin and/or a resin emulsion. The recording ink has a higher surface tension than that of the displacement ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mukai, Akira Mizutani, Toshihiro Shinbara, Hironori Sato
  • Publication number: 20160243835
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting unit having nozzles able to eject a first liquid to a medium; and a fluid ejecting device having ejection ports able to eject a fluid including a second liquid to the liquid ejecting unit, in which the fluid ejecting device performs, as a maintenance operation of the liquid ejecting unit, a first fluid ejection of ejecting a fluid including small droplets of the second liquid that are smaller than a nozzle opening to an opening region in which the nozzles of the liquid ejecting unit open, and a second fluid ejection of ejecting a fluid including droplets of the second liquid in which the smallest droplets are larger than the small droplets to the liquid ejecting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Inventors: Toshihiro Shinbara, Kazuhiko Hara, Takayuki Kawakami, Kazuyuki Fujioka, Hitotoshi Kimura
  • Patent number: 9309426
    Abstract: An ink composition contains a pigment, first wax particles, second wax particles, and a resin emulsion, in which the first wax particles have a melting point of 120° C. or higher and 170° C. or lower, the second wax particles have a melting point of 70° C. or higher and less than 120° C., the resin emulsion has a glass transition point of 50° C. or higher and 150° C. or lower, the first wax particles contain one or more kinds of wax particles selected from the group consisting of polyethylene wax particles or polypropylene wax particles, and the second wax particles contain one or more kinds of wax particles selected from the group consisting of polyethylene wax particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mukai, Toshihiro Shinbara
  • Publication number: 20160009094
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting section that is capable of ejecting a first liquid from an opening of a nozzle with respect to media; and a two-fluid ejecting apparatus that is capable of ejecting at least one of a gas and a second liquid with respect to the liquid ejecting section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Takayuki KAWAKAMI, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Kazuhiko HARA, Kazuyuki FUJIOKA, Takeshi YOSHIDA, Hironori SATO
  • Patent number: 9174451
    Abstract: The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a cleaning member that is brought into contact with a region including a nozzle face of the liquid ejecting head that ejects a liquid from nozzles formed in the nozzle face such that the cleaning member is capable of cleaning the liquid ejecting head, the cleaning member having a pile section in which a plurality of pile elements are raised in a portion of the cleaning member in contact with the region of the liquid ejecting head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Hara, Toshihiro Shinbara, Takayuki Kawakami, Hitotoshi Kimura
  • Publication number: 20150124023
    Abstract: The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a cleaning member that is brought into contact with a region including a nozzle face of the liquid ejecting head that ejects a liquid from nozzles formed in the nozzle face such that the cleaning member is capable of cleaning the liquid ejecting head, the cleaning member having a pile section in which a plurality of pile elements are raised in a portion of the cleaning member in contact with the region of the liquid ejecting head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: Kazuhiko HARA, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Takayuki KAWAKAMI, Hitotoshi KIMURA
  • Publication number: 20140240393
    Abstract: An ink set includes a recording ink and a displacement ink. The recording ink contains a pigment, a resin, water, and a first surfactant and is substantially free of alkyl polyols with a normal boiling point of 280° C. or more. The displacement ink contains water, a second surfactant, an aprotic polar solvent, and an alkyl polyol with a normal boiling point of 280° C. or more. Each of the first surfactant and the second surfactant includes a silicone surfactant and/or a fluorosurfactant. The resin includes a water-soluble resin and/or a resin emulsion. The recording ink has a higher surface tension than that of the displacement ink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi MUKAI, Akira MIZUTANI, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Hironori SATO
  • Publication number: 20140232782
    Abstract: An ink composition contains a pigment, first wax particles, second wax particles, and a resin emulsion, in which the first wax particles have a melting point of 120° C. or higher and 170° C. or lower, the second wax particles have a melting point of 70° C. or higher and less than 120° C., the resin emulsion has a glass transition point of 50° C. or higher and 150° C. or lower, the first wax particles contain one or more kinds of wax particles selected from the group consisting of polyethylene wax particles or polypropylene wax particles, and the second wax particles contain one or more kinds of wax particles selected from the group consisting of polyethylene wax particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mukai, Toshihiro Shinbara
  • Patent number: 8764146
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a head having a nozzle through which ink that contains thermoplastic resin particles and whose viscosity at 50° C. is equal to or greater than 2.1 mPa·s is discharged, a pressure chamber, and a driving element; an ink non-absorptive medium; a heating unit; and a control unit that applies driving signals to the driving element. In the printing apparatus, a discharge waveform generated by the driving signal includes a first expansion-element that expands the pressure chamber, a contraction-element that contracts the pressure chamber having been expanded by the first expansion-element, a second expansion-element that expands the pressure chamber having been contracted by the contraction-element, a third expansion-element that further expands the pressure chamber having been expanded by the second-expansion element, and a connection-element that connects an end terminal of the second expansion-element with a start terminal of the third expansion-element at the same potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masako Fukuda, Tomohiro Sayama, Hironori Sato, Nagatoshi Kasahara, Hiroshi Mukai, Toshihiro Shinbara
  • Publication number: 20140152741
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head having a plurality of nozzles through which an ink composition containing an inorganic pigment is ejected, a nozzle surface having nozzle orifices, and a liquid-repellent film disposed on the nozzle surface; an absorbing member that absorbs the ink composition containing the inorganic pigment from the nozzle orifices and the nozzle surface; and an actuating mechanism including a pressing member that presses the absorbing member, which contains an impregnation liquid, and the nozzle surface relative to each other. The actuating mechanism moves at least one of the absorbing member and the recording head relative to the other to perform a cleaning operation in which the ink composition is removed from the nozzle surface with the absorbing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki Nakane, Akira Mizutani, Toshihiro Shinbara, Masako Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20140152742
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head having a plurality of nozzles through which an ink composition containing an inorganic pigment is ejected, a nozzle surface having nozzle orifices, and a liquid-repellent film disposed on the nozzle surface; an absorbing member that absorbs the ink composition containing the inorganic pigment from the nozzle orifices and the nozzle surface; and an actuating mechanism including a pressing member that presses the absorbing member and the nozzle surface relative to each other. The actuating mechanism moves at least one of the absorbing member and the recording head relative to the other to perform a cleaning operation in which the ink composition is removed from the nozzle surface with the absorbing member. The absorbing member contains an impregnation liquid having a surface tension of 45 mN/m or less during the cleaning operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Mizutani, Hiroshi Mukai, Hiroki Nakane, Toshihiro Shinbara, Keiji Matsumoto, Masako Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20140085365
    Abstract: A printing apparatus, has a head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging an ink containing thermoplastic resin particles and having a viscosity at 50° C. of 2.1 mPa·s or more to a non-ink-absorbing medium and a drive element provided in each of the nozzles, a heating portion which heats the medium, and a control portion which drives the drive elements by applying a drive waveform to discharge ink droplets from the nozzles corresponding to the drive elements, in which a first ink droplet is discharged from the nozzle by the application of the drive waveform to the drive element, and the discharge speed of an ink droplet whose discharge speed is lower of a second ink droplet and a third ink droplet discharged accompanying the first ink droplet is 4.0 m/s or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Nagatoshi Kasahara, Tomohiro Sayama, Hironori Sato, Masako Fukuda, Hiroshi Mukai, Toshihiro Shinbara
  • Publication number: 20130328954
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a head having a nozzle through which ink that contains thermoplastic resin particles and whose viscosity at 50° C. is equal to or greater than 2.1 mPa·s is discharged, a pressure chamber, and a driving element; an ink non-absorptive medium; a heating unit; and a control unit that applies driving signals to the driving element. In the printing apparatus, a discharge waveform generated by the driving signal includes a first expansion-element that expands the pressure chamber, a contraction-element that contracts the pressure chamber having been expanded by the first expansion-element, a second expansion-element that expands the pressure chamber having been contracted by the contraction-element, a third expansion-element that further expands the pressure chamber having been expanded by the second-expansion element, and a connection-element that connects an end terminal of the second expansion-element with a start terminal of the third expansion-element at the same potential.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masako FUKUDA, Tomohiro SAYAMA, Hironori SATO, Nagatoshi KASAHARA, Hiroshi MUKAI, Toshihiro SHINBARA
  • Publication number: 20130300799
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes at least: a print head that discharges ink jet recording ink from nozzles which are formed on a nozzle forming surface toward a recording medium; a wiping mechanism that wipes out ink which is attached to a nozzle forming surface using an absorbent material having an impregnating solution; and a cap member that adheres closely to the nozzle forming surface in a state in which a space is included in an area facing the nozzles, and removes at least ink of the space, and further includes the following characteristic (1) or (2). (1) Ink jet recording ink composition includes a first resin having a heat distortion temperature of 10° C. or less. (2) Ink jet recording ink composition includes a second resin and includes substantially no glycerin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akira MIZUTANI, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Hiroshi MUKAI, Masakazu OHASHI
  • Publication number: 20130265355
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a head having a nozzle ejecting an ink having thermoplastic resin particles and a viscosity of 2.1 mPa·s or more at 50° C., a pressure chamber, and a drive element; a medium having ink-unabsorbable characteristics and a length of 64 inches or less in a predetermined direction; a movement mechanism which moves the head in the predetermined direction; a heating unit which heats the medium; and a control unit which causes the movement mechanism to move the head in the predetermined direction and applies a drive waveform generating a pressure change in the ink inside the pressure chamber, to the drive element. The control unit applies a micro-vibration waveform having a size which does not allow the ink to be ejected from the nozzle onto the drive element corresponding to the nozzle if the nozzle does not eject the ink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hironori SATO, Tomohiro SAYAMA, Nagatoshi KASAHARA, Masako FUKUDA, Hiroshi MUKAI, Toshihiro SHINBARA
  • Publication number: 20090237444
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a plurality of nozzle openings that eject liquid; pressure generating chambers in communication with the respective nozzle openings; a liquid ejecting head including a pressure generating unit that causes the pressure generating chambers to generate a pressure change; a sucking unit that covers the nozzle openings and sucks the liquid from the nozzle openings; a suction control unit that causes the sucking unit to suck the liquid from the nozzle openings; and a liquid flow control unit that brings the pressure generating units into vibrations selectively corresponding to the pressure generating chambers to vibrate when sucking the liquid by the sucking unit and controls a flow of fluid in the pressure generating chambers by not driving the pressure generating units corresponding to the non-selected pressure generating chambers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nagatoshi KASAHARA, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Ryoichi TANAKA, Teruaki KAIEDA