Patents by Inventor Yoshihisa Horikawa

Yoshihisa Horikawa 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: 11972158
    Abstract: A cartridge provision system includes a printer that ejects liquid (recording material) supplied from a cartridge onto a print medium; and a server 10 that manages a provision of the cartridge to a user of the printer, wherein the server 10 manages vendor inventory data 22, which is data that associated an inventory of the cartridge held by a sales company who provisions the cartridge to the user with expiration date of the cartridge, and a location data 33, which indicates the location of the user, and determines, when the sales company provisions the cartridge to the user, which expiration date of the cartridge should be provided from the inventory of the cartridge held by the sales company based on the vendor inventory data 22 and the location data 33.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuji Yonekubo, Shigenori Nakagawa, Yoshihisa Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20240061627
    Abstract: A cartridge provision system includes a printer that ejects liquid (recording material) supplied from a cartridge onto a print medium; and a server 10 that manages a provision of the cartridge to a user of the printer, wherein the server 10 manages vendor inventory data 22, which is data that associated an inventory of the cartridge held by a sales company who provisions the cartridge to the user with expiration date of the cartridge, and a location data 33, which indicates the location of the user, and determines, when the sales company provisions the cartridge to the user, which expiration date of the cartridge should be provided from the inventory of the cartridge held by the sales company based on the vendor inventory data 22 and the location data 33.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventors: Shuji YONEKUBO, Shigenori NAKAGAWA, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20240061628
    Abstract: A cartridge providing system includes a printer ejecting, onto a printing medium, a liquid (recording material) supplied from a cartridge, and a server managing provision of the cartridge to a plurality of users that use the printer. The server determines whether an unused stock, which is a stock that remains unused for a first period or longer, is present in a stock of cartridges held by each of the plurality of users. In a case in which it is determined that an unused stock is present in the stock held by a first user of the plurality of users, when a period until a usage expiry date of the unused stock is less than a first threshold value, the server specifies a second user, of the plurality of users, to be provided with the unused stock, based on user stock data in which the stock of cartridges held by the user is registered, and on usage amount data indicating a usage amount of the cartridge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventors: Shuji YONEKUBO, Shigenori NAKAGAWA, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20240062154
    Abstract: A cartridge providing system includes a printer ejecting, onto a printing medium, a liquid (recording material) supplied from a cartridge, and a server managing provision of the cartridge to a user that uses the printer. The server manages user stock data, which is data associating a stock of the cartridges held by the user with usage expiry dates thereof, and vendor stock data, which is data associating a stock of the cartridges held by a sales company providing the cartridge to the user with usage expiry dates thereof. When the sales company provides the cartridge to the user, the server determines, based on the vendor stock data and the user stock data, the cartridge of which usage expiry date is to be provided from among the stock of the cartridges held by the sales company.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventors: Shuji YONEKUBO, Shigenori NAKAGAWA, Hitoshi IGARASHI, Tsuneyuki SASAKI, Takuya SONOYAMA, Saeko MARUYAMA, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20240059073
    Abstract: A cartridge providing system includes a printer ejecting a liquid (recording material) supplied from a cartridge, and a server managing provision of the cartridge to users that use the printer. Based on user stock data of each of the users, the server determines whether an unused stock, which is a stock that remains unused for a first period or longer from a start of holding, is present in a stock of the cartridges held by each of the users. If it is determined that an unused stock is present in the stock held by a first user, when a period until a usage expiry date of the unused stock is less than a first threshold value, the server sets a collection recommendation flag to the unused stock in the user stock data of the first user, the collection recommendation flag indicating the cartridge recommended for collection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventors: Shuji YONEKUBO, Shigenori NAKAGAWA, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Patent number: 11766870
    Abstract: Provided is a coagulation method for a liquid, recovered from a printer, and containing pigment and a cleaning liquid. The coagulation method includes storing the recovered liquid containing the pigment and the cleaning liquid, cooling the recovered liquid such that at least a part of the recovered liquid solidifies, and heating a solid generated by solidifying at least a part of the recovered liquid in order to liquefy the solid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Keigo Takishima, Yoshihisa Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20230271412
    Abstract: A conveying unit conveys a medium by moving a glue belt. The conveying unit includes a vapor application unit and a cleaning unit. The vapor application unit applies heated vapor to a front surface of the glue belt separated from the medium. The cleaning unit cleans the front surface to which the vapor is applied by the vapor application unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2023
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Inventors: Shuhei NISHIZAWA, Koji SATO, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20230271437
    Abstract: A printer includes a recording unit, a glue belt, a pressing roller, a blowing unit, an ion application unit, and a charging unit. The glue belt includes an outer peripheral surface configured to support a medium. The pressing roller is provided upstream of the recording unit in a circumferential direction, and presses the medium against the outer peripheral surface. The blowing unit is provided upstream of the recording unit and downstream of the pressing roller in the circumferential direction and configured to blow a gas toward the outer peripheral surface. The ion application unit applies ions having a positive polarity to the gas blown onto the outer peripheral surface. The charging unit charges a front surface configured to come into contact with the medium so that the polarity of the potential of the front surface is the same as the polarity of the ions applied to the gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2023
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Inventors: Hiroyuki SANTO, Sho SHIMIZU, Keigo IIZAWA, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20230264499
    Abstract: A transport unit includes a glue belt, a cleaning unit, and a support unit. The glue belt can transport a medium. The cleaning unit can clean the glue belt with a cleaning liquid. The support unit includes a support surface capable of supporting a sponge that comes into contact with the glue belt cleaned by the cleaning unit. At least one opening is provided in the support surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Inventors: Koji SATO, Shuhei NISHIZAWA, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Patent number: 11691412
    Abstract: A transport device includes a transport belt having a support surface configured to support a medium, and configured to transport the medium supported by the support surface, a cleaning roller including an absorbent member configured to absorb cleaning liquid, and configured to clean the support surface as the absorbent member comes into contact with the support surface, a supply unit configured to supply the cleaning liquid to the cleaning roller, and a spray unit configured to spray gas to the support surface cleaned by the cleaning roller. The spray unit is configured to spray the gas to the cleaning roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Sato, Yoshihisa Horikawa
  • Patent number: 11563169
    Abstract: A magnetic tunnel junction element (10) includes a configuration in which a reference layer (14) that includes a ferromagnetic material, a barrier layer (15) that includes O, a recording layer (16) that includes a ferromagnetic material including Co or Fe, a first protective layer (17) that includes O, and a second protective layer (18) that includes at least one of Pt, Ru, Co, Fe, CoB, FeB, or CoFeB are layered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: TOHOKU UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Hideo Sato, Yoshihisa Horikawa, Shunsuke Fukami, Shoji Ikeda, Fumihiro Matsukura, Hideo Ohno, Tetsuo Endoh, Hiroaki Honjo
  • Publication number: 20220297436
    Abstract: Provided is a coagulation method for a liquid, recovered from a printer, and containing pigment and a cleaning liquid. The coagulation method includes storing the recovered liquid containing the pigment and the cleaning liquid, cooling the recovered liquid such that at least a part of the recovered liquid solidifies, and heating a solid generated by solidifying at least a part of the recovered liquid in order to liquefy the solid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Inventors: Keigo TAKISHIMA, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20220291621
    Abstract: A transport device includes a transport belt having a support surface configured to support a medium, a cleaning roller including an absorbent member configured to absorb cleaning liquid, and configured to clean the support surface as the absorbent member comes into contact with the support surface, a supply unit configured to supply the cleaning liquid to the cleaning roller, and a squeeze member to squeeze the absorbent member as the cleaning roller rotates in a state in which the squeeze member is in contact with the absorbent member. The supply unit is configured to be switched between a supply state in which the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning roller and a non-supply state in which the cleaning liquid is not supplied to the cleaning roller, and the squeeze member squeezes the absorbent member while the supply unit is in the non-supply state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Koji SATO, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20220288919
    Abstract: A transport device includes a transport belt having a support surface configured to support a medium, and configured to transport the medium supported by the support surface, a cleaning roller including an absorbent member configured to absorb cleaning liquid, and configured to clean the support surface as the absorbent member comes into contact with the support surface, a supply unit configured to supply the cleaning liquid to the cleaning roller, and a spray unit configured to spray gas to the support surface cleaned by the cleaning roller. The spray unit is configured to spray the gas to the cleaning roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Koji SATO, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20220203733
    Abstract: Provided are a transporting belt including a support face configured to support a medium, the transporting belt being configured to transport the medium; a wiper configured to wipe the support face; an attachment portion to which the wiper is attached; and a holding portion configured to switch between a pressing state in which the wiper is pressed against the attachment portion and a release state in which the pressure of the wiper against the attachment portion is released, in which the wiper includes a base portion attached to the attachment portion, either one of the base portion and the attachment portion includes at least one pin, and the other one includes a hole through which the at least one pine is inserted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventors: Koji SATO, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20220203732
    Abstract: A transport device includes a transporting belt having a support face configured to support a medium and configured to transport the medium, a device main body in which the transporting belt is provided, and a cleaning unit configured to clean the support face with a liquid. The cleaning unit includes a storage unit in which the liquid is stored, a flow path member through which the liquid discharged from the storage unit and returned to the storage unit passes, and a filter unit detachably provided to the flow path member. Here, the filter unit is configured to be pulled out in a direction away from the device main body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventors: Koji SATO, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Patent number: 11161358
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an ejection unit including a nozzle surface configured to eject a liquid droplet, the nozzle surface facing a printing surface of a medium, a transport unit configured to transport the medium in a transport direction, a steam application unit configured to apply steam to the printing surface, the steam application unit being provided upstream of the ejection unit in the transport direction, and a medium compression unit configured to compress the medium, the medium compression unit being provided upstream of the ejection unit in the transport direction and downstream of the steam application unit in the transport direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Seijun Horie, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Yoshihisa Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20200324560
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an ejection unit including a nozzle surface configured to eject a liquid droplet, the nozzle surface facing a printing surface of a medium, a transport unit configured to transport the medium in a transport direction, a steam application unit configured to apply steam to the printing surface, the steam application unit being provided upstream of the ejection unit in the transport direction, and a medium compression unit configured to compress the medium, the medium compression unit being provided upstream of the ejection unit in the transport direction and downstream of the steam application unit in the transport direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Inventors: Seijun HORIE, Hiroyuki KOBAYASHI, Yoshihisa HORIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20190019944
    Abstract: A magnetic tunnel junction element (10) includes a configuration in which a reference layer (14) that includes a ferromagnetic material, a barrier layer (15) that includes O, a recording layer (16) that includes a ferromagnetic material including Co or Fe, a first protective layer (17) that includes O, and a second protective layer (18) that includes at least one of Pt, Ru, Co, Fe, CoB, FeB, or CoFeB are layered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Inventors: Hideo Sato, Yoshihisa Horikawa, Shunsuke Fukami, Shoji Ikeda, Fumihiro Matsukura, Hideo Ohno, Tetsuo Endoh, Hiroaki Honjo