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).
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Patent number: 9925779Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 20, 2016Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Toshihiro Shinbara, Kazuhiko Hara, Takayuki Kawakami, Kazuyuki Fujioka, Hitotoshi Kimura
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Publication number: 20180056664Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 15, 2017Publication date: March 1, 2018Inventors: Kaoru KOIKE, Ryoji FUJIMORI, Hiroki MATSUOKA, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Tsuyoshi HAYASHI
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Patent number: 9447296Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 24, 2014Date of Patent: September 20, 2016Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Hiroshi Mukai, Akira Mizutani, Toshihiro Shinbara, Hironori Sato
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Publication number: 20160243835Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: January 20, 2016Publication date: August 25, 2016Inventors: Toshihiro Shinbara, Kazuhiko Hara, Takayuki Kawakami, Kazuyuki Fujioka, Hitotoshi Kimura
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Patent number: 9309426Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 19, 2014Date of Patent: April 12, 2016Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Hiroshi Mukai, Toshihiro Shinbara
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Publication number: 20160009094Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: July 8, 2015Publication date: January 14, 2016Inventors: Takayuki KAWAKAMI, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Kazuhiko HARA, Kazuyuki FUJIOKA, Takeshi YOSHIDA, Hironori SATO
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Patent number: 9174451Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: November 4, 2014Date of Patent: November 3, 2015Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kazuhiko Hara, Toshihiro Shinbara, Takayuki Kawakami, Hitotoshi Kimura
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Publication number: 20150124023Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: November 4, 2014Publication date: May 7, 2015Inventors: Kazuhiko HARA, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Takayuki KAWAKAMI, Hitotoshi KIMURA
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Publication number: 20140240393Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2014Publication date: August 28, 2014Applicant: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Hiroshi MUKAI, Akira MIZUTANI, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Hironori SATO
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Publication number: 20140232782Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: February 19, 2014Publication date: August 21, 2014Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Hiroshi Mukai, Toshihiro Shinbara
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Patent number: 8764146Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 29, 2013Date of Patent: July 1, 2014Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Masako Fukuda, Tomohiro Sayama, Hironori Sato, Nagatoshi Kasahara, Hiroshi Mukai, Toshihiro Shinbara
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Publication number: 20140152741Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2013Publication date: June 5, 2014Applicant: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Hiroki Nakane, Akira Mizutani, Toshihiro Shinbara, Masako Fukuda
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Publication number: 20140152742Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2013Publication date: June 5, 2014Applicant: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Akira Mizutani, Hiroshi Mukai, Hiroki Nakane, Toshihiro Shinbara, Keiji Matsumoto, Masako Fukuda
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Publication number: 20140085365Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2013Publication date: March 27, 2014Applicant: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Nagatoshi Kasahara, Tomohiro Sayama, Hironori Sato, Masako Fukuda, Hiroshi Mukai, Toshihiro Shinbara
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Publication number: 20130328954Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2013Publication date: December 12, 2013Applicant: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Masako FUKUDA, Tomohiro SAYAMA, Hironori SATO, Nagatoshi KASAHARA, Hiroshi MUKAI, Toshihiro SHINBARA
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Publication number: 20130300799Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 27, 2013Publication date: November 14, 2013Applicant: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Akira MIZUTANI, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Hiroshi MUKAI, Masakazu OHASHI
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Publication number: 20130265355Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2013Publication date: October 10, 2013Applicant: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Hironori SATO, Tomohiro SAYAMA, Nagatoshi KASAHARA, Masako FUKUDA, Hiroshi MUKAI, Toshihiro SHINBARA
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Publication number: 20090237444Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 17, 2009Publication date: September 24, 2009Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Nagatoshi KASAHARA, Toshihiro SHINBARA, Ryoichi TANAKA, Teruaki KAIEDA