Patents by Inventor Yumi Kawamoto

Yumi Kawamoto 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).

  • Image forming apparatus and method
    Patent number: 7397490
    Abstract: An image is formed by thermally transferring dyes of a thermal transfer sheet onto a print recording medium, and then a protection layer is formed on the formed image. The transport speed of the print recording medium in the event of thermal transferring the dyes onto the print recording medium is set higher than that in the event of thermal transferring the protection layer onto the print recording medium. Thereby, the amount of thermal energy for application in the event of protection layer formation is increased to be greater than that in the event of image formation. Thereby, occurrence of concave-convex portions formed on the printed surface in association with a density difference in the event of image formation is prevented, and concurrently, the surface pattern in the event of image protection layer formation is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kikuchi, Masahide Maruyama, Yumi Kawamoto, Masanobu Hida
  • IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20070064084
    Abstract: An image is formed by thermally transferring dyes of a thermal transfer sheet onto a print recording medium, and then a protection layer is formed on the formed image. The transport speed of the print recording medium in the event of thermal transferring the dyes onto the print recording medium is set higher than that in the event of thermal transferring the protection layer onto the print recording medium. Thereby, the amount of thermal energy for application in the event of protection layer formation is increased to be greater than that in the event of image formation. Thereby, occurrence of concave-convex portions formed on the printed surface in association with a density difference in the event of image formation is prevented, and concurrently, the surface pattern in the event of image protection layer formation is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2006
    Publication date: March 22, 2007
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kikuchi, Masahide Maruyama, Yumi Kawamoto, Masanobu Hida